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Welcome to University Presbyterian Church
in the heart of downtown Chapel Hill across from
the UNC Campus
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As we enter the season of Advent, we reflect on God's gift to us and how we live our gratitude. For several weeks, we have been contemplating our stewardship campaign theme of Rooted. Giving. Growing. As of November 23, we have received 371 pledges, totaling $1,600,749. We celebrate the commitment so many in the congregation have shown through your pledges.
If you have not yet made your pledge, you may complete a pledge card on Sunday that you will find in the pews and in the worship register. You may also mail your pledge card to the church office or
click here
to pledge online.
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New Look for UPC's Website
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Check out the new
UPC Website! The directory access looks different than what members are used to, but it will be updated more frequently. Instructions for creating logins and pledging/giving online are easily accessible on the "Resources/Forms" page (under the "About UPC" tab). Members may also download the smartphone app Church Life. Using their same login for the online directory, members can search for other members, see their pictures, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses and call/email them right away.
If you have questions about the new Website and its features, please call the church office at (919) 929-2102.
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The Youth, Junior and Children's Choirs ARE rehearsing this Sunday. We have lots of music to learn for Advent, Lessons and Carols, Christmas Eve and Christmas Caroling. See you at rehearsal this Sunday, November 29!
For questions about UPC choirs, please contact Beth Auman Visser at
[email protected].
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Youth and Adults:
Advent Craft Night
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Middle school and high school youth and adults are welcome to join us on Wednesday, December 9, from 7-9 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall for some Advent crafts! (pictured below)
These crafts will be a bit more involved than the child-friendly crafts at the annual Advent Craft Festival. Cost will depend on what crafts you choose but will be approximately $10 and will cover your supplies.
If you have questions or to sign up, please email Nancy Myer at
[email protected].
The deadline to RSVP is Wednesday, December 2.
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All young adults are welcome!
The Bible Study is meeting this Wednesday, December 2, at 8:30 p.m. at Kate Fiedler Boswell's home.
Join the discussion each first and third Wednesday through December. Contact Kate at
[email protected] for more information.
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Advent Experience for Families
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Mary and Joseph (figurines) need a place to stay! Mary and Joseph will be traveling to Bethlehem and could use a night's lodging in your home.
Las Posadas means "the inns" or "the lodgings" and symbolizes the Biblical journey of Mary and Joseph as they searched for shelter in Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus.
Hosting Mary and Joseph encourages us to show hospitality and welcome those for whom there is no room.
Las Posadas is a wonderful way to help children-and all of us-keep the focus of the season on who and what Christmas celebrates.
Click here to sign up to provide lodging for Mary and Joseph and for more details. Please contact Nancy Myer at
[email protected] with questions.
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Weekly News from University Church Wednesday, November 25, 2015
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With this email, we bring you news about this Sunday's worship services, as well as upcoming events and announcements.
Join us for worship on Sundays at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m.
All are welcome!
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On Sunday, November 29, 2015
First Sunday of Advent
Worship Services at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m.
Organ Voluntary:
Come, Savior of the Nations - Johann Sebastian Bach
Scripture Reading:
Psalm 25:1-10
Sermon:
At the Offering:
The old year has past away - Bach (8:30)
Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming - Michael Praetorius (11:00)
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Favorite Organ Music from the Liturgical Year
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Favorite Organ Music, a new CD by UPC's Minister of Music Tom Brown, is available for purchase this Sunday, November 29!
Tom plays 24 favorite organ works on the Sanctuary organ celebrating 12 highlights of the Liturgical Year from Advent to Christ the King Sunday.
The CD may be purchased at a table in the parlor after worship this Sunday or from Tom. You may also purchase a CD in the church office on weekdays. Cost is $15. Please make checks payable to "UPC" and write "Tom Brown's CD" in the memo line. It makes a great holiday gift!
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Coats and Blankets for Syrian Refugees
A Message from Bob Dunham
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This past summer I traveled to Turkey under the auspices of the Divan Center, a Turkish-American center devoted to cultural and inter-faith exchange. While in Turkey we witnessed thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing their war-torn homeland. In the port city of Izmir we saw them camped out on roadway medians. It was warm then, but winter is fast approaching, and many of the refugees are still without permanent accommodations. There are more than two million Syrian refugees in Turkey, many living without any shelter or in tents.
To help ease their plight a bit, the Divan Center and Institute of Islamic and Turkish Studies, in partnership with
Embrace Relief, are organizing a "blanket and coat drive" to help Syrian families in Turkey. They are accepting new or gently used blankets/coats. We at University Church, along with churches throughout New Hope Presbytery, are helping to coordinate the relief effort. The drive will continue until December 5, and
we will be collecting the coats and blankets at UPC until December 3. Please deliver them clean and folded (no sheets please). The Divan Center's goal is to fill several shipping containers that will then be delivered to Turkey, where a local relief agency will distribute them to the refugee families.
