Live Stream Service Here Danielle Lopez will give our Story for All Ages. Janet Watts will be our Worship Associate.
Music will be provided by Mark Farnham, Regina Ruopoli, David Ray,and Ryan Pagels.
As always, the Annex is open to ages 5 and under
from 10 AM-12:15 PM. Sign up to be a Sunday Fellowship Facilitator!
Participants gather for an hour to practice insight meditation and discuss various aspects of the meditative path and its interplay with our lives.
10 AM
Forum - Lower Gage Hall
Jen Gerrish
"Alea iacta est". . .Or Was It? Julius Caesar and Historical Inevitability
Constitutional crises do not occur overnight. This presentation will look at two moments in Julius Caesar's career at which his dictatorship and assassination might have been prevented, even as they started to appear inevitable: his crossing of the Rubicon in 49 BCE and his quadruple triumph in 46 BCE.
Jennifer Gerrish is Associate Professor of Classics at the College of Charleston. She has published widely on Roman historiography and specializes in the historiography of civil war and the end of the Roman Republic.
COMMUNITY & CHURCH NEWS
A Message from Reverend Rebecca
Update - We are now 46% of our way to our goal of 100% participation. Imagine what we can do if everyone pledges!
Our Breeze database now allows us to send text message reminders and alerts to our members. We'd like to use this feature occasionally to send alerts concerning weather-related closures, and reminders of important events and deadlines.
On Monday, March 10, members and friends will receive a text from 87447 asking if you'd like to receive texts from the church.
To opt in to future Church texts, reply YES. To opt-out of those messages at any time, reply with STOP and you will be removed from all future messaging.
.You can also opt out of texting by emailing erika@charlestonuu.org or log into your Breeze profile, go to the mobile phone and mark it as "Do Not Text."
If you want to be on our text list but didn't get an opt-in text, please email us with your mobile phone number. We'll add it to your record.
For more information about Breeze texting, visit https://www.breezechms.com/legal/terms-of-service. Message and data rates may apply.
THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE NEEDS YOU!
The Nominating Committee invites you to nominate yourself or another member of the church to serve by being a leader on the Vestry Board or the Endowment Investment Board (EIB). You will work closely with the Minister, Staff, respective Board members, and others to help determine the direction of our beloved church at a challenging time in our history. Explore the roles of the Vestry Board and EIB HERE and picking up FAQ sheets from Committee members. Let any member of the Nominating Committee know who you're nominating before the March 23, 2025, deadline or email Lisa Hajjar at hajjarlm@gmail.com. Members of the Nominating Committee are Lisa Hajjar (Chair), Abby Himmelein, Ginny Morgan, and Amy Hudock.
In this current political climate, with democracy under threat and resistance efforts rising across the country, many of us are wondering what we can do to help. As we figure it out, it will be important for each of us to be educated and grounded.
Join Rev. Rebecca in a 4-part book series on Civil Resistance.
We will meet one Saturday a month at 10 am in Gage Hall (March 22, April 26, May 31, and June 28). Read as many or as few of the books as you like - come to one session or come to them all!
ONE WEEK FROM SATURDAY
* March 22: Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know by Erica Chenoweth
* April 26: History Teaches Us to Resist: How Progressive Movements Have Succeeded in Challenging Times by Mary Frances Berry
* May 31: Revive Us Again: Vision and Action in Moral Organizing by The Rev. Dr. William Barber II
* June 28: No Straight Road Takes You There by Rebecca Solnit
Volunteer opportunities at
Lowcountry Food Bank and James Island Outreach
Our church has a long history of volunteering with the Lowcountry Food Bank (LCFB), primarily the Backpack Buddies program or other activities sorting/packing food for distribution to folks with food insecurity throughout coastal SC. Due to scheduling issues last spring, we are on a different schedule than we’d had for years. From January to May, we will volunteer on the 2nd Thursday of each month and starting in June, we go back to our 3rd Saturday schedule.
The LCFB is located at 2864 Azalea Drive, North Charleston. You may watch a volunteer orientation HERE. Close-toes shoes required.
For those who work weekdays, we have a current Saturday volunteer opportunity to help at James Island Outreach (JIO) on the 1st Saturday of each month. This is primarily outdoor work at the produce tent assisting people gather produce in bags, help carry food to their cars, and cleaning up.
JIO is located at 1872 Camp Rd, James Island. To learn more go HERE. Children 12 and older may volunteer with their parents.
We are asking for up to 4 volunteers to work at JIO on the 1 st Saturday of each month from 8:30-11:30 through May 2025.
We are asking for at least 10 volunteers to work at the LCFB on the 2nd Thursday of each month from 9-12.
The Unitarian Church in Charleston is pleased to host a monthly Death Cafe. At a Death Cafe people gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death. The objective is "to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives." To learn more about Death Cafes in general, click here.
For more information about our event, please reach out to Scott Morgan at wsm371@gmail.com
WEDNESDAY, March 19
Amidst the challenges facing our nation, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and disheartened. To counter this, we invite you to a monthly potluck supper and discussion focused on "What's New and What's Good?"
Let's share the latest news and positive developments that inspire hope and action. This is an opportunity to connect, find support, and discover ways to contribute to positive change.
