Search Results

< To Upcoming Services Watch the eBlast for the next scheduled UU SpiritLife Conversations UUSpiritLife Conversations is a monthly drop-in Zoom for the areas three UU churches to talk about spiritual topics. On Saturday, October 21, 9-10:30 A.M., Judy Robbins will facilitate a conversation about Stephen Levine's Leaning Into the Light. Go to UU SpiritLife Conversations --UU SpiritLife and you'll find an article to read and the Zoom link. See you then! OOS Sermon YouTube

< To Upcoming Services May 3, 2025 Join us for Mayfair 10 AM to 2 PM Saturday, May 3, on the UUSE grounds. There'll be a Beltane ritual, plus fun, food, community and many other activities! • Bottle and Can Drive, 9 AM to 1 PM, organized by the UUSE youth group. Bring your returnable bottles and cans. Proceeds will be split between the youth group and the congregation. • Summer tag sale. Donate your good-condition used games, gardening tools, patio furniture, and more, and check out what's available. More information below. • Committee Activities • Musical performances • Soulfully Vegan food truck • Meet an alpaca • Bike rodeo • Bake sale • Hang out with old friends, and make some new friends! • Get the poster here! Schedule of Events so far…. • 11:00 Beltane Ritual (Memorial Garden) • 12:00 Musical performances begin For the Beltane Ritual Please Bring: Two “clooties” (prayer ribbons) to tie on the May Trees in the Memorial Garden. What are clooties? Cut two strips of cloth from a piece of old, beloved clothing (which carries your energy in it). One clootie will be used for a personal intention, the other as a prayer for peace in the world. #AprilNewsletter 10 AM to 2 PM Saturday, May 3, on the UUSE grounds. There'll be a Beltane ritual, plus fun, food, community and many other activities! Bottle and Can Drive, 9 AM to 1 PM, organized by the UUSE youth group. Bring your returnable bottles and cans. Proceeds will be split between the youth group and the congregation. Summer tag sale. Donate your good-condition used games, gardening tools, patio furniture, and more, and check out what's available. More information below. Committee Activities Musical performances Soulfully Vegan food truck Meet an alpaca Bike rodeo Bake sale Hang out with old friends, and make some new friends! Get the poster here! Schedule of Events so far…. 11:00 Beltane Ritual (Memorial Garden) 12:00 Musical performances begin For the Beltane Ritual Please Bring: Two “clooties” (prayer ribbons) to tie on the May Trees in the Memorial Garden. What are clooties? Cut two strips of cloth from a piece of old, beloved clothing (which carries your energy in it). One clootie will be used for a personal intention, the other as a prayer for peace in the world. #AprilNewsletter OOS Sermon YouTube

< To Upcoming Services Apr 15, 2025 UUSE “Community Suppers” Are Back! Would you like to be a host? The Membership Committee is once again organizing Springtime Community Suppers! But we need your help. If you would like to host a “Community Supper” at your home sometime during the merry month of May, please contact Sue Myers via email uuseoffice@uuse.org or phone (860-646-5151) by April 15 and let her know the date & time you would like to host, and how many guests; she’ll send you back a quick questionnaire to gather further details for the sign-up sheet. Hosts are asked to provide a main dish; guests will bring the appetizers, sides, desserts etc. We’ll put sign-up sheets in the lobby, after each service on April 20 and 27. Questions? Ask Sue Myers or Carole Boster uuseoffice@uuse.org . #AprilNewsletter Would you like to be a host? The Membership Committee is once again organizing Springtime Community Suppers! But we need your help. If you would like to host a “Community Supper” at your home sometime during the merry month of May, please contact Sue Myers via email uuseoffice@uuse.org or phone (860-646-5151) by April 15 and let her know the date & time you would like to host, and how many guests; she’ll send you back a quick questionnaire to gather further details for the sign-up sheet. Hosts are asked to provide a main dish; guests will bring the appetizers, sides, desserts etc. We’ll put sign-up sheets in the lobby, after each service on April 20 and 27. Questions? Ask Sue Myers or Carole Boster uuseoffice@uuse.org . #AprilNewsletter OOS Sermon YouTube

