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JANUARY 2018 - In This Issue:
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9:15 A.M. & 11:00 A.M.
(exception noted on 12/31)
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December 31
One Service at 10:30
"Janus is a Two-Faced God"
Rev. Thom Belote, preaching
In Roman mythology, Janus, the god of beginnings and transitions, is often depicted as having two faces. One face looks backward towards the past while the other looks ahead towards the future. Join us for our last worship service of 2017 as we look towards our past and future.
January 7
"Suffering and Meaning"
Rev. Thom Belote, preaching
Why is there suffering? Why do bad things happen to good people? What is the significance of suffering? Join us this morning for an exploration of the theology of suffering from a liberal religious perspective.
January 14
"Young People Change the World"
Rev. Thom, leading worship
Multigenerational Service
Did you know that Martin Luther King, Jr. was only 25 years old when he led the Montgomery bus boycott? This morning, during our all-ages service we'll celebrate young people who've changed the world, from Martin Luther King to Malala Yousafzai and others.
January 21
Rev. Paul Davis, Guest Preacher
This morning we will welcome Rev. Paul Davis, Associate Minister at Congregational United Church of Christ in Greensboro. This congregation is a Sanctuary church that welcomed Minerva Cisneros Garcia into sanctuary from June 28-October 2, 2017. Rev. Davis will speak about this experience and its impact on the family and the church.
January 28
"People-first: From Our Congregation's Founding to Today"
Rev. Thom, preaching
The founding documents of our church from 1953 speak to us as "a spiritual home wherein there is unity in the Christian essentials, liberty in the non-essentials, and charity in all things." What did this mean when these words were written in 1953 and what do they mean to us today? Join us for a worship service drawn from our history, our present, and our future.
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January 7, 2018. In the Sanctuary immediately following the second service. Come enjoy coffee hour BEFORE the second service
. Learn about the very exciting Building on our Legacy events that will unfold in 2018. Childcare/food will be provided for youth and kids.
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EXPLORING MEMBERSHIP CLASS
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Wednesdays, January 10 & 17.
The two-part class will provide an introduction to Unitarian Universalism and our congregation, cover the meaning of membership, provide an opportunity for reflecting on our spiritual journeys, and give you chance to meet others who are newer to The Community Church.
Classes will be held from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the church. Please RSVP by sending an email to Rev. Thom Belote or Rachel Rose. Childcare is available upon request.
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Celebrate New Year on the Outer Banks.
Jan. 12-14. Cheap (Ocean Front) rooms, priceless company, deserted beaches, teaming waterfowl, expert guides. Thousands of swans, dozens of tourists. We're getting it right. RSVP:
chandler-dorfman@mindspring.com
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BUILDING ON OUR LEGACY
Update Coming Soon!
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Come to the Congregational Meeting January 7, 2018
- Learn about the very exciting Building on Our Legacy events that will unfold in 2018
- Meeting will begin immediately AFTER the 2nd service in the Sanctuary
- Come early (between 10:30-11:00) for check-in, and to enjoy coffee and mingling BEFORE the 2nd service
- Childcare (with snacks) will be provided during the meeting
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What's Up with the Building Project?
Many of you have taken opportunities since August to give us your comments on preliminary conceptual drawings. Now what? The Building Task Force has analyzed your comments having potential design implications and has worked with the architect to produce some further-refined conceptual plans. We will unveil new conceptual drawings, which already reflect those suggestions that can be incorporated within the projected budget. Many other ideas have been assembled for consideration after the capital campaign wraps up. The congregational meeting will be an exciting next step toward realization of the vision for renovation and new construction in the Jones Building, providing accessibility and more available spaces for adult and youth meetings furthering our mission. Please plan to attend!
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CONTRIBUTING TO THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN-STOCKS, SECURITIES, PROPERTY AND OTHER NON-CASH DONATIONS
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The Finance Task Force of the Capital Campaign will hold a Q&A on
Sunday, January 28 at 12:30 (Straley Room) to provide information on the processes and tax implications of making non-cash contributions to the building project. Since moving money and property can take time, it is good to start thinking now about these ways of contributing to the capital campaign, which will kick-off in March 2018. This session is not a substitute for professional advice, but can help begin the discussion. You can also email questions about this to
Andrew Wright or
Laurence Kirsch.
