Your Weekly Update notices are due each Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.

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This Sunday, Sept. 6
click here for eMail version

Worship — 10:30 a.m. online via Zoom and Facebook Live

The Renewal of Covenant

Rev. Samuel Schaal / Sarah Gray / Aubrey Connelly-Candelario

In our tradition, covenant is the container for our relationships with each other and with the vision that unites us. What does it mean to be a people of covenant?

Service streamed at 10:30 a.m.: Click here for the Facebook page of First Unitarian Church of Orlando or Click here for Zoom. Video on demand at https://www.orlandouu.org

 

After Worship

Informal Fellowship — 11:30 a.m., Zoom

Join us for fellowship fun!

Link: https://uuma.zoom.us/j/92261786137
Password:  189674

 

Welcome Center for Newcomers — 11:30 a.m., Zoom

Are you new? Would you like to learn more about our congregation? Join us to learn more and ask any questions you may have!

Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87592586779?pwd=QW11eTVmTXhVR2xYZGlaZklZcmRaUT09 

Meeting ID: 875 9258 6779
Password:   1U

If you would like to sign up to be on our mailing list, please fill out this form

 

Wrestling with Our Understanding of Racism — 11:30 a.m., Zoom

All are welcome to join the discussion.  We will discuss the Ted Talk: The difference between being “not racist” and antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi  in preparation for our Common read beginning September 20th.

Zoom Link: http://bit.ly/1U-WWOUR 

Meeting ID: 875 4710 7749

Password: 2020

 

Drive-Up Water Communion

Sunday Sept. 6 @ 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Next Sunday Sept. 13 we celebrate our traditional water ceremony.  So THIS Sunday we invite you to our church campus to participate in the ceremony and be videoed (one family at a time) to use in worship Sept. 13.

Anytime between 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.:

• Drive to church, follow the driveway to the circle drive, all the way around to the labyrinth.
• Walk to the table and communion bowl in the labyrinth. (It’s wise to wear a mask, though you might take it off during the video.)
• Heather Coddington, our Nursery Coordinator, will assist you. Max Beck, our Media Ministries Consultant, will video your participation in the ceremony. Both will wear masks and be distanced.
• Each person in your family may pour a small amount of water from the pitchers provided (or bring your own, symbolic of places special to you).
• Return to your car and leave.
• Other cars behind the first car then pull forward, walk to the table, etc.
• These video shots will be produced into a lovely video for our Sept. 13 service, “The Renewal of Community.”

We need your presence! Questions? Email RevSam@OrlandoUU.org. Thanks for staying connected!

 

Mystic Grove Monthly Meeting — 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., Zoom

The Mystic Grove is 1U’s pagan affinity group. Everyone is welcome to attend the 1st Sunday monthly meeting where we discuss how the past ritual went, plan for next ritual, classes, craft circles, and more. A short fellowship time follows. BYO snack to your computer screen!  Email mysticgrove@orlandouu.org for connection details no later than 12 hours before the event.

 

First Sunday Fellowship Social Gatherings — 5:30 p.m., Zoom

1U members and friends gather on Zoom to meet new people and deepen existing relationships. Anyone is welcome to attend any group. Attending different groups helps you to get to know more folks! Our hosts maintain email invitation lists for each area. To be added to an area invitation list, host a new area group, get more information, contact Marty Haddad at Fellowship@orlandouu.org

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Children & Youth Religious Education

At-home religious education is getting ready to launch Sept. 20! To receive a supply kit, contact Sarah at REcoordinator@orlandouu.org.

Our Family Connection & Support Group is moving to a new day and time! Join us on Fridays at 3:30 to check in and play games!

The weekly Dungeons & Dragons sessions continue on Thursdays at 5 p.m.

Want to contribute a video for at-home RE, lead a game session, or work behind the scenes to support RE this fall? Please contact us to let us know how you can help!

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This Week

Sunday – Sept. 13

Movie Talk – 9:30 a.m., Zoom

The ambitious movie Radioactive (Marie Curie coined the phrase) on Marie’s discoveries of, and the implications for, polonium and radium, streams from several providers including Amazon. You may want to take Wendy’s suggestion to watch the HBO series on Chernobyl. If Zoom boots us off after 40 minutes, log-in again using the same link in this email, you can return to the discussion.

