From Our Minister, Rev. Alison Miller

From Our Minister, Rev. Alison Miller

A healthy congregation is a dynamic community. Some aspects are constant, such as our purposes to gather for inspiration, to care for each other, to teach our children, and to serve the wider community. However, the way we achieve our purposes changes over time, and sometimes even our purposes change somewhat.

While Unitarian Universalists respect tradition, we also recognize the importance of innovation in matters of religion in order to remain relevant to rising generations, in emerging contexts, and through shifting demographics. As we sing together in one of our hymns, we hold to a "freedom that reveres the past, but trusts the dawning future more." (SLT, #145)

Our Fellowship has navigated and instigated many changes in its 66-year history. We were founded as a Unitarian congregation and became Unitarian Universalist in 1961 after the merger. We were founded as a part of the Fellowship movement, which planted lay-led communities around the country in the 1950s. We became a community of shared ministry among ministers, other religious professionals, staff, and the laity in 1962 with the vote to call our first settled minister. Leadership has been held up by many hands, including 43 elected lay presidents (from Marsh Steiding in 1955 up through Laurent Comes today) and 4 elected ordained ministers (from Charles Reinhardt, 1962 ? 67, to Clark Olsen, 1968 ? 78, to Paul Ratzlaff, 1980 ? 2002, to Alison Miller, 2005 ? present).

Our footprint has changed over time as well. We started out as renters in the downtown Y in 1955. In 1957, we bought and moved to our current property on Normandy Heights Road. In 1969, we added the Meeting Room off the back

of the mansion and moved the sanctuary there from its original position in the Terrace Room. In the 1980s, amongst other improvements, we took down walls to expand space for religious education classes. In 2019 - 21, we expanded our parking, made major improvements to our landscape, beautified our entrances, and added a playground. According to our plans, we will put on a new roof in 2022 and break ground on a new Addition in 2023 (Community Hall, Welcome Gallery, ADA Accessible Bathrooms, Modern Kitchen, 2 Classrooms).

These are just some of the changes our community has made happen. In each case, our wider community has come together through inclusive processes to imagine and plan for what we wanted to see emerge in our future. Most importantly, people have offered their time, talent, and treasure to turn those hopes into a reality. On Sun. Feb. 27th at 1pm on ZOOM, all members are invited to vote on our strategic plans, the dreams that so many of you have shared for our future.

There are six areas of shared ministry: 1.) Expanding community and congregational involvement, 2.) Enhancing and expanding socially responsible activities and service, 3.) Improving organization systems, 4.) Strengthening and expanding our Lifespan Learning Program, 5.) Creating effective outreach and publicity, and 6.) Improving the financial health and physical home of our congregation. Which areas will you help to become a reality? You are a part of the `WE' who will keep us moving forward.

In faith, Rev. Alison

Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

21 Normandy Heights Rd, Morristown, NJ 07960

February 2022 Newsletter

Mission and Covenant

Statement

We, the members of the Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, mindful of the rich diversity and essential oneness of human experience, covenant to weave the fabric of community from the strands of our separate lives.

MEET OUR STAFF

Minister Rev. Alison B. Miller...........amiller@

Administrator Katy Julich............................admin@

Director of Lifespan Religious Education Nick Wallwork...........................dre@

Director of Music Ministries Stearns Matthews....musicdirector@

Director of Communications & Digital Strategy Zoey Best.............communications@

Affiliated Community Minister Rev. Allen Wells...................awells@

Custodians Sergio Lopez-Rojas & Marili Quintos Alejos

This is our pledge:

To create for ourselves and our children a spiritual home which will nurture, challenge and offer us renewal

To seek what is true even as we celebrate the mystery of existence

To reach out to all who share our liberal religious values and participate in the broader Unitarian Universalist movement

To work for social justice and the well-being of our planet Earth

In This Issue... 3...............................DRE and Pastoral Care 4...................................EJTF/RAMP Update 5.......................................DRWWMF Article 6..............................................GEM Article

7.............................................COM Update 8.........................................Announcements 9......................................Discussion Groups 10....................................................Events 11.................................................Calendar

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February 2022 -- Volume 67, No. 2

FROM YOUR STAFF AT THE FELLOWSHIP

Rites of Passage

Recently I've been thinking about our Unitarian Universalist rites of passage. Our "official" ones, like Child Dedication, Coming of Age and Bridging, may come to mind first. The `Our Whole Lives' (OWL) program is also a right of passage in a way, with various stages of education. The first stage being kindergarten and 1st grade, then 4th and 5th, 7th and 8th, and finally 10th-12th grade. Many other religious traditions have rites of passage too; think of First Communions in Christianity or Bat and Bar Mitzvahs in Judaism. These aren't just for fun and parties; they are distinct societal rituals that mark growth into adulthood. We have rites of passage outside of our religious institutions as well- like our first baseball glove or broken bone. These communal rituals are essential to both our children and our own community. They signify developmental benchmarks that are known and understood by the community. They are anticipated and celebrated.

But once our children have bridged or graduated, our communal celebration of growing up often stops until our young people enter back into a family model with marriage or by starting a family. We often lack support and involvement for those transitioning in this period of life. As we begin to understand that adolescence continues well into our 20s and that Millennials are delaying marriage and family starting, to later in life (if at all), we need to continue to pay special attention to our recent bridgers and folks in their 20s and 30s.

