Sunday Services Schedule

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

September Ministry Theme:

Building Belonging

Regular Hours begin on September 7th, 9 AM and 11 AM. The 11 AM Zoom service login and call-in information is shared through the congregational eblasts on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Subscribe to the eblast by sending a message to uuseoffice@uuse.org or call the UUSE office at 860-646-5151.

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

10 AM Sunday, August 31st: Weaving Our Lives: General Assembly 2024. We will be presenting an edited version of the 2024 GA Sunday Worship service featuring inspiring stories and music focused on the interdependent web of life of which we are all a part. Coordinator: Vivian Carlson.

9 and 11 AM Sunday, September 7th: Homecoming: Where Fire Belongs. Join us for our annual Homecoming service. Let’s celebrate UUSE–a beacon of spiritual light for all those seeking beloved, liberal religious community east of the Connecticut River. Our chalice flame lights the way as we offer opportunity, passion, action, comfort, and belonging to long-time members and newcomers alike. Coordinators: Emmy Galbraith and Rev. Josh Pawelek.

Sunday, September 14th: Imagining a Congregational Year, Part I. Mindful that ourministry theme for September is Building Belonging, Rev. Josh will offer his opening sermon for the 2025-2026 congregational year. He’ll share insights from his study leave and name the big spiritual and theological ideas that are capturing his attention at this moment. Coordinator: Rev. Josh Pawelek.

ministry theme for September is Building Belonging, Rev. Josh will offer his opening sermon for the 2025-2026 congregational year. He’ll share insights from his study leave and name the big spiritual and theological ideas that are capturing his attention at this moment. Coordinator: Rev. Josh Pawelek.

Sunday, September 21st: Radical Welcome. We join together because we value connection...we seek to belong. Reacting to our current "epidemic of loneliness and social isolation," in this service we'll explore how we as a congregation can embody what the Rev. Dr. David Breeden describes as "radical welcome." Coordinators: Stacey Musulin and Paula Baker.

Sunday, September 28th: Imagining a Congregational Year: Part II Because one service on kicking off the congregational year could not possibly cover everything, Rev. Josh will continueexploring the themes he introduced in his September 14th service. Special Guest Music Leader: Andy Ricci. Coordinator: Rev. Josh Pawelek.

exploring the themes he introduced in his September 14th service. Special Guest Music Leader: Andy Ricci. Coordinator: Rev. Josh Pawelek.

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

Community Outreach Ministry

Charitable Giving for September

As always, thank you for your generosity.

We do not gather our gifts only for ourselves, but to share with the larger community.

Continuing our practice of sharing our gifts with the community beyond our walls, fifty percent of our Sunday plate collections for the month will be shared with:

• Manchester Latino Affairs Council
• SheLeadsJustice

Please contact Louisa Graver at uuseoffice@uuse.org, David Lacoss, or Nancy Madar at nuuseoffice@uuse.org.

Make checks out to UUSE. If the memo line:

✓ is blank or “pledge” - all will go toward your pledge.

✓ has “COM” or the name of the charity - all will go to the charity.

✓ has “1/2 pledge, 1/2 COM” - it will be divided equally.

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

2025/2026 Ministry Themes

September: Building Belonging

October: Cultivating Compassion

November: Nurturing Gratitude

December: Choosing Hope

January: Practicing Resistance

February: Embodying Resilience

March: Paying Attention

April: Embracing Possibility

May: Awakening Curiosity

June: Flourishing Together

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

Minister's Column

Dear Ones:

Welcome to the 2025-2026 congregational year of the Unitarian Universalist Society East in Manchester, CT – our 57th year as a congregation! I am looking forward to a great year: Compelling worship, exciting children and youth ministry, amazing concerts, critical social and environmental justice organizing and activism, fun community events (like our Homecoming picnic on September 7th), fundraisers, small groups, relationship-building, community-building, and all the essential life-cycle rituals we’ve grown accustomed to: child dedications (yes, there are babies on the way!), affirmation, weddings, welcome new members, memorial services, etc. It’s going to be a great year.

