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Mission Peak UU – Fremont, CA
The Home of Liberal Religion in the Tri-Cities and Beyond!
April 8, 2020
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Your Search Committee and Board are
very
excited to introduce our candidate for settled ministry, Rev. Greg Ward! Rev. Greg has been in ministry for 23 years, training in local UU churches in Oakland and Berkeley, and serving as a settled minister in Atlanta, GA and Monterey, CA. Since 2012 he has been working as an Accredited Interim Minister, and his most recent position was as Senior Developmental Minister at the UU Community Church of Santa Monica.
Your first opportunity to get to know Rev. Greg is through his website,
https://sites.google.com/view/revgsward/Home
. Candidating Week will take place in early to mid-May — more specific dates to come soon. During Candidating Week, we will have many opportunities for people to meet Rev. Greg via Zoom, and he will also lead services on two consecutive Sundays. After the second Sunday, active members of Mission Peak UU will vote on whether to accept him as our settled minister. We look forward to a positive decision!
Sincerely,
Mission Peak UU Congregation Search Team
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Ministerial Musings
Breathe in, Breathe out. That’s what a lot of us have been saying these last few weeks, trying to keep ourselves calm and focused. Stress seems to be piling up on all of us, we feel irritable, scared, anxious, even when we tell our brains that it will be alright, that we will disable this virus and have our lives back to the way that they used to be.
I just want to reiterate how serious this time is in which we live. We may feel that we are on the downtick, that the worst is over, that we can relax our restrictions and go back to living our normal lives, lives we are used to, lives that feel very familiar. I want to tell you not to do that yet. We still need to stay sheltered in place; we still need to wear masks when we venture outside, we still need to appropriately keep our distance from others we don’t already live with. We still need to do the opposite of hoarding needed supplies. We still need to reach out virtually with others to ensure they are okay and feeling well. We still need to help our neighbors who may need our help. We still need to tell others how much we love them.
It’s such a frustrating time, especially when we feel okay. I want to go outside, I’m sure many of you have said, I feel fine! But this is the time the virus can make a comeback because we feel like the worst is over and we return to normalcy.
I want to just reiterate today that we can’t do that. I know some folks are getting antsy, and in our area we have been managing gallantly, even what I would call heroically! We can be proud of the San Francisco Bay Area as we really have stepped up and done our part. And our congregation has been heroic! Our Pastoral Associates have been calling members and friends to check on them and just say hi. Our tech team of Steve and Graham have been amazing in ensuring our services and meetings and get togethers have occurred on Zoom. Our choir even held an All Music Sunday this past Sunday! It was amazing to hear the talent that our members offered up to the congregation on the Internet and it went so smoothly, it was amazing! Our Canvass Committee is continuing to collect pledges and create a budget for next year, even by giving this amazing video report during the service last week. So many have given unselfishly of their time and skill to ensure that our community continues on in almost every way.
So your continued vigilance means a lot. I want you to know that you mean so much to me. Your lives mean so much to me. We have suffered a loss in our congregation in the last week and that brings even closer how much each and every one of you mean to me. I know I announced my new congregation to you on Sunday and it feels more real that I will be leaving you this summer. If I haven’t said it enough, you all live deep in my heart and will forevermore.
Stay safe. Stay healthy. You don’t need to do more than you are. Take time to breathe, take time to meditate, take time for self-care. Now more than ever that is vitally important.
And you are all vitally important to me. I love you all deeply.
Loving blessings to you all.
Rev. Jo
Please feel free to contact me
By phone: 510-972-3890
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This Good Friday and Sunday’s Service:
We have transitioned to virtual services because of the Coronavirus pandemic. See
mpuuc.org/zoom each week for how to connect.
Good Friday Vespers – Friday, April 10 @ 7 p.m.
During this unusual time, let us take a moment during the Christian tradition of grieving on Good Friday to offer a time where we can grieve together all that has disappeared from our lives. We will offer readings and music to tend to the feelings we’ve been having these last few months. The Zoom link will be provided on that day. Please have a candle near you for the service.
Rev. Jo Green will lead the service and assisting will be Worship Associate Shawn Snavley. Jay Steele will provide our music.
Celebrating Rebirth and Resilience – Sunday, April 12 @ 10 a.m.
On this Easter Sunday during Shelter in Place, may we still gather virtually in community to share our own resilience. Celebrations are important, especially in times of isolation. Wear your Easter Bonnet so that we can see it online and have a piece of bread nearby as we commemorate a Transylvanian Communion with each other.