7260a2d7-027e-416c-8a8a-4d7bede0fb8d < Back to Newsletter April Newsletter Article < Previous Article Next Article > Minister's Column Dear Ones: As I write these words, spring is arriving. The signs are all around us. What a wonderful time of year: lengthening daylight hours, warming afternoons, the return of regular birdsong, mud, crocuses and daffodils breaking through the thawing ground, red buds beginning to dot tree branches, that aroma of petrichor after rain. Even the stray carpenter ant traipsing across the floor at UUSE is a wonderful sign of spring (though we’ll have to watch that!) I also love the contours of our spring liturgical life at UUSE—the way spring-themed words and music make their way into our Sunday services (“Morning Has Broken,” “I thank you God for most this Amazing Day, “O Life That Maketh All Things New”). There’s a familiar, comforting rhythm to our congregational life in spring: our Easter music service, our celebration of Earth Day, Mayfair (our newest UUSE tradition), Flower Communion and Annual Meeting on the third Sunday of May, Affirmation in early June, Children and Youth Ministry Sunday in mid-June. Yes, there’s a familiar, comforting rhythm to it all. I hope it’s as meaningful to you as it is to me. As I reflect more deeply, I notice a familiar, comforting feeling beneath the surface: joy! I notice excitement and anticipation. I notice a lightness of being that wasn’t there just a few weeks ago. I notice new reserves of energy that weren’t there in late February. Yes, joy! Maybe I associate this time of year with fond memories from childhood: the Easter Bunny will visit soon. Little league baseball will begin soon. Rehearsals for end-of-year band and orchestra concerts are underway. And of course, the lengthening, warming days would have meant opportunities to be outside in the woods with friends for hours on end, playing, exploring, imagining. I need this joy in my life. How about you? So much of what is happening in our nation and our world is heavy, is frightening, is painful, is demoralizing. Though we can’t stop it, there are actions we can take and ways we can live that help us to stay safe, healthy, resilient and engaged. And for me, finding joy, feeling joy, expressing joy is essential. Having joy in my life helps me stay focused and clear about what I can do to make a difference in response to all that is happening. Finding joy, feeling joy, expressing joy reminds me I am human, reminds me I inhabit a body that needs care and nurture. Finding joy reminds me that whatever heavy, frightening, painful, demoralizing things happen in the wider world, they can’t rob me of my humanity. Maybe that’s why joy matters: our joy is a proclamation of our humanity. Yes, I think that’s it. Our ministry theme for April is joy. I urge you, through the course of this month and beyond, to pursue what gives you joy. Find your joy, and let it proclaim your humanity. With love, care, and joy, Rev. Josh Pawelek #AprilNewsletter Contact Information modified in accordance with UUSE Privacy Policies.

< To Upcoming Services Dec 17, 2023 Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant Us Peace). Our annual holiday music service celebrates this season of light in the darkness with our entire multigenerational congregation. Come for the music, come for Emmy's story, come to be together! Coordinators: Mary Bopp, Sande Hartdagen, #eBlast-12-13 OOS Sermon YouTube

This highly acclaimed Montessori based program engages children using stories from many traditions and group “wonderings”. Children choose work activities, sing songs, and partake in a “Feast” (snack). < Back Spirit Play (4-5 yrs) This highly acclaimed Montessori based program engages children using stories from many traditions and group “wonderings”. Children choose work activities, sing songs, and partake in a “Feast” (snack). Previous Next