As we launch this new congregational year, I am also entering my 23rd year as UUSE’s settled minister. By all measures 23 years is an incredibly long time for a clergyperson to serve in one position. Pastorates of this length are rare. I want you to know that I do not take this rarity lightly. I certainly do not take this congregation for granted. And I do not intend to rest on the laurels of our past achievements. I continue to feel strongly that the gifts and skills I bring to ministry are the right match for UUSE. And on the flip side, the strengths you possess as a congregation offer an excellent complement to my ministry. We are good partners. I pray that our partnership continues to bear fruit! There is much good, shared ministry ahead of us.

Our ministry theme for September is building belonging. Though this theme matters all year long, I like having it front and center in our hearts and minds as we launch the congregational year. It’s a reminder that one of the aspects of congregational life that matters most is the way we welcome, include and empower people—all the ways we build belonging. I have a lot to say about this—more than I can fit in a one-page newsletter column—but I want to offer a challenge to each UUSE member and friend. Over the course of September, do one new thing at UUSE. Introduce yourself during coffee hour to someone you’ve never met before. Attend a meeting of a committee you haven’t attended before. Visit one of the affinity groups you’ve haven’t attended before (God Talk, Science and Religion, Buddhism, Humanists, etc.). Volunteer to be a Sunday morning greeter or to serve coffee. Volunteer in Children and Youth Ministry. And did I mention introducing yourself to someone you don’t know already? Do something you haven’t done before.

Take a small risk at UUSE. Put yourself out there. I think you’ll find that doing so will build your sense of belonging. And that matters. Our times are marked by division and tension, loneliness and isolation. At matters that we have a spiritual home like UUSE where we can feel deeply what it means to belong.

This September, please do one new thing at UUSE. Take a risk. You won’t regret it.

With love,

Rev. Josh

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

Director of Children & Youth Ministry Column

The 2025-2026 program year for Children & Youth Ministry is buzzing in the background, ready to launch. But first, I’m soaking in that last bit of summer. I recently attended a 4-day conference and festival put on by the Connecticut (Welcoming) Pagan Network. I’ve enjoyed a few of their events at Camp Cedarcrest in Orange, but this one was absolutely phenomenal.

My favorite part, aside from being among other pagans, was the workshops. Incredible authors and speakers shared their knowledge and experience in deeply meaningful and practical ways. Professional spiritual practitioners who have studied, applied, pilgrimaged, now thoughtfully guide their students to a realistic and responsible practice. From north Asian shamanism to witchery to Druidry to wicca to Norse traditions to indigenous practices and more. There was a vast representation of pagan flavors, and a golden thread throughout.

Connecticut Welcoming Pagan Network, formerly known as CT Wiccan Pagan Network, has evolved with the times, taking a clear stance on today’s issues. Their website reads, “Connecticut's Welcoming Pagan Network hereby states that we are an organization dedicated to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. As a non-denominational pagan community organization, we seek to create a space for all pagan paths to peacefully meet. We firmly believe anyone should be welcome to explore paganism regardless of gender, sexuality, ability, race, country of origin, age, or class. As an organization, we seek to be mindful of the way the dominant culture has, and continues to repress minorities in this country. With this awareness in mind, our values include: Anti-Racism, Anti-Homophobia, Anti-Transphobia, Anti-Ableism, Intersectional Feminism, Decolonization, and dismantling white supremacy. This work takes the form of inner reflection by our individual community leaders and outward activist work by our organization.” (cwpn.org)

Sounds like a place UUs would fit right in, and we do. The times that I mentioned where I work professionally, I was met with “Oh! We love the UUs, my local pagan group meets at a UU meeting house!” It’s funny how our personal identities overlap. Just as I’m loud and proud to be pagan in UU spaces, so is it true that I’m loud and proud to be UU in pagan spaces. Both come with questions and typically an honest yearning to understand that relationship.

