The Chalice – November 2023

From Our Director of Congregational Life

Hi Everyone, it’s Newsletter time again. We have had lots of exciting things planned for the fall and the future activities. The Services Auction on Nov 18th is a fun fundraising event that I urge you to attend and enjoy. Also we are planning a Friday night tree trimming for the kids.

The theme of this month is justice and since I am taking a Social Justice class at seminary, I hope to bring you some of this knowledge.

And…..I have had an epiphany! I want to share from Bishop John Spong who recently passed away.  He was an Episcopalian Bishop and reading his books brought me to the UU faith and helped me deconstruct my ideas of Christianity. I have been struggling personally with the act of prayer. In my classes, we talked about Mother Teresa`s approach to prayer, which is to listen and be silent. That helped in a waybut not totally.  I looked up Spong’s words of wisdom and in a nutshell, he spoke directly to my concerns about asking for things during prayer.

“If you’re really thinking prayer can stop rockets or bullets, you have to ask why some people do get hit by rockets or bullets. Are they people who no one prayed for? Are they people who God just didn’t like? I don’t think so.

and

“The God understood as a father figure, who guided ultimate personal decisions, answered our prayers, and promised rewards and punishment based upon our behavior was not designed to call anyone into maturity”

and

“Praying and living deeply, richly, and fully have become for me almost indistinguishable. Prayer is being present, sharing love, and opening life to transcendence. It is not necessarily words addressed heavenward. Prayer is entering into the pain or joy of another person. Prayer is what I am doing when I love wastefully, passionately and wondrously and invite others to do so.”

I can do that! Those of you who are agnostic or atheist can do it too in meditation which I know many of us do regularly. I wanted to share this great advice in case anyone else found themselves with a similar quandary.

Our 70th anniversary was a great success drawing the deputy mayor of the City of London Shawn Lewis and our local MP Teresa Armstrong.   

A group of us have been working diligently on the idea of increasing rental income and advertising. More information to follow.

We have signed up for the 6 sermons provided by the CUC this year on six questions to ask ourselves regarding our future as UU’s in this confusing time. The next one is November 26th!

2023 UFL Fall FUNdraiser!

Mark your calendars and get out your riding boots! Our Western-themed SERVICES AUCTION will be happening Saturday, November 18th , 2023 from 5:30 – 9:00 PM! With a free will donation you will get 500 UNI-BUCKS to spend on the offered services. Everything from custom-knit socks to several hours of tech support will be available to bid on. That’s not all! There will be a delicious dinner, games and a western photo booth!

This is the major fundraiser of 2023 and we’re hoping to raise $10,000 to help the UFL Thrive. Our community-building event will engage your imagination, ignite your passion for fun, satisfy your hunger, offer time to enjoy the company of your friends and provide you with an opportunity to generously support the Unitarian Fellowship of London.  Your free-will donation can be made by cheque or cash at the door on November 18th. Alternatively you can etransfer your donation to ufl@execulink.com , with the message “services auction” in the notes section.

How can you get involved? Think about a SERVICE that you can contribute to the auction. What talent do you have that you can share? If you would like to contribute, fill out your Auction Service form. You can get this from Candas or they will be at the back at next Sunday’s service. These forms need to be submitted by November 5th in order for us to get everything ready in time!

This will be an in-person event being held at UFL. If you usually attend services by Zoom a ride can be arranged if you would like to attend in person. This year’s theme is Country Western so dig out your plaid shirts and stetsons and join in on this social evening of fellowship. Tune in for more information over the coming weeks.

SADDLE-UP SOIREE

Saturday, November 18th , 2023.

5:30 – 9:00 PM

This event is brought to you by the UFL Board of Executives, the Social Committee and the many volunteers who contribute their time, talent and gifts.

Growing Things: Highlights from the UFL Gardens

As the 2023 growing season wraps up, here are a few reflections on the UFL Gardens, and a whole lot of gratitude to those who helped.

The Weather: This year London saw the driest May on record. This was followed by a very wet summer. The result: a slow start to the vegetable garden, and a very, very weedy summer!

Rhubarb Fest: In June we celebrated our prolific rhubarb patch. We sold rhubarb plants, bunches of rhubarb, and featured rhubarb treats at our Rosy Rhubarb Cafe and on our bake table. Thanks to a wonderful team of volunteers, funds were raised for the UFL and many enjoyed the event including a number of people who had never been to the UFL before. 

Weeders: Whether you came when asked, dropped in regularly, or were a “stealth” weeder,we thank everyone from the UFL and PFLAG who helped tame the weeds this year.  

Vegetable Garden: This year we contributed about 100 lbs of food to the London Area Foodbank and another organization. Free will donations from our Members and Friends for produce raised more than $420 with proceeds going to the Foodbank. 

Cut Flower Garden: There is now a fledgling cutting garden on the south side of the building. This garden along with our other flower gardens provided some blooms for Sunday Services. 

Increasing our Visibility: Thanks to some hardcore pruning, our sign is now visible to those driving in from the south.

Wood Chips and Cardboard: We thank those who contributed cardboard towards our weed prevention initiative. 

70th Anniversary Garden Dedication: We dedicated one of our flower gardens in memory of  Drs. Amelia and Bill Wehlau, long time members of the UFL. We were pleased to have Allan Grose present when we dedicated our vegetable garden in his honour.  Allan gave many gifts of service to the UFL, including the creation and care of many outdoor projects  at the UFL.

