​Jamestown, N.Y. – “The Catholic Church Must Stop Hurting LGBTQIA+ Catholics” is the message Dr. Greg Rabb will present to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ) on Sunday, May 8.

At the 10:30 a.m. hybrid service, the Jamestown Community College professor of political science will share his personal story of, as he describes, “My efforts to end the hurt based on my own spirituality raised as a Catholic, discovering my own ‘two spirt’ nature based on queer ‘magic’ and influenced by my study of Islam.”

Rabb will include a short reading from the book Queer Magic: LGBT+ Spirituality and Culture by Tomas Prower.

A Canisius College graduate, Rabb earned a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from the University of Illinois and a Juris Doctor from the University at Buffalo School of Law. The recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, he chairs the Board of Directors of the SUNY Institute for European Union Studies and Simulations and is summer academic research advisor to college interns focusing on the Nuremberg Trials at Jamestown’s Robert H. Jackson Center. Among other grants, fellowships, and awards, in 2017 Rabb received a Palestine American Research Council (PARC) Faculty Development Grant to study in Palestine and a 2020 grant from Dar al Islam to study Islam. The former Jamestown City Council president now chairs the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities Board of Directors and the Jamestown City Planning Commission. 

Rabb’s presentation relates to all of the seven Principles that Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote, including “The inherent worth and dignity of every person” and “Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.”

A social time follows the service.

While not mandated, vaccines, masks, and appropriate distancing are encouraged for those who participate in the service in person. 

Participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community.

​Jamestown, N.Y. – May 1 - 7, 2022, is International Compost Awareness Week, whose goal is to raise the awareness of the importance of composting our organics, recycling, and using compost.  The theme for 2022 is “Recipe for Regeneration: Compost.” 

Did you know that when you create compost from your food scraps and yard trimmings, you are making our food more nutritious, our air cleaner, and our climate healthier?

While providing sustenance for the biological diversity in the soil, organics recycling and compost reduces climate change by removing carbon from the atmosphere and benefits both water conservation and quality. It also reduces methane, a greenhouse gas twenty-five times as powerful as carbon dioxide, and the need for landfill space, incineration and pesticides.

Throughout International Compost Awareness Week, community and business events are held to encourage and celebrate all types of composting, from backyard to large-scale.

Locally, Janet Forbes, chair of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown’s (UUCJ) Giving Garden Project, is promoting composting, following the two-bin compost system she helped create at the church last year. 

Forbes said they added grass clippings, buckets of coffee grounds from RydersCup Coffee in Lakewood, and other organic yard trimmings to get the compost started. She encouraged the congregation to add kitchen scraps, shredded paper and newspaper, sawdust, wood chips, and fireplace ashes. She explained what not to compost and why, such as dairy products and meat-related items that could attract pests, and yard trimmings treated with chemical pesticides that could kill beneficial composting organisms. 

The compost will be added to UUCJ’s Giving Garden beds as the Giving Garden Team prepares for this year's growing season. They will again grow radishes, kale varieties, greens, and herbs. The team has a rain barrel near the Giving Garden where they capture runoff from the roof to water the garden and compost bin. 

Linnea Carlson, a member of the congregation, is manager of the Jamestown Public Market and Mobile Market, under the umbrella of St. Luke's Episcopal Church. Produce from the Giving Garden is donated to the Mobile Market to help address the issue of food insecurity in Jamestown. 

The subject of a recent Sunday service was the importance of topsoil loss on the planet. One way we can all contribute to building soil is to compost either at our own homes or by contributing to  a community composting project. 

According to Forbes, “Our Unitarian Universalist faith calls us to affirm and promote seven principles. The Giving Garden is our members’ living our seventh UU principle, ‘Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.’” 

More information about composting and Compost Week can be found at CompostFoundation.org/ICAW.

For an introduction to composting at home, visit the Environmental Protection Agency at EPA.gov/recycle/composting-home. 

Information about the Jamestown Public Market and Mobile Market is at JtownPublicMarket.org and their Facebook page.

Jamestown, N.Y. – “The World is Heating Up” is the message Dr. Tom Erlandson will present to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ) on Sunday, May 1, 2022.

At the 10:30 a.m. hybrid service, Erlandson will reflect on climate warming and its effects on the environment, with particular reference to Chautauqua County.

With an MS in Entomology and a PhD in Zoology, Erlandson taught a variety of biology and geology courses at Jamestown Community College for 27 years, spent 30 years as a consultant for Forecon, Inc., and was administrator of the Ohio River Consortium for Research and Education. The recipient of the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation’s prestigious John D. Hamilton Community Service Award has been involved with many environmental and water quality organizations including the South and Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer District Board, Chautauqua County Water Quality Task Force, Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance Science Committee, and Chautauqua Lake Harmful Algae Bloom Steering Committee. 

Erlandson served as president of the Chautauqua County Board of Health and as the biology advisor and a board member with the Chautauqua Lake Partnership. For his service, the Chautauqua County Parks Commission and Chautauqua County Legislature designated a clearing on Oak Hill Road in his hometown of Frewsburg as Erlandson Overview Park.

