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Gathering Music Holiday Favorites Margeaux, Simone and Ryan Ford, musicians Welcome (Emmy Galbraith) Announcements (Rev. Josh Pawelek) Centering Prelude "Sun Arise" by Helen Yeomans UUSE Choir Chalice Lighting and Opening Words "A Joyful Noise" by Rev. Josh Pawelek Opening Hymn #235 "Deck the Hall With Boughs of Holly" words: traditional Welsh music: old Welsh carol Deck the hall with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la "Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la la la Don we now our gay apparel, fa la la la la la, la la la Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, fa la la la la, la la la la. See the blazing Yule before us, fa la la la la, la la la la. Strike the harp and join the chorus, fa la la la la, la la la la. Follow me in merry measure, fa la la la la la, la la la While I tell of Yuletide treasure, fa la la la la, la la la la. Fast away the old year passes, fa la la la la, la la la la. Hail the new, ye lads and lasses, fa la la la la, la la la la. Sing we joyous all together, fa la la la la la, la la la. Heedless of the wind and weather, fa la la la la, la la la la. Time for All Ages "Winter Candle" by Jeron Ashford Music "The Christmas Wish" by Danny Akken Wheetman UUSE Children's Choir Joys and Concerns Musical Interlude Offering "We do not gather our gifts 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 of December will go to three area shelters: McKinney Men's Shelter (Hartford), East Hartford Community Shelter and Cornerstone Shelter (Rockville). Offering Music "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" by Pyotr Tchaikovsky Dorothy Bognar and Mary Bopp, pianos Music "Carol of the Bells" by Mykola Leontovich Arr. by Peter Wilhousky and Dan Thompson "Rise Up, Shepherd and Follow" Trad. Spiritual, arr. by Greg Gilpin UUSE Choir with Dorothy Bognar, piano Homily "Live in Peace" Rev. Josh Pawelek Closing Hymn #388 "Dona Nobis Pacem" words: traditional Latin music: traditional canon Dona nobis pacem, pacem; dona nobis pacem. Postlude "Live in Peace" by Helen Yeomans UUSE Choir Extinguishing the Chalice Closing Circle May faith in the spirit of life And hope for the community of Earth And love of the light in each other Be ours now, and in all the days to come.

First Reflection Finding a Balance: Dark and Light                         At our Thanksgiving Sunday service two weeks ago, Emmy Galbraith (our Director of Children and Youth Ministry) spoke beautifully about holding in our hearts two strongly divergent feelings. We were sharing a newly published version of the story of the first Thanksgiving . Keepunumk: Weeȃchumun’s Thanksgiving Story [1]  tells the story from a Wampanoag perspective, incorporating Wampanoag spirituality and values. As beautiful as the book is, as compelling and meaningful as the Wampanoag spirituality and values are, it doesn’t erase the catastrophic impact of British colonization on the lives of indigenous people. It’s important for all of us to fully feel the heaviness, the sadness, the pain of that impact and its ongoing legacies. At the same time, it’s also essential to our ongoing spiritual health, individually and collectively, to contemplate and name outwardly the blessings in our lives for which we are grateful, to take time with family and friends to practice rituals of thanksgiving and to gather strength and resilience from such rituals. We can feel both feelings. We can hold both realities. One doesn’t have to erase the other.             For me, this holiday season, this Advent time, this midwinter time, this darkness awaiting the solstice light time, this feasting and frivolity time, causes us to feel divergent—sometimes strongly divergent—feelings; causes us to move in spiritual directions that seem—and are—contradictory.             Here in the upper-middle latitudes of the northern hemisphere, it’s a dark season. There’s so much spiritual sustenance we can encounter in the nurturing, blanketing darkness, the mysterious, magical darkness, the still, quiet darkness. In darkness we have the opportunity to settle, to center down, to turn inward, to face squarely our contradictions, our growing edges, to heal and strengthen ourselves, to nurse those parts of ourselves that feel raw and tender. In darkness, if we’re patient, we can come back to our sources of resilience and courage. We need this dark time in the cycles of our living. And, at the same time, we instinctually yearn for the light in the midst of the darkness. The return of the sun at the solstice, the guiding star illuminating the Bethlehem manger, the menorah, the kinara—all symbols of reliability in a strange and impersonal universe; symbols of hope in moments of despair; symbols of love to counter hatred, greed and violence; symbols that invite people into community, into celebration, into joy.             