the Catalyst 1 May 2019 Vol. 1

In This Issue

May 5: Sonora Service

May 9: No Guilt Book Club

May 12: Douglas Flat

Service

Annual Pledge Drive

Minister’s Column

May Birthdays

Spring Clean Up at

Fellowship House

Caring for the Earth

Summer Seminar Series –

save the dates

May 19: Workshop with

Rev. Schriner – Bridging

the God Gap Save the date

UU Justice Ministry action

Gallery

UUFTC Newsletter the Catalyst First Edition May 2019

Sonora Service 10 am, Sunday May 5th

Tuolumne County Ambulance Building

18440 Striker Court, Sonora

With Rabbi Andra Greenwald

Give a Little; the origins of giving, how

and what we give and why

Rabbi Greenwald, originally from Brooklyn, NY, is the

mother of three wonderful young women, and is married

to her best friend. She is the rabbi of the Mother Lode

Jewish Community and is also a Licensed Clinical Social

Worker. Her passion, after her family and many

wonderful friends, is writing, and she recently had three

poems published in A Poet's Siddur, which is a Friday

evening service prayer book. She is on the board of

Modesto's InterFaith Ministries and has spoken on many

occasions to the interfaith community in an attempt to

bring us all a bit closer together. Her mission in life is to

make the world better one life at a time.

Join us after the service for fellowship and

lunch at My Garden Café, 14270 Mono Way

“So let us keep journeying together, to a way of being together that makes beauty real and

love present. Hand in hand, with this commitment to love guiding our steps; right can be

actualized; justice can be mobilized; meanness can be neutralized; love can be organized; and

the beloved community can be realized.”

— Omid Safi

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No Guilt Book Club, May 9th, 6 p.m. New and warmer meeting place will be at the Sonora Thai Cuisine restaurant,

51 S. Washington St., Sonora

We will meet at 6 p.m. and discuss the book while we eat.

The book is Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. This was Wendy

Archer’s selection and she will lead the discussion. You can always check the

calendar at UUFTC.org to find out the next meeting and book.

For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town

on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is

found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl.

But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the

marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time

comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become

intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life--until the unthinkable happens.

Rev. Craig Scott on Pledging, from his recent sermon on April 7th

“This morning I want to discuss with you how our UU values apply in this crazy world

we inhabit at the moment. But before we get to that, I want to tell you that you are important,

you matter, as a voice of reason, of inclusion, and of loving community, right here in the

Mother Lode. And I know that this is the time of year for your pledge drive. So, I want to

encourage you to give generously to support this congregation, and to support our UU values

in the wider world. UU churches and fellowships get no support from any outside body – it’s

all up to us as congregants, and your support matters a great deal. So, maybe you’ve been

thinking about how much to pledge for the coming year. I hope you have. Anyway, I urge you

to take that number and then increase it to a little bit more. As I used to tell

the congregation when I was minister here, ‘Please give until it feels good.’”

Douglas Flat Service May 12, 10:30

Douglas Flat Schoolhouse, 1358 Main St.

Gerald Waagen will speak

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Minister’s Column - May 2019

My California Representative recently reached out with an

opportunity to attend a “Senior Scam Stopper” workshop and I found it very

helpful. I have fallen for emails that seemed to be coming from a close friend

asking me to buy 5 $100 Itunes cards, with very little further information

about why. I am sure we would have a ball if you all submitted your own stories of scams you

have come across anonymously! While we want to see the good in each person, and nurture it, it

is much harder to do that when people hide behind e-mails, phone scams, and online identity

theft.

What did I learn from Contractor State License Board (www.CSLB.ca.gov), US Postal

Inspectors, and District Attorney’s office panel? A couple of simple phrases to start

implementing: STOP, THINK, and VERIFY can stop a world of hurt because the scammers

operate on a couple of principles. One of our beloved Super Seniors was so quick on her feet that

when a scammer called saying that a grandchild was in trouble with the law, she replied, “Oh,

your dad is right here, let me put him on!” The scammer hung up immediately. Often swindlers

get you to literally or figuratively open the door by making you think there is no risk. It could be

free solar panels (that then get added to your property taxes at high interest rates), or a contest

you have won (to get you to give up your address). Another tactic is to create the urgency of

requiring you to do something now to get the special price, or the great investment opportunity.

The third red flag is that the thief doesn’t want you to tell anyone about this great opportunity

they want you to fall for. So, remember, if it seems NO RISK, RIGHT NOW, and/or DON’T TELL,

stop right away, and talk to someone you trust or Google the phone number, the name of the

investment firm, any information you can get – do your due diligence before you risk your house

or savings.

Before you have someone do over $500 of work on your home, look them up on the

Contractor State License Board website or call them at (916)255-2924, because if they don’t check

out or carry Worker’s Comp insurance, YOU could be liable if something happens to a worker on

your property. Not worth it! CSLB emphasized that an estimate is not a contract, but you should

get a contract, know who the subcontractors are, and specify where materials will be bought, and

when the start and end dates are for the work. A down payment should be the lesser of 10% or

$1,000.

Another scam to watch out for that you might not fall for, but could warn friends about is

Medicare fraud. A favorite new tactic is to send you medical equipment and then bill Medicare

or MediCal for much more than the item is worth. This hurts everyone. California Senior

Medicare Patrol empowers Seniors to prevent healthcare fraud, and their number is (855)613-

7080. There is a lot of useful information out there. I will be posting what I found at the

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Fellowship House, and hope we can all help protect each other from unscrupulous schemes.

