Tip: There are clickable links throughout the eNews. Look for colored underlined words - click for an easy access of an email, address, web shortcut or further reading.
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Happening This Weekend at UUCUC!
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This Sunday's Worship Service: "Walking Each Other Home"
Member of Care Core Committee & Rev. Florence Caplow
10:15 am / Sanctuary
Caring for one another is a essential part of our lives as members of this church. Come hear stories of the joy of helping and being helped. The choir will be singing, and we will hear a special musical guest.
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Our Call to Stewardship for our 2019/2020 church year started last Sunday. After this upcoming Sunday’s service on February 17, you can still pick up your personal pledge packet in Fellowship Hall. If you have never pledged before, but feel inspired and generous, please come and talk to us.
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Our Monthly Book & Magazine Exchange Is Sunday, February 17
Bring in your books and magazines for exchange in Fellowship Hall after our service on Sunday, February 17. Books and magazines can be for children and adults. You can take home books or magazines without donating any and vice versa.
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Sing! (or listen)! Join members of We Wanna Woke Community Justice Choir from 12:00-12:30 in the Sanctuary on February 17.
We'll teach quick-to-learn songs that celebrate our collective power to make social change. Be invigorated and inspired in these literally dark times!
We Wanna Woke is a song community of people who:
- educate each other and the greater community about social and political issues through making a visible and audible presence
- engage and release our grief, joy, anger, courage, frustration, love together so that we can keep going in the work of social justice
- build resilient community that can withstand difficult times
- provide a community resource for social justice events
"Will there be singing in the dark times? Yes, there will be singing about the dark times"
- Bertolt Brecht
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UPCOMING SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES
10:15 AM in Sanctuary
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"Closer than They Appear"
February 24, 2019
Michele Grove & Members of Religious Education Exploring the Future (REEF) Team
This congregation’s religious education history is rich in story! Each of these memories shapes our current identity. We often think of these memories as living far away yet, in reality they are a part of who we are today. Michele Grove and members of the Religious Education Exploring the Future (REEF) Team will lead us on a journey and memory and celebration. Bring your memories and join in the celebration!
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"Back to the Future"
March 3, 2019
Rev. Florence Caplow
We are at a pivotal moment in the life of this congregation, and we are beginning to dream beautiful dreams of what we can become. Part of dreaming is also honoring the past. In this service we will consider high points in our past (provided by YOU:
https://uucuc.breezechms.com/form/e23e95
) and consider where we could go in the future.
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UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS
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UU Voices Book Group will meet at noon on Sunday the 24
th. This group is facilitated in Rev. Caplow. We are still exploring
Christian Voices in Unitarian Universalism, available as an e-book or paperback on
Amazon.
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LGBTQ 101 Terms and Pronouns Workshop
- Save the date: Sunday, February 24th at 2 pm. Taught by persons from the UP Center (Uniting Pride).
Come learn why pronouns are important and how to create welcoming spaces for LGBTQ people in any organization or congregation. Program by the Uniting Pride center hosted by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana Champaign.
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S
anctuary Through an Anti-Racist Lens: A public event with Jennie Belle, a national Sanctuary Movement Organizer
Friday, March 1, 6:30pm to 8pm, Fellowship Hall
What will we do when one of our neighbors faces deportation? Unfortunately, that is not a rhetorical question.
UUCUC is one of many congregations in the C-U area who want to find ways to come together to answer the call for Sanctuary for those facing deportation.
Interested in learning more? Come to an interfaith workshop on Friday, March 1, to explore sanctuary through an anti-racist lens, and to learn more about the logistics and practicalities of providing hospitality to those in danger (our building will be used as a case study).
Jennie Belle, Community Organizer, Church World Service, will be in CU for a series of events, including the Friday Forum at the Y. Jennie is a leading voice for the burgeoning Sanctuary Movement, and will be prepared to offer guidance and answer questions.
If you would like childcare for this event, please RSVP by February 25th to our childcare coordinator Kelsey Libert at
childcare@uucuc.org
.
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Rosalyn's New Adventures
Our extraordinary office administrator, Rosalyn Maziarka, will be leaving us soon to fulfill her long-held dream of becoming a kindergarten teacher. This will be a long journey of first working as an aide for the school district, and then two years of graduate work.
We are heartbroken to lose her smile, kindness, and beyond-anyone's wildest-expectations professionalism here at UUCUC. She has transformed our office manager position, and touched many of us with her spirit. But we can't help but be happy for her that she is taking the first steps toward realizing her dream. To read a letter directly from her, click
here
.
Rosalyn's last day will be Tuesday, February 26th. We will be celebrating her time with us, and thanking her, on Sunday, March 3.
