March 2025
March. Time to start counting the days until snowdrops, then crocuses, then daffodils poke their blooms up through the earth signaling the beginning of spring. With all the ice we got last week, spring can’t come too soon for me. The days are getting noticeably longer now (which at my house means that dinner has been getting later--my brain doesn’t switch into ‘time to cook mode’ until it starts getting dark outside, for some reason) and we’ll be setting our clocks forward in just over a week!
Our theme for March is generosity. We’ll be having our UUSGU stewardship drive this month, which means each Sunday there will be a congregant talking about generosity and stewardship. I will be doing one Time for All Ages on stewardship, but hope to spend the rest of the weeks on other aspects of generosity. When I was growing up, the church my family went to talked a lot about tithing. Strictly speaking, tithing means giving a tenth of what you earn to ‘the church’. That church (and others I’ve attended) also spent time talking about ‘first fruits giving’--not just tithing, but making sure that you gave the church the first tenth of what you earned. My father was the financial secretary for the congregation, so I was way more involved in the annual pledge drives than most 9-14 year olds.
But despite the calls for financial pledges that would go out every year, I didn’t grow up with the idea that generosity was primarily about money. Money is a very necessary thing for an organization to have--that’s how salaries get paid; that’s what keeps the heat on and (these days) the internet working; that’s what buys RE materials and art supplies, and printer paper. But money isn’t sufficient to keep UUSGU running. Money isn’t sufficient to keep any organization running. And no problem has ever been solved merely by throwing money at it.
What else does UUSGU need to function? Most importantly, people. People who participate. We have some very visibly talented members here at UUSGU--singers and musicians, teachers and storytellers, tech mavens, welcomers and greeters. We also have behind the scenes talent--coffee makers, cooks and bakers, our caring-card ministry, the membership team, buildings and grounds workers, the right relations team--all people who give their time behind the scenes to make sure that everything runs smoothly. These people also exemplify generosity. Whatever your level of time or talent, sharing that with UUSGU can be just as important as money. And we’ll always welcome more people in the RE department.
Last Week in Religious Education
We had a great time in RE Sunday. We wrapped up our EPIC curriculum unit, Caring Community, by talking about how different emotions (happiness, anger, sadness, anxiety) make us feel inside our bodies. We then listened to a few pieces of classical music and talked about what emotions the children felt like they were trying to express. I was very impressed that everyone came up with the emotion of pride/royalty for the movement of Pictures at an Exhibition called the Great Gate of Kiev. Mussorgsky really knows how to write emotions! Afterwards we blessed our RE space by blowing bubbles throughout the room. This concludes our EPIC program for the year--March’s one-room classroom session will be a Sunday Funday about UU Women’s history.
Come One, Come All to Mardi Gras!
This coming Sunday will be a multigenerational service celebrating Mardi Gras! We are asking everyone who wants to, to come in a costume! We’ll be having a parade during the service and plenty of great jazz music. After service, join us downstairs in the Fellowship Hall for tasty food (including some GF selections), mask-making, and games. I’ll be running the “Guess How Many Beads” table. Hope to see you there!
Youth Group
Our March Youth Group meeting will be held on March 9th at noon. Looking forward to seeing everyone for food, fun, and learning. A few youth are still missing their annual permission forms--please get those in if you haven’t already.
Family Game Night
Join us in the Fellowship Space for Family Game Night on March 16th at 4:30 p.m. Play one of our board games or bring a favorite one of yours. Dinner will be provided--this month we will have a salad and sandwich bar. We’ll provide sandwich rolls and GF wraps for making sandwiches. If you can volunteer to bring beverages, chips, or a dessert to share, please let me know at dre@uusgu.org . RSVP by March 14th at noon so we know how much food we need to buy. This is family- oriented activity, so all ages are welcome, but all children must bring an adult with them. (Adults are encouraged to bring a child or grandchild.)
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