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Upcoming Sunday Services, 10:15 a.m.
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Sunday, October 1
"Less: In Praise of Slowing Down" Rev. Florence Caplow
We spend our days on the run, in thrall to our phones, our calendars, and the relentless pace of modern life. In this experiential service we will slow down and celebrate the spiritual gifts of “less is more.” The UUCUC adult and children’s choirs will be singing.
Sunday, October 8
"The Sacred Hoop of Covenant" Rev. Florence Caplow
The practice of “covenant” is at the heart of the history and shared life of a Unitarian Universalist congregation. What do we mean by this word? How do we practice covenant with one another? We also recognize the shared meanings of “covenant” and “treaty” on the day before Indigenous Peoples Day (honored in many cities instead of Columbus Day), and the shameful history of broken covenant with indigenous nations across the Americas. We will also be introducing and honoring our new UUCUC members!
Sunday, October 15
"Inherent Worth: The First Principle and Systemic Racism" Rev. Florence Caplow
Our UU First Principle affirms the inherent worth and dignity of every person, and yet we are all part of a nation and culture founded upon racism, slavery, and genocide, where the color of one’s skin has profound implications for the “worth” of a human life, even within our own faith. In this service we will look deeply at this difficult truth, with an understanding that this work is essential to the wholeness of each of us, and to the moral wholeness of our nation. With the Racial Justice Initiative Committee.
Sunday, October 22
“Planting Ourselves at the Gate of Hope” Janet Revell Barrett
Hope springs from deeply generous impulses in the human spirit, lifting us up, sustaining us, providing reassurance in times of greatest need. Hope can also feel elusive when the circumstances of our personal lives—or the enormity of societal challenges—test our values and visions. In this service, we will consider how we safeguard and replenish our commitment to possibility in these troubled times. The UUCUC adult and children’s choirs will be singing.
Sunday, October 29
“Trickster!” Rev. Florence Caplow
All over the world the trickster is an important mythological figure of mayhem, playfulness, reversal, transformation, and dark humor. The trickster can be seen in our own celebration of Halloween. Today we will play with the trickster. Come prepared for surprises! “Trunk or Treat” will be happening after the service (see details below under "upcoming events").
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Message from the Minister
Reverend Florence Caplow, Minister
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Early fall greetings! As the leaves begin to turn, I’ve been enjoying getting to know you all better, working with the staff to create a strong staff team, collaborating with the musicians and worship associates to deepen the Sunday morning experience for all of us, and learning more about the lay leaders and committees that keep everything running around here. I continue to be impressed with the depth of thoughtfulness and commitment in the lay leadership. And I am having a very, very good time!
One of the big successes of the last month was the hiring of a new custodian/building caretaker, Shornor Vineyard. If you see him working around the building, please stop and introduce yourself, so he can start to get to know you.
Last month we held a staff retreat out at the nature center near Busey Woods, with the intention of learning more about each other and how to work together and support one another. The current staff team is a tremendously talented bunch. Many thanks to the Personnel Committee for making the arrangements for the retreat.
You might have noticed a new painting on the minister’s door, with the words, “Breathe in Joy.” Whatever your life circumstances, I invite you to look up to the sky, watch the leaves floating down, and take a moment to breathe in joy. – Blessings, Florence
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HURRICANES! EARTHQUAKES! FIRES! FLOODS! FAMINE! DROUGHT! DISEASE! WAR!... How do we respond to these disasters that leave others without the resources that we take for granted for comfort… for survival? One way is through
CROP Walk, this year on
Sunday, October 8, at 2 pm from St. Matthew Lutheran Church.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to participate in the 2017 C-U CROP Walk, which will raise funds for disaster and hunger relief programs
locally and globally. You can
- sign up at the Social Action table, or
- connect to the UU Walkers team page to sign up as a walker or sponsor; or
- learn more about our local walk here (cu-cropwalk.org). Thank you for caring.
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“Dinner and Future Dreaming”
Please come join together with other members of our congregation as we can dream together of the ministry we are creating with Florence--what we love about UUCUC, and where hope to go.
Friday, October 13, 6:30-8 pm
. We’ll begin with a meal, then Rev. Lisa Presley from the MidAmerica Region of the UUA will lead this fun and informative session. The session is designed for adults and children 10 years of age and older. Childcare will be available. Please come be part of the process!
