Events & Activites , Folk Factory, Greater Philly UU Cluster, and Social Justice pages.
Updated:
Friday, December 6 —
Sunday services begin at 11 am in the sanctuary immediately followed by refreshments and conversation in our Fellowship Hall.
Both spaces are air conditioned in the summer for your comfort.
We are Accessible for those with Disabilities!
Restoration features a ramp to the main sanctuary level and a recently completed wheelchair lift and accessible restrooms on both the main and lower levels. Check here for photos.WORDS OF INSPIRATION |
UPCOMING WORSHIP SERVICESSunday, December 8: "God as Presence" |
From our Minister
Beloveds, This past week, we lifted up different perspectives on making sense or meaning out of a world where bad things happen. We used the story of Job from the Hebrew scriptures to talk about the role of simply getting through hard times, together in community, as an antidote for despair or fear or helplessness. Job is a human reminder of our capacity for resilience and the unfortunate capacity to try to smooth over bad things with words that don't fully connect to the depth of pain or grief or sorrow. Sometimes we talk too much...of which I know I am guilty in a way that Job never was! The story of Job includes a "God" character, and because "God" language can be a turn off for some of us, we're exploring how to inject some more humanism into the idea of "God" this week. Our spiritual theme of "Presence" allows us to look at the three friends from Job's story, |
the ones who initially came to simply sit with Job in his misfortune. They come to see how bad things are, and they know there's nothing they can do or say to make it better, so they don't try. They simply sit and be. Their presence takes up the role of the God character, who is notably absent from much of the rest of the story, until the very end. What if being present, truly present, to each other, is a divinely human quality, and a divine practice that we can all undertake during this holiday season? I invite you to explore your own life and look for moments when you have felt present, or perhaps Present. Maybe it's hard to find those, maybe not. No matter, we'll seek to inject a little "Presence" into our Sunday morning, exploring medical ethics, resilience work in the context of genocide, and quote some Brene Brown. Until then, please be there for yourself and each other, with Love at the center. May it be so.
Love, Rev. McKinley |
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS |
A Word from the UUsMA Board of Trustees
From the Bureau of Budget Management, Financial Initiatives, and Loose Change... OK, that impressive-sounding department doesn't actually exist – it's really just Mike F and me behind the curtain. And our ask is also pretty simple: it's that you consider paying your pledge to UUsMA, or part of it, before the end of December. Besides the tax benefits (especially if you itemize or use funds from a retirement account), you'll be helping UUsMA stay on budget – no small matter this year as we deal with some unexpected expenses. Let me know if you have questions or need help. And a big thank you, as always, for your support. We appreciate you! Len R, Treasurer.Change for Change: December
Each Month the Justice Council chooses an organization to support whose values resonate with those of Unitarian Universalism by donating a portion of the Sunday offering. The Change for Change designee for the month of December is The African American Museum of Bucks County.
For ten years, the African American Museum of Bucks County has been a mobile museum that honors the rich legacy of the African American Experience, inspiring pride in our heritage, and sharing information and untold stories about the diverse journey of our people and our shared ancestry.
The museum's new permanent site, known as The Boone Farm, is under renovation and will open in 2025 as a place of educational enrichment and community-building. Adults and students will learn about enslavement, abolition leadership, the Underground Railroad, the Great Migration, and the Civil Rights movement, and the cultural contributions that took place in Bucks County and the Greater Philadelphia area and that continue to influence life in our region today Here is the website for more information about the museum. Questions may also be directed to Mary L.
for the recommendation and selection of an organization that
will receive our monthly Change for Change Offering.
Linking to the Worship Service
Reminder that there are two ways to watch worship:- Click the blue "Live Streaming" arrow on the homepage.
- The Zoom link has been changed because security protocols on their end. If you are a congregant of ours, check the weekly eNewsletter for the link and password.
Are You Following UUs of Mt Airy on Social Media?
Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/uumtairy/
UPCOMING EVENTS |
View Social Justice Events Here...
| Sunday, December 8 — |
2nd Sunday Potluck
Second Sunday Potluck, December 8, after the morning worship service in Fellowship Hall. Share your thoughts about the worship service, show off pictures of your children, enjoy camaraderie over a hearty lunch, and get to know someone new to you at this “super coffee hour” every second Sunday of the month. Everyone is invited to bring food or beverages to share to make the potluck lunch a true community event. No need to sign up; just show up and bring what you can to Fellowship Hall before the service begins.
| Sunday, December 20 — |
Kwanzaa Celebration with APPHRC Philly
Fri., Dec. 20, 12-3pm, in the Sanctuary
The Philly chapter of the Aging People in Prison Human Rights Campaign (Philly APPHRC), who have an office in our Board Room upstairs in the Hale building (and who organized the Reparations film and Restorative Justice Summit in our Sanctuary last May), will be holding their annual Kwanzaa celebration in our Sanctuary from noon - 3pm. All are invited to join them!
| Sunday, December 29 — |
Celebrate Kwanzaa!
Unitarian Society of Germantown 6511 Lincoln Drive
Join UUsMA and the Unitarian Society of Germantown (USG) in celebrating the unique American festival of Kwanzaa! Based on the harvest festivals of west and southwest Africa, Kwanzaa is billed as a celebration of family, community, and culture based on seven principles for daily living. For the last several years, the congregations of UUsMA and USG have celebrated the rituals of Kwanzaa together, followed by a potluck feast featuring foods from the African diaspora. Although Kwanzaa is an Africa-inspired celebration, it is for everyone. More details about the service and feast will be available in next week’s newsletter. In the meantime, SAVE THE DATE!
| Sunday, January 5 — |
Let's Make the FIRST SUNDAY of each Month
a Souper Sunday!
Bring a can of soup (healthy and not expired) to our wonderful community fridge. If we all did this, we would really be helping our neighbors. Thanks!
RECURRING EVENTS |
| Newsletter Deadlines — |
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Deadlines for the Weekly eNewsletterArticles for submission will be due a week before publication with clear “due by” dates.Also, the newsletter now has its own email address for submissions and feedback. Please send anything you want to be put into the newsletter or anything newsletter-related to We look forward to hearing from you. Click here for more specific information on newsletter submissions. Newsletter Deadlines:
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| Every Day — |
Mt Airy Fridge & Pantry
The Community Fridge & Pantry Serves Up Thanksgiving and More! The Mt. Airy Community Fridge & Pantry aims to reduce food insecurity, mitigate food waste, and offer necessities via a community-powered and unifying food and goods-share, accessible to anyone and everyone free of charge and without the barriers of registration or income verification.
Graciously hosted by UUsMA, the Mount Airy Community Fridge & Pantry offers a dry goods pantry filled with shelf-stable foods, menstrual and sexual health products, diapers, and baby food free to anyone who needs them.
These resources are available to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No registration. No income or residency verification. All are welcome! Come and shop at your leisure. Everything is 100% free!
We are always in need of more folks to help pick up food from our wonderful suppliers or to help in other ways. If you’re interested in lending a hand, contact Laurie D and/or Deb G.
Our volunteer Fridge & Pantry crew packaged full course Thanksgiving meals for our Pantry patrons. Great joy in working together as volunteers and serving our community members who experience any level of food injustice. For a recent newspaper article about the pantry, click here.
| Every Wednesday — |
Soul Line Dance Classes
| Every Thursday, 6 pm — |
Join Us at our Weekly Black Lives Matter Vigil every Thursday
Take a stand against racism and white supremacy by centering the importance of Black lives every Thursday, rain, or shine. Join us in lining Stenton Avenue with anti-racist signs (and get tons of supportive honks) from 6:00-6:30 p.m. Afterwards we’ll meet to meditate, light candles, and share from 6:30-7:00 p.m. Those at home are welcome to join us on Zoom at 6:30.NEWS AND INFORMATION |
Interested in Helping Sustain this Congregation?
Join the Stewardship (Pledge) Team!
Financial pledges and contributions by our members and friends are our main source of funds to pay Rev. McKinley and the rest of our staff, maintain our facilities, and pursue our programs, to do the good work we do in the world and make all of our lives better. Over the winter and spring, a team of us plans our stewardship (pledge) campaign and carries it out. If you would like to be part of this team for this year, please let Cathy M or Larry H know! It is a great way to get to know others in the congregation and work with a team to make help make our goals and dreams possible.
Spirit Matters
Spiritually, presence can mean two quite different things. On the one hand, contemplatives talk of “being present.” Presence from this perspective is all about awareness and remembering to “live in the moment.” On the other hand, theologians tend to come at presence from the perspective of a hidden and divine “otherness.” Their concern is not just that we pay attention to the present moment, but that we notice a transcendent Presence woven through all moments.
