This Week on the Peak - Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation

This Week on the Peak

Mission Peak UU – Fremont, CA

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

December 5, 2018

Ministerial Musings

Postlude is Spiritual Practice

Greetings during this month of December! I’m amazed that it’s December already as it feels as if this year has flown by. I’m grateful for this congregation, I’m beginning to know my way around, and remembering a lot of your names now! (Forgive the minister please, who has a problem remembering names.
)

As we are all settling in with one another, I have made a few minor changes in the services on Sundays and one of them has been to add a postlude at the end of the service. Generally, in different denominations a postlude is included at the end of the service as a concluding or ending of the service. We have them in most Unitarian Universalist services, I think as a throwback to our Christian roots, but the history here at this congregation was not to include it.

I wanted to begin to use a postlude at the end as I see a postlude as a form of spiritual practice. It allows us after the service has ended to sit silently for a moment, to contemplate all the reflections of the morning and to rest our minds and hearts. It serves a threefold purpose here: to allow ourselves to momentarily rest and allow the thoughts and contemplations from that morning to be absorbed, to give an ending to what was a sacred time for all of us gathered together, and finally, to allow the minister and Worship Associate to get to the back of the room to greet you as you leave! I have been missing this action, as I want to meet those new visitors who may have come for the very first time to introduce myself, and I want to greet those well-known members that I may only see on Sundays or less frequently on other days. It gives me a chance to say hi, acknowledge your presence, and give gratitude for your attendance. It may be a simple act, but having a postlude is in itself a spiritual practice.

So, I hope that in the ensuing Sundays, you all can take a moment at the end of the service for contemplation, reflection and respite however brief it may be. That is the purpose of a postlude. My wish for you is that you can utilize it and take a moment to breathe. Maybe you can even incorporate postludes into your busy lives during the week or simply in a day.

May everyone this week have a respite, a time to breathe, a time to feel blessed. December is a busy month for all. Take a moment to reflect and enjoy it and don’t let it pass you by.

Blessings to you all,

Rev Jo

Please feel free to contact me!

To reach me:

By email:
minister@mpuuc.org

By phone: 510-972-3890

This Sunday’s Service:

Healing in Our Congregation

When we’ve been hurt, we go through stages of grief and anger at the loss of the relationship we thought we had. What comes next after forgiveness and gratitude is healing. How we choose to be healed or not will determine our happiness. This Sunday let us learn to heal.

Rev. Jo Green will lead the service and assisting will be Worship Associate Allysson McDonald. Peak Performers will provide our music.

Food for Plates through Share the Plate in December!

Actually, our donations in December will help TriCity Volunteers (TCV) pay for rent and utilities at their local food bank. Be prepared to put cash or a check made out to Mission Peak UU Congregation on the collection plate on Sunday, December 9, and we’ll pass on the total amount to TCV! If you wish to make a payment towards your pledge, please note that in the memo line, and we’ll keep that amount separate.

Earlier in November we indicated that we were planning to donate to a fund for victims of the Camp Fire, but Patricia Osage has discovered that there has been an outpouring of generosity that our gifts will be more appreciated in a couple of months when families are trying to get re-established and the initial support has begun to wane. We’ll plan to provide assistance to that area in the New Year.

Put a Smile on a Local Child’s Face!

In conjunction with our share the plate offering in December, we will also be collecting new toys for the TriCity Volunteers’ Toy Party. See the attached flier for the
wish list
, and bring a new unwrapped toy to the service on either December 9 or December 16. Sign up to volunteer at the Dec. 21 Toy Party after the service on Dec. 9 too!

Save the Date – Holiday Potluck & Boutique – December 8 @ 6:00

Our annual Holiday Potluck will be December 8 starting at 6:00. This year we will be holding the

Black & White Boutique “After” sale at the Holiday Potluck. This is a great place to have kids shop for gifts for parents/grandparents/teachers/ etc. If you bring your kids by at 5:00, adults will be available to help them shop for parents/grandparents/teachers and we’ll even have a wrapping station set up. The potluck will start at 6:00. Please bring a favorite holiday dish if you’d like or feel free to bring pizza or something else quick and easy. (We know that there are many MPUUC meetings that day.) The important thing is to have you there with us. After we eat we will have a brief story sharing time. Come prepared to share your favorite holiday related story – the best surprise or worst cooking disaster or favorite holiday memory. We will wrap the evening up with some music and sing along to some holiday favorites.

CHRISTMAS TREE TRIMMING AT THE BOUTIQUE!

We are having a Christmas Tree this year in Cole Hall and will be decorating it on December 8th at the potluck and boutique event. Feel free to bring any ornaments you would like to see on the tree and feel free to make any to share!

Super Council! Dec 8th, 9:00AM to noon

What’s a Super Council? It’s all three of our Councils meeting together. And what’s a Council? It’s a meeting of committee leaders by general topic. So —

On this Saturday, December 8th, from 9:00 AM till noon, MPUUC will have a Super Council meeting, with break-out sessions for the individual Councils. And what are those Councils? As presently organized we have a Justice Council, a Ministry Council and an Operations & Personnel Council. Each committee is assigned to one of the Councils, except for a select few that report directly to the Board.

So, if you are a committee leader, either formal chair or functional leader, please plan to attend or ask another member of your committee to come. If you did not get a reminder email Monday with an agenda and you want one please email wallcave@mpuuc.org to get one.

At the Super Council we will provide bagels, cream cheese, donuts and water. Those who desire other drinks should bring their own.

Turning Love Into Justice:

The Tri-City Interfaith Council (tcicouncil.weebly.com) is a grass-roots organization bringing together people of diverse religious beliefs from Fremont, Newark, and Union City (California). Rev. Barbara Meyers and Paul K. Davis are members. Join in!