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A Death Café will be hosted by the Social Action Committee/Death With Dignity Group on Saturday, October 21, from noon to 2 pm in the Children’s Chapel. At a Death Café, people gather to eat cake, drink tea and coffee, and discuss death with the objective “to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.” It is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counseling session, open to all. E-mail
Jean Peters for information.
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Join us for our
Annual
Trunk or Treat
on Sunday, October 29th after worship service. There will be games, crafts, treats and much more. Booth, trunk and craft or game table hosts are needed. Contact
Cindy Wakeland for details.
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BOT News
Johnny Robinson,
Liaison to Property Committee
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There is a very busy property committee keeping things running at UUCUC. You undoubtedly see some effects of their work, but often do not.
At the September 17 Sunday service we all got to meet our new permanent custodian (previously called sexton). Read more about him under "Staff News". Many thanks to Aaron Hlavatovich who has been filling in during the interim.
Recently the the tile floors were cleaned and waxed throughout the church. This is an annual event. It was done over 4 nights with all the the furniture being moved each night by UU volunteers.
As we all know, our solar panels are feeding us power. There is also discussion of installing a monitor in a public area that tracks the power generated. We are going to be a stop on ISEA (Illinois Solar Energy Association) tour on Saturday, Oct 7th.
At the south entrance we have new pavement and a Kousa dogwood planted to replace the birch. There is a quest for shrubbery to fill in more of the area soon.
A little bit down the walk the pavement has been mysteriously sinking over time. We now have information that soil is eroding into a drainage line. Possible excavation looms.
Speaking of the south entrance, we purchased picnic tables and bike racks with end-of-year money. One day without warning, they showed up at the door with no one in the building but Rosalyn, the office administrator. A cry for HELP went out over Email and in a flash, volunteers scrambled to move the heavy deliveries to a good location and later to assemble them.
Jerry Carden
and
Andy Robinson
rely on volunteers to get things done, email them if you are interested in helping out. Even small jobs, like checking on dehumidifiers is important. Interested in landscaping? You can Adopt-A-Plot to take care of a section of the grounds. Keep an ear out for a landscaping day hosted by property and green UU. Many pictures and kudos for volunteers are on the church Members & Friends Facebook page. You can get there by pitching in!
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Membership Matters
Peggy Patten, Membership Chair
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Everyone's Birthday Sunday Event - Thank you to all the cake providers and table hosts who helped make our first Everyone's Birthday Sunday event (9/24) a success! We hope to make this intergenerational mixer activity an annual event. A reminder that this new event takes the place of providing a cake on the 1st Sunday of each month. The monthly birthday list will continue to be published each month in the eUniter.
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Thanks Hospitality Team D
Thanks to Anne Sharpe and Karen Folk, Hospitality Team Leaders for the month of September. Thanks to all the Hospitality Team D volunteers who assisted Anne and Karen each Sunday during the month. September Hospitality Team volunteers will be acknowledged in the eNews in early October.
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Be the Face of Sunday Morning: Join a Hospitality Team
Hospitality Teams are in charge of Sunday morning hospitality (e.g. bell ringing, welcoming, ushering, providing decorations and refreshments) for two months during the year. Hospitality Teams are a great way to meet people and serve our congregation in a fun and important way. All members and friends are encouraged to join a Hospitality Team. Each Team has 30-35 members so you do not need to help on every Sunday assigned to your Team.
Stop by the Hub table on Sunday mornings to sign up for a Hospitality Team (or to find out if you are already assigned to a Team). Questions? Contact
Peggy Patten
of the Membership Committee.
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Introducing Shornor Vineyard
Shornor Vineyard, our new custodian/building caretaker, started working with us on September 18th. He will be working 20 hours a week, including Sundays. He comes to us with extensive experience in the hotel business, so he knows about making spaces clean, inviting, and well cared for, while also working in crowded public environments. As a self-proclaimed “people person,” he has said that he looks forward to getting to know the people of the congregation, and he appreciates our values. He is the father of a young son and an artist with a special interest in film and photography. He is working on an AA degree from Parkland. Please greet him and say hello, when you see him around the building!
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Social Action Committee News
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October Shared Offering: Urbana Neighborhood Connections Center (UNCC)
Since its grassroots development in 2010,
Urbana Neighborhood Connections Center (UNCC) has served at-risk children and youth with year-round academic, recreational, and social-emotional enrichment. UNCC also serves as point of contact for information, linkage and referral to many resources in our communities.