We are already beginning the hiring process, and hope to have a new person in the office by March 18th. There will be a time when we have no administrator. If you have office skills (basic computer skills) and would be willing to volunteer for some tasks/a few hours during the interim period, we would be grateful!! Please contact
minister@uucuc.org
.
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Photo: Rev. Caplow presenting our bag of peace cranes to Pastor Thomas of Mt. Olive
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Thousands Raised for Mt. Olive Baptist Church!
Our 4th and 5th grade RE class folded beautiful peace cranes for the Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, one of the historical Black churches of CU, destroyed by fire on Martin Luther King Day. They also ran a fundraiser on February 3rd, which raised $2,700 for the church. In return, we were invited to attend a gospel music fundraiser Sunday night. Three of our 4th-5th grade class were able to come and be part of the announcement and presentation of our gift, along with 20 or so members of UUCUC. Pastor Thomas sends his deep thanks to us.
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White Fragility Discussion Group
Join us in a two-part discussion of
Dr. Robin DiAngelo’s
New York Times
best-selling book,
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
. We will meet on Thursday, March 7th and April 4th at 7 pm at the church. Contact
mona4shannon@gmail.com
to borrow a book or RSVP. See
White-Fragility
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Possible UUCUC Women’s Retreat. There is interest among some women in the church, including Rev. Florence Caplow, to hold a women’s retreat later this spring. As the conversation is purely at an exploratory stage, we would like to gauge how widespread this interest might extend into the larger congregation. If this notion appeals to you, please send an email stating your interest, and any questions/concerns you might have about such an event, to Priscilla Kron at
priscilla.kron@gmail.com. You may also call Priscilla at (217) 649-6632 if that is more convenient.
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Stories Wanted: "A Moment When We Were at Our Best"
Please tell us your story of a time when our UUCUC congregation was at its best. The Strategic Vision Team has heard your Dreams for the Congregation (look on Membership bulletin board for more info). Now please think back over the years, or months, you have been with us and tell us about a time when our church was at its best. Post your memory on UUCUC members and friends group Facebook page, write it in this
form
, or look for cards and a collection basket on tables in Fellowship Hall. Let’s all share a memory of a time when this UUCUC church was at its best. Our minister will write a reflection based on our responses for March 3rd service.
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General Assembly is the annual meeting of our Unitarian Universalist Association.
Attendees worship, witness, learn, connect, and make policy for the Association through democratic process. Anyone may attend; congregations must certify annually to send voting delegates.
The 2019 General Assembly will be June 19-23 in Spokane, Washington.
Most General Assembly events will be held in the Spokane Convention Center.
The Power of We
What do we want Unitarian Universalism to be? It is a time when we are asking big questions in our faith, and GA 2019 will be focused on digging into those questions together. It is a critical chance for congregational leaders and passionate UUs to set new goals and aspirations for our religious community. Help begin to reshape our Association and our congregations in new and powerful ways.
This year’s theme is about collective power, “The Power of We,” as well as the possibility, the purpose, the struggle and the joy of what it means to be together in faithful community. In the past two years, Unitarian Universalism has recommitted to the work of liberation inside and outside our faith community. The antidote to a time of dangerous dehumanization is a love that connects us to our deeper humanity. Come to Spokane to experience what our shared faith can become when we embrace the Power of We.
Registration and Housing Open March 1
GA Registration and the GA Housing Reservation System open at 9 a.m. PST at
www.uua.org/ga
Want to know more? Read more
here.
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You are invited! Yes, YOU!
What? Mindfulness meditation practice
When? Sunday at 9am
Where? YRUU classroom
Sometimes we get caught up thinking about the past or the future, and miss out on the present. All those interested in spending some time in the present moment are welcome at the mindfulness practice.
This invitation is especially for anyone who hasn't come before, or who hasn’t come recently. No meditation experience is needed, because we listen to a guided meditation (except for the 4th Sunday, which is unguided).
The door is always left slightly open during the practice. The hope is that anyone arriving late, no matter what time it is, can feel welcome to quietly enter and benefit from the remainder of the practice.
Practicing mindfulness with a group of people deepens the experience for everyone. Please consider checking it out!
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Joys and Sorrows
Wendy Engelhardt: I'm glad my cousin, Jack, is home and healthy after appendicitis surgery.
Kyle Kroha: Thankfulness and gratitude for: dry basements, furnaces and water heaters that work, tires and boot treads that grip, cars that start on the first turn, along with keys and locks that do, too. I am especially grateful for those persons who use their skill and expertise to maintain, remedy and fix these things when so needed. Take note any of these for granted! May we recognize these good things and good people that allow us to "be about the best of wo we are". Thank You!