We need both. We need spirituality and spiritual practices that draw us into the darkness so we can receive its blessings. We need spirituality and spiritual practices that draw us toward the light so we can receive its blessings. And, always, my concern in this  season is that culturally and religiously we put too much emphasis on light, and we miss the spiritual opportunities the darkness holds or us. Let’s face it, lights are everywhere. Beautiful, yes, but so omnipresent, so pervasive they banish all shadow, draw our attention outward, orient us to the myths and narratives of light overcoming darkness. We don’t need to overcome darkness. We need balance. Our ministry theme for December is presence. My claim this morning is that in this season we tend to be present to the light. We’re insufficiently present to darkness. We need to learn how to be present to darkness.             I’ll close this first reflection with a poem by the late Unitarian Universalist minister, the Rev. Francis Anderson, that attempts to rectify this imbalance. He says:             Christmas has no right / to burst upon us / Suddenly / And loudly / From afar / Lighting up / Right where we are / With nylon trees / And a long-life / Plastic / Star…. / It is a lonely / Road / To Bethlehem / That must be walked / Slowly / And untalked .... / Where no bright  / Light / Or angel song / Intrudes / Ahead of cue / to wrongly claim / Arrival of the dawn / Before the night / Is walked / By each of us / On through.   Second Reflection Blue Christmas               With the light comes joy, celebration, singing, feasting, good tidings, good cheer. Some of you—more of you than you might imagine—confess privately that you can’t always get there, not every year. Try as you might, you don’t feel joy. Try as you might, you can’t muster the energy and enthusiasm to celebrate. The good tidings don’t resonate with you. Yes, you spend time with others, you genuinely enjoy the company, you seem cheerful enough, but you know (even if we don’t) that you’re just going through the holiday motions. You add your voice to the caroling chorus, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Glory to the Newborn King,” but the words catch in your throat, and even if nobody else notices, you know your voice isn’t as strong as it has been in other years. And you don’t even have the inner resolve to remind yourself that even though you love singing the song, you don’t agree with the theology. It just doesn’t seem to matter this year.             There could be any number of reasons for your malaise. Perhaps this is the year your spouse died. We’ve had six deaths in our congregational family since July. Maybe you lost a sibling or a close friend. This is your first holiday season without them. You are sad. And people are tip-toeing around you, not sure what to say when all you really want is for them to be themselves. Or maybe it’s your tenth holiday season without your loved-one, and you really miss them this year, more than you have in recent years. Perhaps the holidays were never pleasant for you as a child. Challenges in your family of origin made the holidays more of an ordeal than a celebration. You thought you’d put it all behind you, but those long ago days are poking through this year. Perhaps this year you, or someone close to you, is living with a debilitating illness. The treatment is overwhelming—and not just the treatment, but the trips to the doctor’s office, the poking and prodding, long hold-times on the phone with the insurance company, and having to explain over and over again what you’re going through to well-meaning people who ask how you’re doing.             Or perhaps you’re down because every day your wide-open heart reaches out to the world and bears witness to some new problem, some hard news, some ominous rumbling on the horizon, some new violence, some frightening new climate data. The emotional energy it takes to process it just so you can get through your days leaves you with little to no capacity for joy and good cheer. Sometimes we call this Blue Christmas.             