What does it mean to be a people of Courage? For me, here and now, it is getting up out of bed and putting one foot in front of the other and carrying on in a world without hope. For the first time, hope seems to be missing and as it turns out, it takes a tremendous amount of courage to keep going without it. I’m scared. I don’t know what the world will look like next year. Or next week for that matter. Courage is showing up and making sandwiches on Friday nights knowing it won’t wipe out hunger. Courage is witnessing at the Northwest Detention Center on Saturday knowing it won’t shut down the facility. Courage is leaving a voicemail on your senator’s voicemail knowing s/he might not listen to it. Courage is raising children in an uncertain world. Courage is being the drop in the bucket when you don’t know if there will be enough other drops to join you to make a difference. All of us are brave souls and we need to not only acknowledge but also celebrate our courage.

Namaste,

Susie

 

Upcoming Adult Religious Exploration Programs

Celebrating the inherent worth and dignity of every Body…

Third Sundays in the High School Youth Room
Facilitators: Alana Franklin, Cynthia Hackett, Susie Maharry

This month Tahoma UU Living Body Positive Group joins Tacoma Reads in discussing the book Hunger A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay. In her book, Roxane Gay addresses the experience of living in a body that she calls ‘wildly undisciplined.’ She casts an insightful and critical eye over her childhood, teens, and twenties — including the devastating act of violence that was a turning point at age 12 — and brings readers into the present and the realities, pains, and joys of her daily life. With candor, vulnerability, and authority, Roxane explores what it means to be overweight in a time when the bigger you are, the less you are seen.

Join New York Times bestselling author, Roxane Gay for a free lecture, reading, and book signing of Hunger, at the Lincoln High School Auditorium on October 25th at 7:00 p.m.. Registration is full but you can join the wait list at https://www.tacomalibrary.org/contact-us/event-waiting-list/

She also has a TED Talk: “Confessions of a bad feminist” that you can watch at

https://www.ted.com/talks/roxane_gay_confessions_of_a_bad_feminist

 

Soul Matters Sometimes Circles

Chalice Circles are an important part of our church life. They  provide an opportunity to be in a smaller group and explore ideas and possibilities and make meaning out of the world. We engage in the spiritual practice of deep listening. Not only do we have yearlong groups that meet monthly, but we also offer a onetime monthly opportunities we call – Sometimes Circles. Register two or three weeks in advance for one individual session. Each session will be a unique experience such as meeting in a coffee shop on a Saturday morning or in combination with a potluck  dinner. You decide how many sessions you want to attend.

Our first Sometimes Circle will be held in University Place at the home of facilitator Mary Rhine on Saturday, October 28, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.. This will be a potluck dinner and we will discuss our October theme of Courage.

This will be a “stone soup” potluck with two pots brewing, one with meat and one vegan. Participants bring something to throw in one of the pots or a loaf of bread. Mary has room for ten   participants and registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. You can email Susie Maharry at Dir.ARE@TahomaUU.com or sign up at the Adult Religious Exploration table on Sundays before and after worship service in the hallway outside of the sanctuary doors in front of the name tag boards. Once the group has filled, Mary will send an email invitation with her address.

You can find the online packet on Courage on our website at http://www.TahomaUU.com/Learning/Soul-Matters/ or you can pick up a paper copy at the Adult Religious Exploration Table.

 

Indivisible Tacoma Presents “Redistricting: Is It a Game?”

Speaker: Alison McCaffree

Wednesday, November 1, 2017, 6:30 p.m. Tahoma UU Congregation

A nonpartisan discussion of the process and the controversy around drawing maps for voting districts

Come learn:

• Who decides the lines?
• What is gerrymandering and is it legal?
• What does technology have to do with it?
• How can we influence the process in Washington State?

We will also discuss the topics of “Citizen Engagement” and “One Person Can Make a Difference.”

Alison McCaffree is the director of Politics of the Possible; an organization promoting increased civics education and local citizen engagement. She is also a member of the League of Women Voters of Tacoma/Pierce County.