Statement of Principle 

We light a chalice for the people of the United States of America. We grieve the assault on democracy by domestic extremists leading an insurrection in Washington, D.C, and stand with our American UU communities in condemning all attempts to delay or overturn the results of a democratic election. As Unitarian Universalists our fifth principle is the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large. Every voice matters. Every vote counts. May democracy be restored to the United States.

So Say We All.
Blessings,
Fiona

In lieu of a Mitten Tree this year, we encourage your participation in Coldest Night Of The Year

It's cold out there. On February 20, our team is going to do something about it.
Together with thousands of Canadians across the country, we're fundraising to support and serve people and families experiencing homelessness, hurt, and hunger in our community. Please, give generously by following this link. Thanks!
 
https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/donate.aspx?eventid=345750&teamID=933385
 
Consider joining the UCM Team in order to increase your opportunity to help this important initiative.
This year, the Mississauga Meadowvale event, which benefits The Dam, will be completely virtual.
This will give us the opportunity to walk according to our individual schedules and needs.
 
Contact Kathleen for further information DLL@uucm.ca.

Scam Alert 

Rev. Fiona’s name is being used by email scammers this week. In future it may be another member of our congregation.

You may receive scam emails from staff or members asking for help and/or to buy gift cards or to do a discreet request. Do NOT respond. If it seems from an unusual email please double-check the address. Just remember that Fiona only uses two email addresses: minister@uucm.ca and fjheath12@gmail.com.

If you are concerned that the member needs help, please phone them directly (do not respond to the email) or check with Rev. Fiona.

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.

Wendy Shusterman in the news!

Please read the attached article about our very own Wendy Shusterman and for info on how to donate to Pathways for our Christmas Eve Service:

https://www.mississauga.com/opinion-story/10291462-mississauga-woman-adapts-children-s-breakfast-program-despite-covid/
 

Rev. Fiona's Sabbatical Leave

After six and half years with us, Rev. Fiona is taking a three-month sabbatical leave from February 1^st​ ^​ 2021 to April 27^th​^​, 2021, with the approval of the Board.

A sabbatical is a very old concept that relates to a period of rest or change. The root is from the word “Sabbath”, meaning the day of rest. Unitarian Universalist congregations grant their ministers a sabbatical period with full pay in recognition of the intensity of their work. The result is a renewal of the ministers’ outlook, new directions of thought and growth of vision. 

Our contract with Rev. Fiona states: 
1.1 Sabbatical Leave: One month for each year of service. Leave may be taken as early as the fourth year. The board must approve the dates of the sabbatical leave at least six (6) months in advance. Congregation pays for return travel expenses in the event of an emergency. The Minister commits to remain in the ministry of this congregation for at least six (6) months after sabbatical leave. 
 
A Sabbatical Task Force has been created to serve as a resource for the congregation during Rev. Fiona’s time away. The Task Force consists of Joan Ashdown, Chair, John Needham (Personnel), Kathy Scott, (Worship Chair) Collette Dowhaniuk (Board Co-President), and DLL Kathleen Sorenson. 

Rev. Ben Robins has been hired by the committee and will lead Sunday Services and provide pastoral care as needed. Committees will continue to report to their Board Liaisons as usual.

Ben Robins is a newly ordained UU Minister who is currently working part-time as the DRE working with youth at the Unitarian Fellowship of Peterborough. Ben completed his Ministerial internship at First Unitarian Church in Hamilton. He has been a guest speaker at Toronto First, Neighbourhood, Grand River, Durham, Peterborough, Hamilton and Unicamp. He is an inspired speaker and will bring great enthusiasm and energy to the Sabbatical Minster position.
 
During the sabbatical Rev. Fiona will be away in British Columbia supporting her parents and spend the remainder of her time in rest and renewal, working on creative projects. She says “As much as I love this work and am grateful to be your minister, I’m ready for an extended time to rest so that I can seek out the larger horizon of Unitarian Universalism and all its possibilities. It’s a gift to have this time of restoration.” 
 
We wish Rev. Fiona all the very best for a fulfilling, restorative Sabbatical. We warmly welcome Rev. Ben Robins to our UCM community.