I will collect your contributions in my study and deliver them to the Divan Center on December 4. Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to provide.
Bob Dunham, Pastor
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Presbyterian Youth Connection
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This Sunday at PYC we'll talk about Advent in the Culture of Now. We live in a time when instant is better, fast is the only way and wondering about anything for very long is out of style. Where does that leave us in Advent? How do we remember what it's like to wonder, ponder and live into waiting? How do we practice the radical act of waiting when we live in a world that waits for no one? We'll explore these questions this Sunday from 6-8 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Bring $5 for dinner.
Attention All 8th-12th Graders
Montreat Youth Conference deposit of $100 is due this Sunday, November 29. This week (June 12-18) in beautiful Montreat will help your faith grow as you live in community with your PYC family and with a thousand other Presbyterian teenagers. Don't miss out on this opportunity to enjoy fun, fellowship and faith formation! To sign up, submit a check for $100 made out to "UPC" to Kim and put it in her box in the office or bring it to PYC this Sunday.
If you'd like more information about youth programs for 6th-12th graders, contact Kim McNeill,
Staff Associate for Youth Ministries, at [email protected].
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PYPs (Parents of Young Presbyterians) and parents of middle school and high school youth are invited to a special gathering at the bar at City Kitchen on Saturday, December 12, from 5-7 p.m. for some child-free fun! This will be a great chance to catch up with old and new UPC friends.
If you have a holiday party that evening, stop by City Kitchen first while you already have a sitter in place.
We hope to see you there!
If you have questions about PYPs, contact Nancy Myer, Staff Associate for Children's Ministries, at [email protected].
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Kirk Club, for 4th and 5th graders, meets every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
The club is meeting this Wednesday, December 2, and all 4th and 5th graders are welcome!
These young people learn how to approach their faith in new ways as they engage in thought-provoking discussions, wrestle with deeper questions and grow in community with one another through fellowship and recreation.
If you have questions about Kirk Club, contact Kim McNeill, Staff Associate for Youth Ministries, at [email protected] or Nancy Myer, Staff Associate for Children's Ministries, at [email protected]. Or you may call them at (919) 929-2102.
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Adult Education Classes
Term 2: Through December 13, 9:45 - 10: 45 a.m.
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Bible Study: Advent Devotions:
As we prepare for and enter the season of Advent, this class will discuss the scriptures, themes, and illustrations in Bob Dunham's book,
Expecting God's Surprises
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This week, Jim Schultz will lead the class in discussing the meditations for days 8-14 of Bob's devotional book.
Copies of Bob's book are available in class. Location: Terrace Room.
Class schedule
November 29: Days 8-14 with Jim Schultz
December 6: Days 15-21 with Randy Kabrick
December 13: Days 22-Christmas with Randy Kabrick
Connections: The Era of the Crusades: As part of
The Great Courses series, Kenneth W. Harl, Professor of Classical and Byzantine History at Tulane University in New Orleans, looks at the "big picture" of the Crusades as an ongoing period of conflict involving Western Christendom (we would now call it Western Europe), the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim world. This week: "Religious Reform and the Papacy: Christendom prepares for a Crusade."
Facilitators: Joe and Shipley Jenkins. Location: Vance Barron Hall. *We look forward to welcoming Brett Whalen, Associate Professor of History and Director of the Program in Medieval and Early Modern Studies at UNC, to lead the class discussion on Sunday, December 13.
Living Out Our Faith: It's Complicated: Relationship Status and the Church: Throughout the Bible, adult relationships are complicated. Still today, some people find it difficult to connect with the church whether they are single, married, divorced, or widowed. Using articles and blog posts to generate conversation, this class will discuss how the church in a broad sense responds to people across the relationship status spectrum and how we at UPC can foster a stronger community. Location: Stephen Ministry Room.
Class schedule
November 29:
Divorce in the Church with Mellicent Blythe, Kari Marvin and John Rogers
December 6: Non-traditional Families in the Church with Anna Pinckney Straight
December 13: So, how do we connect at UPC? with Anna Pinckney Straight
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Faith Forward Capital Campaign Update
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View the latest numbers and other information about UPC's Capital Campaign,
Faith Forward, by visiting the
campaign blog. You can also view information about the Capital Campaign from the
Faith Forward page of the
UPC Website. Stay up-to-date on what's happening with the campaign!
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Please remember that during the construction there is no on-site parking at the church for staff or visitors. Visitors are encouraged to utilize on-street and deck parking.
As construction continues, we will continue to post pictures of the progress on the UPC Facebook page. To view all the pictures, search #BuildUPC on Facebook. We encourage church members who post pictures or updates regarding church construction to use #BuildUPC. Stay connected!
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We look forward to worshiping with you!
Grace and Peace, University Presbyterian Church |
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