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UPCOMING SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES  
10:15 AM in Sanctuary
Sunday, March 18, 2018
“Worth and Dignity”
Sam Beshers and Jennifer Greene

Religion should be a prominent and positive part of public and political life. Separation of church and state is important, but the steps taken to avoid imposing Christianity on people of differing faiths and viewpoints have taken us too far in the other direction. As UUs we believe in the inherent dignity and worth of every human. We will explore how this value can and should be at the center of our civic and political lives, and how a government based on such a principle might operate.  
Sunday, March 25, 2018
"Universalism, Christianity, and the UU Church Today"
Lane Schwartz

The modern Unitarian Universalist Association grew out of the merger of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America, a Christian Universalist denomination. We gather together in a building founded as a Universalist church. Many UUs grew up in various Christian denominations. Today, we will delve into Christian Universalism and consider what place it might have in the modern UU church. 
UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS

Bookmark our UUCUC Events webpage for future reference.
Meditation at Channing Murray on hiatus and will resume on April 19th.
"Loss of a Life Partner" Covenant Group. A new covenant group has formed for those whose spouse or partner has died. The group meets on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays from 11:30 am to 1 pm in the Library at UUCUC, and will continue at least through early June. Rev. Florence will be facilitating the group. For more information or to join, please contact Florence at  minister@uucuc.org .
UUCUC Mindfulness Meditation Group -  Join fellow UU's in a mindfulness meditation practice before worship service on Sundays ( detailed schedule ) in the YRUU room. As always, the door will be left slightly open so that late arrivals can enter quietly.
End of Life: What Would You Do?
Sunday, March 25 th, 2pm, UUCUC Fellowship Hall. 

Please join us for a truly unique interactive theater experience. The Young At Heartland Theatre Group, based out of Bloomington-Normal, will perform four end-of-life vignettes. Audience participation will determine how the vignettes proceed as we explore issues families may face. Sponsored by the UUCUC Death With Dignity Group, Final Options Illinois, and Compassion & Choices of McLean County.
Upcoming Racial Justice Initiative (RJI) Meetings -  Want to get even more involved in the Racial Justice Initiative? Our next meetings are Thursday, March 29th (5:30pm, UUCUC Library) and Sunday, April 8 th (9:00am, UUCUC Library). Please join us.
Exploring Whiteness Class. We are excited to announce that our church will be conducting an "Exploring Whiteness" class this spring. The class builds on the "Being White" workshop offered last year and will be co-led by AJ Herzog and Tim Livingston.
The workshop is patterned after a class developed by Rev. Kate Lore, a UU Minister in Portland, Oregon. Participants will focus on a variety of educational and personal exploration activities related to whiteness and the institutional systems that favor whites and reinforce inequality. Opportunities to take action related to broad racial justice topics will be offered.

The class will meet on the first four Mondays in April (April 2, 9, 16, 23) from 6:30-9pm in the Children's Chapel at UUCUC. Group size will be limited to 20. We encourage people to commit to all 4 meetings if you wish to join the class.

Please email ExploringWhitenessUUCUC@gmail.com if you would like to participate.  
The Service AUUction is a long-standing tradition at UUCUC. To learn more about it and what a service auction is, read more here

Don't forget to get your tickets on Sunday for this year's Service AUUction on Saturday, April 7th (theme: Rainbows and UUnicorns). It is very important that people buy their tickets in advance so that we know how much food to purchase. Tickets are $10 per person, $30 per family when purchased in advance, $12 per person/$35 per family at the door. Come find us at the Hub table during the coffee hour to purchase your tickets!

And of course, without your creative and exciting donations there can be no auction. We’re under a month to go before the event, and your faithful AUUction Committee would sleep better for the next few weeks if we were flooded with donations early in the process rather than at the last minute. You can either pick up a paper donation form at the Hub table in Fellowship Hall or use our convenient electronic form to submit it.

Lastly, such a huge event takes many many volunteers to make it happen. If you can, please consider signing up to help before/during/after the event. We will have paper signup sheets at the Hub table or you can volunteer online .

Thanks in advance for your help!
Sign-up for the next Circle Supper that is planned for Sunday, April 8 at 5:00 pm. Email Scott Godlew or visit the HUB table to add your name to the list. Please join in the fellowship and fun as we rekindle this UUCUC tradition.
Join us for one of our next Pathway to Membership Classes!