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But wait! There's more! You can still purchase places at several 2018 events such as EA9 Celebrate Rubber Ducky Day (January 13th, 3 pm, $5), EA17 Avant Garde Movie Night - with Rev. Thom (January 20th, 7 pm, $10), EA6 Mask Making for 8 Women (February 3rd, 9 am, $30), EA10 Bluegrass Battleship Concert/Dessert Party (February 9th, 7 pm, $20), and other events. Descriptions can be found at togetherauction.com/ccchuu under Unsold Auction Items (under Catalog Grid). To get a list of what you bought and who bought what you offered, log onto the auction website and select My Statement from the menu bar at the top of the page. Enjoy the coming year of community building auction interactions that you sold or purchased - and begin planning what you can offer in 2018! Questions or want to make a purchase??? Contact Susan/Don Blanchard,
919-237-2401.
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 CONCERT SERIES NEWS: THE FABULOUS GRAVY BOYS will command the stage at Community Church Concerts
Sat., Jan. 13, 8 p.m.! Our own Bluegrass Battleship will open for the boys with our usual gourmet treats and hot drinks sold at intermission. What a night! Tickets:
www.communitychurchconcerts.org or in Jones Building after services in January. AND...LUCKILY we have rescheduled CHERYL WHEELER for
Friday, March 2. Tickets available. Refunds:
bakerwt@aol.com Check our concerts Facebook page for videos and more information. Come ROCK with us!
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 The annual
Special bUUddy Breakfast is coming up! The Breakfast is a great way for adults in the church to get to
know a child in the church and make a new friend. This is an inter-generational event for children (ages 5-11) and adults in the church.
The
Special
bUUddy Breakfast is a Valentine tradition at the Community Church in which a child and an adult get to know each other. First, adults receive the name of a child in January. They contact the parents of the child first, and then they call and correspond with their new young friend for several weeks in a structured and easy way. Then they meet that child for a festive group breakfast at church for conversation and games.
The Breakfast is
Sunday, February 11th at 10:15 am, between the services in the Community Building. The deadline for adults to sign up for the Special bUUddy Program is
Sunday January 21, 2018. If you have a child aged 5-11 (K-5th grade) who would like to participate in the Breakfast, the deadline for children signing up is
January 14, 2018. There will be sign ups after the services in January. You also can sign up by
emailing Marion Hirsch
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A new ministry of Community Church begins on January 16: a Spouse Loss Grief Support Group. The group will meet on ten Tuesdays, from 2:00-4:00 PM, in the Straley Room. A workshop text-Understanding Your Grief: Ten Essential Touchstones for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart-and an accompanying journal, will be handed out at the first meeting. Written by grief educator Alan Wolfelt, these materials provide a useful guide to the complex journey through grief.
If you are a member or friend of Community Church, and are mourning the loss of a spouse, please register to take part in this group by contacting Carolyn Holt: carolynholt@mac.com. Mary George, who heads our Caring Ministry, and Rev. Thom Belote will be at the first meeting of the group to provide support and answer questions.
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ECO'S ENVIRONMENTAL CORNER
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First (Second) Sunday Recyclables
: January 14
(at the ECO table):
Holiday lights (working or not), children's books.
As always, batteries
, corks, tiny bits of metal (paper clips, nails, screws, etc.). And s
top by the table for a slide show on NC Clean Path 2025
,
a strategy to replace fossil fuels with solar energy and battery storage.
The ECO Committee will host a screening of
Catching the Sun
at 7:30 on Monday, January 29 at the Varsity Theatre on Franklin St. This movie follows unemployed American workers seeking jobs in the solar industry and sheds light on the path to an economically and environmentally sustainable future. Following the movie, an NC WARN representative will answer questions about Clean Path 2025, their plan to replace fossil fuels with solar power and battery storage. We need to sell 74 tickets by January 22 to make this event happen. Purchase tickets at https://www.tugg.com/events/catching-the-sun-isqy
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STP - JANUARY 14
ROGERS-EUBANKS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
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On MLK Sunday, please support the Rogers-Eubanks Neighborhood Association. RENA primarily serves low-income, Orange County residents from a wide variety of backgrounds, including African Americans, Latinos, Burmese, and Karen. The Rogers Road Community Center, located in the middle of the historically African-American Rogers Road neighborhood and the Phoenix Place Habitat subdivision, is ideally placed for cross-cultural community building. RENA hosts a variety of programs at the center for youth and adults, including a summer youth camp, a community garden, a food pantry, an after-school tutoring and activities program, community festivals, backpacks and school supply distribution, computer classes, movie nights, and more. RENA relies heavily on grants, donations, and volunteers for its programs and staffing needs. Interested in knowing more? See
www.renacommunitycenter.com/ for information about how you can get involved.
