Photo by Brianna R. on Unsplash
Greetings, CTU Members and Friends –
Our theme for April is ”Courage”. I am excited that Alan Jackson and others will be presenting on the 14 April on a possible project they have been leading entitled, “Transforming Our Racism”. Join us that Sunday to hear what they’ve done so far, and what might be possible with CTU.
Don’t miss Gur’s special service on 28 April. Let’s all support our ministerial intern as he gets closer to his ordination from Meadville Lombard UU seminary in May 2025.
We had a great turnout for our Pride March on the first Saturday in March! Thanks to everyone who championed the cause!
16 of us are attending AfrikaBurn at the end of this month, so many of us will be gone from 28 April - 7 May, and will need your help taking care of our beloved CTU community. Also, we will be sharing a blog about the preparation and the escapades of our community adventure. Although there will be zero cell phone coverage while we’re there, we promise to share some of the alternative universe when we get back.
With love and light,
Nima
nimajanettaylor@gmail.com // WhatsApp 076 024 9120
In This Issue of the Newsletter
Check out our events page to view our church calendar. This includes events posted in the building and outside of the building. If you would like your event added, please contact us at via email: community@capetownunitarians.org
Sunday Services
Calendar of Events: Somerset West Fellowship, Mid-week Meditations, Chalice Circle, Chalice Kids, Community Choir
Community Corner
Community Updates
UPCOMING SUNDAY TOPICS
Please note: All Sunday services are hybrid and start at 10:30 am
7 April– Traditional Service: Cele will lead this service with the title “The Courage to Be”. Courage is often about bravely saying “yes,” but sometimes saying “no” is what is needed. Opening ourselves to new experiences enriches us, but putting our foot down and setting boundaries often saves us. Where are you saying “yes” when you need to courageously say “no”?
14 April – Transforming our Racism. Alan Jackson, Barbara Miller and Thobeka Macozoma will present some work they have been doing in spiritual communities that brings racism to the fore and explore how to heal the wounds and transform ourselves going forward.
21 April - Earth Day: Nima will lead us in a celebration of our beloved earth, and explore how we remember our deep connection and responsibility to care for Mother Earth, Gaia.
28 April - Gur with Melanie: Standing for the story that matters.In connection with the theme of the month " Courage", Gur will explore some ideas about how our own story can impact the world around us, based on his first book read at Seminary entitled “The Truth about Stories” by Thamas King
The project 'From the Cape to Cairo' is part of a growing research and exploration project initiated by The Egyptian Society of South Africa (TESSA). TESSA curated a course at the Summer School of UCT in January 2024. This course covered inspirations from Egypt in South Africa in archaeology, architecture, medicine, esoteric traditions and poetry.
Joseph started his exploration of the cultural and spiritual heart of the continent during two visits to Egypt in December 2020 and October 2023. The poetry he created in December 2020 was published in the Odyssey Magazine (2021) and presented at the conference ‘The veil of Isis’ in Luxor (2023), organised by the European School of Theosophy.
His visits raised many questions about the ancient and present cultural and spiritual traditions in Africa.
What role did Ancient Egypt play on the spread if these traditions?
Key countries in the same region, like Egypt and Ethiopia, will join the BRICS. What role do these traditions currently play?
Will they create a base for a stabilizing interfaith community in the continent and the middle East?
What will South Africa contribute to these developments?
Joseph is a published poet and a committee member of TESSA, specialised in ‘Ancient Egypt as a source of inspiration for classical composers’ and ‘Egyptology in Eastern Europe’.
The Somerset West Unitarian Fellowship will be meeting this Saturday, 2 March, at 10 am in the Vonke meeting room of Vonke House, 121 Lourensford Road.
Cost: Free, as well as free light refreshments.
We are limited to having 30 attendees. That means you will need to sign up for each meeting when it is publicised. You can do this by phoning us on 021 850 0863 or emailing davidjeanmayes@gmail.com
Mid-week Meditation - Online Only
Every Thursday, 12:30 - 13:00 SA time
Email Nima for the Zoom link
Join Nima for a gentle practice of breath awareness and guided meditations to shift our awareness to more fully present in each moment.
Create_Space
13 April Saturday, 9am through 4pm
64 Hout Street, CTU Building
“The Soul of the artist cannot remain hidden.”
“Peace is first of all, the art of being.”
~ Henri Nouwen
We continue to Create_Space, where you are invited to unplug from your daily routines and obligations, and to gift yourself the freedom for creative exploration. Creativity may take many forms, all it requires is a mindful presence and an openness to have fun! We will continue with our AfrikaBurn preparations, from prepping shade cloth, sewing our Unitarian Unicorn mast flag, to fashioning tutus and all sorts of arts and crafts, in between. So come and be crafty with us, or indulge in whatever creativity nourishes your soul, from reading, creative writing to storytelling, playing board games, listening to your favourite vinyl records, or indulging in any favourite hobby or pastime. This is your communal creative space to just be!
Please contact Hans via WhatsApp +27721276497 if you have any ideas or creative contributions to make create_space be the best it can be! Thank you for your support 🕯️🌈🙏🏾
Wardrobe Rejuvenation will be part of Create_Space!
13 April Saturday, as part of Create_Space!
64 Hout Street, CTU Building
Wardrobe rejuvenation sessions led by Annie Akinyi Kamya consist of knowing the basics of sewing. Machine stitch can be taught if you provide your domestic machine. The main skills will be hand-stitching (basic, blanket, secret, cross); crochet; knitting; embroidery; pattern reading and making; and basic tailoring (hemming, etc.).
