Good On You is Good For You
Interested in organic, eco-friendly and fair trade clothing? Check out the website Good On You for guides and tips on sustainable shoe products as well as clothing.
Staying Safe, Supporting Community
With the increasing spread of the coronavirus COVID-19, we at UUCA are exploring ways to keep our people safe while also continuing the care and connection that is so important to our community.
So much remains uncertain about the nature of the virus and how it spreads, but there are some basic practices that we can promote that public health authorities tell us can make a difference in reducing the spread of the disease.
Since the virus appears to be airborne, it is most easily spread when people infected with the virus cough or sneeze openly and don’t wash their hands. So, we can each help assure that the virus isn’t spread that if we cover our coughs and wash our hands frequently.
At church, this means that at least for now we should generally avoid shaking, holding or touching each other’s hands. Or at a minimum washing our hands or using hand sanitizers after we do. We have hand sanitizers in prominent places and boxes of tissues in the Sanctuary and elsewhere in our buildings. Don’t hesitate to use them. (Note that hand sanitizer supplies are low, as in we can’t buy any. Please be aware that hand-washing for 20 seconds is a very effective means of cleaning.)
This can be hard in our community, where hand-shakes and hugs are part of how we show care for each other. But in such a time we actually do more to show our caring by avoiding the touch and instead offering a smile and a few warm words.
While the corona virus remains a threat, we are encouraging staff at UUCA to avoid hand-touching. Our ushers will greet you when you arrive, but we’re discouraging handshakes, and when our weekly services close we invite you to offer an “elbow bump,” a bow and a “Namaste” to your neighbor, or just a smile. At least for now we will discontinue our traditional hand-holding.
If you’re not feeling well – especially if it’s a respiratory illness – it would be better not to come to church, but don’t hesitate to call a pastoral visitor for support. And if you need one, we’d be happy to arrange a meal train. Pastoral Visitors are Karin Eckert, Iris Hardin, Myrtle Staples, Carol Taylor, Christine Van Wandelan, and Dale Wachowiak.
Rev. Mark Ward, Lead Minister
UU the Vote
Saturday, March 28, 10am-2pm. Join us for “Get Out The Vote.” We will gather at the YWCA for a 30-minute training from Savannah Gibson, our Racial Justice Advocate, then go out in teams to canvass door-to-door to REGISTER VOTERS.” FMI, contact Savannah Gibson.
Ongoing – MANNA is partnering with Democracy NC to do voter registration/outreach at their food pantries. Volunteers needed who can commit to regularly going weekly/bi-monthly to a food pantry to build relationships. One site in particular has a need for volunteers who speak Spanish, Russian, and/or Ukrainian. Days/times needed: Downtown Welcome Table (Wed 10am-1pm); Bethel SDA (9am-12pm); Downtown Transit Ctr; Hopey; V.A. Hosp (Thurs at 10 am). Interested folks contact Edward Peters: edwardpeters@democracy-nc.org
More information about these at the Justice Ministry table or at bit.ly/UUtheVote
If you’re looking for an educational opportunity, don’t miss this powerful opportunity to learn about the voting rights struggle of the 1960s directly from the people who lived it. On March 16-20, 2020 join the UU Living Legacy Pilgrimage from Memphis to Selma. This five-day pilgrimage, designed for people ages twelve (12) and over, focuses on exploring sacred American Civil Rights Movement sites in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee through a multigenerational lens.
Acoustic Journeys: Louise Mosrie, March 8, 7pm
Influenced by everyone from ‘70’s folk-rock icon Ricki Lee Jones to ‘80’s pop faves The Sundays, Louise Mosrie brings a refreshing dose of acoustic pop to the singer-songwriter realm.
“Louise Mosrie may well be the brightest young folk-oriented artist to emerge from Nashville in many a year.”
– Rich Warren, WFMT-FM Chicago
Tickets $20 at the door. Bring snacks for intermission if you’d like.
Exploring Wisdom: At the Table
Welcome to the month of wisdom! At the Table questions from the Soul Matters “Soulful Home” resource explore the monthly theme through a discussion for all ages. They are designed for a family gathering – maybe during a Friday night meal, a quiet moment in the living room or before a board game night. If you would like to receive the entire booklet with more fun ways to explore wisdom with your family please contact Rev. Claudia at faithdev@uuasheville.org
INTRODUCING THE ACTIVITY
Family members who are readers can alternate who reads the questions. Those who are not readers are invited to share their own impromptu questions. Discussion partners might answer as thoughts come to them or take turns in a circle.
- Which animals do you think of as wise, and which do you think of as foolish? Why do you think you have those ideas?
- Would you rather be wise or friendly, if you had to choose just one?
- We often think of professors or ministers as wise, but other workers are also wise in not-always-noticed ways. In what ways might a daycare provider be wise? A carpenter? A guitar player? A farmer? A plumber? A construction worker? A salesperson?
- Do you think plants and trees have wisdom? If so, what might it be like? And how do you think they share it with other plants and animals? And us?!
- Are people born wise, or do they learn wisdom?
- How can you tell good advice from bad advice (in other words, what’s wisdom, and what’s not)?
- Whom do you think of as a really wise person among your family’s circle of friends?
- Do wise people go around saying how wise they are? (If not, how do you KNOW they’re wise?)
- Do you think it’s easy to live wisely? Why or why not?
- What’s the most “un-wise” thing that is happening in our world today?
- Is wisdom the same as knowing facts? How are they different?
- Is it ever wise to admit that you don’t know the answer?
- What is a wise thing you know today that you didn’t know a year ago?
- Have you ever heard a wise voice rise up from inside you?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how wise were you today? What did you do or not do that made you give yourself that score?
Ways to Return to the Discussion Throughout the Week
Thoughts develop with time. Find opportunities to bring up particularly compelling questions again during the month, maybe on walks, rides home, when tucking your child in to bed, etc. If thoughts grew or changed, notice that together, how we are all evolving beings, opening ourselves to new truths and understandings as we live our lives and connect with others.
SOURCE: Soulful Home