Sunday, April 29, 12:30-3:30 pm or Monday, April 30, 5:30 - 8:30 pm in the UUCUC Children's Chapel.
 
In this fast-paced and interactive class for those considering membership with UUCUC, you'll learn about the principles and foundation of the Unitarian Universalist Church. You'll also learn about the governance of UUCUC, activities and opportunities available to our church community, our social action mission, religious education offerings, and the role you can play as a supporter. Anyone age 14 and up can become a UUCUC member.
 
At the completion of this class, you'll have an opportunity to "sign the book" and become a member of UUCUC. A Light meal will be provided at each class and child care is available with prior arrangement. 
 
For questions and to sign up, email  Sherry Bohlen  or (217) 417-1148. There will also be a sign-up sheet on the HUB table in Fellowship Hall throughout the month.  
When signing up, please indicate whether you're signing up for the Sunday or the Monday class. 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The shared offering for our partner churches in December was $2,204.01. The partner church committee is very happy about the wonderful participation of our congregation. The money goes to our two partner churches, one in India and one in the Transylvanian region of Romania. The way we are supporting both of those churches is through the shared offering during our partnership month, and with proceeds from a brunch.

In alternate years, we have an Indian brunch and a Hungarian brunch. Most of the Romanians who live in Transylvania are actually ethnic Hungarian and speak Hungarian. This is a result of the World War I, after which Transylvania became part of the Romanian nation. The partner church committee provides all the food for the brunches, so donations all go to the partner churches. Thank you for your generosity; your donations are a great help to both churches. Sincerely, The Partner Church Committee
Rev. Florence will be out of the country from March 13 to March 28 and will not be available by phone or email. Please contact Cindy Loui,  cindyloui83@gmail.com , with pastoral care concerns. 
Library Available During Hospitality. Those looking for a quieter spot for conversation are invited to use the Library off of Fellowship Hall during our Hospitality Hour.
Our Monthly Book & Magazine Exchange is on Sunday, March 18th! Bring in your books and magazines for exchange in Fellowship Hall after our service on Sunday. Books and magazines can be for children and adults. You can take home books or magazines without donating any and vice versa.
UUA General Assembly Registration and Housing is open! General Assembly is June 20-24th in Kansas City this year, an easy drive for us, and it is an extraordinary experience to worship and learn with thousands of other Unitarian Universalists. We hope to have a strong group in attendance! Hotels fill up fast, and the early registration is discounted. Financial aid applications are due at the end of the month. For more information, visit  https://www.uua.org/ga. If you would also like to be a delegate for UUCUC, please contact Julie Laut at jlaut@hushmail.com.
CARE CORE NEWS
Joys and Sorrows

Katrina Knights - Friends & Co-workers dealing with difficult health issues.

Joe Larkin - My daughter Jennifer Crozier's mom, Judith Larkin passed away Sunday. May she rest in peace.

Jody Hanger, Chris Hannauer, Ben Hannauer - We are remembering Luke Miller on Sunday, a classmate of Ben's from Centennial, who passed away a year ago. We are holding his parents, Ryan and Heather, close to our hearts especially today.

Emily Laugesen - Joy for my mother's successful surgery this week and the great conversations we had together in the hospital.
A long-time friend of the congregation, and mother to Cindy (Michael) Loui, Gertude "Trudy" Wood , 94, died on Saturday, March 10, 2018 at Clark-Lindsey Village.
New "Repair Corps"
Repair Corps is the newly formed skill-sharing volunteer group that will provide home maintenance and repairs for members and friends of UUCUC, especially for those with limited physical abilities and/or finances. Our team will tackle small tasks such as plumbing, electrical, furniture repair,and even sewing. If we can't do it, we'll try to make recommendations. 

If there is something that we can help you with, or if you have a skill to share, call Herb Hiestand at (217) 550-8492.
SOCIAL ACTION COMMITTEE NEWS
A Welcoming Congregation by Kathleen Robbins
When I first read Christine Jorgensen’s autobiography in 1968 (I was 21 at the time) it brought up more questions than it answered. I had never heard the word transsexual before but I had many of the same feelings as Christine save one; I wasn’t interested in men so where did that leave me? 