Joan Ashdown
Chair of the Sabbatical Task Force

UU Midwinter Retreat - Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021

This is the 32^nd year in which Ontario UUs have gathered for a February retreat. This year’s retreat will be different, for obvious reasons. It will be online, for one day only: Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021. As usual, there will be a keynote speaker - Liz James, the founder of the Unitarian Universalist Hysterical Society and its famous Coffee Hour Facebook page - interesting workshops on a variety of topics, and a social evening featuring a cabaret, games and conversation.

You can find the most up-to-date information on the web at https://uumidwinterretreat.blogspot.com/

Download the PDF

Missing UCM folks as the Holidays draw near?

With the holiday season fast approaching people are more apt to want to be social with others. If you want to keep in touch with other UCM member and friends please use our Zoom account. Just call or email Tisa in the office with your preferred date and time and she can set up the meeting for you. Use this as a chance to talk about a book, watch a YouTube video together or just wish someone holiday greetings.

Zoom Helpers Needed 

Do you miss the good times at UCM on a Sunday morning? If you enjoy chatting with people and are comfortable with Zoom, consider becoming a Zoom Greeter. We are looking for a couple of people who can act as virtual greeters - welcoming people during the pre-service and managing the break out rooms after the service.
 
If you understand computers, we are in need of Zoom Support - people who can manage the powerpoint and play the audio and video files. Training will be provided and we use a detailed script for guidance on Sundays.
 
Please contact Rev. Fiona at minister@uucm.ca for more details.

Social Justice Notes

The Compass Food Bank  is in need

Donate at:
3121 Universal Drive, 
Mississauga ON L4X 2E2

www.themississaugafoodbank.org

Anti Racism

For a list of anti racism articles, videos and books, go to the Nurturing Inclusivity section of the UCM website:  https://uucm.ca/nurturing-inclusivity/

Read about Amnesty International Letter and Other Petitions

Find out about The Compass

Check out  https://uucm.ca/social-justice/ to learn more about how you can help.

Nurturing Inclusivity: 

This year our educational focus is “Nurturing Inclusivity”, deepening our understanding of systemic racism and the inherent bias that has been internalized in Canadian society. 
 
We are seeking to deepen our understanding of the impact of racism on racialized people, so that we may develop as Unitarian Universalists.  As a community, we are working to enlarge our circle in ways that are welcoming of people of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds.  This work can be uncomfortable, but it is also rewarding; an opportunity to grow in spirit and develop meaningful connections with others. Please check our Nurturing Inclusivity webpage and our Event webpage.

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

Covenant of Right Relations

We, the members of the Unitarian Congregation in Mississauga, affirm a Covenant of Right Relations. As Unitarian Universalists, we come freely into community, guided by our seven principles and nourished by the six sources.

In good faith, we covenant to:

• Assume good intentions, recognize impact
• Listen deeply and seek understanding.
• Appreciate each person’s contributions.
• Communicate directly with people when differences exist.
• Speak to and about people with empathy and respect.
• Seek peaceful and constructive resolutions to conflict.
• Ask for help when we need help in dealing with situations.
• Forgive each other and ourselves when mistakes are made.

Affirmed at the Annual Meeting, June 2016.

A Message from the Personnel Committee 

Our Safe Steps policy helps the congregation be attuned to right relations between members. The policy, which is currently being updated, ensures that we take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of adults and children alike.
 
During this pandemic time we are reminded that many people are facing stressful home situations. We hear reports in the media about increases in intimate partner assault and child abuse. Financial stressors and tight living situations mean that tempers can flare more easily. If you are in a situation where you feel you might need some help, here are some local agencies that can help:
 
The Children’s Aid Society for the Region of Peel, now assisting families with children up to the age of 18: (905) 363-6131
Assaulted Women’s Helpline: (416) 863-0511
24/7 Crisis Support Peel Line: (905) 278-9036
 

Youtube livestreaming of the Sunday Service is back 

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.

S M I L E!

There has been a lot of discussion over the last few months about how we are missing simple things like a gentle touch, or a hug, or even a playful nudge. However, there is also another aspect of our new reality that there hasn’t been a lot of discussion about – the challenges of living in a world where we are masked. 
 
To give a brief background, there is a facial expression called the Duchene Smile, where the corners of the mouth turns up, the cheeks rise, and the eyes slightly narrow causing crows’ feet to appear. This smile demonstrates warmth, sincerity, credibility and shows others not to fear us. In short, it makes us feel good.