It’s OK. It’s OK to be blue at this time of year. There’s no rule that you have to feel joy when the larger culture says it’s time to feel joy. And so much of the joy is contrived anyways. But it’s also true that we typically don’t make sufficient room for these harder, more difficult feelings during the holiday season. We’re conditioned to be present to joy, but not present to this particular species of darkness. Again, we’re out of balance. I’m not urging you to impose your blues on someone else’s holiday party. That’s not the path to balance. I am suggesting it is healthy to make room in which to experience and name what is hard for us in this season. Not as a “bah humbug” to other peoples’ joy, but as a full statement of who we are right now. I say we owe it to ourselves and to our loved-ones to make room for our blue feelings, precisely because they’re real, precisely because it’s unhealthy to silence them. And I’ve noticed over the years, when we intentionally make that room, when we have the opportunity to name what is hard for us, when we can be present to it, and when those around us can be present to it, that presence creates balance. And, sometimes, not always but sometimes, in the midst of our outwardly-stated blueness, joy and good cheer come upon us unexpectedly. So I say, bring your whole self to this holiday season. Bring every blessed piece of you. Strive or balance. There is room or all of you. There is room for the whole you.   Third Reflection I Will Be Present Tomorrow               In planning this service, Mary (Bopp) and I talked a lot about music that evokes multiple, often contradictory feelings at the same time. She kept referencing a scene from the early 2000s remake of science fiction television holiday classic, Battlestar Galactica (I know, not a holiday show). The scene features the fighter pilot, Starbuck, reminiscing about her childhood when her father would play music that made her feel happy and sad at the same time. Mary said she’s always looking for music that has the effect on her. The music she’s offering today is such music. Human beings are capable of experiencing the light and the dark, the joy and the sadness at the same time. Music can do that too.             Every year when we come to these first Sundays in December, when we come to Advent, when we begin that period of waiting and anticipation for Christmas, for the solstice, for the beautiful lights; and when it is also dark, also time to turn inward, we sing “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” It’s a Christian Advent hymn, one of the most famous. For me, the words are important, but the music is what really resonates. The music orients me toward mystery, toward silence and stillness, toward darkness. Yet it’s also a hymn of rejoicing, full of anticipatory joy. “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come within as Love to dwell.” For me joy is finely woven into the hymn’s darkness. There’s a wonderful balance. Multiple feelings simultaneously.             I’ve been making the claim that it’s important for the quality and health of our spiritual lives to be present in this holiday season to the full range of our emotions, to the full spectrum of light and dark. Given that, I can’t resist showing you a message hidden in the original Latin version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” Apologies if this is a tad nerdy.             I’m basing this sharing on a 2013 article by C. Michael Hawn , a former professor of Church Music at Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology. “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” in the form we sing it today, was composed in Latin likely between the 9th and 12th centuries, though it is made up of more ancient components known as antiphons. If I understand correctly, an antiphon is a sung response to a Bible reading in a worship service. In this hymn, those more ancient antiphons are various references to Jesus, preceded by “O.” O Emmanuel. O Splendor. O Dayspring. O Wisdom. Historically there are eight antiphons: wisdom, Adonai, root of Jesse (who is the father of King David), key of David, Dayspring, King of the Gentiles, and Emmanuel. Take the first letter of each name (in Latin) and you get the word SARCORE. As far as I know, this is gibberish. However, read it backwards ! You get Ero Cras, which in Latin means, “I will be present tomorrow.” [2] (My wife, the Latin scholar, says that’s one way to translate it. It could just be “I will be tomorrow” or “I will exist tomorrow.”)             Regardless of what it means or what the original composers had in mind, I like that there’s a hidden message that can be interpreted as “I will be present tomorrow.” I like it as a call to us to be present in this season, present to the dark as well as the light, present to the sorrow as well as the joy, present to the full range of who we are and all we can hold. Rejoice, indeed.             Amen and blessed be. [1]  Learn more about this book at: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/669852/keepunumuk-by-danielle-greendeer-author-anthony-perry-author-alexis-bunten-author-gar-ry-meeches-sr-illustrator/ . [2] Hawn, C. Michael, “History of Hymns: ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’” Discipleship Ministries: United Methodist Church (May 20, 2013). See: https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-o-come-o-come-emmanuel

