Friday News 8-6-21

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Happy Friday!

I hope you all are enjoying this first week of August! This is one of my favorite months of the whole year, because it’s simultaneously the final opportunities to relax in the summer mindset as well as excitement building for what the fall is going to bring. As I continue to spend more and more time working out of my church office and getting different areas of the church organized and ready for our return, the excitement continues to grow. Plans are still being made about how to maintain safety for all of our community, and I thank you all in advance for helping us to be a hospitable and welcoming community for all.  Check out the August update from our Reopening Task Force here.

If you have a group or class that you would like included in our Fall 2021 Engagement Catalog, please see the announcement below for more information. The deadline of August 15th is quickly approaching, and I want to make sure that all groups that would like to be included in the catalog are included.

I also want to share this note from Deb Baillieul who will be putting together our Together We Are Stronger quilt – “Thank you to all who contributed squares to the ‘Together We Are Stronger” welcome quilt which you will be able to see on September 12th at our in-person worship. The squares are as diverse as we are. They play, sing, dance and provide memories and thoughtful contemplations.”  A HUGE thank you to Deb and Sylvia Howe for stitching all of our squares together. I can’t wait to see the finished quilt!

And finally, don’t forget, if you would like an announcement in the Friday News, please email me no later than Wednesday at 8:00 pm with FRIDAY NEWS in the subject line.

Virtual hugs,

Kelli McNeal
Director of Congregational Life
kelli@firstuucolumbus.org
Announcements at a Glance

(Click the heading to go to that group of announcements for more details)
  • Sunday Service – 8/8
  • Call for Donations: Loose Parts Needed!
  • Sunday School Volunteers Needed!
  • Next 3-12yr Class – 8/8
  • Open Playground Time – weekly
  • Engagement Catalog Request – Due by 8/15
  • Ice Cream Social – 8/15
  • Connecting the Dots: Planet, People, Power – 8/7
  • Democracy and Human Rights Action Hour – 8/7
  • Summer S’mores and Eco Hangout – 8/18
  • Check out the latest Justice Update!

SUNDAYS AT FIRST UU

Sunday Service – Darwin’s Mistake
Join us Sunday 8/8 for the 6th installment of our summer series, “Heartland Summer Collective,” where we will be virtually visiting congregations across the midwest. This Sunday, we will visit the Shawnee Mission UU Church of Lexana Kansas’ service, led by their minister, Rev. Rose Maldonado. As the earth blooms and blossoms around us, please join us for a service to redefine human nature, lift up our inherent goodness, and reconnect us with the interdependent web of all life.

FAMILY UPDATES
Call for Donations: Loose Parts Needed!
Loose Parts Needed! We have developed a list of materials that we are seeking to enrich our ideas and experiences at Peace Camp, and for future Sunday School and Religious Exploration classes this fall. Even if you only have a small amount, please donate theses items ASAP!

 

Seeking:

-Scrap wood: 12″ or smaller

-Boxes: Shoebox size and smaller

– Any unusual shape cardboard pieces (often seen in packaging of things)

-Tubes: Toilet paper, paper towel, wrapping paper

-Plastic yogurt containers

-Egg cartons- cardboard only

-Plastic lids from 6-packs, lids for pretty much anything (they work for buttons or for parts of faces and so much more)

-Tin cans (if clean, and not too sharp, preferably no label)

-Streamers and ribbons

-Tissue Paper

 

Anything that seems you could add to a “robot” or “computer” or a dollhouse size building constructed out of recycled materials would be what we are looking for! No styrofoam please. You can bring any materials you would like to donate to First UU, and put them in this green tub by the East / Chipotle side entrance. Thank you!

 
Sunday School Volunteers Needed!
Please fill out this form if you are interested in helping with classes for children and youth, starting in the fall! Thank you!
Next 3-12yr Class Online!
Summer RE for 3-12 years Next class: 11:10am* on August 8th (*starting 5 min after the service ends). Join Jen second and fourth Sundays on Zoom!
Open Playground Time
1-3pm Every Sunday (weather permitting) Sign Up Here! (For contact tracing purposes, or to volunteer to help).
More Summer Events!
For more information on our summer events, check out the two schedules linked below.

RE Class Schedule 2020-2021 / Church Google Calendar 

FIRST UU EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS 
Engagement Catalog Request
DEADLINE APPROACHING!
In preparation for returning to the church building in September, we are working on compiling a catalog of all groups and classes that are available for our community to participate in. If you would like your group or class to be included in the catalog, please email Kelli with the following information:

  1. Name of Group/Class
  2. Brief Description
  3. Who and how to contact for more information
  4. When you meet, if known (including if you will meet in person, online, or both)

To be included in the catalog, Kelli must receive your information by August 15th.  
Ice Cream Social

Join us Sunday, August 15th from 2:00-3:30 pm for our third Ice Cream Social at the church. Masks are required in the building while not eating. And don’t forget to pick up your new name tag from outside of the worship center! 

JUSTICE OPPORTUNITIES
Connecting the Dots: Planet, People, Power
Join us Saturday, August 7th from 10:00 – 11:30 am. Please register here.Our Faith calls us to protect the planet. We work on this in our UU congregations regularly with Green Sanctuary initiatives, gardens, and other conscious choices. Many of us are simultaneously working on anti-racism and dismantling white supremacy. What if we could combine those two efforts into one called Environmental Justice?  How much easier would it be if you had connections with organizations around your local area and the state who are already doing this work?  Let’s connect the dots between protecting our planet, honoring the worth and dignity of all human beings and actively tearing down power structures that keep white supremacy in place.

Saturday, August 7th at 10am, three expert panelists will share their thoughts on Environmental Justice, how that relates to Racial Justice and what we can do about it here in Ohio. The panelist discussion will be followed by an opportunity for connection between Unitarian Universalists, other like-minded faith communities and Environmental Justice advocates.

Gather in community and expand your connections so we can all work together for a healthier, more inclusive Ohio.  Register at http://bit.ly/environmentaljusticeppp.

About the expert panelists:

Jocelyn Travis – Central Region Organizing Manager of the Sierra Club, connecting Racial Justice and Environmental Justice.

Sandra Steingraber – Biologist, author, and cancer survivor, writing about climate change, and ecology, connecting human health and Environmental Justice.

Annette McCoy – President of Trumbull County NAACP, connecting legislation/policy and Environmental Justice.
Democracy and Human Rights Action Hour
Join us on Zoom, Saturday, August 7th @ 6:00pm. Have your phone handy and add your voice! Email us for the Zoom link.

Join us to make phone calls and send texts to Ohio legislators

Peaceable Assembly is guaranteed in the 1st Amendment but is under attack. Help us protest the Anti-Protesting Bills currently in the Ohio Statehouse: SB 41, HB 22, HB 109.

We will provide information on the bills, phone numbers to call, and a sample script. We meet the first Wednesday of each month for Action Hours.
Summer S’mores and Eco Hangout
Join us Wednesday August 18th in the First UU parking lot, from 7:00-8:00 pm.

Stop by one or more low-key gatherings around a summer evening campfire as we restart the Environmental Justice Focus Group! Bring a sack dinner and we’ll provide the S’mores. Let’s talk about what we’re most excited about doing together in the coming year to care for our earth, our global neighbors, our non-human relatives, our spiritual connection with nature, and our children’s children. So many possibilities! What stirs your passion?
Justice Update
Check out our latest Justice Update to learn more about how First UU is combating food insecurity, hear some uplifting gratitude, and learn how you can defend our First Amendment rights!