Weekly News

November 5, 2025

------------------------------

Welcome to Unitarian Universalist Society East

Email our office to receive a visitor packet or to find out more. We schedule several newcomer events throughout the year after Sunday services.

------------------------------

Sunday Service:

"Supporting Dignity through Compassion and Love"

This service recognizes November as National Hospice/Palliative Care Month. Two of our members will speak about providing care to patients to enable them to live the end of their lives as fully as possible with dignity, compassion and love. Co-coordinators: Kate Kimmerle, David Klotz and Nancy Madar. Speakers: Nancy Madar and Peter Marotto

Services at 9:00 and 11:00 A.M.

Sunday, November 9, 2025

Gathering music starts at 8:50 and 10:50 A.M.

Join the virtual service at 11:00 A.M. via our Zoom link:

Contact the Office for Zoom Link.

Or join by phone. Call 1-860-646-5151 Meeting ID 357 815 420#.

------------------------------

CYM News

Do you feel comfortable talking about your personal spiritual practice? Would you be willing to come in to the 2nd-5th grade classroom to explore big questions with our young UUs, with the support of seasoned classroom teachers? If so, please reach out to the Director of Children & Youth Ministry at dcym@uuse.org.

------------------------------

The UUSE Artisan Holiday Market

(because it's so much more than a run-of-the-mill fair)

The UUSE Artisan Holiday Market will be held on:

Friday, Nov. 21, 2025 from 6 to 8:30 PM

Friday Night Sneak Peek: $5 Admission includes

mulled apple cider and dessert.

Sat. Nov. 22, 2025, 9 AM to 3PM - Free Admission!

Please click on the poster below and share it widely - and watch for a separate Fair eblast each Monday with all important details about how you can help make the Fair a great success!

Visit the table in the lobby on Sundays to sign up for a job -- help set up, work at the fair itself, clean up -- or email fair@uuse.org.

------------------------------

Declare Your Love and Gratitude for UUSE!

Paula Baker and Sandy Karosi are organizing a service for November 23 entitled "Gratitude for UUSE," and we want to include messages from our congregation! We're looking for an answer to the question: "What is it about UUSE that fills you with gratitude?" Maybe it's the community, the building and grounds, a committee, our staff, an experience you've had, relationships formed, or an event your family loves! While it might be hard to pick just one thing, we need to keep responses to a single, brief sentence. Looking for messages from all ages! Send your message by November 9 to either Paula (uuseoffice@uuse.org) or Sandy (uuseoffice@uuse.org).

------------------------------

Verplanck Tutoring Project

The Verplanck Tutoring project could use three or four more volunteers to spend one hour per week helping kindergarten and first grade students learn to read. Most urgently, they hope to find two people who can jump in from now through the beginning of December. It's a structured one-on-one program with excellent teacher support, so please consider helping out. Email uuseoffice@uuse.org or text 860-646-5151.

------------------------------

Friendsgiving!

Emmy is organizing a Friendsgiving on the American Thanksgiving Holiday (Thursday, November 27) at UUSE. All congregants! Please be on the lookout for collection jars in both kitchen windows for monetary donations to help fund the meal. An email will be going out soon to organize contributions of appetizers, side dishes, desserts and drinks. Please reach out to Emmy Galbraith at dcym@uuse.org to express interest or ask any questions.

------------------------------

GHIAA House Meetings!

Concerned about immigrant rights and protections? Affordable housing? The impact of our state's inequitable fiscal policies? Join a GHIAA House Meeting in November and share your stories. Each of the house meetings is issue specific. You are welcome to attend more than one. For details, including dates & locations, and to sign up, click here.

------------------------------

Crafts & Kids

Wednesday, November 5th from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Peggy Gagne is running craft activities for children who live in Squire Village, an affordable housing complex off Silver Lane in Manchester. This is an extension of our partnerships with Verplanck School and PowerUp. She's doing this on Wednesday, November 5th from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM (3rd, 4th & 5th grades). Although she has one adult (thank you Louisa Graver!), she could use 1 or 2 more helpers. YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE CRAFTY -- JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN! She'll have the plans and supplies. You just need to show up! Please contact Peggy at uuseoffice@uuse.org or call or text 860-646-5151 so she knows who wants to play. And thank you!

------------------------------

Yoga at UUSE

Wednesday, November 5 and Wednesday, November. 19th

On Wednesday, November 5, yoga instructor Susan Barlow will be out of town, but Dan Thompson has offered to play a yoga video as a "substitute." This session will be no charge. (By the way, if you do plan to attend, please park close to the building. We expect a small crew of people to be clearing leaves with blowing equipment throughout the parking lot as they cleanup the grounds in preparation for our Holiday Fair.)

And speaking of the Holiday Fair ... On Wednesday, November 19, due to the FAIR SET-UP, yoga will meet at Samadhi Yoga Studio, 283 East Center Street in Manchester at 1:30 P.M. (Samadhi now has more classes on Wednesdays, so they can't accommodate us in the morning).

------------------------------

Mr. Lobster Concert for Kids and Families

Sunday, November 8 at 2:00 P.M.

Mr. Lobster (Christian Loftus) brings fun, family-friendly music to UUSE on Saturday, November 8 at 2:00 P.M. Join us in the UUSE Meeting Room. Suggested donation: $15 for adults; kids attend free.