Rev. Jo Green will lead the service and assisting will be Worship Associate Shawn Snavley. 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.
- 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%.
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Zoom Gatherings hosted by the Fellowship Committee
Hi Everyone! We hope that you all are healthy and as happy as possible under these trying circumstances. I know that we all miss seeing one another in person, but luckily technology gives us the chance to meet up in other ways. Coffee hour on Sundays after our virtual service is one
way to do that, and now the Fellowship Committee is offering several
more opportunities each week for us to gather together. The following
are zoom meetings that will be held every week for the next 4 weeks.
We’ve set up ‘themes’ but we’re not going to stick to those 100% – the
overarching idea is to just connect with each other. There’s no need to
sign up, just show up to one or all of them – The Zoom link will be provided at
mpuuc.org/zoom.
Discuss Poetry & Books with Melody Yamaguchi- Wednesdays @ 1:00 p.m. (starting April 15)
Share Recipes & Quarantine “hacks” with Michealle Havenhill – Sundays @
3:00
p.m. (starting April 12)
Cocktails (or Mocktails) & Games with Jen King – Thursdays @ 4:00 p.m. (starting April 9)
We also have one extra session that will only be one time only:
Poetry with DeAnna – Saturday, April 11 @ 2:00 p.m.
If anyone else would like to Host a weekly session please contact Jen King.
See you on ZOOM!!
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Brown Bags Needed at Tri-City Volunteers
WE NEED YOUR HELP. We have an URGENT NEED for brown paper grocery bags for our “Grab and Go” food distribution. These bags will be filled with healthy food and given to local families to help meet their nutritional needs in the rapidly-evolving COVID-19 situation. Please DONATE TO HELP US PURCHASE MORE BAGS (WE NEED 2,000 A WEEK TO DISTRIBUTE FOOD QUICKLY AND SAFELY) or feel free to drop off grocery bags at 37350 Joseph Street Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. – 3.30 p.m. THANK YOU! Please click here for more information.
MPUUC members have written more than 600 non partisan Get Out To Vote (GOTV) letters since the end of January!
If there is interest, we can request postcards for those who want to write to people who have been taken off the voter rolls, thereby
helping them get reinstated. Please contact Kathi if you are interested in writing more GOTV letters or anti voter suppression postcards.
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White Fragility Discussion Part 3
We will complete our last discussion of the book. If you’ve read all or part of the book you are welcome to attend, even if you missed the first 2 sessions. Thanks!
Please click on the doodle link by clicking here to select a day/time that will work for you.
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Indigenous Peoples’ History Discussion
The year 2020 marks the 400th anniversary of the much-mythologized encounter at Plymouth between colonists and those native to the land, so it is fitting that the 2019-20 UUA Common Read is An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, by Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz (Beacon Press). Join other UU’s across the US in reading this book that challenges us to learn US history through a narrative that centers the story, the experiences, and the perspectives of Indigenous peoples. Upending myths and misinformation that have been promulgated by leaders and media, it asks readers to reconsider the origin story of the United States taught to every US school child. There is a young adult version and an audiobook version for those who prefer not to read the full text of the original book. More information here:
The book discussion will be led by Allysson McDonald, a lay leader at Mission Peak, who has a Master’s Degree in Native and Northern Studies.
This discussion will take place via zoom, on Saturday, May 9. Contact Allysson with questions or to sign up.
DEADLINE to register is April 17.
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Activities for Children While Sheltering in Place
As we head into another month of Sheltering In Place, I wanted to send along this fun, interactive, engaging challenge that you, as Faith Leaders, can send along to your families, and those whom are parents/grandparents, can partake in with your families at home. Feel free to send this out to your contacts as well. I am certain parents are looking for anything to keep their kids active right now. (Click
here to continue reading.)
Stay safe, stay healthy,
Warmly,
Karen Leslie Hernandez, STM & MATR
Faith Partnerships Manager
Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley
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Humor Corner
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Last Supper as Zoom Meeting
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From a (Social) Distance” New Song Parody! – Emma’s Revolution April 2020
We are thrilled to release our new song parody, “From a (Social) Distance)”! We’ve been working on it behind the scenes and are sending it to you, now, with love from our shelter-in-place home to yours!
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Call your Elected Officials!
Calls can make a difference! Contact your representatives to alert them to your views!
Congressperson Eric Swalwell 510-247-1388 or go to
house.gov
Senator Kamala Harris
(202) 224 – 3553
Senator Diane Feinstein (202) 224-3841
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Mission Peak UU | 2950 Washington Blvd Fremont CA | 510.252.1477 | missionpeakuu.org
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