All this is to say that we are developing some young adult groups and programs. Not to exclude them from the greater Fellowship, but offer them a place of their own to be (or stay) plugged into our community. We invite all young adults (the UUA designates young adults as folks aged 1835) to join us for a virtual coffee hour on the first Sunday of the month at 12:30. Our first meeting will be on February 6th. Some of our young adults will lead it. Hopefully as we move into warmer weather, we can meet outside. Please spread the word and Young Adults, I hope to see you there. Nick Wallwork, Director of Religious Education

Nick and Youth During `Time for all Ages' at a Sunday Service in January

Would you like to make an appointment with our Senior Minister for pastoral care, to become a member, to plan a milestone ceremony, or about something else?

You can schedule an appointment with Rev. Alison Miller at a time that works for your schedule on her calendar here: alisonmiller. You can also set up an appointment via email, amiller@, or by calling the main office at 973-540-1177

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Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

LIVING OUR UU PRINCIPLES

The Environmental Justice Task Force of UU Faith Action The Seven Principles of

NJ Will Spend February Deciding on What Facets of Our

Environmental Issues to Focus on in 2022

Unitarian Universalism

"We Seek to Educate, Advocate and Mobilize. Seeking Environmental Justice for All."

(simplified)... 1. Inherent Worth & Dignity of

Q: What's already holding our focus this year?

Everyone

A: For one, the administration's actions thus far have given 2. Justice, Equality &

environmentalists second thoughts about the governor's second-term commitment to safeguard our air and water.

3. Compassion

In an excellent Opinion piece in January's `NJ Spotlight News', a longtime member of EJTF and an environmental lawyer Bill

4. Acceptance

& Encouragement

Porter challenged our Governor to "...tear down this wall

of Spiritual Growth to All

blocking effective regulation of the climate-busting projects headed our way".

5. Support Democracy

6. Improve the Global

On Jan. 19, `Empower NJ', a coalition of environmental groups, of which UU Faith Action NJ is a part, filed a lawsuit against the administration, the reason being yet another DEP denial of a petition last month seeking to speed up actions to fight climate change and to restrict new fossil fuel projects in New Jersey. We still have much work to do.

Community 7. Respect for the Interdependent

Web of All Existence

A NEW YA GROUP!

Young Adult Coffee Hour.

1st Sundays at 12:30pm on Zoom

Are you a young adult? Join our new young adult coffee hour. Grab some coffee or tea and join us for a wide range of discussions

Contact: Annie Davis or The Fellowship Office with questions

Stay up to date with us? "Like", "Follow", and "Subscribe"

Photos from a December UUFaithAction Rally Outside of the Statehouse in Trenton. Our Fellowship was Represented by Tom and Leslie Moran, Jami Thall, Judie Romano and Toby Tyler

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February 2022 -- Volume 67, No. 2

DEEPER ROOTS, WIDER WINGS, MOVING FORWARD!

"We dreamed all this together as a congregation, and the various boards, incarnations of DRWW and Gateways along the way have co-held this with transparency, care and discernment right along with you - the entire congregation, the whole way. This is how it will continue to be moving forward. Step by step, accompanying each other through the twists and turns and celebrating the happy surprises along the way. We've got this!"

DRWW Moving Forward... The Third Trimester of The Campaign is Upon Us!

Some forty-four years ago John and I were pregnant with our first child, Claire. She was born in July and without air conditioning I felt the heat of the Summer more intensely than most previous Summers. I maintained a big belly for all nine months; and despite the fact that my mother had never delivered early for her twelve pregnancies, I swore to whomever would listen that I was going to deliver early. Nine days past the due date and after a few labor checks; the real thing started. Twenty-eight hours later baby Claire was born. It was no longer just the two of us... it was three, and within fourteen more months another daughter Kara, made it an even four. Our world changed... it broadened... and deepened. Despite our worries we made it through and are blessed for having opened ourselves up to the adventure.

At our last DRWW Steering Committee Meeting the team realized that we, our community, was experiencing all the emotions that parents-to-be feel when they are ready to bring a new baby into the world: the thrill of meeting the little one, the aches and fatigue of the long nine-month journey, the wonder and anticipation of the new role that will soon be undertaken. Questions arise: "Will we be ok? What will this new normal be like? Will we measure up as new parents?" In our final phase of this long-anticipated capital project there is excitement, anticipation, and fear. "Will our new space really add something to our congregation's life? How will we share it with the larger community?

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Long ago, at a parenting lecture at the girls' pre-k, I was reminded that one of the greatest risks in life is to bring a child into the world. For sure, little ones come with no manual, no guarantee, and no return policy! Any new endeavor requires living with uncertainty and it isn't easy. Within a bit more than a year from now, we will participate in the groundbreaking of our addition... we will witness the birth of what we have longed for... a space to hold our learning, our growing, and our sharing within our congregation and without... to the larger community.

Our Rev. Alison continually reminds us of our capacity for generosity and creativity, our perseverance and determination, our can-do ability to live our values and make good things happen in this part of the world and beyond. She believes in us. So, I say..." let's feel all our feelings... fear, concern, anticipation, wonder, gratitude and joy. We can do this... we have each other... the adventure is ours! "

Sincerely, Kathy Solu, for the Steering Committee

PS. The DRWW Visitors are making their calls to each of you. If you do not hear from someone please reach out by emailing DRWW@ or calling Paul or Helene Ferm to make an appointment. We look forward to speaking with you!

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