 This month, we refuse to take sides. Attentiveness or otherness? Who says we have to choose? After all, isn’t it true that, more often than not, they dance together more than they compete? Haven’t we all felt that when we are fully present, the most powerful presences emerge? Pay attention to your child and slowly (and mysteriously) a confidence and unique self reveals itself. Pay attention to the flow of your breathing or the flow of the ocean and something bigger than yourself enters the scene. Look for a long time at a single tree or |
flower and eventually it presents itself to you as a world in and unto itself.
The underlying message here is that the world is shot through with unnoticed gifts and grace. It’s a message perfectly fit for this holiday month that so often celebrates presents over presence. In the face of commercials and billboards that tell us our lives will finally be complete if we stuff them with a few more shiny objects or plastic gadgets, our spiritual traditions come along and remind us that our lives are already whole, and home. Their message: The greatest gift of the holidays is noticing the many gifts that have been sitting there all along. So, friends, how will you engage this dance? What powerful and meaningful presence is waiting for you to be present to it? What gift is waiting and wanting to emerge? What will your awareness bring into being this month? ~ From the Soul Matters Sharing Circle Small Group Resources for December 2024 Soul Matters offers resources for worship, religious education, small group ministry, and personal development to UU congregations across the U.S. Religious professionals research and make available an array of materials to support ministers, congregational leaders, covenant groups, and worship arts teams in cultivating deep, spiritual experiences for members and friends. UUsMA is a member congregation of the Soul Matters Sharing Circle. |
Just for Laughs
Openings for New Participants
in Covenant Groups!
A Covenant Group (small group ministry) is a group of usually 6-8 people in a congregation who get together to get to know each other and talk about themes that relate to the theme for the month of our Sunday worship services. We currently have a couple of active covenant groups. If you think you might be interested in joining an existing group or being part of a new group, please contact Rev. McKinley!
Pastoral Care Update
Each one of us can use some help and support at times in navigating life's ups and downs. Now there is an easy way to contact the Pastoral Care Team if you or someone you know needs a helping hand.UUMtAiry has a convenient request/referral form that goes directly to Rev. McKinley and Care Team Coordinators. Within 24-48 hours a Care Team volunteer will acknowledge your request and have either the minister or a team member contact you. You can find the link to the request form below. Before contacting the Care Team, please keep the following in mind:
- Pastoral Care contact is not counseling or therapy, nor should it be used for emergencies.
- Requests for Care Team support is voluntary. If you are referring another person for follow-up, please speak to them and obtain permission to contact the Care Team.
- If you prefer to contact Rev. McKinley directly, please call for an appointment at (806) 786-9733, or send email to him. to read more...
Looking for the Latest Congregational Directory?
Find all this by clicking the DIRECTORY & CONTRIBUTIONS button at the right. From the ICON homepage, you can edit your own information (illustrated below on the left) or change your password on the Settings page (circled on the right).
If you attach a photo to an email and send it to either the Office or the Webmaster, we will be happy to add it to your profile.
Email the Office and request a new one.
Have You Seen our Google Calendar?
We're working on making this ultra-functional. Soon, group leaders can add their classes, meetings, and notes to this calendar for easy access. Office hours, RE times, and maybe even worship topics will be listed as far in advance as we can make them. You can find the Monthly Meeting Calendar link at the bottom of every web page.Or go to it directly below (bookmark with Ctrl+D or CMD+D):
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/embed?src=minister@uumtairy.org&ctz=America/New_York
Ministerial Discretion Fund
Any one who would like to donate to the emergency fund that goes towards our most vulnerable members can do so by sending in a check earmarked for "Min. Disc. Fund" or contacting McKinley directly to donate electronically. We have helped ease the strain of Covid-19 for some of our most directly impacted folks. Your donations go a long way, and offerings are always greatly appreciated.GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS |
Hale Hall Doors
It is imperative that we remember that both front and back doors to Hale Hall remain locked at all times. This means even during meetings and Sunday services. Please do not let anyone into Hale Hall that you do not personally know is safe at any time. During services, all members, friends and congregants should come in the sanctuary door. Thank you for your cooperation.
Work Request Forms
If you are requesting work to be done, please complete the appropriate colored work request form located on the office door. Once your form is completed, place it in the bin labeled Administrative Assistant also hanging on the office door.
For those who do not frequently visit in person, you can send your request via email to the Administrative Office.
Pink - Request for Administrative Assistant
Yellow - Request for voucher check
Blue - Request for the sexton