Wednesday, 70+group
Meets at 11:30am
This week\u2019s theme is \u201cfarewells\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This Sunday is our RE Sunday
Our Religious Education Director, Naomi Yoshida
And the RE Committee
Are putting that together.
Celebration of our Children\u2019s Religious Education program
For the last year
Including a bridging ceremony for two of our youth<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two other announcements for this weekend<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After worship this Sunday, June 14th 11:30 am – 1:30 pm Small Group Ministry (SGM) This will be the last week that I do these messages The week of the 15th<\/sup> June 21, is my last day preaching to you<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then for the last week of the month So we are really coming to the end now The major part of a Memorial Service I\u2019m thinking about clearing out my office At a memorial service, we know It\u2019s not so much summing up What is the story And the other learning from a memorial service The satisfying part of a Memorial service As we come to the close of the interim See you Tuesday, 1pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Racial Justice Workshop via ZOOM
What will we do as a faith community about the systemic racism in U.S. society?
Let’s gather to talk about our commitment to racial justice and how we will manifest this in our lives, our congregation, and our community.
There\u2019s also a google group you can join
If you want to discuss
Send an Email to\u00a0UUCLBracialjustice@gmail.com<\/a>\u00a0to be added to the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
a program which deepens members\u2019 and friends\u2019 experiences of \u201cchurch\u201d through their participation in lay led small groups.\u00a0
UUCLB\u2019s SGM Summer Zoom Edition includes six groups\u00a0
that will meet every other week\u00a0
with meetings lasting approximately 1-1\/4 hours so as to avoid \u201cZoom fatigue.\u201d\u00a0
There\u2019s a meeting for every day of the week except Monday
Morning, afternoon, and evening times are available
More information is available in your weekly email announcements
Which will be in your email inbox this Thursday
You must sign up by June 15
Some of the groups are filling up
So please include a request for a 1st<\/sup>\u00a0choice
And a second choice
And if you want to enroll right now
Send an email to\u00a0
smallgroupministry@uuclb.org<\/a>\u00a0with your 1st and 2nd choice and telephone number\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I will give my last message on Saturday, 1pm
I need to turn my attention to some other closing business
And I need to start my leave-taking<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ll attend the Board meeting
I\u2019ll attend the Pastoral Care meeting
I\u2019ll lead the weekly staff meeting
I have a sermon to write for June 21
And I\u2019ll finish the communication I\u2019m preparing for Lissa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I will participate in some of the GA and Ministry Days activities
I will finish cleaning out my office<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And thinking about making an end
I\u2019m thinking about what we accomplish during a Memorial Service
How healing, and helpful it is,\u00a0
To make a thoughtful, considerate end<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is storytelling
Sharing our stories
Sharing our memories
And in particular,
There\u2019s an element of the story-telling
That has to do with the deliberate
Framing of the story
In a way that we can hold on to<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And how there are a few objects I will hold on to
As symbols of our time together
How I will let just one or two things
Move with me into the future
And how most will be left in the past<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t hold on to the fullness of a life
And this is true of any experience
Even a short experience
It never takes as long to describe some fun thing you did
To a friend
As it did to do the thing
Every experience becomes a short story
Sometimes just a sentence
Or an image
And certainly a long one experience
Like a life
Or a two-and a half year interim
Cannot be contained in its wholeness
So we engage in an act of interpretation
Or meaning-making<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As it is reducing our life experiences to the essential
We don\u2019t try to hold on to the whole story
But we search for a memory
That we can fit into a pocket of our brain
And bring out again when we need to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re going to tell
After this experience is over?
What is the image, or sentence
You will hold on to?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is that not everyone has the same story
And that\u2019s OK
We didn\u2019t all have the same experience, exactly
And the experiences we shared didn\u2019t feel the same way to all of us
And we had different lessons we needed to learn<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is bringing all those different stories together
And getting a fuller picture of the person
Knowing that our story isn\u2019t the only story
Our truth, isn\u2019t the whole truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You might spend some time
Naming your story
What will you save
About this time between Rev. Mitra\u2019s departing
And Rev. Lissa\u2019s arriving?
And what will you allow now to slip away into the past?<\/p>\n\n\n\n