------------------------------

Piano Bash 2025

Sunday, November 9 at 2:00 P.M.

On Sunday, November 9 at 2:00 P.M., piano lovers of all ages and levels are invited to play our two Steinway pianos in the UUSE meeting room. This is a fun, informal event. If you like to play the piano and want to perform or have questions, send an email to Mary Bopp at music@uuse.org. Listeners are welcome to attend! This is a free event.

------------------------------

Ladies at Lunch

Thursday, November 13th at noon

The November Ladies Lunch will be held on Thursday, November 13th at noon at the Nutmeg Restaurant, 297 South Main Street in East Windsor. Do join us if you can - All are welcome! If you plan to attend, please let Anne Vogel know by Wednesday afternoon, November 12th. Call her at 860-646-5151 or email: uuseoffice@uuse.org.

------------------------------

Governance Stakeholder Session

A Message from Our Denominational Affairs Committee

The UUA Bylaws Renewal Team has been hosting a series of Governance Stakeholder Sessions, and you are warmly invited to take part. The conversations are about listening, imagining and shaping together -- not about having the "right answers."

The next session - Exploring Article V - will be held on Thursday, November 13, 2025 from 8:00 - 9:30 PM ET (eastern time). Register here. This is just the beginning! More conversations will follow as the bylaws renewal process continues.

------------------------------

Know Your Rights Training

Friday, November 14th, 7:15 P.M. - 8:15 P.M. in the UUSE Meeting Room

The Social Justice/Anti-Oppression Committee is partnering with a local mutual aid group to provide timely training for UUSE and the public. Every US resident needs this "Know Your Rights" information for themselves and their friends and neighbors in case of interactions with Federal police. Contact Sid Soderholm with questions.

------------------------------

Fall Clean-up

Saturday, November 15th, 9:00 A.M. to noon

What's the bit that you can do to care for the land UUSE inhabits? Join the Building & Grounds Committee for the annual Fall Clean-up on Saturday, November 15th, 9:00 A.M. to noon. Bring what you have for raking and pruning and we'll supply the rest: snacks, coffee, cider, equipment, guidance and a few laughs. Children and youth with responsible adults are especially invited. We can share with you what we have learned about ecological landscaping. Contact Cory Clark or Jane Osborn for more information.

------------------------------

Pajama & Sock Drive

Collection runs through Sunday, November 23rd!

Help us support EmpowerU and the kids of Squire Village. Please drop off new pajamas and socks in all sizes 5T to adult at UUSE by Sunday November 23rd. Questions? Contact Desiree at uuseoffice@uuse.org.

------------------------------

Multi-Faith Service

Sunday, November 23 at 5:00 P.M. at Beth Sholom B'Nai Israel

All are welcome to join Beth Sholom B'Nai Israel for their annual multi-faith service, Sunday, November 23 at 5:00 p.m., 400 Middle Turnpike East, Manchester, CT 06040. BSBI will be joined by clergy throughout Manchester for a special Thanksgiving service with a theme of Community Connections. The Keynote Speaker will be Latasha Easterling-Turnquest M. Ed., Chief of Family Partnership & Student Engagement at Manchester Public Schools. This event is free and open to the public. Please bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the local pantry.

------------------------------

Pastoral Friends

The Pastoral Friends Committee has a rotating chair throughout the year. Should you need pastoral care during the months of November and December, please contact Laurie Semprebon.

------------------------------

Ongoing Happenings at UUSE!

There’s Always Something Good Going On

• Stop & Shop Gift Card sales after services on 1st Sundays
• Fair Trade Coffee/Tea/Chocolate sales after services on 2nd Sundays
• Yoga, every Wednesday at 10 A.M. All welcome!
• Manchester Women's Singing Circle, every Thursday at 7 P.M.
• Book Lovers, 2nd Tuesdays at 3:30 P.M. in person and on Zoom.
• Women's Circle, 3rd Tuesdays at 7:00 P.M. (Zoom only December through March) Email Nora Alpers-Leon atuuseoffice@uuse.org for the Zoom link.
• Romeos, a monthly lunch for retired men on second Tuesdays - contact the UUSE office to be put on the email list.
• Ladies at Lunch, a monthly women's lunch typically on second Thursdays - advertised in the weekly eblasts.
• Buddhist Group, 1st Tuesdays at 7 P.M.
• NEW! Meditation Group, 3rd Mondays, 3:30 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. Group will meet on Monday, November 24th during fair setup week.
• God Talk, 4th Tuesdays at 4:30 P.M.
• Humanist Group, 3rd Tuesdays at 4:30 P.M.
• Science and Religion Discussion Group, 4th Thursdays at 4:30 P.M. November/Dec - "Origin Myths" with Jackie Muschiano -- Due to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, meeting is on December 11th.

------------------------------

Our Mission

Unitarian Universalist Society East is a welcoming, open-minded spiritual community seeking truth and meaning in its many forms. We share responsibility for building a more equitable, peaceful, and sustainable world.

------------------------------

UUSE Links and Information

• Monthly Newsletter • Website • Previous Sunday Services

 • Children & Youth Ministry • Facebook •

New England Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association

uuse.org • 860-646-5151

------------------------------