Erlandson’s presentation relates most closely to the final of the seven Principles that Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

A social time follows the service.

While not mandated, vaccines, masks, and appropriate distancing are encouraged for those who participate in the service in person. 

Participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community.

​Jamestown, N.Y. – On Sunday, April 24, 2022, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ) will look at the importance of soil.

Member David Winner will address “A World Without Soil” at the 10:30 a.m. hybrid service. He will examine the past, present, and precarious future of the earth beneath our feet. 

A former Pennsylvania State Master Gardener, Winner taught small space gardening and the dangers of chemical farming for how it is killing our soil and endangering our health.  He is an advocate of sustainable farming and the Jamestown Public Market for providing good, clean food. He and his wife, Barbara, are part of the Jamestown Public Market.

The Winners have been active UUCJ members for more than a decade. A former minister of another faith, he served on the board as co-president and president, chaired the Building and Grounds Committee, and currently serves on the nominating committee and the Social Justice Committee’s Giving Garden Team, whose produce is donated to the Jamestown Mobile Market. 

Winner constructed the two book boxes, one for children and one for adults, placed in front of the church where people are welcome to take free books. 

The presentation relates most closely to the final of the seven Principles that Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

There will be an opportunity for questions and answers.

A social time follows the service.

While not mandated, vaccines, masks, and appropriate distancing are encouraged for those who participate in the service in person. 

Participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community.

​Jamestown, N.Y. – Retired Presbyterian minister Angus Watkins is speaking in person on Easter Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ). He will deliver the message at the 10:30 a.m. hybrid service on April 17.  

Watkins will be in person to address the congregation on “What to Do in Darkness: Toward a Reality-Based Poetics of Hope.”

His sermon most closely relates to the fourth of the seven Principles that Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote: A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.

A graduate of Ohio’s Bowling Green State University with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, Watkins received his master’s of divinity degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He lived outside Ashville, N.Y., in North Harmony Township for over 25 years with his wife, Anne, who is a member of the UUCJ. They recently moved back to their native Buffalo area. Both will be at the service. 

A social time follows.

Participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar.

While not mandated, vaccines, masks, and appropriate distancing are encouraged for those who participate in the service in person. 

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community.

###

​Jamestown, N.Y. – Linnea Carlson, director of the Jamestown Public Market, will address the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ) in person on Sunday, April 10.

Her message at the 10:30 a.m. hybrid service is “The Future of Food.” 

A member of the congregation, Carlson will discuss the current state of our food system, the effects of Covid-19 on food access, the value in celebrating the edible fruits of our Earth, and how we as a community can rally behind action to positively impact our relationship to food.

Carlson oversees the operations of the Jamestown Public Market as the only full time farmer’s market manager in Chautauqua County. She grew up in Frewsburg, N.Y., and has always had a passion for local farming and community and has worked within the food system her entire career. 

She will share a Story for All Ages based on “A Calabash of Poi,” originally published in In The Path of the Trade Winds, an early collection of folklore of the Hawaiian people, by Coral Wells Thorpe. 

The presentation relates most closely to the final of the seven Principles that Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

There will be an opportunity for questions and answers.

Following her graduation from Fordham University with a Masters in Social Work, Carlson helped establish the Salvation Army's food pantry in Dunkirk, N.Y. It was through this work she began volunteering at the Fredonia Farmers Market, assisting SNAP customers spend their benefits on fresh produce. She is currently the Chair of the Chautauqua County Food Policy Council. She also volunteers as a member of the Audubon Community Nature Center Board of Directors,  the Busti Historical Society, and the Jamestown Lions Club. She lives in the city of Jamestown with her partner, Ben, and their five cats.

A social time follows the service.

While not mandated, vaccines, masks, and appropriate distancing are encouraged for those who participate in the service in person. 

Participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community.

​Jamestown, N.Y. – All are invited to hear SUNY Fredonia Professor of Russian and Soviet History Dr. John Staples speak in person on Sunday, April 3.

Staples’s message at the 10:30 a.m. hybrid service of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ)  is “Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Pretexts and Contexts.” He will examine several common explanations for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and suggest that the main cause is the survival of Russian imperialist attitudes and policies.

Included in the service will be a video of the beloved Ukrainian hymn “Prayer for Ukraine.”

While Staples says in some ways his presentation relates to all of the seven Principles Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote, it most relates to:

-  Justice, equity and compassion in human relations

-  The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large

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

Born and raised in British Columbia, Canadian Staples received his MA and BA from the University of Alberta and his PhD in Russian and Soviet history from the University of Toronto. He has taught at SUNY Fredonia since 2001. His work focuses on the history of Mennonites in tsarist Russia and what their story tells us about Russian imperialism. To conduct his research he has spent time in the cities, towns, and villages of southern Ukraine, often in places that are now either occupied or besieged by Russian troops.

A social time follows the service.