If you have been out in public lately, you probably know where this is going. Wearing masks, mask our smiles and changes our fundamental feelings of safety. A recent study shows that we receive any information with a more pessimistic slant if it is delivered by someone whose lower face is covered. We are more liable to assume negativity, less engagement, and even an exponentially worse diagnosis if our physician is masked. It also means that we miss many of the nuances of expression that indicate, “I’m sorry”, “Forgive me”, “I’m confused”, and even “I like you”. Our hard-wired communication systems depend on all these indicators and is short circuited if they are not available.

So, what can we do about this? Well if it is safe, don’t wear a mask if you want to fully communicate with someone – social distance can be an option. Where that is not responsible, try to be aware of what you can do with your eyes and your voice that can help. We have lots to learn from our veiled sisters about how to communicate effectively under those conditions. They suggest exaggerating inflection in our voices and paying attention to how our eyes express our mood. Finally, don’t forget the rest of our body language like stance, hand movements – for example, palms open and facing up is less threatening than closed fists.
 
In closing there is a simple way of dealing with this – wear a button with a picture of yourself is full Duchene Smile! It seems that we have the ability to cut and paste a smile from another location unto the mask. If you deal with others while wearing a mask – this is important.  It will make others feel better and you will feel better too.

UU at Home

One way to stay connected with Unitarian Universalism is to create a UU space in your home that you can turn to for exploration or contemplation. This might be a shelf or corner table or a box.  It can be as simple or as elaborate as you like, just a chalice and tea light, or decorated with other images and objects that have meaning for you. You might have a book of poems or essays near by or use a favourite website or twitter handle.  Use the UUA Worship Web app or sign up for the weekly Braver/Wiser message.  Families can use these UU World activity pages. Take time every day or once a week to light the chalice, to sit and breathe and be, and care for your spirit. Or find a special "sit spot" outside and visit it often to build your connections to all that is.  Unitarian Universalism is about belonging to the earth and celebrating the mystery - we celebrate together on a Sunday morning but you can also experience this in your daily living through practicing intention and attention.

I look forward to hearing about your "at-home" explorations!

Rev. Fiona

Contributing to UCM

Those of you who would like to make a contribution to UCM at this time can do it one of several ways. You can go to the UCM website (www.uucm.ca) and donate through PayPal or credit card. Just choose the Pledge or Donate link (it’s orange) on the home page.  Or you can do an Interac e-transfer through your bank to payment@uucm.ca (please note that payment is singular). Choose a password that is easy to interpret, e.g., short form of our congregation or first name of our minister. Or you can mail a cheque into the office.
 
If people need to suspend their PAD agreements at this time, they should send an email to donations@uucm.ca or call Joan Hill, our Finance Chair, at 905-891-3951.

Minister's Discretionary Fund

Rev. Fiona manages a small fund that is available to help congregants in short term need with costs like groceries or a bill payment. If you need a little extra help during this economic crash, please reach out to the minister.

Those with stable finances are welcome to contribute to the fund, please note Minister’s Discretionary Fund on your contribution or contact Joan Hill for details.

Blessings,
Fiona

Audio Reflections are now on the Website and YouTube

We have created another way you can stay connected with UCM while we are in virtual mode for the next little while: Rev Fiona's reflections for the past three months have all been posted to the UCM website as audio files!  
 
Our new digital sound system which we purchased last Fall creates excellent quality audio recordings of our Sunday services. UCM members Rya Khan and Marc Xuereb are creating edited recordings of Rev Fiona's reflections each Sunday.

Brigitte Twomey has redesigned a portion of our website that enables you to listen to a reflection while reading the full text. Go to the Reflections Archive on our website (https://uucm.ca/reflections-archive/) to see the latest recordings along with the text of the reflections. The reflections have also been added to our UCM YouTube channel. 
 
On a related note, we can also create edited recordings of portions of the services on demand for members. Just ask Rya or Marc if want a recording of the choir's performance, for example or a special section of the service that spoke to you.

Marc Xuereb

Sexual harassment excludes women from public life
Renu Mandhane, Chief Commissioner, Ontario Human Rights Commission

Le harcèlement sexuel : un acte qui relègue les femmes à la marge de la vie publique

Par : Renu Mandhane, commissaire en chef, Commission ontarienne des droits de la personne