This month, our worship theme is “Redemption.”
Redemption can mean being saved from sin or error, being
delivered or rescued, or being changed for the better. Our Universalist
ancestors believed that all humans would be redeemed, not just a select few.
Our Unitarian ancestors believed that redemption was up to the individual; the
way we lived our lives would redeem us.
These are very lofty perspectives on redemption, and they
are perspectives I happen to agree with, theologically, but I can assure you
that these and other views on redemption will be explored from the pulpit this
month. For now, I want to talk about a much simpler, much more down-to-earth topic,
and how it is being redeemed: UUCA Communication.
In the transitions of the past few years, UUCA has gained
and lost staff members, and other staff members have changed roles. Portfolios
that were covered by one person are now covered by two, or more, and things are
a little confusing. The staff are aware of this problem, this error, and we are
striving to redeem our Communication methods: to improve them for the better. …So, who you gonna call?
Order of Service:
Michele (OrderofService@uuca-md.org)
You might have noticed the colored sheets in the Order of Service the past few
weeks. These announcements are the same as before, but they are more clearly
labeled and colored so more people will take them home, read them, and use
them. These announcements are specifically for upcoming events, save-the-dates,
and general announcements. Send your short announcement to Michele by Wednesday
to put them in the Order of Service.
In the Know: Dayna
(IntheKnow@uuca-md.org) Our weekly
e-newsletter is sent out each Wednesday. To have your short announcement
included in In the Know, send it to Dayna by Monday. This e-newsletter is
changing a bit: Instead of starting with the Minister’s Column, it will
highlight an upcoming event for that week. The rest of In the Know will be the
same as before: Short, concise announcements about events in the upcoming week,
with a limited number of save-the-dates at the end.
Highlights:
Michele (Highlights@uuca-md.org)
Our monthly newsletter is changing a little bit: Since the Order of Service and
In the Know are designed to get short calendar-related items into people’s
hands, Highlights doesn’t also need to do the same. Highlights is the best
place to put your follow-up article (The Reason Rally was great! Thank you to
those who served dinner at the Lighthouse Shelter!), inspirational story, or
notice. The front page of Highlights will feature one of the minister’s
articles from that month (like this one, here!). Longer articles can be
submitted to Highlights, by the 12th of each month.
Minister’s Blog: The
ministers are moving their thoughts to a dedicated blog. The link to the blog
will be listed on our website and in In the Know and Highlights, but if you
want to know what’s on our minds, you can access the blog any time. Your four
ministers will post weekly articles, as well as musings, book suggestions,
notes on music, etc. http://uucaministers.blogspot.com/
Facebook: Several
groups in the church have “Groups” on Facebook to communicate amongst
themselves. The church now has its own “Fan Page” that you can “Like” to
continue the conversation from the sermons, events, or current issues: www.facebook.com/UUCAnnapolis
Website:
Our UUCA website is still up and running. The staff has been hard at work in
the redesign process, with help from web/tech professionals, to improve our
website’s appearance and functionality. We hope to have an improved website up
and running in the next 3 to 6 months. www.uuca-md.org
Our hope is that these various methods of communication will
each serve their own unique purpose, while also creating easy-to-access venues
for everyone to find what they are looking for. We hope these methods will
support the work that the church is doing, that you are doing, by “inspiring
and empowering all souls to live bold and compassionate lives!”
Blessings,
Rev. Christina Leone
Faith Development Minister