If you aren’t a student or practitioner of paganism, which can be defined in varying ways, you might not be aware of how the above DEI statement intersects with “neo-pagan” traditions in this country. I personally define pagan practice as earth-based, non-Abrahamic religious or spiritual practice. I’m not fond of the “neo-pagan” term in general because it excludes indigenous practices that have been passed down or reincorporated. I personally focus on ancestral work, which for me requires me to connect to the “folk” or traditional practices of my ancestors. I am very careful not to appropriate any closed or other practices not meant for me. I also say that why I don’t find anything inherently wrong with reconstructionist paganism, I don’t put myself in that camp either.

Now, as I drove to Orange, CT, for the event with my two teenage daughters, they talked about how pagans are “woke.” To which I replied, “The ones I roll with are, but not all of them!” They were surprised by my response. Meaningful conversation followed about how “traditional”, “old ways”, ancestor work, and nationalism can be a hop, skip, and a jump away from eugenics and neo-Nazism. Just as is true in any religious or spiritual practice, I have come to understand, folks can use it to fulfill their own personal agenda, sometimes for evil. My daughters and I also discussed the traditional female/feminine and male/masculine roles and concepts prevalent in many pagan practices. Some allow for a spectrum and some don’t. Some traditions have hard and fast rules about gender, and some don’t. So you see, as is true with any practice, humans can shape something into whatever they want or need it to be. And on that note, I am glad to have become a member of and to support Connecticut Welcoming Pagan Network, and am looking forward to their next event for the Autumnal Equinox in Redding, CT. And, I’m excited to bring all I learn and developed personally and professionally, to the spiritual home at UUSE.

Emmy Galbraith (she/her/hers)

Director of Children and Youth Ministry

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

Back to School Photos!

Please send Emmy Galbraith your back-to-school and autumnal greetings photos to dcym@uuse.org by September 1st! The photos will be included in a slideshow at our Homecoming Service on September 7th. (Photos will not be saved or stored on our website or zoom channel.)

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

Upcoming Events

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

Mad Agnes Concert

Sunday, Sept 7th at 3:00 PM

Mad Agnes has won hearts on two continents with their signature intricate harmonies and compelling songwriting. The genre-bending trio—Margo Hennebach, Adrienne Jones, and Mark Saunders—weaves contemporary folk with a nod to Celtic, an element of vocal improv, and top-notch arrangements into an exciting, inclusive performance. Their 5th original CD, Likely Story–An Eclectic Collection of Songs for the Soul, charted #10/#16 Feb/Mar 2024 on FAI FOLK CHART TOP ALBUMS OF THE

MONTH.

Their current iteration sees them using only one microphone, around which they form and re-form, early radio style. This encourages more playfulness and connection, as they transport and tickle audiences with robust harmonies, incisive songwriting, and well-crafted

instrumentation, using guitars, mandolin, percussion, an inventive keyboard, and three-part harmonies as tight as jeans from the dryer.

Mad Agnes continues to play for long-time fans and they’re excited to be creating new ones as well. In short, they exemplify three voices, one soul, and forty years of harmony and mayhem.

$20 Freewill Donation

At Unitarian Universalist Society East, 153 Vernon Street West, Manchester, CT. 860-646-5151 - uuse.org

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

Green Sanctuary News

Despite the anti-climate rhetoric coming from Washington, D.C. these days, Connecticut is forging ahead, unwilling to stop working on saving our planet in any way we can. The Sustainable Living Committee Is offering an exciting Film Festival at UUSE on September 14 that will run from 2:00 pm until about 4:30 pm with time for discussion at the end. We will have tables set up to introduce you to the latest goings-on in and around Connecticut. It will give you a chance to talk with our members who are looking forward to a large crowd of folks coming out to explore the creative offerings from around the world. This Climate Café is one not to be missed!

