Enter, Rejoice, and Come in...
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Welcome to the Fourth Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Westchester in Mohegan Lake, New York. We are a liberal religious community where members and friends gather to support each other in spiritual journeys and to give service to the wider world of which we are a part.
Our Mission: We are a caring and inclusive spiritual community of children, youth, and adults who honor differences and support open-minded spiritual exploration and ethical development. We celebrate life, nurture each other, and provide support in loving and open-hearted acceptance. We commit ourselves to social justice through action in our local community and the larger world. |
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Upcoming Services
Sunday January 13, 2019 - 10:30 AM
Lay-Led Service: The Social Justice Team "The Invisible Line of Social Justice" Sunday Morning Worship Canceled Due to Weather Sunday January 20, 2019 - 10:30 AM Minister-Led Service: Cindy Davidson "The Poor People's Campaign: a Necessary Revival" How shall we meet the challenges of carrying on the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.? Sunday January 27 - 10:30 AM TBD Sunday February 3 - 10:30 AM Lay-Led Service: Jim Nininger will lead the service, “Falling in Love” Bring-In Lunch: our monthly potluck lunch will follow the service on January 6. We will celebrate the New Year with food and conversation. Please bring a dish or dessert to share. Coffee will be provided. Sunday February 10 - 10:30 AM Lay-Led Service: Dorothy Bouman will lead, “The Love Service” Personal reflections by members and friends on the influence of love in their lives. Sunday February 17 - 10:30 AM Minister-Led Service: Cindy Davidson will lead the service. Upcoming Events
Guest at Your Table
Please bring in your donation box by January 20 in support of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC). Learn more at https://www.uusc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/UUSC-Stories-of-Hope-2018-19.pdf Zen Meditation Group Meets Every Saturday, 9:00 - 11:30 AM Led by Rev. Paul Silverman. Free and open to the public. Friday Meditation Group Friday January 11, 7:30 - 9:00 PM Our monthly meeting will begin with 20 minutes of silent meditation. Mark Finn, a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst, will lead "Our Lineages of Spiritual Friends." Discussion to follow. Tea and conversation. RSVP to Bob Schavrien (914-962-3737, schavrien@optonline.net). It's Party Time! Saturday January 26, 6:00 PM It's the Lose-Your-Winter-Blues potluck dinner and game night at the fourth UU (snow date Feb. 2). Bring a dish to share, BYOB, bring your favorite board game. Come and have a nice evening out with your family and friends. Journey Group The evening Journey Group will be meeting on selected Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30pm. For more information you may speak to Dorinda on Sunday, contact the Fourth Word (fourthword@fourthuu.org), or email minister Cindy Davidson (minister.cindy@fourthuu.org). |
Minister's Message
Forecasts are a good thing, right? With a wintry storm on the horizon, part of my life is feeling suspended as we wait through the probabilities of what may or may not materialize. Will we gather as a community this Sunday, or will we be getting our spiritual-and-religious needs met in our own ways from the comforts of our homes?
Because the mind can string together associations like this, the choral arrangement of “The Storm is Passing Over” has been cycling through mine. I sang it last year in a worship service with a choir of UU ministers and seminarians at the minister’s retreat. It’s a lively gospel piece, based on the hymn written by the Charles Albert Tindley, pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal tradition. I found myself wondering if the hymn had been a favorite of Martin Luther King, Jr., but haven’t yet found any such evidence. I did, however, learn a bit about Tindley, whose name you may know from Philadelphia’s Tindley Temple, now United Methodist. According to Hymary.org, Tindley (1851-1933) served there beginning in 1924 and grew the membership to about ten thousand people! A captivating preacher who took an active role in the betterment of the people in his community, his songs were an outgrowth of his preaching ministry. He often introduced them during his sermons; many have since spread through black and white churches. Tindley ministered to a multi-racial congregation and perhaps would be delighted to see how far and wide this particular song has spread and that it inspired this well-loved arrangement. I notice how different my experience is as a singer and as a listener, depending on who is singing it, at what tempo, or what purpose, and in what setting. There are several rousing renditions of “The Storm is Passing Over” on YouTube, so I invite you to do a little “research” of your own by checking out the ones I’m sharing here in particular. Listen and notice for the qualitative difference in energy and emotion and your experience: Which is most engaging for you? Which do you prefer – going to church or to a concert? Detroit Mass Choir: youtube.com/watch?v=5gjocs0Rj_o Stony Brook Chorale: youtube.com/watch?v=Q4be53jAvYw Youth Choir, All Saints Church, Pasadena, CA: youtube.com/watch?v=BdVlV5ruTVo Enjoy! With blessings for the journey, Cindy Our minister Cindy Davidson is generally - but not always - in the church office on Tuesday and Wednesday late mornings and afternoons, and available by appointment on other days. She can be reached by email at minister.cindy@fourthuu.org, and by cell phone and text at 978-431-0605
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Can't make it to a service? Don't miss a thing! Listen to our podcasts on your computer or phone.
Visit http://daviesjo.podbean.com/ or search for Fourth Unitarian Society of Westchester under Podcasts on your smart phone.
Visit http://daviesjo.podbean.com/ or search for Fourth Unitarian Society of Westchester under Podcasts on your smart phone.