eb9ca5fd-0aae-42f7-8ec7-c9b4c25163b8 < Back Stewardship Committee Stewardship Committee Goals for FY 2024-25 Mission/Charge of the Committee: The mission of the Stewardship Committee at UUSE is to provide sustained congregational awareness of the importance of generous financial giving as a part of one’s spiritual life. Through ongoing communication, the committee strives to share the connections between UUSE programs and services and the financial requirements to support them and to improve their quality over time. Goals We dedicate our efforts to promoting a spirit of generosity and to building a strong community. We lead the Annual Appeal program including establishing a theme for the year and stewarding our members by offering in-person conversations, small group pot lucks, and pledge materials. We provide training for our member “stewards” and are deeply grateful to the stewards and the potluck hosts. This year we will review and modify our steward training program to make it simpler and more interactive. We ensure coordination of stewarding activities with other fund-raising activities. We coordinate with Membership and CYM to ensure appropriate and supportive member communications and connections. As part of community stewardship, we enable and support congregational-wide recognition of member and friend gifts to the church. This year we will coordinate with Finance, Building & Grounds, and Membership to provide the first formal recognition for monetary, physical, and service gifts. The Stewardship Committee facilitates and supports donor legacy giving as part of our overall stewardship mission. Committee Members Louisa Graver, Jean Knapp, Larry Lunden, Stan McMillen, Phil Sawyer, Patricia Wildes Updated October 4, 2024 at 7:20:48 PM

< To Upcoming Services Jul 20, 2025 NLDC Annual Recruitment The Nominating and Leadership Development Committee (NLDC) is starting our annual recruitment effort for the July 2025 - June 2026 term. On March 2nd after the 11:00 A.M. service, the NLDC will be recruiting for new chairs and committee members. We will have handouts outlining committee charters and chair responsibilities available for review and posted on the bulletin board in the Program Room. What we have learned from our conversations with chairs and members serving on UUSE committees is that congregants rarely reach out on their own to volunteer. However, when someone takes the initiative to reach out to an individual and discusses committee opportunities, then congregants are more likely to be open to serve. It is our hope that these recruiting sessions will provide an opportunity to reach out to more congregants and extend a personal invitation to serve the UUSE community. Please join us and consider volunteering for a committee. This congregation cannot continue to sustain itself without volunteers. We desperately need more volunteers, and we need them now. Please consider making time in your busy schedules usually just a few hours a month to give back to a community that enriches our lives and community in so many ways. We hope to see you there, but if you can't make it, please reach out to one of the NLDC members. Our contact information will be on the bulletin board in the program room soon. Sincerely, the Nominating and Leadership Development Committee #FebruaryNewsletter The Nominating and Leadership Development Committee (NLDC) is starting our annual recruitment effort for the July 2025 - June 2026 term. On March 2nd after the 11:00 A.M. service, the NLDC will be recruiting for new chairs and committee members. We will have handouts outlining committee charters and chair responsibilities available for review and posted on the bulletin board in the Program Room. What we have learned from our conversations with chairs and members serving on UUSE committees is that congregants rarely reach out on their own to volunteer. However, when someone takes the initiative to reach out to an individual and discusses committee opportunities, then congregants are more likely to be open to serve. It is our hope that these recruiting sessions will provide an opportunity to reach out to more congregants and extend a personal invitation to serve the UUSE community. Please join us and consider volunteering for a committee. This congregation cannot continue to sustain itself without volunteers. We desperately need more volunteers, and we need them now. Please consider making time in your busy schedules usually just a few hours a month to give back to a community that enriches our lives and community in so many ways. We hope to see you there, but if you can't make it, please reach out to one of the NLDC members. Our contact information will be on the bulletin board in the program room soon. Sincerely, the Nominating and Leadership Development Committee #FebruaryNewsletter OOS Sermon YouTube

