Author: Blue Hills UU

Sunday’s Blue Hills Unitarian-Universalist service will be led by member Ginny Gelineau, accompanied by friends from the Gelineau’s winter home in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas.  As they became active in immigration issues in this target area, the Gelineaus came into contact with the “Angry Tias and Abuelas of the RGV” – a group of nine women who banded together in June 2018 to focus on family separation and the zero tolerance policies of our government.  The group has been joined by volunteers from all over the U.S. who are helping either in person or in creative ways from a distance.

Two of the members, Beverly Ortiz and Madeleine Sandefur will speak to us LIVE from the Rio Grande, sharing their mission, goals and accomplishments in this challenging arena.   More information and their mission statement can be found at www.angrytiasandabuelas.com.

BHUU will continue to meet in cyber space via ZOOM for our 10:00 Sunday morning services, and urge members as well as guests to take part.  The Zoom link will be sent to members during the week, but all are invited to participate;  visitors may contact Ken Hood > ken@bluehillsuu.org for the link needed to join the service.

As we pause on Father’s Day to tumble memory, remembering our own relationships with our dads, in observance of this special Sunday Pat Shifferd will lead the Blue Hill’s UU’s in exploring the many concepts of “Father” in both our religious and cultural history.  As a sociologist, Pat will challenge us to “Consider the implications of how the legacies of male-dominance have weakened in the present day” and how that may have changed our society.  She will also welcome the fellowship to take time to honor our own fathers.

We continue to meet in cyber space through the gift of ZOOM for our 10:00 Sunday morning service, we urge members as well as guests to take part.  The Zoom link will be sent to members during the week, but everyone is invited to participate;  visitors may contact Ken Hood > ken@bluehillsuu.org for the link needed to join the service.

We’re excited to have Arthur Thexton, well know Unitarian-Universalist speaker and member in the Milwaukee area, return to Rice Lake and the Blue Hills UU Fellowship this coming Sunday, June 14^th.   Arthur’s message will consider the topic of Vulnerability:   “So often we think of vulnerability as an unfortunate situation. We as a nation are vulnerable to an attack, for example. Our job position is vulnerable to layoff. Our computers are vulnerable to viruses. But is vulnerability always a negative?”  

Join us on ZOOM as Mr. Thexton leads the service at 10:00 Sunday morning.  The Zoom link will be sent to members during the week, but everyone is invited to participate; visitors and guests may contact Ken Hood > ken@bluehillsuu.org for the link needed to join the service.

PDF with Order of Service Details

Our service today will be lead by Joshua Berg.

–Welcome & introductions

–Chalice lighting

Music – Sending You Light

–Announcements & Speaking for Social Action

–Joys & Concerns – congregation

Music/video – Resilient by Rising Appalachia

Reading: “This Too Shall Pass: Tracing an Ancient Jewish Folktale” – Joshua Berg

–Sermon: Grace in the Unknown:

This months’ Soul Matters theme is “Thresholds” and the sacred word is “Surrender.” A threshold can be an entrance or exit over which we step, or it can mean the limiting force we have to surpass to take that next step. In these very uncertain times, thresholds seem to be tougher to cross and as we have been forced to surrender to the unknown. How do we embrace the increasing list of unknowns with grace in order to step forward and through?

–Discussion: Memento Vitae: What Reminds of Life? – Joshua and congregation

Hymn #131 Love will Guide Us – sung by Tisha Berg, Joshua will play

Offertory

Music – I Am Light: India.Arie

–Extinguishing the Chalice

–Friendship Circle

Chalice Lighting #447

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.

Albert Schweitzer

Opening Hymn “Come Together”

Announcements & Speaking for Social Action

Presentation: “Telling Stories” by Judy Barisonzi

Joys & Concerns & Comments

Offertory

Closing Hymn “Be Still With Us”

Extinguishing the Chalice #456: We extinguish this flame but not the light of truth, the warmth of community, or the fire of commitment. These we carry in our hearts until we are together again.

Friendship Circle: Go well into life now, and when you need us, remember that here you will find the hands of friends.

Additional Reading/Resources:

Rocunited.org

angrytiasandabuelas.com

Your intrepid Board has conjured and contrived ways to hang-together through this challenging STAY HOME & BITE IT time zone. We will begin on APRIL 5 to gather in cyberspace via ZOOM. Members all received detailed instructions yesterday on the April Calendar. (edit, for security reasons the ZOOM meeting link is not posted public — If you do not have the link please email kchood@gmail.com and Ken will provide you access)

It might be wise to download the app/program ahead of time for my fellow neanderthals who can hardly negotiate our own cell phones, as we attempt to broach the River Zoom.

Judy Barisonzi has an April morning planned for us that’s sure to lift your spirit and affirm the “why” of our bond, so we’ll “see you” on April 5th! With hope, peace and love in our hearts.

~Jude Genereaux, Board Chair

To:   Our fellow Blue Hills UU’s –

RE:   We’re BLUE … BOO hoo hoo …

Your Blue Hills UU Board will be following not only the directives of WI Public Health agencies and Gov Evers, but our own good conscience, and deferring services until such time as we see the light at the end of the tunnel.   There will be one.   

We’re also looking to find ways to stay in contact with YOU and each other – email is excellent, we have a website and a Facebook page … and both our Regional and national UUA are setting up various manners of staying in touch via cyberspace.  We will advise you of all.  This link will take you to the Regional:  uua.org/midamerica

So stay in contact, keep us posted as to your status / stay well and Keep the Faith ~ we’ll be back! 
Your fearless leaders –

Jude Gx, Mark VanEtten, Pat Shifferd, Judy Barisonzi, Valerie Rude, David Hart & Linda Thompson

UPDATED on 3/24/2019

To our BHUU Fellowship:   

Your BHUU Board has discussed steps taken and advisories sent from our national leadership, the UUA, both within our recent Board meeting and via e-mail. At this time all meetings at our Fellowship building on West Messenger Street are suspended.

       We, the Board want to assure you that:

• We are monitoring the situation and will take steps in line with what our local public health agency advises as they develop;
  
• We are working on a phone tree and other ways to stay in touch with our members spread across Northwest Wisconsin;

 Everyone:  Keep heart and Stay Well.  Spring is in the air.

As part of the Blue Hills Unitarian-Universalist 10 a.m. church service, Sunday March 15^th will feature a discussion of the the UUA’s common read, “An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the U.S.”   Most of us know bits and pieces of our country’s past experience with first inhabitants, but this enlightening text shares the depth of U.S. history rarely covered.     Former Lay Leader April Nielsen will lead the fellowship in exploring the dynamics of this text.

Religious education is offered to our youth at 10:30, and the “Third Sunday” potluck will take place after the Service.   All are always welcome at BHUU, located at 230 W Messenger in Rice Lake.