Photo by Brianna R. on Unsplash
Greetings, CTU Members and Friends –
Our theme for May is Delight! Let’s explore together how we find delight in our everyday life. Most importantly, our Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Sunday, 26 May, at 11:30 am SA time. We will be sending out pre-reading documents, so stay tuned for important information about our beloved community as well as votes to be taken for our new Council members and other CTU decisions.
On the first Sunday in May, come support Trisha as she leads the Sunday gathering on the first Sunday, around Lao-Tzu’s Tao te Ching.
Note that Thursday meditations will be paused in May as we prepare for the AGM. We’ll be back in June to help us all get through the winter mindfully.
The Global Unitarian Movement has a job posting! Here is the link in case you are interested: https://sites.google.com/uua.org/intl-uu-collaboration/updates-from-the-ldt/job-posting-network-facilitator
Lastly, enjoy the beautiful photo of our member from Botswana, Paula Otukile and her friend, Tsitsi, along with myself, Roux and Hans. We were delighted to host them in our building in April and hope they will return to Cape Town soon.
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
5 May – Trisha Riedy, “Taoism: Effortless Action and the Spaciousness of Being”: The metaphor for Taoism is water as it flows effortlessly without forcing things, is content with the low places, yet is powerful and nourishing and clear. Observing the natural harmony and balance in nature and releasing this in ourselves and our relations contributes to the whole. Some background on Taoism, its main founder Lao Tzu, and on Tai chi will be provided. Books referenced will be The Tao of Pooh, The Tao te Ching, and The Tao of Physics.
12 May – Fin Manjoo, Embracing Peace: Uniting The Children Of Abraham, Israel and Gaza: Fin Manjoo is a peacemaking theologian, filmmaker, and editor who's documentary, "If I Must Die Let It Bring Hope," will be screened in public soon, offering a comprehensive exploration of the current situation in Gaza, drawing from footage contributed by over 100 journalists from Palestine, shedding light on human rights. An earlier version of the documentary is available for free on YouTube now, reflecting Manjoo's commitment to raising awareness and promoting free education. With a background in using the arts for healing, he has previously worked in Srebrenica, Bosnia, following Europe's worst genocide since World War II. Hailing from South Africa and having lived in the United States and Austria, Manjoo brings a diverse perspective to his work. His existential fiction film Woodwind chronicled an artist's transformative journey in India and has been showcased at numerous festivals and cinemas, while also streaming on Amazon Prime Video in the UK and USA. Since then, Manjoo was awarded by the film commission to write a screenplay on the Marikana massacre.
Manjoo will explore pathways toward genuine unity and peace among the Abrahamic faiths, addressing theological and social challenges. He'll delve into the complexities of interpreting scripture in the context of modern-day terrorism and millennia-old political conflicts, offering insights to help understand faith, foster understanding, resilience, and harmony in the face of adversity and suffering.
19 May - : Where do I want to spend my attention? - Nima will lead a Buddhist themed gathering with some insights on the Buddha’s teaching on cultivating mindful attention. What if we thought of our attention as we do money? Where are we spending our precious attention? What is helpful and not helpful?
26 May - Shortened service due to Annual General Meeting: Come at 10:30 for a short service with our chalice lighting and time for joys and concerns before we break at 11 am to prepare for our 11:30 AGM.
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
Somerset West Fellowship - In Person
4 May, Saturday, 10:00am
Vonke House, Chapel Room at 121 Lourensford Road
Guest Speaker: Monica Cromhout
Topic: Living Life as an Adventure
Monica was born in Rhodesia, and in 1966 she travelled south by train to become a student nurse at Groote Schuur Hospital. Hence, South Africa became her home, and the country that has given her a truly rich life. Monica has been happily settled in Somerset West for 36 years. Her late husband, Mick Cromhout, was here for many more years.
Monica works from home, doing what she loves, as a counsellor and host to retreat groups.
Time allowing, she will be talking about topics such as these:
Living life as an adventure, with minimum planning, and following opportunities as they come.
The rewards of living each unrepeatable day with a focus on what is good and real in each moment.
The mysterious magic of living without expectations.
Learning to see what is right and what is wrong, regardless of legal and social pressures. And standing firm when our modern laws show themselves to be wrong.
Living and breathing through grief, losses and even poverty. Just being alive is to be blessed.
Knowing always that every human being is unique and precious, with the right to life and a place on earth.
Dealing with cancer, and all the other aches and pains that come along in later years.
The wisdom that comes with old age - and how we change when our short futures grow even shorter.
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
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Sunday, 26 May
11:30 - 13:30
In person and online
This is an important meeting that we will need a quorum of our members to attend. Please diarise so we can celebrate the last twelve months in our beloved community, elect our new Council members, and vote on key decisions that are needed for our community to continue to thrive into the future. All are welcome to attend and hear about CTU. Only members are allowed to vote.
Mid-week Meditation - On Break
Chalice Circle - Online Only
21 May 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.
CTU Community Choir - HYBRID
Every Wednesday, 18:30 - 20:00 (except May 1st)
64 Hout Street and Online
Our CTU AfrikaBurn family, the Unitarian Unicorns, are out in the karoo. We have so much heart felt gratitude to our community for all of you love and support! We can’t wait to come home and share our stories with you all! Otherwise, feel free to enjoy our YouTube channel updates from the crew!
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Council Meeting
Council meeting will be held Sunday 12 May at 12 pm SA time. All are welcome. Let Nolu know if you’d like the documents for this council meeting as well as the zoom link. (Or feel free to come in person to the building as well.
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Climate Change, “The Week” and What We Can Do
Climate change and surrounding topics can be uncomfortable to turn our attention to. They may seem abstract or overwhelming. For a view on how we may take action in our own day-to-day lives, we could venture on a little journey.
This Journey means doing "The Week". I propose hosting "The Week", which can be done hybrid (on zoom and simultaniously in person) and consists of three meetings that take place in the space of one week. The element of human connection and little time between the meetings is important for this process according to the makers of "The Week" (www.theweek.ooo).
At every meeting we watch a one hour documentary and then have a 30 minute conversation (or more if required).
If you might be interested in joining "The week", changing your awareness and maybe even your actions around climate change, please contact Christine +27767354406 or christine.hinterlang@gmail.com
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International Convocation of Unitarian*Universalist Women (ICU*UW)
Dear fellow Unitarians, if you are passionate about in supporting womens empowerment in a international setting the following information may be interesting for you. You are welcome to join the International convocation of unitarian*universalist women (ICU*UW). They are a non-profit organisation and aim to advance equity for women and girls worldwide through leadership development, empowerment and awareness programs, advocacy, and resources. They are a group of women, diverse* and men who have been operating for over 10 years and have successfully awarded over $150,000 in scolarships and over $ 100,000 in grants to this purpose. Education projects were funded in Bolivia, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Kenya, the Philippines Romania and the US in addition to running various crisis relief programs, led by Unitarian*Universalist women from around the world, its members include Unitarian*Universalists and other people of liberal religious faith. The ICU*UW meet online on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month at 3 PM Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Request to join (admin@icuuw.com).
In addition to the online meetings there are in person events. one of which is taking place September 5-8 in Cluj in Romania. It is organised by the ICUUW and the National Organization of Unitarian Women of Romania (UNOSZ) in partnership with the Hungarian Unitarian Church. Our very own Camille Hatton has been the musical director for the last in person meeting which shows that unexpected magic happens when you dont expect it. For more information on the event go to www.intlwomensconvo.org/page/4th-convo-2024-september.
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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.