• From Our Interim Minister: Reminders, Updates, Personal News

    March 21, 2022

    Hello Countryside:

    Congregational life is getting busier and that is a good problem to have. Please try to get announcements in ahead of time for the e-news and to put on social media. Please, let others know what you are planning and have it on the calendar. Email Laurie for any of those things.

    You can help yourself feel calm and help services on Sunday flow well by arriving early. Announcements start at 9:55am. Please be seated by 9:50am. I want you to have ...

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  • A Sermon You May Enjoy

    Wondering about Article II? Or our UUA President-elect? Perhaps you wonder about forming your own theology?  Did you experience Rev. Sofía Betancourt’s sermon A Hard-Won Hopefulness: The Journey to Liberation preached at the Church of the Larger Fellowship last month? People have asked what she thinks, inquired about her theology, well this is a lovely service and meaningful reflection. Well worth your time.

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  • From Our Minister: Love in Transition

    March 1, 2023

    Yesterday, the staff and I had our final staff lunch with Mary Shelden. It was a day full of the fun conversations, the heaviness of goodbye, and the continuation of church business. In the last month since Mary announced she would be moving on to new adventures, I have felt joyful she would be getting a break and I will miss her warmth and the ways she helped me add so many children and youth to our services. I do plan to continue that tradition. This last month has been a ...

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  • Consider a Reflective Time for UU Lent

    If you are like me, hearing that UUs could have LENT might be shocking. I was shocked when I first heard of this way of both honoring where our spiritual ancestors came from and also holding that philosophically and theologically a time of reflection for a metaphorical 40 days, is a good thing.

    This year, I am following the #UULent hashtag on social media and using the chart below as a guide for my own 40 days to commit to a different spiritual practice. I am using these 40 days to center on my own ...

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  • Invitations to Deepen Your Learning Regarding Racism

    As you prepare for a called minister, consider that the diversity of ministers who are coming into congregational leadership and parish ministry. When I left seminary, my last classes had more people who held marginalized identities (including but not limited to: BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), people with visible and invisible disabilities, LGBTQ and more and more come from families of origin that were not upper middle class. Ministry is changing and it is wonderful to see how our faith leaders are changing too. It also means continuously learning about how to be radically welcoming (that ...

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  • Join Us for Community Talks: Interim Transitions Workshop with Focus on the History of Lifespan Religious Education

    Sunday, Feb 19, after service, approximately 11:20 am – 12:30 pm, in Atherton Hall
    ALL are welcome. Childcare available.

    “Telling our stories is not an end in itself, but an attempt to release ourselves from them, to evolve and grow beyond them. We tell our stories to transform ourselves; to learn about our history and tell our experiences to transcend them; to use our stories to make a difference in our world; to broaden our perspective to see further than normal; to act beyond a story that may have imprisoned or ...

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  • From Our Interim Minister: A Future with Hope

    Being an interim minister is a lot like being an archeologist, but less dusty and with more public speaking. I am constantly unearthing treasures and using clues to find out why things are how they are. One of those topics I am digging into here, is the culture of money and finance. Here at Countryside, I often have been pleasantly surprised that something that perhaps is industry standard, a best practice, or a great idea, is something that used to be done. Some of these great ideas need to come back into practice. Maybe they were let go ...

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  • Interim and Transitions FUN

    Join us February 19 after service for another all-church conversation about stories we recall about Lifespan Religious Education, affinity groups, and our favorite clubs in our history. Bring your stories and your memories and think about things you loved or used to do. CCUU dedicates ourselves to learning and study. Our covenant and Unitarian Universalist principles ask us to constantly be learning and changing our point of view. We purposely evolve.

    I mentioned in my column this month that being an interim minister is like being an archeologist. We need your help to dig into ...

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  • Chancel News & Gratitude!

    Have you noticed the look of our pulpit podium on the chancel? It has had a facelift! Huge thanks to Lois Phillips for transforming the look to make it reflect the church décor. Plus, she and Jeff Phillips changed the angle of the pulpit itself – it’s now is a much better angle to help the speaker to make eye contact with all of you. Last week, the new angle was so wonderful, I felt like I was seeing you all for the first time. This will also help those who watch online, as the reader does not ...

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  • From Our Interim Minister: Thank You, Centering, Sharing Stories of Abortion

    January 4, 2023

    Thank You

    For folks who work in service of the church, December is a whirlwind. This year had the added layer of two holidays falling on a Sunday and the staff are to have those holidays off as our policies promise. Then there are all the added rituals like our Advent Table, kids processing in with lanterns, and lighting candles for Hanukkah and Advent. If we had been in church during Kwanzaa, we would have been lighting those candles too. It is a lot to celebrate and ...

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  • Mark Your Calendar: Interim Transitions Meetings

    In 2023, I hope you are ready to build more community. We start off our Interim Community building Sessions on Sunday January 8 after service with Reflecting on CCUU Stories – all members are encouraged to attend, regardless of the length of time you have been a member, to hear and tell stories about the history of Countryside. This is important in our living tradition and provides a foundation for the transitional work the congregation must do before calling their next settled minister.

    Mark these dates in your calendar: INTERIM TRANSITIONS MEETINGS – ALL CONGREGATION

    Hello Countryside!

    I hope your holidays are magical. I know when we wrapped up the service on Christmas eve and then watching the story program on Christmas day, I felt a lot of magic and gratitude about working with you all. Thank you.

    Like I shared in the the postcard I sent, the chalice was overflowing with symbols of our beliefs and lots of hearts representing the kindness of our community. You warm my heart. Love of community feels like something to celebrate now more than ever.

    At CCUU, ...

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