Learning in the Garden: Our children dug and planted and enjoyed “crunchy peas” and carrots from our vegetable garden. They observed nature including a family of woodpeckers who made a home in one of our popular trees. 

As the cold weather begins, our many wonderful gardeners will take a well-deserved rest. 

With Gratitude, Bill Ratcliffe and Ann Klinck, Grounds Committee

Sunday Services

The theme is Justice

Doing What’s Right

Worship Leader, Bill Ratcliffe

Justice is doing what is right. Determining what is right relies on one's conscience. A justice seeking conscience relies on an open, positive, loving mind, empathy and good accurate information. 

Questions for Dialogue

  1. How do you determine what is right?
  2. For you, what can a Unitarian Universalist Faith Community do to foster a developed conscience which leads to striving for justice?
05 Nov
10:45 am - 11:45 am
Unitarian Fellowship of London
557 Clarke Road,London, ON N5V 2E1
Karma and being a good person will be featured in this talk

On Justice

Worship Leader: Bob Harrington

My reflection on Nov 12 on Justice will be based on the Hindu concept of karma and based on the well known Gayatri mantra.  It is mantra of praise to the spiritual Sun that enlightens each person’s consciousness.  I hope to show how the concept of justice works to expand our awareness and free our subconscious from annoying and depressing knots

12 Nov
10:45 am - 11:45 am
Unitarian Fellowship of London
557 Clarke Road,London, ON N5V 2E1
No event found!

Upcoming Events

Cemetary

Finding the Image Bearers

A Zoom presentation by Elizabeth Van Rij

Since August 2021, Elizabeth Van Rij has recovered more than 200 missing markers and taken over 36,000 photographs in Southwestern Ontario cemeteries.

 Join us online on All Souls Night (Nov 2, 2023)as she presents some of her most memorable finds. You will learn what inspired her to start this unusual hobby and why it has evolved into a vocation. Zoom link to follow.

02 Nov
7:00 pm
Online
Hands in the center with the text Gathered Here, A monthly check in for Young adult Unitarian Universalists (18 - 35)

Gathered Here – UU Young Adult Check In

Join other UU 18 to 35 year-olds on Zoom for sharing of joys and sorrows, deeper check-ins, prayerful reflections, and an opportunity to process the events of our lives with a spiritually grounded community. Each month we are joined by a member of the Young Adult Pastoral Care Team

These monthly gatherings have become highly valued touchstones in the lives of many young adults. While so much in our lives is unknown and unknowable, we can find comfort in familiar rituals and faces. By sharing our joys, our concerns, our sorrows and our gratitudes, we know ourselves to be held in a loving community. Exploring themes and spiritual practices helps us each remember our own creativity and resilience. We are all in this together, a part of a larger story. 

These are drop-in gatherings, so you don’t need to sign up in advance and there is no fee. See event details for zoom link.

14 Nov
8:00 pm
Online

Saddle Up Soiree

IT’S BACK! Yes folks the SERVICES AUCTION is back. We are dusting off the cobwebs hovering over the UNI-BUCKS, and creating and evening of fun, food and frolic. This year’s major fundraiser and community-building event will engage your imagination, ignite your passion for fun, satisfy your hunger, offer time to enjoy the company of your friends and provide you with an opportunity to generously support the Unitarian Fellowship of London.

Your free-will donation can be made by cheque or cash at the door on November 18th. Hmmm, the questions are: What SERVICE will you contribute to the auction and what items will you BID your $500 Uni-bucks to win? Auction Service forms will be available as of Sunday, October 16 th and must be submitted by November 5th.

This will be an in-person event being held at UFL. If you usually attend services by Zoom a ride can be arranged if you would like to attend in person. This year’s theme is Country Western so dig out your Boot Scootin’ attire and join in on this social evening of fellowship. Tune in for more information over the coming weeks.

SADDLE-UP SOIREE

Saturday, November 18th , 2023.

5:30 – 9:00 PM

This event is brought to you by the UFL Board of Executives, the Social Committee and the many volunteers who contribute their time, talent and gifts.

18 Nov
5:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Unitarian Fellowship of London
557 Clarke Road,London, ON N5V 2E1

Men’s Lunch Group at Family Circle Restaurant

A warm welcome is extended to men within our Congregation who would like to join other Unitarian Universalist men for food and conversation on Monday, November 20 at 1:00 pm., at the Family Circle Restaurant, at 147 Wellington St. London. 

The UU Men's Lunch Group meets monthly for lunch, on the third Monday. We have been trying different restaurants over the last year or so. We are returning to the Family Circle Restaurant until a decision can be made on the regular site, as well as, the day of the month and time of the day. Try to make this lunch so that as many as possible will be a part of this decision.

 As a reservation is made for each lunch, please email Tom Orchard, <tomjoyorchard@gmail.com>. if you plan to attend. Tom Orchard emails members of the group the week before the monthly lunch, to determine who will be attending. You may contact Tom Orchard or Bill Ratcliffe, wratcliffe@sympatico.ca, if you have any questions. Hope to see you at the next lunch.

20 Nov
1:00 pm
Family Circle Restaurant
147 Wellington St. London
No event found!