Happy New Year! If you haven’t already broken out the long johns, this winter is going to get even colder yet we UUs will not be letting the weather slow us down.
A tremendous thanks to all who contributed to our annual Fall/Winter Coat Collection, Holiday Mitten Tree and holiday food drive. A special thank you to Georgianne and Doug Gregg for delivering everything to C.A.S.T. Remember C.A.S.T. throughout the winter. Help keep our neighbors healthy and warm. Monetary donations provide support with housing/heat/electric costs and donations of time are appreciated.
Monday, January 19, we will be needing your love and support for multiple activities.
1) We will be celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday on 1/19/26 this year. We’re holding an introductory gathering for all who volunteered after meeting with Irma Solis, of the NY Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), about the wonderful family advocacy programs she’s been getting off the ground AND, we’ve taken on the challenge!
2) Martin Luther King Day is the first day of the “30 Days of Love 2026” initiative, which is a 30-day “journey focusing on love as a force for justice, with daily reflections, activities, and calls to action” through the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Side With Love Campaign. You will be hearing more, by email, about what is planned.
Mark Haubner, president of North Fork Environmental Council (NFEC), completed his series “Nature-based Solutions” with two last sessions on December 4th and 11th. Not only did he educate us on strategies applicable to the ecological crisis facing the North Fork, but also how to engage with others with whom we strongly differ. Given feedback he received from attendees during this six-part series, he is already busy at work creating yet another program for us, to be presented at the beginning of March.
The recent discussion group (led by Rev.Valerie) of the UUA’s 2025-2026 “Common Read, designed to foster shared learnings, spark meaningful dialogue, and encourage action on pressing social justice issues,” introduced us to the workbook Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection. The series ended December 17th.
In the first chapter, “The Time Is Now,” author Deepa Iyer states, “We are living through a time that demands our vigilant attention. It often feels that we are barely able to get our bearings and understand our roles in addressing the social crises emerging in the world – before the ground underneath us shifts AGAIN. Many of us have been fiercely responding to the ‘fierce urgency’ of now. And at the same time, many of us are also feeling disillusioned, almost reaching the brink of individual and collective despair.” This book “provides a framework to anchor our values, and to organize our social change roles in ways that can meet the moment NOW!”
SAC encourages everyone to purchase their own copy, available through the UU Book and Gift Shop “inSpirit”, for $ 22.00 plus S&H, and will reimburse half the book cost ($11.00) to those who attend the second series, which will be led by attendees of the initial discussion group. We are also looking into providing a Zoom option to our homebound members and friends. Specific dates and times to be announced but it will start in late February, giving you a chance to do some preliminary reading.
Looking ahead to February, on the 14th we will again be sharing a table with North Fork Environmental Council (NFEC) at Southold’s Winterfest 2026, for our “Warm Hearts, Warm Feet Sock Drive” in support of John’s Place & Maureen’s Haven. Donations of “personal care supplies” (I.e. soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and hygiene products) will also be accepted.
Take a Meditative Moment – In 1967 in his “A Time to Break Silence” speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us: “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there ‘is’ such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.”
Your input is crucial to the work of our SAC / 8th Principle Task Force. Please attend the next meeting, on Wed., Jan. 14, 2026, 4-5pm, either in person or via Zoom. The Zoom link will be circulated via email in the 24 hours before the meeting.
During this season that is a difficult time for so many, we wish you and your loved ones a peaceful end to 2025 and may we all receive and share love in the year to come, remembering another quote from MLK, Jr. “I have decided to stick to love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
With love,
Patte McManus (she, her, we)
(631) 997-9405; pattemcgoo@yahoo.com