Who to Ask?

With the departure of Rev. Fiona, we will all need to make an effort to keep the lines of communication clear.

If you are planning any activity, contact Tisa, our Office Administrator, to ensure the date and space are available.

If you have a request for Sunday, including planning an after service activity, contact the Worship Committee in the loop by emailing worship@uucm.ca.
The Service Leader of that Sunday will respond.

If you are planning a family, youth or adult activity, contact Caitlyn, our Family Life Coordinator, for support and to avoid conflicts with already scheduled events. flc@uucm.ca

If you are planning a public event that requires funding and tickets, contact the Finance Committee at finance@uucm.ca, for budget support.

If you have a property issue, contact the Property Committee, at property@uucm.ca
 
Events are most successful when planned several months in advance with the involvement of staff and the Communications Committee, communications@uucm.ca.

Update from Rev. Fiona

I am just sending a quick note to say that we have settled into our temporary home in Kingston. It's a big change from the hustle and bustle of the GTA!  We have received a warm welcome from friends and I am getting ready to focus on writing, beginning with a poetry class. Tikko is still with us, wagging his tail but moving ever more slowly.

I know good things are on your horizon, many blessings and best wishes to you all!
 
Fiona

Pastoral Note

It is with sorrow that I share the news that Dr. Richard "Dick" Berry, passed away on Sunday, May 14th. Dick, along with his late wife Carole, was a member of UCM since 1977. 

He is survived by his two daughers Susan and Andrea and four grandchildren, Alison, Edwin, Ruby and Garrett. 
 
Messages of sympathy may be sent to Susan Berry at 316 Pinegrove Road, Oakville, ON, L6K 3R1. 

The family is holding a Celebration of Life on Saturday, June 10th at 1:30 PM at UCM's Great Hall with a visitation beginning at 12:30 PM.

An obituary can be found at https://www.arbormemorial.ca/en/scott-brampton

In sympathy,
 
Sheila Bjarnason, Chair, UCM Caring Circle

AGM Membership List

In preparation for our upcoming UCM Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Sunday, June 4th following the service,
a list of all 100 members who may vote at that meeting has been posted on our main hall bulletin board.

If you are not sure of your status, please check the list.

Our Whole Lives (OWL)
Grades 4-6

Our Whole Lives is a progressive, comprehensive lifespan sexuality education program based on the principles of self-worth, sexual health, responsibility, justice, and inclusivity. OWL helps people of all ages make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behaviour and affirms parents and caregivers as their children's primary sexuality educators. The program provides accurate, developmentally appropriate information about a range of topics in six subject areas:

• Relationship
• Human development
• Personal skills
• Sexual behaviour
• Sexual health
• Society & culture

In Fall 2023 (September-October), the Unitarian Congregation in Mississauga is looking to run Grades 4-6 (elementary school) curricula. The facilitators will be Pamela Smith-Loeters and Caitlyn Seale, Family Life Coordinator. Times will be determined by attendees' availability. If you are interested in learning more about the OWL program or have a child in grades 4-6/ages 9-12, please reach out to Caitlyn at flc@uucm.ca.

Worship Notes

Your service leaders have been busy planning all the services until the end of June. There will be many special services - Soul Music with Abigail and the choir, a youth service with Caitlyn, the Flower Ceremony and much more. You won't want to miss a Sunday!

The summer services are also being planned and it looks like we will have six salon style services in July and August; the long weekends as usual, will be at rest.

If you have any questions about worship please contact worship@uucm.ca.

Upcoming CUC Events

UU Connecting 
Sunday, May 28, 2023, 7:00 pm ET (1.5 hours)
Sunday, June 18, 2023
This monthly event led by Unitarian Universalist (UU) young adults Xenia and Zoë, will be a warm and welcoming space for UUs, and those interested in connecting with UUs, to meet, mingle, reconnect, and make new friends.

Gatherings will include time in breakout rooms to meet each other and talk about involvement in UUism. They may have questions to discover shared interests, and may include sharing of spiritual practices and learning about other UU community opportunities. Though it is led by young adults, UUConnecting is open to UU of all ages (those under 18 should have a parent/guardian present with them).