While not mandated, vaccines, masks, and appropriate distancing are encouraged for those who participate in the service in person. 

Participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community.

​Jamestown, N.Y. – Dr. Glenn Utter returns to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ) on Sunday, March 27.

His message at the 10:30 a.m. hybrid service is “Threats to American Democracy.” 

Utter’s talk will cover five areas: (1) an examination of what political scientists regard as the criteria for democracy, (2) an evaluation of just how democratic the United States is (in the context of the limitations on democracy in the Constitution), (3) current challenges to democracy, (4) proposals for making the American political system more democratic (or at least preserving the current system), and (5) how likely it is that such proposals will be introduced.

The presentation relates most closely to the fifth of the seven Principles that Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.

A graduate of Jamestown High School and Jamestown Community College, Utter received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is a distinguished professor emeritus at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, where he was a member of the political science department, serving as chair from 1992 to 2011. 

Now living in Jamestown, Utter is the author, co-author, and editor of several books, including The Religious Right and American Politics (2019), Youth and Political Participation (2011), and The Gun Debate: An Encyclopedia of Gun Rights and Gun Control (2016).

A social time follows the service.

While not mandated, vaccines, masks, and appropriate distancing are encouraged for those who participate in the service in person. 

Participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community.

​Jamestown, N.Y. – The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ) continues its exploration of Women’s History Month on Sunday, March 20.

Kristin Chambers addresses “On Women and the Struggle for Self-determination” at the 10:30 a.m. hybrid service. 

The former Chautauqua County resident says that while women have made amazing progress over the past century, it has not been without struggle nor without setbacks. She asks, “What does our history tell us that will empower us to move forward in these especially trying times?”

Chambers was a professor of social work, spent many years as a youth and family counselor, and retired in 2017 from writing training programs in the social services for the Center for the Development of Human Services at Buffalo State College. While she is an active volunteer at the Olean Food Pantry, the Health Care Access Coalition, and the summer Veggie Wheels program, her favorite thing is being a grandma of three. She lives in Hinsdale, N.Y., with her husband, Ed Miner. 

A social time follows the service.

While not mandated, vaccines, masks, and appropriate distancing are encouraged for those who participate in the service in person. 

Participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to promote and provide a community where diverse people of all ages may explore the meaning of existence, give expression to liberal religious values, and work for a just, sustainable society.

​Jamestown, N.Y. – The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ) ushers in Women’s History Month with “The Women of the Old Testament –  with Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s Commentary” on Sunday, March 13, 10:30 a.m.

In this hybrid service, where participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue or online, speaker Kenneth Walsh’s presentation will be based on his book, Bible Stories for All Without the Dogma: A Part of Cultural Literacy, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s commentary in her book, The Woman’s Bible. 

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was an American writer and activist who was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-19th century. She was the main force behind the 1848 Seneca Fall Convention, the first convention to be called for the sole purpose of discussing women's rights.

Walsh will describe how Stanton came to write The Women’s Bible and reactions to it. She offers this perspective on Bible stories: “The Bible cannot be accepted or rejected as a whole, its teachings are varied, and its lessons differ widely from each other.” Overall, she felt that, “Parts of the Bible are so true, so grand, so beautiful, that it is a pity it should have been bound in the same volume with sentiments and descriptions so gross and immoral.”

The thrust of Stanton’s vigorously made points underscore the first of the seven Principles that Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregations affirm and promote: the inherent worth and dignity of every person.  Despite the unfair treatment and outright discrimination women have endured, Elizabeth Cady Stanton argues simply for equity and fairness. Her writings also underscore the second UU Principle: Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.

In discussing how women have been portrayed and not portrayed in the Old Testament, Walsh’s topics include women in activist roles (Eve, Shiphrah and Puah, Deborah, Ruth, and Esther) and the portrayal of women in traditional roles (Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel).

For a Story For All Ages, Walsh has prepared a slide presentation about his favorite Old Testament story, Ruth. 

A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a B.A. in Political Science & Economics and a M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction from Loyola College in Maryland, Walsh worked for 34 years at the Social Security Administration in claims rep and management positions on Long Island and at headquarters in Baltimore, Md. He served as the first chair of the Howard County (Md.) Public Transportation Board and is past president of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia and the Owen Brown Interfaith Center in Columbia, Md. The author of The Ethics Seminar Guide: Contemporary Ethical, Moral and Responsibility Issues Based on Bible Stories, he taught the Old Testament & Ancient History at a tuition-free, Jesuit, inner-city middle school for boys from low-income families of various religious and non-religious backgrounds. 

An opportunity for questions follows the presentation, and a social time follows the service.

While not mandated, vaccines, masks, and appropriate distancing are encouraged for those who participate in the service in person. 

Anyone who would like to participate virtually can find the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to promote and provide a community where diverse people of all ages may explore the meaning of existence, give expression to liberal religious values, and work for a just, sustainable society.

Learn more about the UUCJ at UUJamestown.org or on their Facebook page facebook.com/JamestownUU. 

###