Rev. Kim is on Bereavement Leave

Rev. Kim is on bereavement leave, following the sudden death of her 2-year-old son Malcolm earlier this month. UUCWC’s Board of Trustees met with Rev. Craig Hirshberg from the UUA Trauma Response team.  She highlighted some key points to consider, number one being to allow Rev. Kim and Tara to lead us in how they want to grieve and what they need from us.  Rev. Hirshberg encouraged having a point person who communicates with Rev. Kim that can be communicated to the larger congregation so that she doesn’t have to feel responsible for responding to messages. Currently those point people are Susan Irgang, Robin Pugh, and Nathalie Edmond.  Through this process of grieving you may find that you and your family may need more support than our pastoral care team and community can provide. Nathalie can help guide you to resrouces, local therapists and support groups.

The Pastoral Care team is responding to Rev. Kim’s desire for meals and lawn cutting and other ways that Rev. Kim and Tara identify, without overwhelming them, and will schedule acts of caring and kindness for the weeks to come. Please consider joining Lotsa Helping Hands, a web-based tool that matches opportunities to help with volunteers. There will be more information in future Caring Notes, and know there will be many ways for us to show our love for Rev Kim, Tara and Tobias as well as each other in the year ahead. The Board is working with committees, ministries and staff to continue to do the business of church while Rev. Kim is on leave.

Read more: Update from Board President Nathalie Edmond
(May 21, 2020)

Walk Through the Nettles Together
Robin Pugh, Director of Lifespan Religious Education

“A central reason for joining a faith community is to find a place to feel safe, exposing our flaws and uncovering our pain. We seek a place where people will “walk through the nettles” with us, where we can drop all pretense and admit that when we fully enter into life, we also fully enter into loss.” -Carol Galginaitis

Last week, we experienced the horrific loss of Malcolm Wildszewski. This loss came on top of the many losses we are experiencing because of COVID-19.

I’ve been asking myself, what can we do, as a faith community, to tend to our communal grief in a time when we can’t be physically together. The answer is simple and not easy to do virtually. We need to express our feelings and to take care of each other. Being caring people is one way we are Unitarian Universalists every day. It is how we grow and strengthen love in our congregation. Only this love can begin to soothe us.  Read more…

Robin can be reached at dre@uucwc.org.

Still Apart, Yet Still Together
Marianne Alt, Vice-President, Board of Trustees

Here we are. Still apart and yet, still very much together. Congregating virtually to support FUNdraising through our annual auction, to worship, and to celebrate the return of our beloved minister, Rev. Kim. Creating invisible, tangible webs of support as we navigate life-altering losses of jobs, of dreams, and of loved ones. “Malcolm Allistair Wildszewski has returned to the stars.” In this shattering moment, Rev. Kim was generous and poetic, giving us a gift of painful beauty to describe the end of Malcolm’s life. We continue to grieve deeply with Tara, Kim and Tobias. We follow their lead to support them as they want and need, helping them realize moments of grace, love, and respite from bone-deep sorrow. Still very much together.

In the words of Rev. Craig Hirshberg, “We continue to continue.”
We are also looking forward. What will church look like in 3, 6 or 12 months? When will it make sense to return to the physical building for the work of the church?  Read more…

UUA Guidance on Gathering In-Person When COVID-19 Subsides

Because of the re-opening of some in-person spaces around us, and because of our strong desire to connect once again in the sacred spaces of our congregational buildings, many congregational leaders have begun asking the UUA for guidance in decision-making about when and how to resume in-person programs and services.The Unitarian Universalist Association has compiled recommendations and questions to guide congregations in thinking about online or in-person gatherings.

UUCWC Readies to Participate in General Assembly, June 24 – 28
Holly Bussey, Denominational Affairs

Like all other organizations, the Unitarian Universalist Association’s General Assembly (GA) will be totally virtual this year. We’ve been “practicing” this for several years with virtual attendees and delegates, but this year—it’s going to be SUPER exciting!!

