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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SUNDAY SERVICE
THE BOUNTY OF SUMMER: A CELEBRATION IN SONG
KIRI FAGEN-ULMSCHNEIDER THE WORSHIP COMMITTEE
Sunday, August 4, 2019 at 10:15 a.m. in Fellowship Hall
Summer’s bounty is evident in our gardens and in our ways of worship. This service will celebrate hymns that speak to nature’s beauty and the earth’s abundance. Come ready to sing and also bring flowers or vegetables from your garden that we will display as inspiration.
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WE WANNA WOKE COMMUNITY JUSTICE CHOIR SINGING!
Sunday, August 4, 2019 from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary
Sing! (or listen)! Join members of We Wanna Woke Community Justice Choir from 11:45-12:30 in the Sanctuary on Sunday, August 4. We'll teach quick-to-learn songs that celebrate our collective power to make social change.
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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SUNDAY SERVICE
A FREE AND RESPONSIBLE SEARCH FOR ADVENTURE
CHRIS HANNAUER AND THE WORSHIP COMMITTEE
Sunday, August 11, 2019 at 10:15 a.m. in Fellowship Hall
Our modern world has no shortage of ways to immerse yourself in fantastical worlds and situations. Video games, movies, television, books: all of these can take you on amazing adventures. However, the stories they give you are pre-determined, and you largely experience them alone, passively, without much interaction with those around you. Role playing games offer the ability to have the same adventures, but to play an active role in how they turn out, and more importantly, to have the experience as part of a team working together towards a common goal. Join us for this service where we will explore the world of fantasy role playing games, and how the gaming experience influences real life. Presented by Dana Antonelli, Matt Burack, Chris Hannauer, Andrew Kerins, and Maggie Verlklan.
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SUNDAY SERVICE
STONEWALL 50: WHERE ARE WE NOW
EMMA HERZOG AND THE WORSHIP COMMITTEE
Sunday, August 18, 2019 at 10:15 a.m. in Fellowship Hall
In this service, we will take a look at the current status of LGBT rights. With the Stonewall riots fifty years behind us, what progress have we made, and what issues are we still facing?
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UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS
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OPEN SCENE/OPEN-MIC EVENT IN URBANA
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. across the street from the Urbana Free Library
UUCUC’s youth coordinator, Emily McKown is hosting an open mic in collaboration with the city of Urbana and the Cunningham Township on Wednesday August 7th from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. in the garden across the street from the Urbana Free Library (205 W Green St). This event is also sponsored by YRUU- a great opportunity to engage with youth and all walks of life in Urbana. Bring your creativity, your songs, poetry, or your audience appreciation. Come one come all!
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FINDING YOUR SACRED SPACE - UU WOMEN'S CONNECTION SUMMER RETREAT
August 9-11, 2019 at Ronora Lodge & Retreat Center, Watervliet Michigan
For the UU Women's Connection
Summer Retreat, they will gather in Trilogy Lodge, a lodge that sleeps up to 25.
Workshops will feature creating your own portable sacred space using matchboxes and a variety of art supplies; and creating your own patterned fabric – faux batik. Remember to bring drums (and musical instruments if you like), perhaps an item to place on one of the 5 altars, and a small item of personal significance to pass along via the Giveaway Blanket.
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JASON AND AMANDA'S GRADUATION AND GOING AWAY PARTY!
Saturday, August 10, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall
Amanda Owings and Jason Rock have both just defended their dissertations and passed their final defenses. They will be leaving within the next few months so please join us in celebrating these accomplishments and saying goodbye! All friends, staff, and members of the church are welcome to attend.
