Sunday Service — December 3, 2023

Surviving Storms • Rev. Kim Wilson

When storms come and upend our lives, there are three questions we are called upon to ask ourselves, according to the writer and spiritual teacher Mark Nepo: What needs to be repaired? What needs to be reimagined? And what needs to be dismantled? Sometimes, when the storm clouds have parted, we may see that the path before us has been cleared in ways we never imagined.

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Sunday Service — December 10, 2023

Moral Realism • Rev. Cheryl Meinschein

Philosopher and novelist Iris Murdoch contends that morality is not about abstract principles or big dramatic decisions, but rather about day to day actions of casting “just and loving attention” on other people. How do we get there, and what stands in the way?

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Sunday Service — December 17, 2023

Bittersweetness • Diane Trieb

Our friend Diane Trieb returns today to share her insights on seeking spiritual and practical ways of integrating suffering and joy in our lives. Diane is a writer, teacher, counselor, group facilitator, and minister of Practical Spirituality. Learn more about her at www.dianetrieb.com

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Sunday Service — December 24, 2023

Christmas Eve Service: Music in the Morning

Join us in celebrating this joyful season with an inter-generational program featuring uplifting holiday music, followed by festive treats.

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Sunday Service — December 31, 2023

A Poetry Potluck

For this morning’s service, all are invited to bring your favorite dish (in this case, poetry) as together we nourish our sense of wonder, mystery, and shared community by stirring our souls, moving us to tears, or making us laugh.

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Turkey 4 Ways: A Festive Fundraiser and Delicious Demonstration

Join us on Saturday, November 11, at 10 a.m. to witness Chef Clifford Schulman de-bone a whole turkey and cook four signature dishes with different flavors, textures, and colors. Each participant will receive recipes, a quart of rich dark brown turkey stock, as well as a sit-down lunch of the dishes prepared. The class will last about four hours and will be held in the fully-licensed, commercial kitchen at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Pottstown.

Call 610-327-2662 to reserve your spot. The price is $20 and all proceeds go to the UUFP. Space is limited to 20 persons, so please reserve early.

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Garden News — November 2023

Fall is upon us and the garden committee is working to close down for the season.

We had a very successful season this year with a bountiful harvest of strawberries, garlic, snap peas, kale, arugula, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a final fall harvest of 18 pounds of peppers.

Many thanks to Mary and Sam who were instrumental in the success of the garden, sharing the work and keeping everything organized.

The last planting of the season is garlic; the cloves were put in the ground in late October. We will soon be collecting seeds from the Hyacinth beans and saving them for planting again next year.

Our next project is to trim down the garden rows, cover them with garden fabric and top it all off with a thick layer of mulch. This will help to keep the rows neat and will not have to weedwhack so often.

If interested in helping in our UUFP gardens, please contact Kay. She will gladly put you to work!

Thank you, the UUFP Garden Committee

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President’s Message — November 2023

“We should just be thankful for being together. I think that’s what they mean by Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown.” ~ Marcie, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

There is a lot going on and much to be thankful for within the UUFP Community. First, I want to let everyone know that Rick Duske has decided to step down from his position serving on the UUFP Board of Directors. He has served on the Board in various positions for almost ten years. His pragmatic leadership style, rational thought process and great sense of humor will be missed. The UUFP is grateful for all that Rick did. In the interim, his seat on the board will remain vacant and Mary Ryan will take on the responsibility of leading the Committee Council Meetings. Thank you, Rick; and, thank you, Mary.

Another person who has chosen to step down from a long time UUFP commitment is Erica Duske from her bi-monthly role on creating and distributing the Sojourner, our newsletter. Her creativity with graphics always made the newsletter not only informative but aesthetically pleasing. All of Erica’s hard work and efforts on the Sojourner are greatly appreciated. Thank you, Erica. If anyone would be interested in helping with the newsletter, please reach out to Kim Kulp.

There is also another area where people will be “stepping aside” from a role that they had been fulfilling. That area is Religious Education for the children. For approximately a year, the mothers of our children have volunteered to provide RE coverage which included building out lesson plans. With the advent of Meghan Mickle stepping up to cover RE full time, the moms are retiring from their teacher role. Until we find and hire another nursery attendant, they have graciously volunteered to mind the small kiddos. So, a big thank you goes out to Monica Buckley, Corina Jenkins, Kim Kulp, Sue Merkel and Valery Murdock for all they did in covering RE. These ladies, along with Ruby Barnthouse and her work with the tweens, have helped to ensure that we develop and deliver a vibrant RE program and help our children along their own UU journey. Thank you all!!

Recognition also needs to be extended to Miranda Van Horn and the Membership Committee for putting together the Halloween party that was held. A great time was had by “children of all ages.” Thanks also go out to all the hobgoblins who helped the Membership Committee to decorate.

The final bit of good news is that we are seeing an increase in visitors stopping by on Sundays. This is exciting, as new people bring new ideas and diversity of thought. All of us, whether we are first time visitors or long-time members, enter the UUFP hoping for a warm welcome. Each of us want to be able to bring our whole self and be our best self, accountable to the UUFP vision. As we build new relationships and strengthen the bonds of established ones, it is important to ground our actions, words, and behaviors in the UUFP Covenant. The Covenant is in essence a contract on how to act when one is in the UUFP community. You will find the Covenant posted in this newsletter. I would ask that you take the time to review it. The Covenant is a great reminder on how to bring your best self to the fellowship and therefore create a warm and loving community. Besides, I think that you will also find some useful strategies for the upcoming family holiday get-togethers.

Thank you all for what each of you bring and each of you have done for our UUFP community.

With gratitude, Linda

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Sunday Service — November 5, 2023

The Power of Now • Speaker: Rev. Kim Wilson

There is a place, beyond time and space, beyond our stream of thoughts, where we can find deep peace and joy, and the knowledge that we are not isolated beings. In this place, we recognize every moment as a miracle. In this place, we know that our minds tell us all kinds of things that it says are real and true, but which in reality, are not. This is the power of now. Drawing on the teachings of Eckhart Tolle and others, we explore what it means to live in the present moment and how it can enrich our experience of life beyond measure.

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Sunday Service — November 12, 2023

Diwali: The Festival of Lights • Speaker: Mary Ryan

Today is the date chosen to celebrate Diwali this year. Mary first learned about this from her co-workers from India. She’ll share what she learned then and later.

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