It was nearly 10 years later and after working with a good therapist that I realized sexual orientation was who I loved while gender identity is who I am, two totally different things. It seems so obvious today but it sure caused me a lot of sleepless nights back then!

Fortunately today questioning youth don’t have to depend on self discovery with efforts like the Welcoming Congregation, education programs like Our Whole Life (OWL) and organizations like the UPCenter, PFLAG (Parents & Friends of Lesbian & Gays), GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) available to them and their parents. 
Two-Year Initiative Proposals Due March 30th - Just Two Weeks Away!  What would you like the church to take on as a two-year social justice initiative for 2018-2020?

If you are thinking about submitting a proposal for the next initiative, you can  download a form here  or pick one up from the Social Action Table. Submit yours to SAC Co-Chairs,  Pam Richart   and  Kate Mayer  on or before March 30.  Then, if you can, join us at our April 17 Social Action Committee Meeting to present your idea. We meet in the Fellowship Hall from 7pm to 9pm. 
The Shared Offering recipient of all designated funds and half of the plate cash collection in March is Partner for People & Place /Jatropha Projenou. Improving land and livelihoods in Haiti. When people in poverty can tap into their talents and wisely use the land they live on, they can shape their lives for a better tomorrow. Helping them make this journey is what we do. www.peopleandplace.org
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (RE) NEWS
Upcoming RE Dates

Sunday, March 18
No regular RE classes. Children are welcome to sit with their families in the sanctuary.

Sunday, March 25
No regular RE classes. There will be an all-ages craft activity downstairs led by
Carol Osgood and Laura Davis.

Sunday, April 1
Regular RE classes resume. There will be an Easter egg hunt after the service!
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.
Thursday, March 15
Worship Committee / 5:00 pm / Sanctuary
(Rental: Many Paths: an Agnostic AA) / 6:00 pm / Classroom #1
Finance Committee Meeting / 7:00 pm / Fellowship Hall
Reflective Writing Chalice Circle / 7:00 pm / Library

Friday, March 16
Moving Forward Divorce/Separation Group / 3:30 pm / YRUU Classroom

Sunday, March 18
Children's Choir Rehearsal / 9:15 am / Classroom #1
Mindful Meditation Group / 9:20 am / YRUU Classroom
Worship Service / 10:15 am / Sanctuary
Book & Magazine Exchange Sunday / after service / Table in Fellowship Hall
Adult Discussion Group / 11:30 am / Library 
Young Adult Group / 11:30 am / Table in Fellowship Hall

Monday, March 19
Bridge Group / 1:00 pm / Children's Chapel
Caregivers' Chalice Circle / 7:00 pm / Library

Tuesday, March 20
(Rental: DSC Playgroup) / 9:00 am / Nursery
BUU Feminist Book Group / 7:00 pm / Library
Social Action Committee Meeting / 7:00 pm / Fellowship Hall

Wednesday, March 21
eNews, OOS and Uniter content is due to pubs@uucuc.org by noon
(Rental: ECIRMAC Board Meeting) 4:00 pm / Children's Chapel
CrUUners Rehearsal / 6:00 pm / Sanctuary 
Adult Choir Rehearsal / 7:00 pm / Sanctuary

Thursday, March 22
(Rental: Many Paths: an Agnostic AA) / 6:00 pm / Classroom #1
*New Member Covenant Group / 7:00 pm / Library
Upcoming Publications - Mark Your Calendars!
Next eNews: March 22
Deadline for content: Wednesday,
March 21 by Noon (or earlier)
April 2018 Uniter: March 30
Deadline for content: Wednesday, March 21 by Noon (or earlier)
UUCUC Contact Information
Church Office
(217) 384-8862
Rev. Florence Caplow
Minister
Jody Hanger
Interim RE Coordinator
Matt Sheppard
Music Director
Sherry Bohlen
Membership Coordinator
Rosalyn Maziarka
Office Administrator
Shornor Vineyard
Custodian and Building Caretaker
Beth Cobb
Assistant for Services
Matthew Gladden
Accompanist
Stephanie Cobb
Sunday Kitchen Helper
Mary Foltz
Childcare Coordinator