Greetings CYM Families & Friends! December is underway, with all its opportunity for joy and celebration.  Let’s gather this season to grow shared peace and meaning for the winter holidays and beyond. This Sunday after regular programming, Children & Youth Ministry is hosting a holiday party with crafting and cocoa in the Sanctuary.  Please join us!  This is an All Congregation event open to everyone, and the more the merrier. During a time of year that asks and offers so much, I invite you to find grounding and fellowship at UUSE.  If you have been thinking about visiting our children’s program for the first time, or haven’t been able to attend in a while, consider plugging in this Sunday! Here’s what’s happening in Children & Youth Ministry on Sunday, December 8, 2024: @10:30 AM Children & Youth Choir: Last rehearsal before the Annual Holiday Music Service! Open to all ages!  Link to the song being rehearsed for our Annual Holiday Music service on December 15th: https://youtu.be/Fe94llIISKI Feel free to practice at home! @11 AM Sunday Service:   “On Being Present in the Dark Season” - This morning, we continue exploring our December ministry theme, presence. Rev. Josh offers reflections on presence during the dark days of late autumn as the winter solstice approaches. Coordinator: Rev. Josh Pawelek. Nursery:  Childcare is available in our Nursery on the Garden Level at 11 AM for children 3 and under. Care is provided by two regular childcare staff including our Nursery Coordinator Molly, our Nursery Assistant Lilly-Rose.  Our nursery staff have grown up at UUSE, and are equipped with loads of experience, patience, and creativity to keep our youngest UUs safe and engaged.  Families are always welcome to tour and stay in the nursery at any time. Children and Youth Ministry Groups: Children and Youth in 1st-12th grade will join their families in the Sanctuary for the beginning of worship every Sunday.  (If you are prepping for teaching or need to stay with a little one during this time, we will look after your child in the Sanctuary.)  Please look for youth name tags on the Main Level.  Students will be dismissed from the Sanctuary to the Garden Level for programming after a Time For All Ages.   Spirit Play (Pre-K/Kindergarten): “The Ant and The Grasshopper” - Spirit Play children will go directly to class at 11 AM for the day’s lesson.  This Sunday, our students will hear an old story about welcoming everyone and sharing what we have and who we are. Spirituality & Religion (Grades 1-5): “Winter Art” - This Sunday our students will be lead by guest Dottie Reiss, to once again prepare some unique and beautiful winter art to be hung in the Main Level foyer.  Thank you Dottie for your generous gifts of time, effort, and inclusion of our young artists! Anti-Racism (Grades 6-8): “Knowing Our History” - In Lesson 8, Jewell emphasizes the importance of knowing collective history.  She examines the collective history of America, including the legacy of residential schools, which sought to separate Indigenous families from their children and forcibly assimilate them into white American culture.  Other historical legacies that she looks at include the police bombing of the Black liberation group, MOVE, as well as the deaths of people in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.  The activities for this chapter encourages students to think beyond their family history and question how their history is tied to the land and to collective history. High School Youth Group (Grades 9-12):  Does NOT meet this Sunday.  BUT PLEASE see this week’s HSYG message from Michelle to prepare for the following week’s HSYG Holiday Party, which includes bringing a wrapped present (approx $20 value) for a Yankee Gift Swap (financial support available, just reach out to Michelle.) December Programming: 12/8: Regular CYM Programming Pre-K through 8th Grade @ 11AM * All ages Holiday Party in the Sanctuary at 1PM (see flyer) 12/15: Annual Holiday Music Service (All Congregation Service) @ 11AM * High School Youth Group Holiday Party (during regular 11AM program hour) * CYM Potluck lunch @ 12:30PM (Garden Level) * Junior Youth Group Meeting 1PM-3PM * Affirmation Class 1PM-2:30PM 12/22: Regular CYM Programming Pre-K through 8th grade @ 11AM 12/24: Christmas Eve Service @ 7PM (Families welcome!) 12/29: One service @ 10AM to reflect on the year’s end (Families welcome!) *NO CYM programming including NO nursery care available UUSE Happenings: December Engagement Opportunities to discuss UUSE’s relationship with the UUA We invite YOU to participate!   We would like to encourage everyone to participate. All voices are important –including those of folks who don’t see themselves as having strong views on the issues and those who haven’t been involved thus far. When we all share our views and listen to the perspectives of others, we develop a richer understanding of who we are as a congregation.   