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NORA FLANAGAN, "CONFRONTING WHITE NATIONALISM IN SCHOOLS - A TOOLKIT"
August 15, 2019, 6:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Sinai Temple, 3104 West Windsor Road, Champaign
Cosponsored by the Social Action Committee, this workshop, the 2nd in Bend the Arc’s series “
Safety through Solidarity: Building Hate-Free Communities”, will focus on identifying and preventing the indoctrination of our children by white nationalists. Keynote speaker Nora Flanagan has experience confronting everything from racist graffiti in a school bathroom to students flashing esoteric neo-Nazi hand signals. Her toolkit is distributed nationally by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Admission is free, but reservations are required. Reservations will be taken
HERE until 11:00 p.m. on August 14.
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UUs AND CU COMMUNITY SHOW UP FOR #CUNoCages
On Saturday, July 27 the #CUNoCages public art demonstration and vigil at the Champaign County Courthouse drew attention to the crisis at the U.S. Mexico border. UUCUC members led songs of witness and solidarity, and the event was cosponsored by the Immigration Justice Task Force.
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UUs Claire Szoke and Pat Nolan join other protesters during the vigil. Pat's "No Borders, No Walls" sign was one of many powerful signs at the vigil.
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UUs and other members of the C-U community stage a demonstration in a cage to bring attention to the crisis at the border.
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UUs Chris Hannauer and Jody Hanger join other protesters during the vigil.
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UUs and members of the C-U community form a "No Cages" sign at the vigil.
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YOUR VALUED INPUT INTO THE FUTURE OF UUCUC
The Dream Team (for strategic planning) has been hard at work. Now, we need your input to determine where we go over the next 5 years. Hopefully, you have noticed our timeline by the drinking fountain in Fellowship Hall. If not, please check it out. We have wrapped up our ‘heritage’ phase and are now into our ‘purpose’ phase, identifying who we are, what our mission is, what our identity and culture is, what is important to us.
A series of questions will appear in the eNews and the Order of Service every week. You will have the opportunity to either respond online or in paper form from the Order of Service, to be placed in a basket in Fellowship Hall. We need you ALL to participate in this! We need as wide a response group as possible. The questions and followup conversations in a fun format will last through October.
Mark your calendars now. On November 2, Lisa Presley from the Mid-America Region of the UUA will guide us in a workshop to define our mission. Is our current mission statement (from 2005) still the best one for us or do we need to tweak it? Again, please participate in as many of these activities as possible; your voice is important in this process.
Please click on the following link below to answer this week's questions. We look forward to collaborating with you on this important phase of strategic planning!
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO HAUL AWAY CLIPPINGS AND BRUSH
Our Building and Grounds Committee is looking for volunteers to occasionally haul away clippings and brush from both the UUCUC and the High St house properties. A pick-up truck would likely be needed on these occasions to haul away the clippings and brush.
If you would like to join the fantastic team of volunteers that work together to keep our grounds looking well-maintained, please contact Kate Barton, Facilities Coordinator, at
facilities@uucuc.org.
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AUGUST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY HOSPITALITY TEAM C!
Welcome Hospitality Team C co-leaders, Wendy Graves and Marcy Joncich, and Team C volunteers who will assist with ushering, welcoming, providing decorations and snacks during the month of August. Thanks to Team E co-leaders, Katie Madigan and Kathy Robinson, and Team E volunteers who helped out in July.
Stop by the Hub table in Fellowship Hall to sign up for a Hospitality Team or to find out which Team you are already on.
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LET'S CELEBRATE EVERYONE'S BIRTHDAY!
From the Membership Committee
The Membership Committee is sponsoring a fun, intergenerational event Sunday September 29 during Fellowship Hour. Would you be willing to supply a cake (home-made or store bought) for our birthday celebration? Or be a host at one of the 12 birthday tables to pass out cake and facilitate conversations?
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NEW UUCUC PHONE SYSTEM INSTALLED
A new phone system for the office was installed this week. The minister and each staff member will now have their own phone and voicemail, and they will also have the ability to transfer phone calls between one another. In addition, a phone was installed in the Library meeting space to accommodate conference calls during committee and group meetings. Additional phones may be installed later in other meetings spaces as needed.
