This Week on the Peak - Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation

This Week on the Peak – Wednesday, March 18, 2020

This Week on the Peak

Mission Peak UU – Fremont, CA

The Home of Liberal Religion in the Tri-Cities and Beyond!

March 18, 2020

Ministerial Musings

You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith, and hope.

THOMAS MERTON

If ever there was a time to heed Thomas Merton’s words, it is now. The new Shelter in Place instructions have begun and our lives have taken a turn that we really have never gone down. As we watch, state after state and the national government are requiring stricter and more stringent guidelines to follow to ensure the containment of the Covid-19 virus that has killed some and sickened so many thousands. I feel lucky that our government has begun to take actions for containment and pray that the citizens here in this country will heed them and abide by them. It feels hard though, doesn’t it? We can’t stand near each other, hug each other, go places, or laugh with one another in person. All we have now is our technology and actually that is a blessing that we can look at.

One of the by-products that I feel is a blessing is how our planet is now being taken care of in a much better way. I hear that the Chinese for the first time in I don’t know how many years can actually see the sky. The pollution has dissipated so much that they can see the sky. Half of our planes are grounded and so many working from home here in the US has helped our air to become cleaner. We’re using less gas and electricity. And yes, businesses are suffering, lacking customers and income, so many hourly workers are having their hours cut with no benefits or pay to replace their income. How will they pay their rent and utilities and child care? Our world right now is turned upside down in a way, as Americans, most of us have never experienced. I’ve never entered a grocery store before where there wasn’t a single egg to buy, any paper products, especially toilet paper. I can only imagine that this is what my parents experienced during World War II. They had rationing, you could only buy so much, and they used to tell me about this. But until one has experienced this first hand, it’s really kind of hard to understand.

Our congregation is experiencing a new way to worship. Last Sunday we held our first streaming Sunday service with our Youth providing the entire service and it was wonderful! It also was so gratifying to see our members log in and attend online and then later give praise and admiration to our youth for a job well done. There are many changes with which we will have to accustom ourselves in the coming weeks. We did not include Joys and Concerns and are working on a way to do that in the next services to come. We are looking at creating some Zoom meetings just to connect with each other and be able to talk to each other, kind of like Small Group Ministries online. I am going to have a Coffee Chat on Zoom so look for that! We also have our Pastoral Associates team calling every single one of our members to check in and just say hi and find out if all is well and if anything is needed. We have members who have offered to go shopping for other members who can’t leave the house. We are a community and we are still a community. We are coming together in a new way.

And our DRE Shawn is working on activities online for our children and youth to be able to get together. Stay tuned for those possibilities too!

Yes, things are different. Yes, we wish they were the same. And some of us are tech savvy and feel like this is an easy transition. And others are not and are dreading being online, might be scared of it, might not have the equipment to be online. So we need to help each other find our ways to connect, to show that we are a community.

Thank you so much to all the members helping us live through this new time! Thank you Board of Trustees, all the members on the Pastoral Associates team, our DRE Shawn, our Office Administrator Sandra, all the people helping with tech and scheduling. We know you are there doing this work and we thank you and are very grateful for your service.

Help each other, remember each other, talk to each other, know that there are so many out here for you. If you have a need, there’s someone in this community that can help you fill it.

We are here for you.

I feel blessed to have each and every one of you in my life.

Stay safe, stay healthy, blessings to you all.

In love,

Rev. Jo

Please feel free to contact me

By email: minister@mpuuc.org

By phone: 510-972-3890

SCAM EMAILS AGAIN

If you have received an email from revjogreen@gmail.com, THAT IS NOT FROM REV. JO!

Please don’t respond as they are phishing for those who will. Please just delete.

The only emails that you will receive from me will come from minister@mpuuc.org

Thank you all who have been vigilant and notified me.

Rev. Jo Green

This Sunday’s Service:

We have transitioned to virtual services because of the Coronavirus pandemic. See mpuuc.org/zoom each week for how to connect.

Generosity to our spirit

“How do you care for your generous heart? What do you do when your cup is empty? Come explore how you might generously give to your spirit so you can continue to give of your spirit.”

Shawn Snavley will lead the service and assisting will be Worship Associate Julia Steele. Worship Producer will be Steve Wallcave. Jay Steele will provide our music.

Because we will not have services in Cole Hall where you can donate money, below are 3 ways you can donate and/or fulfill your pledge:

Mail check to
Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation
P.O. Box 545
Fremont, CA 94537-0545
(If you use Bill Pay with your bank, you could use them to mail the check)
Drop envelope with check or cash in Mission Peak UU mail slot addressed to:
Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation
We will be collecting this once per week on Saturday.
Set up Bill Pay with your bank and have checks sent directly to our po box.
Pay on line at https://mpuuc.org/contact-us/donate/ with credit or debit card.
Note we use PayPal for this and they charge us around 3%.

From your Canvass Committee:

We are very sorry to not have a fellowship event to celebrate your generosity this year. The pledge cards will be sent out via mail at the end of the month. We’ll be making announcements during the next two services, and encourage you to take this time to reflect on what we mean to each other in this community. Remember: pledge increases WILL BE MATCHED, so in effect doubled! We thank you for your patience and flexibility.