Come share your perspectives on A2 and the UUA and deeply listen to the views of others so that we are able to find a way forward as a unified congregation. Thematic analysis of the notes capturing the major ideas shared in each session will be presented in a final report to the congregation recommending ways forward.   Three more Radical Listening Workshops Radical Listening Workshop (3-hour commitment) with internal facilitators These are highly participatory workshops (8-10 participants) that include one-on-one and small group exercises. ·      Friday, Dec. 6, 10 am-1 pm ·      Sat. Dec. 7, 1-4 pm ·      Tues. Dec. 10, 10 am-1 pm   Three more Focus Groups Focus Group (3-hour commitment)  with an outside facilitator Highly participatory structured whole group conversation (8-10 participants) ·      Sunday, Dec. 15, 3-6 pm ·      Monday, Dec 16, 1-4 pm ·      Saturday, Dec. 21, 1-4 pm   One more Task Force Led Conversation Dec. 15 at the CYM Potluck after the 11 am service Folks without children in CYM are also welcome to attend! An excellent opportunity to share conversation across generations. RSVPs preferred but not required for this engagement opportunity.   If you need childcare for any of the above opportunities, please let us know when you sign up. Please sign up as soon as possible -- with a preferred choice and a back-up choice  by emailing  monica.vanbeusekom@gmail.com  OR  by texting or calling Sid Soderholm at 301-789-8638  OR  by signing up in person after services on Sundays And lastly, if you haven’t been to CYM yet this year, please join us this Sunday! Children in the Nursery through 12th grade need to be registered every year for the Children & Youth Ministry program, so please register here if you haven’t already. Thank you! With Love and Gratitude, Emmy Galbraith dcym@uuse.org Cell: (860)576-7889 CYM Committee Members: Desiree Holian-Borgnis, Chair Michelle Spadaccini Paula Baker Sudha Sevin Committee email: uusecym@uuse.org Angela Attardo, CYM Program Assistant CYMAsst@uuse.org

Worship December Ministry Theme: Presence Join us at 9 or 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. Sunday, December 1 : The Present of Presence. Our December theme is “The Practice of Presence.” We can find profound meaning and comfort in practicing awareness of what is present: here and now. In this service, we encourage awareness of the lessons nature offers about acceptance, coping, and the importance of trust and community. We’ll also reflect on the idea that the greatest present we can give ourselves and those we love is that of our presence. Coordinators: Anne Vogel and Stacey Musulin Monday, December 2 : Evening Vespers Service . In a season busy with ‘bright and merry’, we may also find ourselves sitting with sadness, grief, and pain in body or spirit. Join us as we pause in the quiet to acknowledge and support each other in bearing these burdens. We invite you to bring your chalice from home, where we will light it for the service. Coordinators: Sandy Karosi, Ellen Williams, and Paula Baker Sunday, December 8 : On Being Present in the Dark Season . This morning we continue exploring our December ministry theme, presence. Rev. Josh offers reflections on presence during the dark days of late autumn as the winter solstice approaches. Coordinator: Rev. Josh Pawelek Sunday, December 15 : Dona Nobis Pacem . All congregational Holiday Music service. Through music and song, story and homily, we celebrate the season and articulate our many- faceted prayer that peace may prevail. Join us! Coordinators: Mary Bopp, Emmy Galbraith, Rev. Josh Pawelek Sunday, December 22 : “On Being Present as the Sun Returns.” In the midst of many festivals of light, Rev. Josh shares more thoughts on presence. And we’ll sing all those carols that never make it into our Christmas Eve service!!! Coordinator: Rev. Josh Pawelek Tuesday, December 24, 7:00 PM . Silent Night, Holy Night. All congregation Christmas Eve worship. On this sacred eve, we welcome the spirit and magic of Christmas. And we sing! Coordinators: Mary Bopp, Emmy Galbraith, Rev. Josh Pawelek. Sunday, December 29, one service at 10:00 AM : Looking Forward, Looking Back . Coordinators: Micah Baxter, Maureen Flanagan, and Pat Eaton-Robb Sunday, January 5 : On the Road to Positivity . Given the human brain’s capacity to reorganize its synaptic connections—what scientists refer to as neuroplasticity—it should be possible through sustained practice to change our thinking, to transform the tendency toward negative thinking into a much more satisfying, useful and positive encounter with the world. This service was purchased at last year’s goods and services auction by Skip Gatting. Coordinator: Rev. Josh Pawelek #DecemberNewsletter