 

Friday – Sept. 18

Virtual Bonfire Party — 7:00 p.m., Zoom

The Mystic Grove is 1U’s pagan affinity group. Gather around the “virtual bonfire” with your device to share your jokes, poems, stories, songs, and more! This fellowship event is almost like a “bardic circle lite.” Email mysticgrove@orlandouu.org to register, no later than 24 hours in advance for Zoom connection details to be sent to you on the day. Your turn is 5-7 minutes long and you may perform, pass, or request a performance from someone else in the circle with the understanding that they might decline.

 

Saturday – Sept. 19 

Herb and Mask Giveaway — 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m., Zoom

Want fresh herbs from the 1U Garden? We’ll harvest them Sept. 19 then give them away to anyone who drives by between 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. There’ll be basil, rosemary, oregano and more. It’s all free of charge. We’ll also have other give-aways to anyone who wants them: aloe vera sprouts and homemade masks sewn by 1U volunteers. Bring a container for herbs. If you want to pot a cutting, bring a pot with dirt. Questions? Contact Rene Stutzman.

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Ministerial Search Committee Survey Due Sept. 10

Complete the 1U Congregational Survey by this Thursday, Sept. 10. Get the survey on your computer here, or as a PDF you can print, fill out, and mail or deliver to the church here. If you need a hard copy of the survey to complete it via phone, or in person with appropriate social distancing, or if you have any questions, contact 1U Search Committee member Elizabeth Horn at elizabethbhorn@gmail.com or 770-769-2442 (call or text). This survey is an important step in the search process. We need your voice!

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Thank you for Supporting the Sanctuary Renovation

To Pledge: Email karen.ramberg@gmail.com 

To Donate: Send a check to the church and note Sanctuary Accessibility Project in the memo.  Or use the Donate button on our website https://www.orlandouu.org/ and fill in the boxes next to Capital Campaign Donations with your amount  (first box) and Sanctuary Accessibility Project (second box)

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Our Compassionate Community 

The Care Team supports members and friends in two ways:

Caring Circle offers practical, tangible efforts to those experiencing significant joys, sorrows, or changes. Thanks to Linda Piantieri who has stepped down as coordinator, for her dedicated service and leadership! Patty Reynolds will now coordinate the group. Patty is also the September contact. Caring Circle can also help you find a hurricane buddy. It’s that season—contact your hurricane partner now and make plans! Contact CaringCircle@OrlandoUU.org.

Lay Pastoral Associates provide buddy relationships of deep listening and care through difficult times. If you need a phone buddy, a pastoral associate will call you for special needs or just to stay connected. Contact PastoralAssociates@OrlandoUU.org.

Need a phone buddy? The Caring Circle and Lay Pastoral Care Associates will call anyone who wants to receive informal telephone calls occasionally, whether for special needs or just to check in and stay connected. Contact Patty at pastoralassociates@orlandoUU.org to have a phone friend assigned.

Joys and Concerns

To share your joys or concerns please send an email to joysandconcerns@orlandouu.org. 

We mourn yet another shooting of a Black man by police in Kenosha, WI.  Jacob Blake was left paralyzed from the waist down after being shot at least seven times in the back while he was going to his car.  And then came the news that two protesters were killed by an armed citizen.

We remember those in the path of Hurricane Laura at the Gulf Coast in Louisiana.

Nicki Drumb was part of a design team that won a recent award. The Florida Festivals and Events Association awarded a “SunSational” award for a banner at FusionFest 2019 created by Nicki and another designer. FusionFest is a program that celebrates the cultural diversity of Central Florida.

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But Wait, There’s More!

Volunteer Opportunity Fiesta begins Sept.13

Looking for a way to be involved in the congregation? Ready to try something new? Wondering how to put your values into action? Explore this year’s virtual Volunteer Opportunity Fiesta! Groups in the congregation are preparing flyers and virtual “exhibit tables” for browsing online so you get a look at the wide variety of opportunities for service. Hosted by the Leadership Development Team.

 

Serving with Grace Book Group
7:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Third Tuesdays Each Month, Beginning Sept. 15

Serving with Grace by Erik Walker Wikstrom explores the idea that service can be a spiritual practice. We learn about our own strengths, ways to relate to others and where our passions lie. This series is hosted by the Leadership Development Team, and is open to all.

The discussions focus on one chapter per hour session. Join us for all, or one that resonates with you. The sessions run September through April.  Purchase a copy of the book independently (print or electronic), or request a copy be added to a 1U Bookstore order. That request should be made asap, since it takes a week or more for delivery. RSVPS, questions and book requests should be email to leadershipdevelopment@orlandouu.org.

