Aiken Unitarian Universalist Church

A group of Aiken UUs carpooled to Augusta’s Sacred Heart Cultural Center to enjoy an exhibit of artists Lucy Bureau, Beth Jones and Gary Kauffman.

As we celebrate Independence Day, we are deeply aware of the dangers facing our democracy. It is up to us to ensure we have a more responsive and effective government, not one at the mercy of big donors who can hide their identities and shell out massive contributions buying access and influence over our elected officials. You can help drown out the influence of money – urge your friends and family to register to vote and to weigh in on the issues that matter most to them.

Join us on July 17 to learn more about how we can join together to help make democracy work. We intend to register, educate, motivate and activate our community to work towards the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the Freedom to Vote Act, the Native American Voting Rights Act and DC Statehood

Aiken County NAACP: Movie Screening and Director Q&A at CAAHAC
Saturday, June 25th at 12:30PM
Free Entry

Group photo from Aiken's 20th Anniversary Women in Black Vigil for Peace this past Monday June 17th. Women in Black gathers 1st & 3rd Mondays of the month, 4:30pm-5:30pm on Whiskey Road in Aiken (across the street from the Fresh Market). Aiken Peace's 20th Anniversary Peace Potluck takes place next Monday June 24th 6pm-8pm at the Aiken Unitarian Universalist Church. .

Women in Black Vigil for Peach celebrates 20 years Members of the city's

New month! New opportunities! Let’s do this.

https://www.uuclimatejustice.org/events

Beloveds, I cannot wait to be with you for our first-ever Climate Justice Revival in September. It’s an impressive new initiative being carried forward by a coalition of UU organizations and partners and we have never done anything quite like this. We know many of you have questions about how to plan for and engage with the Revival and information sessions are now underway to respond to your questions.

The first will be held tonight, Tuesday, May 21 at 7pm ET/ 4pm PT and others will happen on May 29 and June 6. Please join a session on whatever date works best for you and bring a group from your congregation with you—this will be an important opportunity to get your congregation or community into deeper engagement with our transformative climate justice work.

Learn more and register at the link in the comments below.

It is meaningful when a community of people known for diverse and divergent beliefs builds consensus on something that impacts our understanding of ourselves. Love is what we express as our highest value. Every time. Larger than life. Right at the center of our living tradition. Our pressing task now is to ask ourselves and each other how this understanding calls us forward, individually and collectively.

A common question that UUs often face is how we can be a religion if we do not lay claim to one clearly delineated theological truth. The answer is love. Our inherited theological tradition places its faith in love. Given everything our world faces today, having faith in love is no small thing.

*Excerpted from my preface as editor of Love at the Center: Unitarian Universalist Theologies, now available as an ebook wherever ebooks are sold.

All That You Need Lies Within You

"Consider this an invitation
to you.
Yes—you
with all your happiness
and your burdens,
your hopes and regrets.
An invitation if you feel good today,
and an invitation if you do not,
if you are aching—
and there are so many ways to ache. . . .

Maybe your heart is heavy
or hardened.
Maybe it’s troubled
and peace can take up residence
only in a small corner,
only on the edge,
with all that is going on in the world,
and in your life.
Ni modo. It doesn’t matter.

All that you need
for a deep and comforting peace to grow
lies within you.
Once it is in your heart
let it spread into your life,
let it pour from your life into the world—
and once it is in the world,
let it shine upon all beings."

—Angela Herrera
Reaching for the Sun

Available at inSpirit: The UU Book and Gift Shop at shopinspirit.org.

UUCA's Spectacular Summer Day Camp is Back!

Hey there, awesome campers and super-cool parents & guardians!

Get ready for an unforgettable summer of fun with UUCA's Summer Day Camp! We have four thrilling weeks packed with activities, from Tales & Trails to Anime Adventure and Medieval Times! ✨

**Camp Highlights:**

* Four weeks to choose from!
* Activities from 9 AM to 4 PM (drop-off at 8:45 AM, pick-up at 4:10 PM).
* Yummy snacks included!
* Weekly themes with tons of fun activities.

**Spots are limited, so register now!**

* $100 per week + $10 non-refundable deposit.
* Register online or by contacting [email protected] or 706-733-7939.
* Registration deadline: 7 days before camp starts.

**Don't miss out on the summer adventure of a lifetime!**

** **

**P.S.** Check out the comments for a full description of each week's theme! ⬇️

Quest May 2024 - Quest for Meaning “Treating different things the same can generate as much inequality as treating the same things differently.” —Kimberlé Crenshaw

Join our partners at The People's Justice Council and Green The Church on Wednesday, May 29 at 10am PT / 11am MT / 12pm CT / 1pm ET for an exciting webinar on Black Churches Leading With Solar. ☀️ [sun]

Join us to hear experts discuss everything you need to know about government incentives and solar financing. Sign up to join live or receive the recording: https://bit.ly/3QzP7oW

[Image description: "Black Churches Leading With Solar: Incentives, Financing, and Stewardship. Free Webinar. May 29 | 1 PM Eastern," in white text on a background of a field of solar panels beneath a sunset with many soft clouds. On a white block are sponsor logos: Interfaith Power & Light, Green The Church, Third Act Faith, United Church of Christ, the People's Justice Council, Creation Justice Ministries, Blessed Tomorrow, Unitarian Universalist Association, Green Chalice of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), United Black Christians.]

Do you need a little help sometimes? Do you know someone who could use a little assistance? Second Baptist Church of Aiken SC has a community Food Bank and Clothing Closet- free and open to the public. There's more than canned goods available at the food bank. They have meats, dairy and produce as well.

Unitarian Universalism demands that we remain engaged with the ongoing struggles of life, and that we work toward the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all. Our faith requires us to work for freedom, but it also invites us to recognize that work in the many small actions of our living.

I believe in Unitarian Universalism’s commitment to be the tireless voice, and I know that none of us can sustain such a depth of prophetic witness alone. It takes many of us, in community, to insist that a better future is possible; to keep us faithful to our commitments when we err, or when we falter. We need one another to remind ourselves that we are constantly connected to a hope-filled belief in human goodness and capacity for love, even when we feel furthest from this knowing.

How do we get to that sustaining love? I believe that we get to that love by sharing it.

Every Unitarian Universalist has something that keeps them inspired, keeps them hopeful, keeps them grounded in the face of the dust and grit of life. And each of us also falters. Each of us can find ourselves over-scheduled, overwhelmed, or just plain worn out. In those moments, it is often the example of another person’s commitment and resolve that reminds us of our own.

May our connections to a greater community renew and even repair grief and weariness in our hearts, or anything that keeps us from being more loving. Together, may we thrive.

Let music lead you into this month's theme: interdependence

Find our playlist on The Gift of Interdependence on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4bfvKACxYZvjzp7tWauCKv?si=1041591afd694816.

This playlist is also on our YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvXOKgOQVYP7dVbuAlecwM9vg6n9uxWCa&si=VkYyxjBZGmWRLyiF

The AUUC community was blessed to know and love Carol Ann Boeding. We join Carlan in honoring and celebrating Carol Ann Boeding’s life on Saturday, April 20. Thank you to all who came out to support the family.