Karen Folk: A great joy. Our friend, Leif Christianson, who grew up in this church has enrolled in classes at Parkland and has now been in recovery for seven years. We celebrate his strength and perseverance.
Sally Babbitt: Gin Strohecker asks to convey the congregation for the many cards and expression of care to Chet. He is trying very hard to gain mobility and strength. They both are so grateful for your care and concern.
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SOCIAL ACTION COMMITTEE NEWS
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UUCUC Shared Offering.
Each month a selected organization is chosen to receive half of our weekly Sunday plate collections, designated checks written to UUCUC with organization's name written in the memo line, cash envelopes designated for "Shared Offering" within the specified month and on-line donations through our
give webpage
.
During the month of February our Sunday services’ shared offerings will support Austin's Place (AP). AP is the only emergency shelter for single women in Champaign County. This initiative operates solely on volunteer effort - from volunteers who stay overnight, transport guests, do laundry, make phone calls, advertise, collect donations, etc. Dedicated service meets significant needs and provides valuable support to all the guests that come through the doors. Austin’s Place is a safe sanctuary for 11 hours overnight (8 pm - 7 am) for women who would otherwise be out on the streets. After being screened by Courage Connection, they are picked up in a van (provided by the First United Methodist Church) & welcomed by 2 volunteers, to a warm, safe space at AP, where they are offered snacks, basic toiletries and a warm space to sleep. Volunteers treat guests with care and respect, not trying to solve their problems, just relating to them as human beings & affirming their humanity. AP operates December 1 - March 15 in space provided by First United Methodist church in Champaign.
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CHURCH CALENDAR
Dates are subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, visit our
UUCUC Calendar page
.
Note: Parenthesised meetings/events are outside rentals. Asterisk meetings/events are closed.
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Thursday, February 14
Wake Joy Class with Rev. Caplow / 4:30 pm / Channing Murray on Campus
(Rental: Many Paths, an Agnostic AA) 6:00 pm / Classroom #1
Racial Justice Project Meeting / 6:30 pm / Library
Saturday, February 16
(Rental - Calligraphy Practice) / Noon / Classroom #1
(Rental - Byard) / 3:00 pm / Fellowship Hall
(Many Paths: an Agnostic AA Group) / 4:30 pm / Classroom #1
Sunday,
February 17
Adult Discussion Group / 9:00 am / Library
Mindfulness Meditation Group / 9:00 am / YRUU Classroom
Worship Service / 10:15 am / Sanctuary
Young Adult Group / 11:30 am / Table in Fellowship Hall
Book & Magazine Exchange / after service / Table in Fellowship Hall
We Wanna Woke Choir / Noon / Sanctuary
Soul Matters Group #6 / 1:00 pm / Library
Monday,
February 18
Church Office is Closed for Holiday
Bridge Group / 1:00 pm / Children’s Chapel
Caregivers' Chalice Circle / 7:00 pm / Library
Tuesday, February 19
UU Feminist Book Group / 7:00 pm / Library
Social Action Committee Meeting / 7:00 pm / Fellowship Hall
Wednesday,
February 20
Last day for content for eNews & Order of Service by noon, the latest.
(Rental: ECIRMAC Board Meeting) / 4:00 pm / Children's Chapel
(Smart Recovery) / 6:00 pm / Classroom #1
CrUUners Rehearsal / 6:00 pm / Sanctuary
Choir Rehearsal / 7:00 pm / Sanctuary
Thursday,
February 21
Wake Joy Class with Rev. Caplow / 4:30 pm / Channing Murray on Campus
Membership Committee Meeting / 5:30 pm / Fellowship Hall
(Many Paths: An Agnostic AA Group) / 6:00 pm / Rm #1
Reflective Writing Circle / 7:00 pm / Library
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Upcoming Publications - Mark Your Calendars!
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Next eNews: February 21, 2019
Last day for content: Wednesday, February 20, 2019 by noon the latest.
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IMPORTANT!! Send your submittals to
pubs@uucuc.org
- Please do
not
send to admin@uucuc.org.
Don't forget to publize your meeting/event!
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UUCUC Contact Information
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Regular Church Office Hours
Monday through Friday, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
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Church Office
(217) 384-8862
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Rev. Florence Caplow
Minister
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Sherry Bohlen
Membership Coordinator
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Michele Townsend Grove
Interim Director of Religious Education
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Emily McKown
Youth Coordinator
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Matt Sheppard
Music Director
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Shornor Vineyard
Custodian and Building Caretaker
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Rosalyn Maziarka
Office Administrator
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Matthew Gladden
Accompanist
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Kate Barton
Facilities & Events Coordinator
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Stephanie Cobb
Sunday Kitchen Helper
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Kelsey Libert
Childcare Coordinator
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