WEDNESDAY, March 19;
7 PM - Gage Hall
Choir meets on Wednesdays
from 6:45 PM-8:15 PM,
and Sundays at 10am
(when Choir is present).
If you're interested in singing in the choir, please contact Ryan at ryan@charlestonuu.org.
Everyone is welcome to join!
THURSDAY, March 20; 6 PM
68 Calhoun Street, Main Library, Meeting Room A
These sessions focus on deep listening and spiritual reflection. If you have been looking for a way to explore your spirituality, share resources, and connect with new people, this is the group for you!
SAVE THE DATE
The next Alliance Rummage Sale will be Saturday, March 22, 9:00 am-12:00 pm. We need your donations of items in good condition. The preferred time to bring donations to Gage Hall is 9:00 am to 1:00 pm on Friday, March 21. As well, items can be left in the marked areas behind the curtain on the stage from March 17-20. Questions can be addressed to Diane Boyer (text 843-469-9999).
We also need you and your family and friends to come on March 22 and SHOP! Because of fundraising activities of the Alliance, we have been able to donate to the Stewardship Campaign and other UCC and community projects. We need and appreciate the support of UCC members for the work of the Alliance!
SATURDAY, March 22; 6 PM
Calling all Millennials and Gen Z'ers! Get ready for a dinner party that's anything but basic. Leave the formalities at the door and come prepared to connect, laugh, and maybe even learn a new dance move or two. This is a space for the young and the young at heart to celebrate good food, good company, and the good vibes of our generations. Please RSVP HERE.
Location will be shared when you RSVP.
Contact Danielle Lopez for more info.
Join SCUUJA for a Book Group on the UUA’s Common Read: Authentic Selves
SCUUJA is excited to offer a book group on Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families, edited by Peggy Gillespie. From the UUA: “This year’s Common Read invites the reader and study groups to learn about transgender people and their lives from thirty-five people who fall somewhere on the spectrum of our gender diversity, and from their families.…The stories shared in the pages of this UU Common Read are lessons for each of us on what that type of authenticity looks like, and how we can each seek it in our own lives.” The book is available for purchase through the UUA online bookstore. It is also available on Kindle, and wherever books are sold.
Book Group Details:
We will meet for four Tuesdays from 7:00 to 8:30 pm on Zoom starting 4/1, then meeting on 4/8, 4/15, and 4/22. Rev. Jean will lead the group.
This group is open to people of all genders, including cisgender and transgender people, queer people, and intersex people.
MONDAY, April 7; 6:30 PM Social Justice Potluck Gage Hall
What to learn more about Social Justice initiatives at our Church like CAJM (Charleston Area Justice Ministry)? Please bring yourself, your family, your friends and a dish to share for our
Social Justice Potluck
If you are new or unfamiliar with CAJM, here’s an opportunity to learn all about this important organization doing good work right here in our community.
If you’ve been with CAJM for a while, come celebrate UU’s longstanding support and participation in CAJM.
We have a number of exciting opportunities in addition to CAJM – come hear more about all that is going on for Social Justice in your congregation!
Worthy Now:
If you are interested in a social justice opportunity that you can do right from your own favorite chair, we would like to share an organization called Worthy Now (https://worthynow.org). This is a UU organization out of Boston that connects UUs with incarcerated UU individuals for letter writing support. Currently, there are over 100 incarcerated UUs who need a pen pal. For more information please reach out to Amy Bradshaw: amariahiel@gmail.com, or Priscilla Shumway: pshumway@duneproperties.com
Book of Life
Our Book of Life is a shared journal in which we record the significant events of our lives, (births, deaths, celebrations, transitions and other joys and sorrows).
Entries are read aloud during the Meditation portion of the service. All are welcome to participate.
The physical book is kept at the front of the church near the pulpit, and entries can be written in there as well.
If you cannot attend service, any Book of Life entries that you would like our minister to share should be sent to Marcia Castano at marciapate5@gmail.com by Saturday evenings at 6:00 p.m. Marcia will then pass them along to be read on Sunday morning.
Here For You Please don't hesitate to reach out to your church in times of need.
Minister's Discretionary Fund
For assistance with your expenses, contact Rev. Rebecca Hinds at rebecca@charlestonuu.org
Last Week's Livestream
Join our Private Facebook Group for Members Only
Members, please participate in our private members-only group on Facebook! Also, remember to “like” our main pageon Facebook for more news and updates there.
Interested in joining our wonderful church community?
Click here to learn more about membership.
Membership in the Unitarian Church in Charleston is open to all who choose to walk with us in the spirit of love and in the search for truth. We have no creedal requirements for membership. To become a member, one completes the New to UU Charleston and Pathways Classes and signs the Membership Book in the presence of the Minister and an officer of the church. We know schedules are very busy in this season and we are looking at ways to bring you in and learn more about what you are seeking in the community. If you are interested in learning more about Membership, please reach out to Danielle Lopez at danielle@charlestonuu.org
The Gateway E-Newsletter is sent weekly on Thursdays.
The weekly deadline is Wednesdays at 12 p.m. Send inquiries to erika@charlestonuu.org
Please don't hesitate to reach out to your church in times of need.