The following week, September 21, from 12-4:00 pm we will set our sights on Connecticut State University where the Connecticut SUN DAY Festival will be set to celebrate the unstoppable rise of CLEAN ENERGY! It will be well worth the trip to New Britain to partake in the many activities planned for that day. Hope to see you all there!

SAVE THE DATES!

Sunday, September 14, at 2:30 PM. CLIMATE FUTURES FILM FESTIVAL at UUSE. Ten award-winning films from four continents explore the human and artistic response to climate change. These short films use various artistic ways, through drama, documentary, humor, and stunning animation, to express human feelings about climate change – hope and cynicism, denial and grief, rage and heartbreak, resilience and resolve. There will be tables and people to talk with working on these issues to give us ways to take action. Come early!

For more information about the festival see https://www.climatefuturefilm.com/ 

Sunday, September 21, from 12-4:00 PM. Connecticut SUN DAY Festival at Connecticut State University, New Britain.

Elders Climate Action https://www.eldersclimateaction.org/. This organization will be one of several groups promoting SUN Day September 20-21. They are highlighting solar and wind power. We’ll be learning more about this important event.

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

“I never was to Africa, but it comes up in my dreams” ~Ferron

But now I feel like I had an idea of an African safari, after I saw Laurel Hennebury’s excellent slides and talk discussing her safari experience earlier.

On Friday, September 12, at 7pm at UUSE, Laurel will be showing her slides and discussing her safari experience at UUSE. please feel free to join us! There is no fee.

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

Come Sing, Chant, and Reconnect With Us!

Join us for a "homecoming" Kirtan on Sunday, September 21 at 3 PM

led by Heart-Centered Kirtan with Libby Volckening, Dan Thomas, Zach Gregory, Chris Ball, and Brie Sullivan. Whether you’ve been to many kirtans or it’s been a while, your voice and presence are requested. No experience needed!

Save These Kirtan Dates – All at 3PM at UUSE with Heart-Centered Kirtan:

• Sunday, September 21, 2025
• Sunday, February 22, 2026
• Sunday, March 22, 2026
• Sunday, May 17, 2026

Suggested Donation: $20 (more or less is always OK—no one turned away). Scent-Free: Please no incense, perfume, or essential oils.

Seating: Chairs provided. Some cushions. Best to bring a cushion if you prefer floor seating.

For more info: https://www.uuse.org/regular-events/kirtan

Unitarian Universalist Society East, 153 Vernon Street West, Manchester, CT

ABOUT HEART-CENTERED KIRTAN

Since 2013, Heart-Centered Kirtan has been offering kirtan throughout New England with their original call-and-response devotional music. Weaving Sanskrit and Buddhist mantras into their unique blend of modern Western musical styles, Heart-Centered Kirtans are meditative and uplifting experiences.

We can't wait to see you!

Sudha, Central CT Community Kirtan

And the UUSE Music Committee

P.S. Please share this poster with your friends!

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

Borderland | The Line Within

Special Screening: September 23, 2025, 7:00 PM

In Borderland, we journey with immigrants resisting and organizing for their human rights in the shadow of the vast border industrial complex, a multi-billion-dollar business of surveillance, detention, and deportation, effectively embedding the border in every corner of our nation. The interwoven stories of courageous immigrants seeking a way forward shed light on the human cost of the struggle, as the threat to themselves and democracy looms with immigration used as a wedge issue for political gain and a gateway to authoritarian rule.

Tickets $5. To benefit: CT Students for a Dream. Q&A with filmmakers Pamela Yates and Paco de Onís following the film. Spanish subtitles.

All are welcome. For tickets and additional information, click here. IG: @skylightpix and Pamela @pameladyates. FB: @skylight.is and Pamela @pamela.yates.3133

At Unitarian Universalist Society East, 153 Vernon Street West, Manchester, CT.

