History Wall Tours

Praises to all of you who have participated in the History Wall.  But have you had time to read the wall?  Rev. Roberta and the Transition Team have planned some times when the Social Hall will be open so you can come in to read the stories.  You will also have the option to stay and discuss what you have read.  Were there surprises?  How do the stories fit with your experience?  Here are the times:

  • Thursday, December 19 at 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, December 21 at 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

This will be unstructured time, but give yourself enough time to read and discuss if you are so inspired.

Guest at Your Table

When you donate to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, you are supporting an organization that has received four stars from Charity Navigator for the last seven years. Please bring your coin boxes on December 22, 24, or 29. Checks can be placed in the offering plate anytime this month or given to Cyd Ryder at the UUSC/chocolate table in the Social Hall after the service. Many thanks for your support.

Caring Candles

A Memorial Service celebrating Robert Miller’s life, who passed away on October 28, 2019, will be held Friday, December 6, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. in the Coleman Center in Fleet Landing, Atlantic Beach.  Please use the Mayport Road entrance (Fleet Landing Boulevard) to Fleet Landing and say you are there for the “Miller Memorial Service”.  The gate person will direct you to the parking area.

Henson Markham fell last week.  He has cuts and bruises but no fractures.  Best wishes Henson for a full recovery.

UUCJ Foundation Quarterly Meeting

The Foundation Board will meet on Sunday, December 8, at 9:30 a.m. in the Fletcher Room. All members of UUCJ  are welcome to attend. If you have questions or comments, you may contact Foundation President Barbara Robinson via email at bjr2447@gmail.com or by phone at 904-874-2603.

Arlington Community Services Update

Thanks for keeping contributions coming.  You started December with 67 lbs. on Sunday, and the Arlington Community Garden indicated they donated 6 pounds of fresh produce in November and 21 pounds in October.  If we can pull off a couple of 100-pound Sundays, we will be creeping toward donating 3,300 pounds, or maybe 3,500 is possible this year.

Mary Louise Weber, executive director of Arlington Community Services, sent us this message of thanks and has identified their most significant needs at this time:

We are thankful for so many blessings at Arlington Community Services! We had a great turnout for the Crop Walk to end world hunger. We are overwhelmed and overjoyed with so many donations of food and monetary donations in November. We were able to feed 340 folks, 23 homeless, and helped 12 with rent and utilities. As we celebrate the holidays, we ask for the following to help those less fortunate in our neighborhood: Hamburger Helper, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin, dry potatoes, canned meats, canned pasta, pasta sauce, Jiffy cornbread mix, snacks, mixed vegetables, canned potatoes, laundry detergent, socks for the homeless, and gently used children’s books.

Thank you, and have a blessed holiday season!

Weekday Book Club Selections

We meet at Books-a-Million on Atlantic Boulevard 1:00–2:00 p.m.

January 6: Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown (158.2 BROWN 2017). A book that uses new research to challenge old beliefs about belonging. We will also finalize our reading list for 2020.

Playing with Ideas

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Upcoming Topics:

  • December 8: Participant Topics – Group discussion
  • December 15: “Wacky Laws, Weird Decisions” – Joe Baun and Rose Ann Beason

Playing with Ideas meets 9:30–10:30 a.m. Sundays in the Anthony Room.

Spiritual Studies

Spiritual Studies meets 9:30–10:30 a.m. Sundays in the Channing Room unless noted otherwise.

December 8: God In All Worlds: Anthology of Contemporary Spiritual Writing by Lucinda Vardey. Current topic: Revelation: The Spiritual Experience

Format: Relevant material to be read out loud by participants is provided by the facilitator or presenter at the beginning of each session, followed by a lively discussion. So, no prep or homework required, no need to purchase books, and ALL ARE WELCOME!

Campus Driveway Narrowing

The Florida Department of Transportation will be closing off HALF of our entrance driveway starting Tuesday, December 3 through Friday, December 6 (4 full days) in order to pour the new sidewalk. After that, they will re-open that side for us to use and close the other side for another 4 days, starting Tuesday December 10th through Friday December 13th. Please exercise CAUTION entering and exiting our church parking lot during those time periods.

A Path to Reason for America by Phil Scanlan

A Path to Reason for AmericaPhil Scanlan, UUCJ member in Fernandina Beach, will be on the UUCJ campus on December 8 where he will have copies of his new book A Path to Reason for America for sale for $10 — and Phil will donate all proceeds from sales back to UUCJ.  This will be an opportunity to talk with Phil about his book, his reasons for writing it, and his passion for improving the lives of all Americans.  (And get him to autograph your copy!)

Description of the book: The first half of the book explains how to fix Washington and resolve our multiple crises using a quality approach. The second half of the book provides examples of how to apply this quality approach to reduce twenty-three US crises while balancing the budget. With each crisis analysis is a personal story to show how individuals are affected by each of these crises. The underlying root cause of the loss of hope in the American dream is identified along with how to restore hope in the American dream.