< To Upcoming Services May 3, 2025 Mayfair Saturday, May 3 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on the UUSE Grounds Join us for Mayfair, with a Beltane ritual, plus fun, food, community and many other activities! •• Bottle and Can Drive, 9 AM to 1 PM, organized by the UUSE youth group. Bring your returnable bottles and cans. Proceeds will be split between the youth group and the congregation. •• Summer tag sale. Donate your good-condition used games, gardening tools, patio furniture, and more, and check out what's available. •• Committee Activities •• Musical performances •• Soulfully Vegan food truck •• Meet an alpaca •• Bike rodeo •• Bake sale •• Plant swap? •• Hang out with old friends, and make some new friends! Schedule of Events so far…. 11:00 Beltane Ritual (Memorial Garden) 12:00 Musical performances begin For the Beltane Ritual Please Bring: Two “clooties” (prayer ribbons) to tie on the May Trees in the Memorial Garden. What are clooties? Cut two strips of cloth from a piece of old, beloved clothing (which carries your energy in it). One clootie will be used for a personal intention, the other as a prayer for peace and justice in the world. Saturday, May 3 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on the UUSE Grounds Join us for Mayfair, with a Beltane ritual, plus fun, food, community and many other activities! •• Bottle and Can Drive, 9 AM to 1 PM, organized by the UUSE youth group. Bring your returnable bottles and cans. Proceeds will be split between the youth group and the congregation. •• Summer tag sale. Donate your good-condition used games, gardening tools, patio furniture, and more, and check out what's available. •• Committee Activities •• Musical performances •• Soulfully Vegan food truck •• Meet an alpaca •• Bike rodeo •• Bake sale •• Plant swap? •• Hang out with old friends, and make some new friends! Schedule of Events so far…. 11:00 Beltane Ritual (Memorial Garden) 12:00 Musical performances begin For the Beltane Ritual Please Bring: Two “clooties” (prayer ribbons) to tie on the May Trees in the Memorial Garden. What are clooties? Cut two strips of cloth from a piece of old, beloved clothing (which carries your energy in it). One clootie will be used for a personal intention, the other as a prayer for peace and justice in the world. OOS Sermon YouTube

63acb230-1df0-463c-a1ed-f032a97b4d2f < Back to Newsletter April Newsletter Article < Previous Article Next Article > Annual Appeal 2025 Our theme for this year’s Annual Appeal is “Strengthen Our Connections.” This idea is especially important this year in the swirl of unrest here and around the world. We are grateful for our community of faith where we are free to express our thoughts and feelings without fear of reprisal. We are grateful for our faith partners in the quest for a more just and caring world. The Annual Appeal began in March and you should have received a letter with information on our accomplishments from this past year and our aspirations for the next fiscal year (July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026). The letter and forms are on our website at uuse.org. We have asked each member and friend to complete a pledge form and electronic funds transfer (EFT) form (if desired) and return to the church office by April 6. Please consider this a friendly reminder to send your pledge if you haven’t done so. A steward may contact you if we haven’t received your pledge. DON’T FORGET TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE TWO CHALLENGE GRANTS AVAILABLE! The Annual Appeal ends on Sunday, April 6. We look forward to your support of UUSE’s mission in the wider community and our day-to-day operation. Thank you for your contribution. The Stewardship Committee: Louisa Graver, Larry Lunden, Stan McMillen, Patricia Wildes and Phil Sawyer #AprilNewsletter Contact Information modified in accordance with UUSE Privacy Policies.

< To Upcoming Services Mar 17, 2024 Roots and Wings: The Paradox of Transformation Our March ministry theme is transformation. Although it may be true that "change alone is unchanging," it is also true that "some things never change." There's a paradox there that may be summed up in our very human need for both roots and wings. Coordinator: Rev. Josh Pawelek #eBlast-03-13 OOS Sermon YouTube

< To Upcoming Services Jan 5, 2025 On the Road to Positivity Sunday, January 5: On the Road to Positivity. Given the human brain’s capacity to reorganize its synaptic connections—what scientists refer to as neuroplasticity—it should be possible through sustained practice to change our thinking, to transform the tendency toward negative thinking into a much more satisfying, useful and positive encounter with the world. This service was purchased at last year’s goods and services auction by Skip Gatting. Coordinator: Rev. Josh Pawelek #JanuaryNewsletter Sunday, January 5 : On the Road to Positivity . Given the human brain’s capacity to reorganize its synaptic connections—what scientists refer to as neuroplasticity—it should be possible through sustained practice to change our thinking, to transform the tendency toward negative thinking into a much more satisfying, useful and positive encounter with the world. This service was purchased at last year’s goods and services auction by Skip Gatting. Coordinator: Rev. Josh Pawelek. #JanuaryNewsletter OOS Sermon YouTube