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All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church Open Hearts - Open Minds - Open Doors |
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Upcoming Events
Calendar of EventsClick here to access the most current version of our calendar. LGBT Senior BrunchLast Saturday of the month from 10 AM to 12 Noon Pot Luck SuppersNO POTLUCK SUPPER UNTIL SEPTEMBER There are no pot luck suppers in the summer months of June, July and August or in November and December. See you in September, last Saturday night of the month at 6 pm. Admission is FREE, Just bring food with enough to share and an ingredient list in case of allergies. Chalice CirclesThese faciliated small groups meet twice monthly to discuss a variety of spiritual issues and those matters closest to your heart. They require an on-going commitment. The scheduled meetings of All Souls Chalice Circles are generally as follows from September through June: Mark's circle: All Souls Serves The HungrySeveral times a year, members and friends from All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church of Braintree prepare and serve luncheon for people in need at The Table, a 24-Hour Shelter and Housing Program for Homeless Men, Women and Children. The following article describes our first experience at a Soup Kitchen. Members and friends from All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church of Braintree gathered in early August to prepare and serve a meal at St. Paul's Table. The All Souls Community donated pasta, tuna, mayonnaise, carrots and frozen peas over a three week period. On Friday, we cooked the pasta, chopped the carrots, drained the tuna and assembled trays of pasta salad to serve the next day. The church kitchen was hot on the first night in August, even with a bank of fans running. On Saturday, fourteen All Souls volunteers arrived at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. We prepared for the diners, rolled napkins around silverware, washed and shredded lettuce, made lemonade and iced tea, and tried to anticipate what we would need to do once the diners arrived. Because this was our first time serving a meal here, many of us were anxious about the logistics and peppered Kathy with lots of questions. Should we serve the salad in bowls? How many drinks should we offer? Who will put the cream in the coffee? In the end, everything went smoothly and we served over sixty meals in two seatings. After announcements and grace (given by a volunteer among the diners), the serving of the food and beverages went quickly. The diners were polite and appreciative. The All Souls kitchen crew was kept busy filling trays and washing up. We were humbled to realize that a mid-day meal is served at this location six out of seven days a week, and the resources to run it are sparse. Donations of food and funds are needed, particularly in these difficult economic times. Our day of service was definitely a team effort. We appreciate those who donated the ingredients, those who prepared the pasta salad on Friday night in unbelievable heat, and those who worked on Saturday. A special thanks to Bob, from the First Parish Duxbury UU Church, Rick, the Sexton at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, and Kathy, the Weekday Volunteer Coordinator at St. Paul's Table, and Mike, the Weekend Volunteer Coordinator at St. Paul's Table, all of whom lent their considerable expertise, experience and patience from the initial planning stages to the actual day we served our meal. We could not have accomplished this undertaking without their considerable help! As one of our crew remarked afterwards, "It was a privilege to be able to serve people in this way." We realize that hard times can come to any of us. It was a great opportunity to give our time, talent and treasure in such a concrete way. Backpacks Filled with School Supplies for Needy StudentsRemember back to school shopping and the excitement of new school supplies to start the year off right? Each August, we collect new back packs and supplies like notebooks, pencils, crayons, markers and pens. Then we fill the back packs and donate them to children who might otherwise not have them. Gratitude We appreciate the many donations of backpacks and school supplies for our summer school supply drive for children in need. We filled 37 backpacks which will be distributed to students in four Braintree schools. We are grateful for a generous donation of backpacks and school supplies as well as a new bicycle from Linda Flannery in memory of her daughter, Kathleen Flannery. We extend our condolences on the loss of her daughter. . Here are filled backpacks from one of our backpack drives![]() . Updating the Massachusetts Bottle Bill![]() We want everyone to re-think purchasing Bottled Water. We see clean drinking water as a right, not a commodity. Learn more in an article in Braintree Patch. Also, we would like the Massachusetts Bottle Bill to be revisited. According to the Massachusetts Chapter of the Sierra Club, "requiring a 5-cent deposit on all drink containers would decrease litter and increase recycling. States that have implemented bottle bills have experienced a 70-85% reduction in beverage container litter and a 30 - 35% reduction in overall litter after the bottle bill was implemented. In our waterways, non-redeemable containers are 9 times more likely to wind up as litter than deposit containers." Events in the Wider CommunityIn Braintree, South Shore Habitat for Humanity has monthly meetings where you can find out about other volunteer opportunities. Attend a "Ways to Help" session, on the third Wednesday of each month at 20 Mathewson Drive in Weymouth. The session starts at 6:30 PM and ends by 7:30. For more information, please contact their Community Relations Manager or call 781-337-7744 ext 10. Water Tasting Challenge!Our Social Action/Environmental Committee organized the challenge to find out whether people can actually taste the difference between bottled water and tap water. We partnered with Braintree Rotary, Sustainable Braintree, and BHS students to present the taste test on three Saturday mornings at the Braintree Farmers Market. A fourth Challenge was conducted at the South Shore Celebration event at the Marshfield Fairgrounds in October (organized by Sustainable South Shore) using Marshfield tap water instead of Braintree water. The tap water was compared to three common bottled water brands: Poland Spring, Dasani, and Aquafina. A total of 224 tasters participated in the Braintree challenge; 68 testers participated in Marshfield. Faith In Action at All Souls Church_______________________________ The Social Action/Environmental Committee seeks to serve the wider community outside the walls of the church, and to involve the members and friends of All Souls in this endeavor. The committee works in a variety of modes, incorporating social service projects, educational events, opportunities to witness for social and environmental justice, and advocating for legislative action in these areas. SOCIAL SERVICE EDUCATION WITNESS ADVOCACY MEMBERSHIP |
MONTHLY HAPPENINGS:
These groups meet once a month, are Free and Open to the Public
Hand Drumming 1st Sunday 7 PM Lesbian Support Group 3rd Sunday Noon Singing Meditation 3rd Monday 7:30 PM Buddhist Reflections 4th Tuesday 7 PM WEEKLY HAPPENINGS Every Tuesday (year round) 11 AM - Women's Sharing Circle Bring a Bag Lunch Every Thursday - 6:30 PM - Yoga Every Thursday - 7:30 PM - Gay Men's Discussion Group CHALICE CIRCLE Don's Circle - first and third Wednesday of the month - 7:30 to 9 PM Mark's Circle - second and fourth Sunday of the month - 6:30 PM |
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Copyright 2007, All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church of Braintree Braintree, MA, USA |
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