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Unitarian Universalist

Fellowship of Athens

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Reflecting on This Month’s Theme

Sunday Morning Worship

Sunday morning worship begins at 10:30 a.m. at UUFA.

Submit a Joy, Sorrow or Milestone here.  (Please note: Items submitted after 8 a.m. Sunday may be shared the following week.)

For the link to join virtually on Sunday or access the archives, reach out to members@uuathensga.org or contact the administrator at admin@uuathensga.org.

The Fellowship offers many opportunities and invitations to explore and practice the theme. We will be exploring the theme through out the month in worship and Religious Exploration.

April 5: “A Clash of Theologies: Redemption and Revenge” with Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker

Is ours a theology of redemption or revenge? In this worship service, let us reflect on the theologies of both redemption and revenge we’ve inherited as we seek ways to embody our theology.

April 12:  with the Earth Ministry Team

April 19: “The Possibility of Beauty” with Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker

There remains the possibility of beauty, whether a storm has taken your home, an illness your beloved, a war the lives of whole communities. From the ancient Egyptians and Greeks to First Nations of the Americas, humans have told stories of this possibility. What must the heart do to prepare the way for such gifts? How can the soul practice embracing the possibility of beauty?

April 26: with Chaplain Michelle Leebens-Mack

Are you seeking more ways to explore this month’s theme? 

Reflection Ideas and Questions

Consider reflecting on these quotes:

Hope [and possibility] locates itself in the premises that we don’t know what will happen and that in the spaciousness of uncertainty is room to act. When you recognize uncertainty, you recognize that you may be able to influence the outcome.

– Rebecca Solnit

It may be that when we no longer know what to do

we have come to our real work…

The mind that is not baffled is not employed.

The impeded stream is the one that sings. – Wendell Berry 

I still believe that we can overcome… When our days become dreary with low hovering clouds and our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, we will know that we are living in the creative turmoil of a genuine civilization struggling to be born. – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Ask what’s possible, not what’s wrong. Keep asking. – Margaret J. Wheatley

Some questions you may use as a prompt for conversation or for a journal entry follow:

  • We all tell ourselves, “One day I will…”  What “One day I will” sentence has been with you the longest? What would need to change for you to start turning that dream into a reality?  
  • Who helped you find your way back to possibility when all the doors in front of you felt closed? If you were to thank them, what would you say now that you didn’t or couldn’t back then?
  • What have you learned about finding the possibilities that live on the other side of grief?
  • What if we’re built to have many lives in this lifetime of ours?  What if we become fully human by pursuing and becoming many of our possible selves, rather than just one of them? 
  • Are you sure it’s too late to do it, or become it? 

Happenings in a List!

Special events are indicated in bold italic below, for details of these and the many recurring committee/team meeting details.

Check the “This Month & Beyond” page (to the left or at uuathensga.org/UUFA and make sure to join your groups on Realm/Connect. so you can communicate with other group members, as well as have easy access to Zoom links for virtual happenings. 

Information on justice-focused meetings, events, and teams is available This Month & Beyond, but to see only justice meetings, you can find visuals announcements here & the UUFA Justice Calendar here

Need help with Realm/Connect!? Contact Meredyth@uuathensga.org

March

All Month:

  • Annual Pledge Drive
  • Diaper Drive
  • CANtributions Drive
  • Cause of the Month / Share the Plate

On these dates in March:

  • 1 First Sunday 
    • Forum: UU GA Legislative Action Network (first and third Sundays)
    • Abundance Table (first Sundays)
    • Conversation Cafe (first and third Sundays)
    • Social Action Justice Team (first Sundays)
    • Journeys Class
    • Historical Jesus Book Discussion (first and third Sundays)
  •   2 Every Monday Peaceful Protest (every Monday)
  •   4 Wednesdays at UUFA (Drum Circle, Potluck, Chalice Choir)
  •   7 On Tyranny Interfaith Book Discussion (also on the 21st and April 4 and 18)
  • 8 Second Sunday
    • Daylight Savings Time reminder
    • Fire Drill at UUFA “Be Prepared, Not Scared!”
    • Singing Meditation
    • Book Talks (second Sundays)
    • Hiking Our Values 
  •   9  Every Monday Peaceful Protest (every Monday)
  •   9  The Gathering from Side with Love (second Mondays)
  • 10  Second Lookers (second Tuesdays)
  • 11  Second Wednesday
    • Potluck & Simple Suppers (second Wednesdays)
    • Realm/Connect Cafe (second Wednesdays)
    • Palms of Fire and Chalice Choir Practice
  • 12  Racial Justice Team (second Tuesdays)
  • 15   Third Sunday
    • Third Sunday Forum: Proposed ICE Detention Center (first and third Sundays)
    • Conversation Cafe (first and third Sundays)
    • Historical Jesus Book Discussion (first and third Sundays)
  • 16   Every Monday Peaceful Protest (every Monday)
  • 19   Board of Trustees Meeting (third Thursdays)
  • 20   Spring Equinox Celebration in Song and Dance
  • 20    Justice Partner event: Athens Immigrant Rights Coalition (AIRC) Meeting
  • 21   On Tyranny Interfaith Book Discussion at Greater Bethel AME Church (at UUFA again on April 4 and 18)
  • 22   Fourth Sunday
    • Worship Transformation- An Invitation for Spiritual Stewards of the Congregation
  • 23   Every Monday Peaceful Protest (every Monday)
  • 23   Earth Ministry Team (fourth Mondays)
  • 29   Justice Action Collaborative (fifth Sundays)
  • 30   Every Monday Peaceful Protest (every Monday)
  • 31   UUA Welcoming Day of Observance: International Transgender Day of Visibility

March Share the Plate/Cause-of-the-Month: U-Lead Athens

During March, U-Lead (uleadathens.org) will receive one half of all undesignated offerings. U-Lead Athens is committed to providing equal access to higher education for students regardless of their immigration status. This group supports, guides, and empowers students to achieve their educational goals. For details, contact justice@uuathensga.org.

Help with Food Insecurity through March CANtributions

Please continue to bring non-perishable food items to Fellowship Hall’s wicker baskets. While all CANtributions are appreciated, the Athens Area Emergency Food Bank is especially in need of canned tomatoes and pork and beans during March. To give by credit card, visit uuathensga.org/give and look for “Charitable Giving.” To give by check, make the check out to UUFA and put “CANtributions 1-8016” in the memo line. You may also contribute directly to the AAEFB at their website: athensfoodbank.org   To learn more, contact justice@uuathensga.org. If you are experiencing food insecurity or know someone in our UUFA community who is, please contact Rev. Pippin (revpippin@uuathensga.org).

The Social Action Justice Team (SJAT) Holds March Diaper Drive

One in two U.S. families struggles to provide enough diapers to keep a baby or toddler clean, dry, and healthy. During the March drive, please place diaper donations in the wicker baskets at the Donations Table in the Fellowship Hall. All diaper donations will be shared with the local immigrant community through SIFIC (Support for Immigrant Families in Crisis), a part of AIRC (Athens Immigrant Rights Coalition), which is a UUFA Justice Partner. To contribute monetarily, visit the UUFA Giving page and look for “Charitable Giving” and choose “Diaper Drive” from the menu. For more information, email justice@uuathensga.org.

UUFA Justice Partner Highlights

Athens Immigrant Rights Coalition (AIRC) Meeting

All are welcome to attend the next meeting of the Athens Immigrant Rights Coalition – a UUFA Justice Partner – on March 20 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Oconee Street United Methodist Church. For more information contact justice@uuathensga.org.

You are encouraged to visit the websites of this year’s Justice Partners to learn more about how you can support them in their important work in the Athens community. While you’re there, sign up for their individual newsletters so you can stay informed.