 

Free Fruit and Veggies in the 1U Garden

What’s ready to pick in the 1U Garden? Cherries, papaya, eggplant, peppers and roselle. Bring a bag and knife and help yourself. It’s all free. The eggplant and peppers are in beds No. 3 and 6. The Barbados cherries are on two trees in the perma-garden. One is just left of the sidewalk. The other is on the north edge of the garden, just in front of the banana tree. The papayas are on a tree on the perma-garden’s south edge, near the water spigot. Questions: Contact Rene Stutzman.

 

Volunteer for Nov. 3 Elections

We are seeking volunteers for the upcoming elections on Nov. 3. We again join the Supervisor of Elections Office Adopt-A-Precinct Program to serve our community and raise funds for the church. To volunteer on election day, you must be registered to vote in Orange County, attend a training class, and be at your assigned polling place by 6:00 a.m. on Election Day. If interested, email Gaby ASAP at programassistant1u@gmail.com.

 

Cammie Horne in UU World Magazine
1U’s own Cammie Horne was featured in the Fall 2020 issue of the UU World magazine in an article on youth’s experience in the pandemic. The print version of the magazine also has a picture of Cammie watching a Sunday service.  Online story at: https://www.uuworld.org/articles/young-people-cope-pandemic

 

Sign up for Covenant Groups by Sept. 8

Covenant groups are a small group ministry that gather once a month to reflect on topics themed with the services. This year we will have a special Covenant Group for young adults and another one for parents. Covenant groups meet October-May, most on the third week of the month. Group members are asked to commit to attend their group each month.  This year groups will begin online.  The Wednesday night group will always be online. To sign up for a covenant group, please click on the link and complete the form. Covenant Group Sign up form  by Sept. 8.

 

UUCM Hosts Virtual Concert Sept. 13 to Support New Florida Majority

The UU Congregation of Miami is focused on getting out the vote this November. So they are offering a free virtual concert event Sunday, September 13 at 6 p.m. on YouTube. The concert is free. You’re invited to donate to the New Florida Majority Educational Fund which emphasizes registration and voting. Among the performers: Emma’s Revolution, Lea Morris, and Three Sheets to the Wind. See the concert at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCamVVHLvAbJfiuCr8cW7Ufw?view_as 

 

Sign Up Now for Oct. 3 Volunteer Opportunity at Second Harvest Food Bank

Our next opportunity to volunteer as a group at Second Harvest is Saturday Oct. 3. Saturdays are popular so sign up now at http://1uandmeetup.shfbcf.volunteerhub.com . You must: (1) wear a mask through the entire time period from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (2) wear closed toed shoes and (3) preregister at their site: foodbank@orlandouu.org   Your time helping our hungry neighbors is very meaningful! Second Harvest is at 411 Mercy in Orlando.

 

How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi: Common Read
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Sundays Sept. 20, Oct. 18, Nov. 15

Join us for a series of three discussions, each session building on the previous session. How to be an Anti-Racist presents a groundbreaking approach to understanding and uprooting racism and inequality in our society—and in ourselves. The author Ibram X. Kendi is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, Boston University professor and the founding director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research.  Sign up here  for the Common Read and you’ll receive additional information and a Zoom link for the meetings.

 

21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge: Completed, But We Can Still Learn!

Wrestling with our Understanding of Racism successfully completed its 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge.  Posts are available on Wrestling with our Understanding of Racism facebook group   Or access the resources from 1U Racial Justice Challenge  google doc.

 

Calling for Nominations for Share-the-Plate

Orlando Solar Co-op Update

The window to join the Orlando Solar Co-op 2020 has closed. The response was so strong to this Co-op, that the cap of 250 participants was reached quickly. By closing the window at this time, the Co-op’s choosen installer, May  Electric, will be able to provide timely service to homeowners already in the Co-op.  Thank you to the 1U members and friends who joined this Co-op or any of the previous six in Orange County.  You are helping to create the  momentum we need to create the clean energy future on our blue boat home. Want to know about the next Co-op in
Orange County when it is announced?  Please sign up at solarunitedneighbors.org/waitlist

 

Sharing news by text, blog, Facebook?  Add one more share!

If you have signed up for the 1U Justice Googlegroup, please share justice information, meetings online, and links of importance by sending an email to 1UJustice@googlegroups.com. Not signed up?  Email socialjustice@orlandouu.org . We only need your first name and your email address.