Welcome Sarah Ahrens!

Most of us have met Sarah, our new Director of Family Ministry, either during our Sunday multi-platform services via Zoom or in person in the sanctuary.  We all look forward to working with and hearing from Sarah!  You can learn more about Sarah here.  Sarah has a vibrant Children’s Faith Engagement program planned but needs your input and help.  We need volunteers (commitments as simple as once a month) and family participation forms completed so we can prepare for September; there are feedback sessions offered and a Blessing of the Backpacks in the works too!  Read more here and consider helping as a way to welcome Sarah AND our children to UUCWC. ​

Ranked Choice Voting and the 8th Principle

Geri Koblis, for the Racial Justice Ministry

If you have ever taken an online quiz or survey which presents multiple choice answers and asks you to fill in a number to indicate your most important choice to your least, you have done Ranked Choice Voting (RCV). In some states such as New Jersey, this is also called Instant Runoff. Most of us are beyond tired of the chasm in our country which has stamped, labeled and spit us out as either liberal vs. conservative, Democrat vs. Republican. We understand that we are more complex than those labels. We get that such identity politics are a calculated design which effectively keeps people in confusion and conflict for the benefit of those with self-serving agendas. These agendas include advancing policies that benefit white supremacy racism. One such policy is voter suppression, particularly for voters of color.

One possible antidote to the problems presented by a duopoly two-party system is the implementation of RCV in elections. According to a May 2021 report published by Fair Vote (Rank Choice Voting Elections Benefits Candidates of Color), key findings show that communities of color benefit from RCV. You can read a summary and download the report here.

RCV is both studied and tested. Fair Vote reports that as of June 2022, just in the U.S., 55 cities, counties and states are projected to use this mechanism for all voters in their next election. RCV is used in at least six other countries. In addition to the problems of polarization and unfair representation among people of color, RCV counteracts the problems of gerrymandering, skewed primary elections and voter disenfranchisement. It gives voters more choices and a greater sense of having a voice in a vote.

Our UU 8th Principle covenants us to work to build a diverse, multicultural Beloved Community by actions to dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions. Fair and equitable voting representation for people of color within our election processes is imperative to dismantling racist policies. We can act by supporting laws and methods that encourage and protect equal representation and combat voter suppression which targets voters of color.  Read more here…

UUCWC Support Outside Our Walls Exceeds Prior Twelve Years of Shared Plate

Holly Bussey, Liaison, Faith Expression Funding Team

Our church year, once again, ended on an upbeat tone. Despite the continued challenges of COVID, now in its 3rd year, the work of the Council for Faith in Action’s (CFA) Faith Expression and Funding Team Ministry (FEFT) continued the path of sharing our abundance with the world. FEFT is the team within the CFA that is responsible for determining how the 50% of the weekly plate contribution is distributed to appropriate organizations.

This year, FEFT awarded in excess of $21,000 to groups in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and to pressing needs based on current events – from Reproductive and Voting Rights to the War in Ukraine. The goal of FEFT was to distribute funds and to support groups that reflect both our congregational population as well as our 8th Principle.

Without you, this wouldn’t have been possible!! THANK YOU.

Look here to see the groups we sent contributions to for the year ending June 30, 2022.  
 

HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN? Determining who receives money is based on understanding needs; suggestions from congregants; how a group reflects our eight Principles; meeting with representatives from many of the groups; researching the organizations for financial soundness; and involving other groups within CFA to gain input and coordinate efforts (as exemplified by how FEFT worked closely with both Home Front and Food Ministry to coordinate contributions).  Read more here…

Allie’s Garden, Composting and More Earth News

Christine Piatek, Earth Ministry Team

Allie’s Garden has a new sign! Wendy Stasolla and Roy Vogel collaborated on the project, with Roy providing yet another memento of fine woodworking. Thank you both!