Perhaps we can invite a similar panel to enlighten folks in the Motherlode! While giving people

the benefit of the doubt and building trust is part of our faith, face to face conversation and

risking honest, direct, respectful communication is the way to do it.

SPRING CLEAN UP AT FELLOWSHIP HOUSE

The winter storms have been particularly fierce this year with high winds, pelting rain and

snow. Trees have fallen throughout the neighborhood and our yard is no exception. We have

four large ones and several smaller ones down so far and we’ll again be cutting these into

firewood. And now that spring is here, the weeds are growing like…well, weeds. But since

our yard is littered with many branches, large and small, weed-eating is difficult. So we plan

to hold two work parties to focus on cleaning up the grounds of Fellowship House: Friday,

May 10 and Saturday, May 18. Both will start at 10:00 a.m. Bring gloves, yard rakes, shovels,

wheelbarrows, etc. If you are experienced, bring your chain saw for cutting up limbs that are

on the ground. And if you have a pickup, please bring it so we can transport leaves and debris

off-site. We can’t burn them.

Questions? Call Craig Mineweaser, Facilities Mgr. 408.206.2990

The Sixth UU Principle:

The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all

Happy Birthday

* Eileen Wright * Maggie White * Renee Kramer *

* Ann Leonard * Amy Ada Haratani

* Dodie Harte *

the Catalyst 5 May 2019 Vol. 1

Caring for the Earth Summer Seminar Series

We are once again being invited by the First Congregational Church of Murphys to

participate in a Summer Seminar Series. The first year we joined them in a series related to

White Privilege, and the second year they delved into Immigration – New Americans.

This summer they are hosting a Caring for the Earth Summer Seminar Series which will

address climate change, food waste, and another segment that could include children. This is

tentative right now, but the following dates are set as Friday, June 14, Friday, July 12 and

Friday, August 9. The time will likely be around 6 p.m. so folks can get home before nightfall.

The Murphys church (FCCM) has developed a Green Team within their congregation

and is working to become certified as a Green Church. While we do not have a church

building YET, we may be able to start on the road to becoming a green church when we do

have one. Our own UUA has curricula both on becoming a Green Sanctuary and on Climate

Change. FCCM welcomes us. Please let Marilyn Graham know if you are interested.

(mcggraham1@comcast.net)

Rev. Chris Schriner, May 19th

Workshop at Fellowship house, 1 p.m. Bridging the God Gap

Rev. Schriner is our guest minister on May 19th and will be offering a workshop "Bridging the

God Gap" which draws on his book, Bridging the God Gap: Finding Common Ground Among

Believers, Atheists and Agnostics. The workshop will be Sunday 1 p.m. at Fellowship House,

to allow for a deeper discussion of theism and atheism. There will be a suggested $10

donation from workshop attendees, however all are welcome. Rev. Shriner is a noted

authority in the UUA and has written several books.

Rev. Chris Schriner is Minister Emeritus of Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation

in Fremont, California. He is the author of six books, and he also practiced psychotherapy for

25 years.

Bridging the God Gap is available from Amazon.com, and Chris will bring copies for this visit.

http://www.amazon.com/Bridging-God-Gap-Believers-

Agnostics/dp/0984584005/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312308771&sr=1-1

the Catalyst 6 May 2019 Vol. 1

UU Justice Ministry Action

A recent effort from the UU Justice Ministry, UU RISE, and California Immigrant Policy

Center:

As Unitarian Universalists, we affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person. That

affirmation must include equitable access to healthcare and medical coverage.

Current Medi-Cal exclusions prevent undocumented Californians from access to

insurance. Without any changes or action, it is projected that 1.4 million Californians will be

barred from health care due to their immigration status – regardless of whether they meet

income requirements.

Join UUJMCA and partners in the movement to get #Health4All Californians. Support

immigrants and immigrant families today by contacting your California legislators and asking

them to support AB 4 / SB 29 (Health4All)!

Go to http://uujmca.org/health4all to send a message to your state legislators and join the

movement for #HealthforAll Californians today. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the

e n of the

day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow.’”

Ten thousand flowers in spring;

the moon in autumn;

a cool breeze in summer;

snow in winter.

If your mind isn't clouded

by unnecessary things,

this is the best season

of your life.

- Wu-Men

UUFTC: 19518 Hess Ave Sonora, CA 95370 / (209) 533-8883

Quick links: UU Fellowship of Tuolumne County/ www.uuftc.org ; Pacific Central District/ www.pcd-uua.org

UU World Magazine/ www.uuworld.org ; UUFTC Calendar/ www.uuftc.org/calendar

UU Service Committee/ www.uusc.org UU Association of Congregations/ www.uua.org

the Catalyst appears on our website twice a month. When each new issue is posted, notification of its availability is sent to all

subscribers via email. We do not share our list of addresses.

Linda DuTemple, Editor 209/928-4364 lindaldu@comcast.net

Laurie Livingston, Web Design

Rev. Sonya Sukalski, Minister / Rev. Craig Scott, Minister Emeritus

Board Members: Dusty Taylor, President; Linda DuTemple, Vice-President;

Garnet McKeon, Treasurer; Marilyn Graham, Secretary; and Pam Taylor 209/533-8883 Church Office

the Catalyst 2 May 2019 Vol. 1

UUFTC GALLERY April 21 Sonora service – Pledge drive, Earth Day celebration and Sunday brunch

Brunch

Peg’s Easter hat

Tommy and Dave entertaining

Rev. Sonya

Receiving $3,000 gift from

UU Sacramento

the Catalyst 3 May 2019 Vol. 1

UU Hikers on Westside Trail – April 28th