Featured Events Sunday, December 15: Dona Nobis Pacem. All congregational Holiday Music service December 15, 2024 Sunday, December 15: Dona Nobis Pacem. All congregational Holiday Music service. Through music and song, story and homily, we celebrate the season and articulate our many- faceted p... View More Happenings There’s Always Something Good Going On Affinity Groups Birds of a feather Read More View More ROMEOS 2nd Tuesdays Read More View More Women's Sacred Singing Circle Thursdays Read More View More Coffeehouse 1st Saturdays Read More View More Choir Rehearsals Wednesday Nights Read More View More Ladies at Lunch Alternating Thu/Fri Read More View More Yoga at the Meetinghouse Wednesdays 10:00AM Read More View More Upcoming Events Calendar Contact the office for details - email: info@uuse.org phone: 860.646.5151 Refresh Tuesday 12/10/24 Read More ROMEOS Retired Old Men Eating Out, or The ROMEOs, is a social group that gets together once a month for lunch. Contact the office for details. Tuesday 12/10/24 Read More 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 eac ... Wednesday 12/11/24 Read More Yoga. 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 ... Wednesday 12/11/24 Read More Choir Dress Rehearsal Wednesdays, starting October 30th at 7:15 PM Do you love to sing? Do you love to have fun? You don't have to audition. If you answered “yes” to these questions you can sing with t ... Thursday 12/12/24 Read More 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 #... Friday 12/13/24 Read More Ladies At Lunch Ladies at Lunch Friday, December 13th, Noon at Georgina's Restaurant Come join us for lunch at Georgina's, 275 Boston Turnpike in Bolton. We meet at noon. All... Friday 12/13/24 Read More Music Salon Unplugged Mark your calendar for Friday, December 13th at 6:30 P.M. and join the fun. If you like music, you will like the salon. We play instruments of all types for each other, so... Sunday 12/15/24 Read More Adult Affirmation The class will meet on the 3rd Sunday from 1:00 to 2:30 pm each month until May. Participants will have an opportunity to explore the theological and spiritual quesetions related to... Monday 12/16/24 Read More AA - Mondays at Noon . Sunday, December 1, 3 PM Celebrate the Holidays with The Atrium Brass Quartet at UUSE on Sunday December 1st at 3PM at the UUSE Meetinghouse in Manchester. Admission is free. This #... Tuesday 12/17/24 Read More Humanist Group 3rd Tuesdays 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.o ... Tuesday 12/17/24 Read More Women’s Circle Women’s Circle with Nora Alpers-Leon Third Tuesdays at 7:00 Zoom Only December-March Contact alpers6@gmail.com for zoom link Nora describes this women’s circle as a “judgment-free... Wednesday 12/18/24 Read More Yoga . 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 ... More...

Past Services This is a list of past services. Upcoming services can be found here . 12/8/24 OOS Sermon YouTube On Being Present in the Dark Season This morning, we continue exploring our December ministry theme, presence. Rev. Josh offers reflections on presence during the dark days of late autumn as the winter solstice approaches. Coordinator: Rev. Josh Pawelek. #eBlast-12-04 12/2/24 OOS Sermon YouTube Evening Vespers Service Monday, December 2: Evening Vespers Service. In a season busy with ‘bright and merry’, we may also find ourselves sitting with sadness, grief, and pain in body or spirit. Join us as we pause in the quiet to acknowledge and support each other in bearing these burdens. We invite you to bring your chalice from home, where we will light it for the service. Coordinators: Sandy Karosi, Ellen Williams, and Paula Baker 12/1/24 OOS Sermon YouTube The Practice of Presence "The Practice of Presence." Our December theme is "The Practice of Presence." We can find profound meaning and comfort in practicing awareness of what is present: here and now. In this service, we encourage awareness of the lessons nature offers about acceptance, coping, and the importance of trust and community. We'll also reflect on the idea that the greatest present we can give ourselves and those we love, is that of our presence. Coordinators: Stacey Musulin and Anne Vogel Services at 9:00 and 11:00 AM Sunday, November 24, 2024 Gathering music starts at 8:55 and 10:55 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#. #eBlast-11-27 11/24/24 OOS Sermon YouTube Joyful Thanksgiving All Congregational Service. Let us pause and be mindful as the holiday season gets underway. This morning, through story, song and sharing, we reflect on all for which we are grateful in our lives. Coordinators: Emmy Galbraith, Rev. Josh Pawelek. Services at 9:00 and 11:00 AM Sunday, November 24, 2024 Gathering music starts at 8:55 and 10:55 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#. In case you missed it: View last week's service, "Building a Consensus," November 17, 2024 here. #eBlast-11-20 Show More