Three years of Covid haven’t stopped Allie’s Garden from flourishing and the Earth Ministry (EM) is grateful to Al Johnson, who undertakes the garden planning and the planting each year. This season, twenty-nine of the thirty beds have been planted in approximately equal amounts of sweet potatoes, butternut squash and carrots.

Al uses a “no till” method of planting, which means that the soil is not turned over or hoed before planting. The previous season’s cover crop is simply knocked down and covered for a few days with material (in this case, clear plastic) to kill the cover crop and weeds. Not tilling or hoeing and leaving the dead cover crop roots in the soil leaves the soil very soft and friable with good water holding capacity. This agricultural practice also preserves much of the carbon in the soil. By contrast, tillage speeds the decomposition process, sending more soil carbon back into the atmosphere as CO2. More CO2 adds to climate change concerns.

EM members and others help to weed the garden and water as needed. Al is hoping for a bountiful harvest which will be delivered to the Trenton Soup Kitchen as happened last year. Depending on this year’s bounty, there may be some squash for Homefront Thanksgiving pies.

Read more here…

Endowment Awards for 2022-23

Meghan Horn, Co-chair, Endowment Committee

For the 2022-2023 church year, the Endowment Committee is happy to announce the following grants have been awarded:

Erin Busch: for diverse choirs/musician performance;
Susan Irgang: for virtual church service equipment
Wendy Stasolla for the Earth Ministry: for Terra Cycle recycling bins
Jessie Boehm: for Nursery upgrades.

Thank you to all the members of the congregation who have made contributions to the Endowment Fund that made these grants possible. Contributions to the Endowment Fund are welcome and can be made by sending a check to the church with “Endowment” written on the memo line.

Guests in the Pulpit This Summer

Susan Irgang, Congregational  Administrator

UUCWC has been blessed to welcome two guest speakers so far this summer: Erol Delos Santos and Ida Malloy. If you missed those services, you can access them through the service archive on the website here.

August will bring other voices to our pulpit: on August 7th, we will welcome Pastor Tabatha Holley, New Day Church, Bronx, NY, and on August 24th, Rev. Shawn Torres-Anderson, Bethany Baptist Church, Newark, NJ, will lead our service.

Look for more information in your weekly emails and on the website.

Congregational Engagement Fall Planning Update

Nathalie Edmond, Co-chair, Congregational Engagement

Hope you are having a nourishing summer.

Congregational Engagement invites you to save the date for Saturday, September 24th from 11 am to 2 pm. We are planning a multiplatform gathering to begin the church year. Some topics on our agenda: yummy potluck and casual conversation; what is Congregational Engagement and how is it different from Nominating; revisiting simple church concept; continuing to embed the 8th principle in all that we do; and ways to engage in different ways.

Congregational Engagement continues to invite people to complete the survey of interests if you haven’t already this year. The survey helps us keep track of what people are interested in and how they are currently active in church life. No worries if you fill it out more than once as information can change from year to year. Look  here for the survey.

Questions? Feel free to reach out to us at congeng@uucwc.org.

UUCWC Steps Up and Attends General Assembly Virtually

Holly Bussey, Liaison, Denominational Affairs

The Unitarian Universalist General Assembly (GA), the annual meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), was a multi-platform conference: in person in Portland, Oregon, as well as online for virtual attendees. UUCWC had nine attendees; all participated virtually. Six voting delegates represented our congregation in the UUA business meetings, and three other members were able to attend the sessions in order to learn more about UUA business and the process. Of the nine attendees, five were new to UUCWC!!! 

Heather Edwards, Al Midgal, Jane Root and Holly Bussey share their impressions of GA 2022 here.

Don’t forget about the new RaiseRight fundraising program. Easily purchase gift cards for use at many of your usual shopping venues and receive the full card value, while UUCWC receives a donation of anywhere from 4% to 12% of the card’s value.  Look here to review the details.

Read UU World, the magazine of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Connect with UU Faith Action, New Jersey’s issues and social justice advocacy voice, connecting New Jersey UU congregations.  Pennsylvania’s counterpart is UUJusticePA.