INSIDE THIS WEEKLY MISSIVE
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Reflection- The Medicine You Carry
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RE Corner
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HUUF Zoom Opportunities for Connection
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Caring Connection
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Virtual Green Sheet
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Save the Date! HUUF SUMMER RETREAT
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Book and Puzzle Exchange
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Reflection- The Medicine You Carry
To the Beloved Community~
I’ve been thinking this week about the tools that I carry. About the unique medicine that is mine to offer to an ailing world. At one point, I had convinced myself that my gifts were paltry compared to the more substantial offerings of others. In a world facing climate catastrophe and a global pandemic, I have neither biological nor engineering knowledge to offer up. In an age of massive inequality, I possess no strategic understanding of economics or policy to effectively shift the dial back to where it needs to be. In an era where suffering and oppression exists on such a large scale, I remain but one insignificant soul raising my fist in solidarity and rage, a tiny handprint in a vast, torrential sea.
It is an interesting story to fall into, this narrative of lack.
Of scarcity.
Of not enough.
Here, living in one of the most affluent countries on earth, with so much privilege and blessing afforded to me, what does it say that I am still humming a tune that renders me impoverished? In a life that has known almost constant abundance, what does it mean that I am habituated to a fable of want?
I guess the good news is that I can always wake up to that story.
I can choose, by just attuning to it, to catch myself inside a faulty plot line. I can rewrite the ending by pausing inside the messy middle I am in. Let a new character recount my tale.
What medicine do I carry?
And who has need of it?
I hold Words: Important, I can see now, because we are wired to be storytelling creatures in our core. And when we are attempting to shift the culture, change the world – we need new language, creeds, mantras & principles to gather inside.
I hold Music: Needed because humming quite literally calms the animal body – taking us out of the fiery loop of fight-or-flight and settling us into a place inside ourselves where we can finally rest, process, assimilate & receive, renew. And maybe, because, in this new world we are slowly unearthing – Beauty must have a prime seat.
I hold Movement: Because we have forgotten, as Mary Oliver tells us, “the soft animal of [our] bodies”, the inherent nourishment of the Breath, and our “place in the family of things”.
I hold Laughter: Though the revolution may not be televised, it damn well better come with some full, belly laughs & a spirit of sterling JOY to see us through what’s next.
May these humble elixirs aid you, my friends.
And may they remind you – “over and over” – of the own healing power you possess in this Life.
No gift is too small or insignificant.
And that healing takes on many, many forms.
yours,
in grace & gratitude,
Amy Day (she/her)
Fellowship Engagement Coordinator
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Important Dates For May
May 1 – Groundbreaking begins on the Nature-based Playscape!!!
May 2 – In our Sunday morning RE Gathering, we’ll begin exploring the Soulful Home theme of STORY (see packet attached below)
sm_2021-05_sh_story.docx
– Also, our RE Committee will have our monthly (in-person) meeting at 12:30 pm. Join us!
May 8 – 10-12, Join us for our make-up Earth Day celebration @ HUUF & All-Ages Song Circle time!
May 9 – Mother’s Day!
May 19 – Our second-to-last, virtual Parent Support meetup – On the Porch – using the materials from Soulful Home. Open to ALL.
May 23 – Mindful Movement Sunday with Kids’ Yoga Teacher & Guest, Jessalyn DeLucchi
May 30 – Service Sunday – with guest from a local organization with info on how we can be of service in our local community – TBA
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HUUF Zoom Opportunities for Connection & Conversation
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A Day to honor Mother Earth & your own Earthly Mother!
Please join us this coming Saturday, May 8th, from 10-12pm in the front lawn at HUUF, for an outdoor, socially-distanced gathering to honor our commitments to Mother Nature and to each other. (And maybe make a fun craft for Mom while you’re there!) Onsite, we will have..
*crafts
*hula hooping
*music
*plus members of both the Climate Action Campaign, Nature-based Playscape Committee & Cooperation Humboldt’s Food Team on hand to share a bit about the important work they do for our planet and our community.
Saturday, May 8th, 10-12. Please, join us then!
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Please join us for ~
Living Into Our Values: Cooperative Decision Making to Change the World and Ourselves
- Saturday, May 22nd 10:00am – 3:00pm
- Humboldt Universalist Unitarian Fellowship grounds – Bayside, CA
- Suggested Donation $25-$100 for individuals, $100 for a team of 4
The work of becoming more equitable, inclusive, and diverse within our organizations is justice work.