Cost: R100 per lesson
RSVP: Email missaakamya@gmail.com
Please bring your own machine if you have and the item(s) you would like to repair or knitting needles, Crochet hooks, etc. to practise.
Chalice Circle - Online Only
16 April Tuesday, 19:00 - 20:30
(Meets the Third Tuesday of Each Month)
Email Nima for the Zoom link
Each meeting includes a check-in, time for each person to share about the theme, and a check-out. The theme in March will be “Awe”. Contact Nima to be added to the group and receive the monthly packet.
Chalice Kids - IN PERSON
Email Nima for meeting details
We have a robust Chalice Kids education project every month. If you would like your child to participate, email Nima at nimajanettaylor@gmail.com. She will help you choose the right group for your kid(s) and share the homes where we are meeting.
COMMUNITY CORNER
ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
BY HANS MOOLMAN
Kindness ~ a poem by Naomi Shihab NYE
Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.
Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to gaze at bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.
As we conclude our theme of awe for the month of March, we reflect on weeks past, with gratitude on our hearts for the incredible kindnesses shown by members within our tribe. By no means comprehensive, and all of equal measure, this is a loving testament to the time, talents and treasures shared by an active, participative, engaged and caring community. I am in awe of you ~ you are a true blessing of unicorns! Thank you!
Thank you to CTU member, Erin, and her colleague, Saskia Lilienfeld, for hosting the TransSeries: VOICE workshops in our building. Their workshops explored gender-affirming voice training, extending trans individuals the opportunity to unlock their true voice potential and a supportive means to authentic, radical self-expression. In light of March 31 as International Transgender Day of Visibility, we are grateful for their collective conscious effort towards realizing radical inclusion, holding space and amplifying voices of a community often ostracized and misunderstood.
Thank you to Courage Matuwa for his expertise and loving care of our building, ingeniously constructing a wheelchair access ramp to our restroom and additional upgrades. We are so grateful for your service in maintaining the integrity and accessibility of our spiritual home.
Thank you to Camille for leading an extra special music service, for all of her heart full efforts in preparation of the musical repertoire, meticulously setting the stage, thoughtfully sourcing arts and crafts materials for attendees to explore artfully to healing soothing sounds. What a uniquely, divinely curated, work of heART!
Thank you to our choir, Cele, Brady, Bronwyn, Pius, Altaira, Ana, Karin, Jabulani, Christine, Carol (US) and Camille for a sublimely beautiful musical journey that allowed for togetherness, deep reflection, meditation and a space to access our inner creativity! Shoutouts of joy and appreciation to our soloists, Cele, Bronwyn and Camille … thank you for tuning our hearts to sing thy grace
Thank you to ALL our CTU members who rallied to the call for assistance, who so heartfully and generously contributed financially towards a fund for Christine’s vital surgery. Yay! Here’s to a return to restored and robust health, Christine
A special thank you to Altaira for her altruistic efforts in shepherding this initiative, as well as to some key contributors (who shall remain anonymous) for living the values of Ubuntu and stepping up in a magnanimous way Thank you everyone for your compassion and ubuntu, for going the extra mile for others within our collective spiritual family.
Thank you to Nima, Altaira and Nolu, for your collective efforts to meet the challenge of our leaking roof. It’s not an easy labour dealing with non-commital, often unprofessional suppliers and service providers, but we are ever grateful for your tenacity and tact, for your invested oversight and mindful project management, to ensure that we secure competent suppliers to maintain the integrity of our spiritual home.
Thank you to Gordon and Lizette for the book donations received. We are grateful for your time and thoughtful contributions, to bulk up and enrich the diverse offering of our library.
Thank you to Cele for your presence, activism and holding space at the recent Climate Justice protest march on Human Rights Day. We are grateful to you, for representing Cape Town Unitarians in this intergenerational movement, of creating awareness, of coming together to call for solutions that address the social, environmental and economic issues facing society, especially as it impacts the future world for our youth.
Thank you to Patrick for your heart full activism and leadership, to introduce speaker Jess Auerbach and her compassionate work, featuring her book, Archive of Kindness~ Stories of everyday heroism during the South African lockdown to our community. What an insightful and inspirational call to action, and gentle reminder to all of us, how through love activism, we can create a better world through small acts of kindness
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AfrikaBurn Update
Our CTU AfrikaBurn family, the Unitarian Unicorns, is almost ready to leave for the Karoo! This has included volunteer days, ranger training, and a lot of coordinating! Whether you are attending the burn this year or not, we invite you to follow the adventure with us! Additionally, if you want to be more involved without actually going, feel free to contact Hans, Altaira, or Nima to find out how you can help our crew. We are looking for borrowed camping gear, tarps, some assistance purchasing fuel for a generator, and fun costumes and E-lights. Otherwise, feel free to enjoy our YouTube channel updates from the crew!
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Music Sunday Collective Collage
Thank you everyone for contributing to our service by sending in pictures of your artwork. What an absolute pleasure to witness your artistic muses while we share our beautiful music.
Warmly,
Camille
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Volunteer Opportunities - Please Share Your Time and Talents with CTU!
Our (Growing!) The Communications Committee is always looking for people who can write, edit, photograph and create graphics. Contact Altaira or Camille on WhatsApp at +1 831 345 6128.
Join the Social Justice committee by contacting Cele on 082 433 8815.
Help with events by contacting Hans on 072 127 6497.
Have questions or comments for Council? Please email us at community@capetownunitarians.org.