If you have any questions, please contact Colleen Arnold at colleenag@sbcglobal.net or Kathy Wallcave at kwallcave@gmail.com.

Board Briefs

Last Thursday the board decided to transition to virtual services because of the Coronavirus pandemic. We approved addition of 2 zoom accounts if they are needed.

Beckett announced her resignation as board secretary because she will be moving on March 25. Her resignation is effective 3/17. We appreciate her years of service to our congregation and will miss her. Jay volunteered to take over as secretary on 3/18 with the boards thanks.

Because the decision to end in person meetings (including services) took most of the board meeting we scheduled an emergency meeting for March 18th (today) via zoom at 6 p.m. to finish the rest of the board agenda.

Spiritual Discussion and Coffee Chat

For those who would like to meet virtually for a Spiritual Discussion, let’s Zoom with each other tomorrow, March 19th at 2 p.m. to speak about our fears or concerns during this uncertain time.

This month let’s do a Coffee Chat on Zoom! Let’s meet on the link below to chat about whatever you wish on Wednesday, March 25th at 2 p.m.

See mpuuc.org/zoom for zoom link.

Children and Youth Religious Education in the midst of shelter in place

Now more than ever it is incredibly important that we keep our young ones connected to our congregation! In order to help continue our program virtually our DRE will be leading the following weekly opportunities!

Virtual Youth Group Sundays from 3 p.m. to 430 p.m. starting March 22nd.

Parent and Guardian Coffee Hour Tuesdays from 2 p.m.to 3 p.m. starting March 24th.

Sing a long songs for toddlers Fridays from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. starting March 27th.

Interactive Story Time Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. starting March 28th.

Please contact Shawn @ dre@mpuuc.org if you have any questions. Zoom links will be posted on the MPUUC RE webpage this week.

ADULT EDUCATION SPRING 2020

The Adult Education Committee is working out details for upcoming Adult Education Spring classes. More information will be available soon. Please email Linda Messia lmessia@yahoo.com if you have questions.

It’s NEVER Too Early to Start Thinking About The Black & White Gala

Our annual Black & White Gala is our congregation’s largest fundraiser of the year and, while providing funds to help keep our congregation going is its main purpose, the year round social interactions that result are just as valuable to the life our our congregation. November 7, 2020 might seem very far off right now, but NOW is the time to start thinking about what events you might want to offer to be held in the spring or summer of 2021. Below is a testimonial by Jo Ann Schriner about the fun that was had at the recent Tom Lehrer Sing-along event:

“OMGOSH! The most fun party ever!! We just had our second annual Tom Lehrer sing along, a most rowdy auction item. We laughed, heard stories about family connections with Tom Lehrer and about TL’s life, sang and tried to keep up with zippy fast lyrics, and laughed some more. Our stomachs churned as we sang along to the quite gross Irish Ballad and we noshed on Vatican II wafers (honoring The Vatican Rag). I Hold Your Hand In Mine is up at the top of the creepy horrible songs list, and possibly my favorite of his.

This gloriously irreverent evening came about due to the genius idea of two Raunchy Ringleaders – Paul Clifford and Terri King. Thanks to them and to the Fearless Musicians and our Special Unsuspecting Guests for making a gathering of like-minded souls so fun.”

So put your thinking caps on now and start coming up with new and exciting and interesting events that you might want to host or that you would definitely bid on if someone else hosted. There’s no need to wait until October. Share your brainstorms and with Jen King now!

Hygiene Unit Collection Update

Thanks to everyone who brought items before our planned March 15 collection date! Before we went to the current on-line services.

Valerie delivered the items to Jim Thomas at Niles Discovery Church (NDC), he is the Homeless Taskforce Coordinator at NDC. Mr. Thomas said to express his thanks- they still host the Mobile Hygiene Unit two days per week and the supplies are always needed.

If you were planning to bring items last Sunday, March 15, our planned collection date, please hold on to them until we meet again! We will have a final collection date whenever that happens. NDC will continue their hosting, so our collections are always welcome!

Brown Bags Needed at Tri-City Volunteers

Our friends at Tri-City Volunteers are still in operation. For the safety of their staff, they created social distancing by shifting their food distribution to “grab a bag and go.” They have run out of paper bags and would rather spend money on food than paper bags.

If you have a stash of paper grocery bags, please drop them off on your way to or from your grocery shopping (an allowed activity) at Niles Discovery Church at 36600 Niles Blvd near Nursery Avenue (there is a cardboard box near the door) or at TCV Food Bank at 37350 Joseph Street at Peralta (look for the “bag drop-off”). If you want to help financially, you can always send donations to TCV.

Thanks!

East Bay Sanctuary Covenant

1) Follow EBSC on social media and share our GoMujeres campaign posts with your networks!

– instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastbaysanctuary/

– twitter: https://twitter.com/EBaySanctuary

– facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EastBaySanctuary/

2) Make a personal donation to our GoMujeres

page – even $5 – $10 will help! https://hipgive.org/project/support-immigrant-women-and-girls/

3) If you get 5 new people to donate even a small amount, we’ll give you a free EBSC t-shirt! Just send us the list of the people you got to donate…

If EBSC gets the highest number of individual donors throughout the month of March, we could win an extra $3,000 to support immigrant girls and women!