Registration is not required.

You can use this link to join UUConnecting: https://bit.ly/UUConnectingZoom

For those who are phoning in, Zoom’s toll-free number is 1-855 703 8985 Canada Toll-free
Meeting ID: 825 4047 0126
Passcode: 147663

More information is available here.

Gathered Here
Monday, June 12, 2023, 8:00 p.m. ET

Gathered Here is a monthly online check-in for Canadian Unitarian Universalist young adults. 

Join other UU 18-35 year-olds on Zoom (a video-conferencing platform) 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 are drop-in style gatherings, so you don’t need to sign up in advance and there is no fee. 

More information is available here.

Safe Step

In the spirit of healing and growing, we would like to highlight the Safe Steps policy created by the Unitarian Congregation in Mississauga. If you feel like you need to speak to anyone about situations that have happened, the Safe Steps policy can point you in the right direction.

Donations to UCM

If you would like to make a financial contribution electronically to UCM, please do so at: https://uucm.ca/donation/
or via bank transfer to payment@uucm.ca

Please indicate whether these funds are for the current year or next year’s Operating Budget or for some other purpose. Thank you for your generosity.

Has Your Contact Info Changed?

Have you moved recently? Changed your email address or phone number? Please remember to let Tisa in the UCM office know so that we can keep such information current: admin@uucm.ca

2022-23  Education Focus:  Healing and Growing Monthly Wellness Series  

We will be exploring different forms of wellness as we encourage one another in a year of healing and growing. Each month we will have an all ages family service focused on wellness, followed by activities for children, junior youth and youth, while adults meet in small groups to discuss the wellness theme. Resources on the monthly topic will be posted monthly to the website.

September 2022:        Good Learning - Intellectual Wellness is a hot topic, as we learn how to distinguish fact from fake news and read media with a critical lens.

October 2022:             We are Better Together - Social Wellness means having a robust and supportive social group that offers a sense of secure belonging.  This month we celebrate the value of community.

November 2022:        You are the Earth - Environmental Wellness – taking care of earth - helps us and the planet live with health and harmony.

December 2022:         Loving Hearts - Developing Emotional Wellness means we are able to be vulnerable and open with loved ones, and can name and manage our feelings and handle conflict constructively.

January 2023:             Abundant Life -  Financial Wellness is a necessary evil in this time as we are so dependent on money to live. This month we explore how the way we think about money impacts on our sense of abundance.

February 2023:           Weaving the Web - A system that is functioning in a way that allows people to thrive and focus on their tasks exhibits Organizational Wellness.

March 2023:               You are Whole and Holy - Developing Spiritual Wellness means we feel part of something bigger than ourselves, whether that is God, the universe or the mystery.  We know our core values and beliefs.

April 2023:                  Good Bodies - Physical Wellness focuses on embodiment – on the joys of being in our bodies, moving in the world.

May 2023:                   Happy Minds - In our final theme, we look at Mental Wellness and caring for ourselves even when our brains are struggling with distorted thoughts caused by depression, anxiety or other illness.

Voices UUnited

Our UCM Choir, Voices UUnited, is resuming rehearsals If you love to sing, please join us! No previous experience or music reading abilities necessary!

Youtube livestreaming of the Sunday Service 

If you have trouble logging onto Zoom, you can watch the service on our youtube channel. To view a livestream you must subscribe to our UCM channel. The livestream begins around 10:25am and ends with the benediction. It is available for a short time on Sunday and then is removed. Clips from Rev. Fiona's reflections and prerecorded videos will be uploaded later in the week.

Don't forget to watch past services on the channel (every view helps our profile!) and send links to friends who might need this life sustaining community.

The Reverend Mark Mosher DeWolfe Sermons

We have created a collection of webpages on our UCM website featuring The Reverend Mark Moshe DeWolfe sermons. This is such a wonderful opportunity to showcase his sermons as many Unitarians all through Canada and the States admire him. You will be able to listen, read and see some annotated or handwritten sermons in PDFs. We have approximately 50 sermons to upload so come back and check frequently. Enjoy!
Please visit www.uucm.ca/mark-dewolfe-sermons/
Brigitte Twomey