860-646-5151 - uuse.org

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

Keep up to date on all UUSE happenings here.

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

Hosts Needed for

UUSE Community Harvest Suppers

The Membership Committee is planning more potlucks at the homes of UUSE members/friends this fall. But we need hosts! If you are considering hosting a potluck but need a little motivation, here are some great reasons: get your house clean and organized, show off your cooking and favorite main dish, foster community and fun!

If you would like to host a “Community Harvest Supper” at your home sometime in October or early November, please contact Sue Myers or Carole Boster via email or phone by September 15 and let them know the date & time for your event, and how many guests you can accommodate; they’ll send you back a quick questionnaire to gather further details for the sign-up sheet. Hosts are asked to provide a main dish; guests will bring the appetizers, sides, desserts etc.

We’ll put sign-up sheets in the lobby after each service in late September.

Questions? Ask Sue Myers or Carole Boster.

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

Intro to UU

Interested in knowing more about Unitarian Universalism or joining UUSE?

Our next Intro to UU is September 14th from 1-4 with Rev. Josh.

Learn some of the history of Unitarian Universalism and more about some new changes at UUSE!

Reserve your space by calling or emailing Annie in the office. If you have questions contact Janet Dauphin or Sylvia Ounpuu at membership@uuse.org?

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

Coming Soon: UUSE Choir

Do you love to sing? You don't have to audition. Whether you sing in your car or with the Metropolitan Opera-If you like to have fun, you can sing with the UUSE Choir! Weekly rehearsals start on Wednesday, October 1st at 7:15 PM in preparation for the Holiday Music Services on December 14th. All ages welcome.

For more information, contact Jenn Richard at uuseoffice@uuse.org

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

Our UUSE Directory

Hi all! This is a friendly reminder that our annual, non-pictorial UUSE Directory of Members and Friends comes out in October. This directory includes several "Who's Who" pages at the beginning that lists and describes the various groups and committees that help keep our community humming. To help ensure the information is accurate--if you are a committee chair and haven't done it already--please call or email Annie with the most up-to-date list of your committee's members. Also, if you need to update your personal listing, please call or email Annie with your name(s), children's names, physical/mailing address, email and phone numbers for publication. Note: This directory is not distributed to anyone outside the UUSE community and is provided simply for ease in contacting one another.

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

Book Cart Volunteers Needed!

Drop by the book cart to take or leave a book, or talk about books with our friendly volunteers. The book cart is in the lobby each Sunday during the summer months, after the 10:00 am service

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

Ladies at Lunch

In September our lunch will be at Sadler's Ordinary in Marlborough, Thursday the 11th, at noon. The address is 61 N. Main Street. We hope to dine outside, so please set an intention for no rain and mild temp! Join us if you can; know you are welcome. If you will attend, please let Sharon Huber know by Wednesday 10th in the afternoon. uuseoffice@uuse.org or 860-646-5151.

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

Romeos for Lunch

Romeos (Retired Old Men Eating Out) meet at noon on the 2nd Tuesday of each month for lunch and conversation at various local restaurants. If you are retired or simply have free time, feel welcome to participate. Contact Annie at the church office to be included on the email call list.

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

Yoga at the Meetinghouse Wednesdays at 10:00 AM

All are welcome to these gentle-to-moderate yoga classes for all abilities. $5 drop-in fee. Bring a yoga mat (we have some extras). Bring a friend! Questions to: Susan at uuseoffice@uuse.org. Yoga is a UUSE adult education offering.

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

Women's Sacred Singing Circle

Every Thursday at 7 PM

We sing songs and chants from a variety of traditions, including some written by women from circles around the country, including our own. All are about the earth, healing, spirit, and, of course, women.

Come late, leave early, or stay the whole time. Come every week or off and on, when you choose. But come! We have so much fun each week, we want you to join us in the laughter, song and community!

For more information visit Meetup.