Cooperation Humboldt has long shown itself to be a pioneer in the field of non-hierarchical, collaborative leadership, and empowering their members to take ever-increasing roles of authority, autonomy and shared responsibility when it comes to spreading the mission, message and service of their organization’s values out into the larger community.
Together, along with members of the Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, we have crafted a half-day workshop aimed at helping both community organizations as well as organizers, leaders & volunteers become more fully equipped to address these concerns and help us thrive in the times to come.
The workshop, which will take place in person on HUUF grounds, is the result of an ongoing conversation between our two communities, and a way to address some of the issues we face, both collectively and individually.
This workshop will focus on:
- *Ways to effectively share power and responsibility within groups
*Inviting & Empowering leadership within our communities
*Moving from an outmoded, hierarchical power structure to one of collaboration and cooperation
*Creating pathways for direct engagement and involvement based upon the gifts and abilities present within your community
*Forms of dynamic and inclusive governance
*Successfully addressing and uprooting hidden forms of white supremacist and patriarchal values embedded in our systems
*Fostering an atmosphere where a multiplicity of voices and viewpoints can truly be heard
This workshop will be of particular use and interest to:
*Tired and overworked committee members, organizers or chairs who would like to develop better systems of shared responsibility and learn ways to attract new leadership to the work that you do
*Those who serve as members of a Board who would like to learn more equitable and inclusive forms of governance
*Organizations or groups who would like to learn to collaborate more inclusively and cooperatively
For more info, contact Fellowship Engagement Coordinator, Amy Day @ comm@huuf.org or Cooperation Humboldt Education Coordinator, Ruthi Engelke @ CoopHumEd@gmail.com
Register here: https://forms.gle/dM2hhTZKeqJuWQ1f8
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CARING CONNECTION
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Pastoral Care Team Office hours:
For those in need, our dedicated team of Pastoral Care Volunteers are available to provide guidance and deep listening. With Covid restrictions lessoning, Shawn Nichols has begun to hold open office hours at HUUF once again from 12-3 on Mondays. Other members of the team are available by appointment. Contact them directly; Suzanne Kimmel, Tom Lewis, Todd Hoberecht or inquire through the office
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~ Virtual Green Sheet ~
- Administrator’s Vacation: aka: Bridgette’s recharging time! – I’ll be taking some downtime next week. I will be out of the office starting 4/26 and will return to my post on 5/3. Please contact David Marshak with anything urgent at 707-630-3894. See you in May!
- COMING UP – Join Us: May 2nd 11:00 AM for next Sunday’s Service: The Queen of Months: HUUF’s community Minister, Rev. Jamal Tharpe has put together an amazing service to share with us all. ClickHERE for the full service description. *Zoom links for Sunday Services are now being posted on our website
- Save Paper- Submit your 2021/2021 fiscal pledge online!: It’s Easy.. just click HERE . Once you complete the form, click the submit button and the your pledge promise will be received, recorded and tracked by the office.
- Enjoy Spring While Beautifying Our Grounds: The Grounds Committee invites you to take in the beauty of spring while we water, mulch the beds, and dig up pesky weeds on Saturday, May 1, 10 am to 1 pm. Please remember to bring your masks, but we have extras if you need them. Rain cancels, and the following Saturday, May 8, is our back up. ~ thanks from your grounds committee
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Save the Date! HUUF SUMMER RETREAT
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All Fellowship Summer Retreat
Save the weekend of July 30-Aug 1, 2021.
We have tentatively reserved Mattole Camp and Retreat center for our annual Fellowship retreat which we missed last year due to Covid. Look for the full article in the May Newsletter to get more details about this upcoming event.
Our first planning meeting will be on Zoom, following the service on May 16th. All are welcome to join the meeting with your ideas, questions, concerns, etc. Use the link for the Sunday Service.
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HUUF Game, Puzzle, and Book Exchange to End Mid-May
The idea for having a book & puzzle exchange in front of the Fellowship was hatched a year ago in a ‘Nurturing in Place’ Zoom group discussion about wanting reading material at a time when the pandemic had closed bookstores and libraries.
Bookstores and libraries are now open, and so we have officially stopped taking donations, and the exchange tables will be taken down in mid-May. We would love to see the tables emptied of books and puzzles by mid-May, so please stop by before they are gone!
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