Now attending GA is even more affordable and opens the world for many to interact and see what our faith is doing on a larger scale. To experience different worships, hear new ideas, listen to prominent speakers and YES, there will even be a virtual choir if y’all want to sing. Read more…

Need Help?
Pastoral and Caring Ministry

Unemployment, hunger, separation and loneliness, sickness, fear, misery, despair. It’s amazing how much havoc can be wrought in our human society by a little particle, so small that we can only visualize it through the lens of an electron microscope.

Equally amazing is the response our human spirit can bring to bear. We have faith; WE WILL SURVIVE THIS CRISIS. We have hope; WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED WILL NOT BE LOST. We have love; WE WILL HELP EACH OTHER.

In this spirit of love our church members are seeking ways in which they can bring help to those in need. As we gather our resources we need to know (in confidence) who, among our congregants, needs help. If you, or a member of your family is hurting – short of food or in financial straits – please let us help you. You can reach us at caring@uucwc.org, a confidential site that can be read by only four people, each a trusted leader of our church.

Please do not hesitate to reach out. Allow your fellow congregants to experience the blessing and privilege of lightening your burden.

Participate in UU the Vote!

Jamie Evanini, Faith Action Ministry

The Faith Action Ministry invites you to participate in our 2020 UU the Vote activities, which are now underway! After a pause and reset due to the pandemic, we have focused our efforts on postcard and letter writing related to the Census, voter registration, and voter participation. (There may be opportunities to textbank or phonebank later in the year, especially in the final weeks of October…TBD!)

UU the Vote is a project of the Unitarian Universalist Association, designed to get UU congregations around the country involved in non-partisan efforts to register more voters, fight voter suppression, increase voter turnout, and educate voters about ballot initiatives in their state. So many of our eight UU principles are reflected in this work, and the times we are in call us to fight for these principles like never before.  Read more…

Information on joining Sunday’s 10:00am virtual service will be emailed to you on Saturday morning.

UUCWC Annual Meeting

Sunday, June 7, 11:30am

UUCWC will be holding a virtual Annual Meeting this year. We will adopt a budget and a slate of leaders for the coming church year, review this year’s accomplishments and learn about future plans.

The meeting is open to all; UUCWC members have voting privileges.

Watch your email for an agenda, materials, and special instructions for this meeting.

Budget Meeting
Sunday, May 31, following the service

This is your chance for an indepth review of the proposed 2020-2021 budget and 2019-2020 financial report. If you have questions, this is the time to ask them. Contact Finance Chair Mary Baltycki for details.

CFA and Food Ministry Working to Address Food Insecurity

The UUCWC Council for Faith in Action’s (CFA) recent quarterly meeting included members of the Food Ministry Team. Following the update of activities from all CFA Teams, the group focused on the impact of COVID-19 and the growing need regarding food insecurity in our communities in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It became clear that this has emerged as a common theme informing our efforts. Read more…

UUCWC Auction
Follow-up

UUCWC 2020 Auction Was Amazing

Thanks to all who participated in our first-ever online auction at UUCWC and made it a great success!

Auction Item Pick-Up May 30
Planning is underway for drive-by auction item pick-up to occur at church on Saturday, May 30 from 10 am to 2 pm. The Auction Team will be following safety procedures – physical distancing, masks, hand sanitizing – and requests that people dropping off and picking up items do so too. Unless otherwise arranged, pick-up of items, gift cards and certificates will be at that time. Alternate delivery arrangements will be made for those who are not able to come to church for items. Contact auction@uucwc.org to make special arrangements.

Did you donate an item to the auction? The auction committee will work with you to arrange drop-off of your items at church on Saturday, May 23 from 10 am to 2 pm or to make an alternate plan. Look for individual emails coming this week with more information.

Did you donate a meal, an event or a service to the auction? Donor/Hosts will be notified individually by email with a list of winners / attendees. Look for individual emails coming in the next two weeks with lists of winners.

UU FaithAction NJ
Annual Meeting
June 6, 10am – 2pm

Environmental Justice keynote speakers Dr. Ana Baptista, The New School and Dr. Nicky Sheats, Esq, Thomas Edison State University. The Task Forces will also be providing Breakout Sessions, providing attendees with an opportunity to delve deeper into the FaithAction focus closest to their own social justice interest.

Contact Lynne at cfa@uucwc.org for log-in information and details.