UNCC works with 150-175 elementary and middle school youth in various activities on an annual basis. During the academic year UNCC’s Community Study Center offers after-school homework and tutorial sessions Monday through Friday from 3:00pm -5:00pm for children in grades K-12 where staff assist children with academic enrichment activities assigned by their classroom teacher or by UNCC’s Activity Leaders. Upon completion of academics, participants participate in recreational activities (basketball, football, board games etc.), arts and crafts, dance groups, social responsibility groups, movies, video games or digital learning activities. School Out Days (i.e. teacher institute and parent-teacher conference days), are held from 8:00am – 5:00pm. and closely resemble the structure of summer programming. During the summer break UNCC conducts an eight-week Summer Enrichment Camp (8am -5pm / Mon. – Fri.) when K-8 youth participate in small group academic enrichment sessions focused on reading, writing and math along with social/emotional development, digital literacy combined with afternoon recreational and leisure activities. An additional 25-30 high school youth are enrolled in UNCC’s College and Career Readiness Program which meets on weekends and evenings.
UNCC was started in 2010 by Janice Mitchell, the Parent and Community Liaison for the Urbana School District and a resident of the East Urbana neighborhood where UNCC is located.
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Dear friends,
As we come to the end of a very challenging year for many of us, it's time to look ahead and think about the work being done in our community and our world that we want to support in the coming year.
It's time to nominate organizations for our
2018 Shared Offering!
We have such a wide variety of passions for justice and ministry in this congregation, and we would like to see that represented as well as possible in our Shared Offerings for next year. We are hoping for a balance of local, national and international organizations.
At such a difficult time for our country and for the world, there is so much hope to be had in the good work that is being done. What organizations' work has given you hope this year? What groups need a little extra help to continue their work? Nominate them for the Shared Offering!
Nominations can be submitted
here between now and October 31st. There are also paper forms available at the Social Action table. The list of organizations will be circulated in early November, and all members and friends are welcome to come and vote for your favorites on November 14th, 7 pm in the Children's Chapel.
In hope,
Co-chairs, Social Action Committee
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Happiest of Birthdays to those who celebrate in October!
Check out our
website for a complete list of celebrated birthdays.
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Church Calendar
Calendar is subject to change. For the most up-to-date calendar information, visit our website under
events
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October 2017 Dates - Check the church
calendar and click the event for more details.
October 5: Meditation for Challenging Times at Channing Murray Foundation
October 8: C-U Crop Walk
October 12:
Meditation for Challenging Times at Channing Murray Foundation
October 13:
“Dinner and Future Dreaming” with Rev. Lisa Presley of MidAmerica UUA
October 15: Camp Unistar Information Meeting
October 15: Book & Magazine Exchange
October 19:
Meditation for Challenging Times at Channing Murray Foundation
October 20: Welcoming Coffeehouse (Theme: "Who We Are")
October 21: Death Cafe
October 26:
Meditation for Challenging Times at Channing Murray Foundation
October 29: Trunk or Treat after Worship Service
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Upcoming Publications - Mark Your Calendars!
November Uniter: Thursday, October 26.
Content Deadline for the November Uniter: Wednesday, October 18 at Noon.
Next eNews: Thursday, October 5.
Deadline for content: Wednesday, October 4 at Noon.
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Please send your content via email. Send one email per announcement per publication.
If you would like your announcment to be in multiple weeks, make sure you send a new email for each date. All submissions should include your name and contact information within your email. All submissions may be edited for clarity or shortened for space.
Order of Service Deadline – Every Wednesday Noon
We welcome announcements, save the dates, and other important information you would like to share with the congregation. Please keep submissions to
50 words or less
.
eNews is the church's weekly electronic update.
The eNews is a great way to announce upcoming important dates (please keep at 10 days out), briefly update the congregation on a committee’s new project, or other happenings within the church or church supported functions. Space is limited, therefore keep submissions conscise. Please note there will
not
be an eNews the week the eUniter is sent out.
For content deadlines, see above.
eUniter is a monthly eNewsletter.
The eUniter is sent out at the end of the month for the next months focus. It is
used to communicate church-related activities, classes, and news about members and friends. The week the eUniter is sent out, there will not be an eNews. For content deadlines, see above.
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Our Staff
Matthew Gladden, Accompanist
Shornor Vineyard, Custodian
Stephanie Cobb, Kitchen Help
Mary Foltz, Childcare Coordinator
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