
News from the Greater Philly Cluster (GPC)
of UU Churches
October 18 — |

Community Safety: What if our
Congregation Is Targeted?
With the rise of authoritarianism in the US, attacks on queer and trans beloveds both through legislation and right-wing protesters at drag shows, anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric, as well as the censoring of books and school curricula, we are seeing an increase in the targeting of sacred spaces for violence. Across religious traditions, we are seeing online threats, pride and Black Lives Matter banners torn down, hate speech graffiti-ed on synagogues, violent actors appearing at sanctuaries and disrupting services, and more.
So, how can congregations be prepared? Why is this violence escalating, and what community safety practices can we engage in now that also help us build the world we long for? Join us for a 2-part training series for faith communities of all traditions, in which we’ll explore the current context of authoritarianism in the US, why faith communities are being targeted, and practical tools and skills your congregation can build and practice together. The training series will be led by Christian, Jewish, and UUA SURJ-Faith leaders.
Road Map to Building Community Safety
Date/Time: October 18, 8-10pmET / 5-7pmPT
This session will offer a 1, 5, and 10 year road map for building community safety with your congregation, as well as dig in to 2 tools you can begin to practice together.
Register Here for Session 2!
Monthly — |
Central East Region's BIPOC Gathering
If you identify as Black, Indigenous or a Person of Color (BIPOC), you're invited to join us for the Central East Region's BIPOC gathering happening monthly at 6:30pm ET. In our gatherings we are joined by lay folks of color, lay leaders of color and/or religious professionals of color to be in community. Our conversations focus on topics like wellness and resilience and our goal is to center BIPOC experiences and create space to explore our UU experiences. Please email or for zoom information.- Allegheny/Ohio/New River - 1st Wednesdays at 5pm:
- Atlantic - 2nd Tuesdays at 5pm:
- Great Lakes/Hudson Valley - 2nd Thursdays at 1pm:
- BIPoC - with Rev. Sana Saeed and Paula Cole Jones – 1st Mondays at 6:30pm.
Worship Web
We don’t usually record our drop in calls but we wanted everyone to get the opportunity to hear Erika Hewitt, Minister of Worship Arts at the UUA, talk about Worship Web, copyright, and other worship related topics. I apologize in advance for my amateur recording! You’re welcome to share with your congregation: https://youtu.be/Uw1PpBqeaq0Here are the links
shared with the group:
https://www.uua.org/worship/words - to search Worship Web
https://www.uua.org/worship/music/online
https://cine-books.com/channels/skinner-house-books-channel-427
https://www.uua.org/publications/copyright-permissions/music
https://www.facebook.com/UUWorshipWeb/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOJYDonV7js – To watch Rev. Dr. Matthew Johnson’s “Practical Guide to Copyright”
https://www.uua.org/publications/copyright-primer-for-congregations - To watch the new Copyright Primer for Congregations
General Information
GPC is on Facebook!- Please "follow" us on the Facebook page, "Greater Philly Unitarian Universalist Cluster".
- Please join our Facebook group, "Greater Philly UUs". It is a "closed" group, so find "Greater Philly UUs" on Facebook and click the button to request to join.
Introducing UUA LeaderLab! LeaderLab provides relentlessly useful resources for lay and professional leaders of UU congregations and covenanting communities. For more info...
CER Guest in Your Pulpit program
The Guest in Your Pulpit Program is a listing of available ministers, seminarians, ministerial candidates and lay pulpit guests for congregations in the Central East Region. This program was created to assist churches to find people who are willing to provide services. For more info and to be added to the list...
The GPC calendar is always available at http://www.greaterphillyuu.org/calendar/ You can find out what other neighborhood churches are doing there! And of course, there is more information on the Greater Philly UU Cluster, check out our website.
For more information on the Greater Philly UU Cluster, check out our website.