Newsletter

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Lafayette December 28, 2023

Our theme for December is Wintering

This Sunday’s sermon: Burning Bowl Ritual by Linda Hoagland

The new year calls us forward, filled with mystery. As we turn toward that new year, we take a final glimpse of the past year, and reckon with all that it held for us.

The Burning Bowl ritual is a traditional UU ceremony held at the cusp of the new year. With the dusk of the old year, we are going to release all those emotional ties and bonds that no longer serve us. We are going to give them over to the flames and like the phoenix bird, from the ashes we emerge anew.

So, during the ceremony, you will be asked to write down the relationships, burdens, situations, hardships, mind patterns that have not served you in the past year. You will be given time during the ceremony to write; however, you may want to spend time contemplating these elements before you arrive on Sunday.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Our UU theme for January is JUSTICE.

Lunch: Join us at a restaurant selected by participants.

EVENTS CALENDAR:

January is

International Creativity Month

National Poverty in America Awareness Month

National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

January 1 Happy New Year --2024!

January 2 Executive Committee Meeting – 6 p.m.

January 6 Epiphany

January 7 Service

January 14 Service and Potluck

January 15 Martin L. King, Jr. Day

National Day of Service

January 21 Service

January 25 Wolf Moon

January 27 Holocaust Remembrance Day

January 28 Service

The Shaller’s UU Solstice party

Great food, great company, singing, and bonfire!!!!

The INN MINISTRY – “Emergency Bags”

In preparation for the coming cold weather, The Inn Ministry will continue to prepare “emergency bags”. If there is a hard freeze, Catholic Charities will provide shelter for the homeless for a certain number of days – but shelter only. The emergency bags would contain foods that are easily prepared or heated in a microwave, or eaten without cooking. Small containers of shampoo and small bars of soap are needed. Cloth bags are good, because whatever is left over when they are evicted can be hauled away in the bags.

The bags might include:

2 sleeves of crackers and the following: a jar of peanut butter; pull-top edibles such as tuna, spam, Vienna sausage, beans; Pull-top fruit cups and cereal; pop-tarts, granola or protein bars; shelf-stable milk (the milk can be found at $ Tree)

There is not much equipment in a room. So, a bag might include a microwavable bowl and plate and a few plastic forks, spoons, knives. If those are included, then ramen noodles, pull-top beans, chili and soups (these are things they often ask for); quick-cooking or instant rice, grits, oatmeal. If they are being evicted from the Inn, the friends they have made there will often let them return to use their microwave and bathroom.

If a can opener is included, then the above need not all be pull-top, thus increasing variety, decreasing costs. Condiments: salt, pepper, mayo & mustard packets, sugar packets, jam

In the spirit of community, why not invite friends and family over for an Emergency Bag Get-together.