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES JUNE 11, 2019 BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES AVAILABLE
The Board of Trustees meeting minutes for the June 11 2019 business meeting have been posted and are available online:
The meeting minutes are also available on the Board of Trustees bulletin board in Fellowship Hall.
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UUCUC IS LOOKING FOR A PART-TIME RELIGIOUS EDUCATION ASSISTANT!
The Religious Education Assistant specifically focuses on many of the specific detail-oriented aspects of religious education which supports the religious education director, religious education volunteers and programs. This attention to detail keeps the multi-faceted religious education program running smoothly and connected.
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ONLINE UUCUC DIRECTORY FORTHCOMING
Within the next couple of months, we are planning on providing members and friends of the congregation online access to general contact information for each adult (18+) member and friend. This contact information would include:
- Name
- Street Address
- Phone Numbers
- Email Addresses
If you do not want this information shared with other members and friends, please contact Sherry Bohlen at
membership@uucuc.org and we will remove your information from the online directory.
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DO YOU NEED A RIDE TO CHURCH? Are you willing to drive your fellow UUs to church occasionally? If you need a ride or are able to help out with this valuable service, please contact our dedicated ride coordinator, Anne Reeser at: 217-369-1764.
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UPCOMING RELIGIOUS EDUCATION DATES
- Saturday, August 17th 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. First religious education council meeting. Barbara Hudgings, chair. All who are interested in lifespan religious education are invited to this visioning meeting. We will work as a whole group and in subgroups (children’s education, youth education, adult education and multi-generational education) on this upcoming year’s program.
- Sunday, August 25th Noon to 2:00 p.m. Religious education leader training. Lunch is served. Several guest speakers will join us to share their wisdom!
- Sunday, September 8th. First day of religious education classes at UUCUC Prekindergarten through 12th grade. Family friendly scavenger hunt will follow worship in an effort to explore our UUCUC and religious education history.
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NAVIGATORS, USA - SCOUTING FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Dear UUCUC,
My name is Tania Madrigal and I’m looking to starting a Navigators USA Scouting chapter here in Champaign-Urbana and sponsored by UUCUC. Navigators are a secular, social-justice oriented and multigenerational scouting organization that is an alternative to traditional scouting. The Navigators’ Moral Compass (i.e. pledge) is very aligned with UU values and principles. We are hoping to gauge interest and see if families would be interested. We are hoping to have an informational meeting within the next month or two.
Thanks!
Tania
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IS AT ITS BEST WHEN PASSIONATE LEADERS ARE INVOLVED...
From Michele Grove
Learning is a treasured gift at UUCUC. It is our hope to strengthen the systems that make religious education learning and leading easy to identify.
I ask each of you: How do you wish to connect to the learning community of UUCUC?
- Maybe you would like to be a learner – attending classes and learning events.
- Maybe you would like to join a children’s class as one of the leadership team. In this scenario, you work with others who have a passion for learning to bring creative and inspiring learning opportunities to children ages 3 to 10.
- Maybe you would like to be a youth leader in the classroom or with the middle high or senior high youth group (more commonly known as YRUU).
- Maybe you would like to lead adult learning opportunities.
- Maybe you would like to be a part of a support team who supports Sunday morning religious education programming.
- Maybe you are interested in being a part of OWL leadership. OWL (Our Whole Lives) is a comprehensive sexuality curriculum for children, youth and adults.
- Or…. Maybe you want to be involved but you are not quite sure how to connect.
The possibilities for connecting to our learning community are many. The gifts received by those who connect are even more abundant! It is my hope you will join us- no experience is necessary.
If you are not sure how to connect, the first step is simple:
- You can fill out this easy online survey to tell us how you wish to be involved: https://uucuc.breezechms.com/form/2b5759
- You can email Michele Grove at re-director@uucuc.org and say, “I am interested in learning more about being involved in the UUCUC learning community. Can we have a conversation?” And I will answer with an enthusiastic: “Of course! I would really enjoy such a conversation!”
