Newsletter
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Lafayette January 4, 2024
Our theme for January is Justice
This Sunday’s sermon: Seeds for the New Year- Rev. Dr Sophia Betancourt, UUA president
Introduction to the Theme: Justice has challenged humans from the beginning. Ancient Greeks considered justice a fundamental concept permeating all aspects of individual and collective life. They saw it as crucial for the community’s well-being, the legal system’s functioning, and the development of virtuous individuals, despite slavery being widespread and females being the property of their fathers or husbands. Justice was for the privileged, injustice for everyone else, a formula that has persisted across time.
Welcoming Rev. Julien Kain, UU Community Minister
Rev. Julien Kain is a newcomer to UULaLa in recent months. She’s a recently retired Unitarian Universalist parish minister, having served congregations in California, Florida and Virginia for the past 25 years. Her professional transition from UU parish ministry to community ministry has a focus on counseling, teaching and activism in the larger community.
This month at the December meeting of the Executive Committee, a community minister affiliation agreement was reached to recognize Julien as a Unitarian Universalist minister working in Lafayette. Julien’s primary work setting is in the larger community. She will be a supporting member of the fellowship. Julien’s ministerial services, such as preaching, leading Sunday service, and offering adult religious education will be available to the fellowship on request. She is also available to lead rites of passage such as weddings, memorials and child dedication, along with pastoral counseling and spiritual direction upon request by individuals and families within the fellowship and in the larger community.
Rev. Julien’s community ministry in the Lafayette area is informed by her multiple trainings in trauma and disaster response, how the arts can heal trauma in individuals and communities, and how the arts help to strengthen resilience and well-being. She is a practicing musician and visual artist. She can be reached directly at revjuliekain@gmail.com or 850-454-6333.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Lunch: Join us at a restaurant selected by participants.
We are still collecting donations for The Inn Ministry. They are asking for donations of fresh produce, especially fruit, such as apples and oranges, but vegetables and salad greens, also. They continue to need powdered milk, peanut butter, and protein. Cash donations are always needed for bus passes.
In honor of MLK Day, we are planning an “Hour of Service” after Potluck on Sunday, January 14. We will fill Emergency Eviction Bags for those experiencing homelessness. (See below)
EVENTS CALENDAR:
January 1 Happy New Year --2024!
January 2 Executive Committee Meeting – 6 p.m.
January 6 Epiphany
January 7 Service
January 14 Service, Potluck, and UU MLK, Jr. Day of Service activity
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 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; also, plastic eating utensils. 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.