Please join us this Sunday for service – March 17, 2024 – 2024
Ostara: Symbolism & Meaning
Join us this Sunday as we welcome back the light. Service Leaders Roberta Roberson & Barb Harrison
Non-Violent Communication workshops starting at UUFA: March 18th – 6-8 PM – facilitated by Willow Wightman.
Come March 18th and then we can meet monthly after that! We will be learning the basics of NVC through its 4 part model and empathetic practices. Once some experience is gained, it is mostly participant led and facilitated by Willow Wightman. She has been learning and teaching NVC for 7 years and has completed a shamanic advanced apprenticeship of 6 years. There may be some shamanic practices integrated if everyone in the group is comfortable. Nonviolent communication is an effective way to deepen your compassionate and collaborative connection to yourself, your loved ones, and even those you find yourself in conflict with. It is an empowering method to help you be seen and heard, and to find doable solutions that meet everyone’s needs. While maintaining a sense of responsibility and accountability, it also brings out a greater sense of love and acceptance for humanity.
UUA Weekly Inspiration
Intricate Beauty
“The beauty of the natural world lies in the details.”
—Natalie Angier
When my hospital chaplaincy cohort completed our final reviews, we had to give (and receive) feedback from our peers—not just our supervisor. One of my peers clearly struggled to speak to me honestly, fearful of hurting my feelings.
“Quinn,” he said, “you know a lot. Like, so much. And I love talking to you. But I think you might have an easier time relating to people if you dialed back the information. It’s a lot to take in sometimes.”
I deflated. Not because this was shocking to hear, but because it was terribly familiar. I’ve received similar feedback my whole life, and I’ve worked hard to rein it in.
In part, the struggle comes from a lack of understanding. If I were lost in grief, the first thing I’d want to know is the words for it. And the theory. And the pathway. How else do you get unlost without a map? Information is a coping mechanism. It gives me hope.
In my experience, people who aren’t neurodiverse tend to frame neurodiversity as symptoms of inconvenience to people around them. My ADHD is being over-excited, distractible, fidgeting, being too much.
This is not what it feels like on the inside. For me, my ADHD means beauty. This world around us is so unbelievably beautiful that it simply demands my attention. ADHD is only disabling—at a psychological level—because the world is too big to admire fully: everything is interesting, Sadly, I can’t pay attention to it all.
One way I cope is to info-dump: I love to share information, and I love to hear other people share it, too. If someone else knows a bunch about relativity, I can save myself a bunch of time listening to them share about its beauty so I don’t have to start from scratch when I go to admire it.
My other coping mechanism is hyper-fixation. I can fall down a hole of fascination with the intricate beauty of something so specific. It’s so distracting, and so painful, to keep to myself. “God made it this way,” I think, “and it’s incredible! I have to show you so you can love it too! Just look: this world is beautiful.”
UUA News
Looking ahead to summer – General Assembly is virtual this year. The General Assembly or GA is the UUAs annual convention/gathering as a denomination. Please read on through the link provided to learn more. Let us know (Barb or other leader) if you’d like to represent the fellowship this year.
UUFA Updates:
An Invitation to Get Involved in UUFA community leading…
A few weeks ago during our service we shared information with the congregation on how to get more involved in our community. Here is that same invitation again, we hope you will consider how you can best become engaged in other ways at UUFA.
Our annual general meeting is April 21st, right after service.
We will be reviewing the last year, updating members on UUFA news, electing some new board members, going over (and hopefully approving) the annual 2024-2025 budget, and talking about our upcoming pledge drive.
Sharing a measure of your treasure helps pay the bills-thank you so very much! – but it does more than that, it helps us live out our mission and vision.
Building and sustaining beloved community takes something else too-something of immense valuse – it needs your time and talent.
If you would like to become more involved with the UUFA (and we very much hope you do!), please know that there are many ways to do so.
You could serve on a committee: board, buildings and grounds, technology, workship team. Committees not your jam? No problem ! There are other things:
Technology: communications, weekly newsletter, social media
Sundays: giving someone a ride to service, greeting folks, bringing snacks, making coffee, helping coordinate “Second Sunday” potlucks.
Events: planning, implementation , set up/tear down, helping with building reservations and rentals .
Other ? Enjoy singing?, play and instrument? Join the choir! Want to start a discussion group or club? Have a great idea for service? Want to give a talk?
What ideas do you have to make the UUFA feel more like it is truly yours?
If you are interested in sharing your ideas, lending a hand or getting more information, please let us know. Reach out to any board or committee member and the word will spread 🙂 In a good way!!
Thank you for your interest in the UUFA community.
Sincerely, on behalf of the board and worship team- Roberta R.