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STP - NOVEMBER 28
CENTER FOR ETHICAL LIVING & SOCIAL JUSTICE RENEWAL
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The Center for Ethical Living and Social Justice Renewal is a catalyst in New Orleans and beyond for promoting social, economic, environmental and racial justice. They do this through activism, community engagement, organizing and transformational learning.
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STANDING ON THE SIDE OF LOVE
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The Standing on the Side of Love Ministry Team needs more members in order to continue providing support to our Task Forces. The Ministry Team holds 4 "Love Lunch" meetings a year, with "virtual meetings" in between. If you are interested in the work of Standing the Side of Love come to our next Love Lunch, Sunday, January 14, 12:30-2:30 or contact Ruth Gibson.
Standing on the Side of Love--Forward Together on January 10th:
Our state legislature intends to gain partisan control over the courts. They have canceled primary elections for judges. They now intend to cancel judicial elections and simply appoint their political friends to the bench. Join the NAACP on January 10 for a day of action at the legislature (11 a.m.-5:00 p.m. lunch provided). For more information
click here
. If you plan to attend and want to ride share, contact Ruth Gibson.
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 Community Clickers
use needles, hooks, and yarn to create comfort and warmth for our community. During December, Community Clickers provided 14 scarves for the Homestart gift baskets and distributed 20 scarves to organizations in Durham. We will not have our usual meeting on the first Wednesday in January and will resume with our Monday evening meeting from 7-9 pm on January 15th in the Straley Room. We will also have
a table during coffee hour on January 14th and will collect hats
for babies born in February as part of the Little Hats, Big
HeartsTM project (heart.org/littlehatsbighearts). Our ongoing project is to create shawls for UNC Hospice.
These are made with 7" x 9" knitted and crocheted blocks of washable acrylic, #4 worsted
weight yarn, and donated blocks are greatly appreciated! Can't knit or crochet? Come learn or help sew! Contact
clickers@c3huu.org
for more information.
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Looking for Connection? Try-it-Out Covenant Groups will be available throughout the church year for those interested in deep listening and connecting with others. We especially welcome newcomers but groups are open to all, even those already in a monthly Covenant group. Sign up for one or more; there'll be a different topic focus each time. Try-It-Out groups will be on Sundays in the sanctuary from 3-430 on the following dates: Jan 21st, March 4th, and April 22nd. Sign Up for Next Try-It-Out Group
Here. Questions?
Email Heather Simmons Alexander with "Covenant Group" in the Subject line.
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If you have a loved one with Major Depression, Panic Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, or another mental illness, the NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) Family-to-Family course can provide support and information. This free series of 12 weekly classes is taught by trained NAMI members who also have loved ones who have experienced mental illness. In a confidential setting, family members will learn about:
- How mental illness affects your loved one
- Current brain research related to mental illness
- Being an advocate for better treatments for your loved one
- Medication issues and the latest treatment options
- Strategies for dealing with stress and worry to help you take care of yourself while supporting your loved one
Durham class: Tuesdays, Jan. 16-
Apr. 3, 7-9:30 pm. Violette Blumenthal at
919-358-6788 or
vibl46@frontier.com.
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On Saturday, January 20, Mike Goodyear will be leading a UU Readers discussion of The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt. A social psychologist, Haidt shows how moral judgments arise not from reason but from gut feelings, and explains why liberals, conservatives, and libertarians have such different intuitions about right and wrong. Consider taking the Moral Foundations Questionnaire (at YourMorals.Org) before our discussion. We meet at 10:30 in the Kirby Room, and welcome folks on a drop-in basis.
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STAY CONNECTED
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