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

Join us again for Coffeehouse in October.

Coffeehouse is taking a summer vacation. The monthly Coffeehouse events will resume on October 4th.

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

Books, Classes, and Discussions 

Adult Religious Education

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

Book Lovers 

The Book Lovers meet in person and simultaneously on Zoom every second Tuesday from 3:30 to 5:00 PM. You are welcome even if you haven’t finished the book. The link is sent out the weekend before by Carolyn Gimbrone.

• Sept. 9th: 1984 A Novel by George Orwell; discussion leader Lorry King
• Oct. 14th: An Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created by Santi Elijah Holley; discussion leader Jean Wahlstrom
• Nov. 11th: Who Is Government? The Untold Story of Public Service by Michael Lewis; discussion leader Lesley Schurmann
• Dec. 9th: West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge; discussion leader Louisa Graver

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

Buddhist Group

The next Buddhist Group meets at 7 PM on Zoom the first Tuesday, Aug. 6th for meditation and discussion of a Buddhist perspective on the monthly ministry theme. Email Nancy Thompson at uuseoffice@uuse.org for details or the Zoom link.

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

Humanist Group 

Join us in on the 3rd Tuesday at 4:30 PM. This ongoing group explores Religious Humanism and its applications to life, both historically and today. All welcome. Contact Rev. Josh at minister@uuse.org for the Zoom link.

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

Science and Religion Discussion Group 

Where do science and religion meet? Where are they in opposition?

Meet 4th Tuesdays at 4:30 in the Chapel, and on Zoom.

• Sept - Current Theories Around Big Bang - Steve Simon
• Oct - Human Evolution/ Spirituality - Andy Ricci

Contact Chris Larson for the Zoom link.

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

God Talk

A discussion group for UU theists

4th Tuesdays at 4:30 PM.

This ongoing group explores how UUs can name and experience God in meaningful, useful ways. All are welcome. Contact Rev. Josh at minister@uuse.org for the Zoom link.

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

Pastoral Friends Rotating Chair

September/October: Sue McMillen. 

PastoralFriends@uuse.org. 

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

Your Rights in Your Pocket

A message from the Social Justice/Anti-Oppression Committee

All people in the United States have certain rights and protections under the Constitution. Quick-reference pocket cards from the Immigration Legal Resource Center (ILRC) help people assert their rights and defend themselves in many situations. The ILRC cards are available in the meetinghouse lobby in English, Spanish, and Portuguese versions. See https://www.ilrc.org/red-cards-tarjetas-rojas for more information and templates in additional languages.

- UUSE Social Justice / Anti-Oppression Committee

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

Help Us Spread the Word

Are you on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, etc?) please promote UUSE and its events by "liking" or sharing our posts on social media.

• Facebook: UUSEast
• Instagram: uu_society_east.
• UUSE Happenings on Facebook is a private page for sharing things among members.
• You also can share events or posts in other groups on Facebook.

If you have any suggestions for places to publicize events, email uuseoffice@uuse.org, the Communications/Technology Committee.

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

Newsletter Submissions

Submit articles using newsletter@uuse.org or use this publicity form. Deadline for the Newsletter is the 20th of each month.

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

UUSE General Information

UUSE Office Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Meetinghouse Office: 860-646-5151

Office Administrator: Annie Gentile email: uuseoffice@uuse.org

Minister: Rev. Joshua Pawelek, 860-646-5151, minister@uuse.org

Minister Office Hours: Tuesday 10 AM to 7 PM and Thursday 10 AM to 4 PM

Director of Children & Youth Ministry: Emmy Galbraith, 860-646-5151, dcym@uuse.org

President: Trisha Corey-Lisle, 805-750--3488, uuseoffice@uuse.org

Newsletter Editor: Carol Marion, 860-646-5151, newsletter@uuse.org

Website Coordinator: uuse.web@uuse.org UUSE Website:https://www.uuse.org

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