This summer, I hope we have the opportunity to talk. In the meantime, remember this:
Faith development is all we do.
Unitarian Universalism is the faith we teach.
The congregation is the curriculum. -Connie Goodbread
We learn in all we do! We teach in every action taken. By being a part of UUCUC, you are a learner and a teacher. It is my hope that the path to intentional involvement is wide and well-marked. Thank you for bringing your unique gifts and your unique self to this community.
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JOYS AND SORROWS
A joy shared by Sally Babbitt
Happy birthday to Olive Clark who became 99 years on July 27. Send her a card!
A joy shared by Jerry Carden
A candle for all the UU birthdays at the end of July: Sally Babbitt, Olive Clark turned 99 years, also Sandy Hannum, Tim Temple, Kathleen Robbins, and Walt McMahon.
A joy shared by Amanda Owings
I have accepted a postdoc position at Emory University in Atlanta and will start September 1.
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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
.
Latino Partnership of Champaign County NFP ( LPCC) was formed for charitable and educational purposes. Their primary and specific mission includes:
- to eliminate discrimination
- to defend human and civil rights protected by law
- to support instruction or training of individuals to develop and improve their skills and abilities, and
- to share public awareness and understanding of timely issues which are pertinent and beneficial to the community
LPCC recently co-sponsored the UC No Cages rally and vigil, intended to draw attention to the immigration crisis taking place at the US-Mexico border, as well as indiscriminate, nationwide sweeps being conducted by ICE. While raids are unlikely to occur in CU, many people are threatened to be arrested after having their asylum cases denied. Children are already arriving here in Urbana-Champaign bearing the psychological scars of having been kept in cages at the border. These are children legally seeking asylum. LPCC is currently raising funds for legal assistance and the immediate housing needs of these newly arrived children.
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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, August 1
(Many Paths: An Agnostic AA Group) / 6:00 p.m. / Classroom #1
Friday, August 2
No events scheduled
Saturday, August 3
Project Read Literacy Potluck / 1:00 p.m. / Fellowship Hall
(Many Paths: An Agnostic AA Group) / 4:30 p.m. / Classroom #1
Sunday, August 4
Adult Discussion Group / 9:00 a.m. / Library
Mindfulness Meditation Group / 9:00 a.m. / YRUU Classroom
Nursery / 10:00 a.m. / Classroom #4
Summer RE / 10:15 a.m. / Classroom #1
Sunday Service / 10:15 a.m. / Fellowship Hall
Young Adult Group / 11:30 a.m. / Fellowship Hall
We Wanna Woke Community Justice Choir / 11:45 a.m. / Sanctuary
Monday, August 5
Bridge Group / 1:00 p.m. / Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, August 6
(DSC Playgroup) / 8:30 a.m. / Classroom #4
Wednesday, August 7
Last day for content for eNews & Order of Service by noon, the latest.
UU Playgroup / 9:00 a.m. / Classroom #4
(Smart Recovery) / 6:00 p.m. / Classroom #1
Open Scene/Open Mic Event / 5:30 p.m. / In the garden across the street from the Urbana Free Library (205 W Green St)
Immigration Justice Task Force Meeting / 6:15 p.m. / Fellowship Hall
Thursday, August 8
Care Core Steering Committee Meeting /11:00 a.m. / Library
(Many Paths: An Agnostic AA Group) / 6:00 p.m. / Classroom #1
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UPCOMING PUBLICATIONS - MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
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Next eNews: August 8, 2019
Last day for content: Wednesday August 7 by noon the latest.
Please do
not
send to admin@uucuc.org.
Don't forget to publicize 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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Kate Barton
Facilities & Events Coordinator
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Sherry Bohlen
Membership Manager
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Brian Franklin
Congregational Administration Manager
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Matthew Gladden
Assistant Music Director
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Michele Townsend Grove
Interim Director of Religious Education
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Kelsey Libert
Childcare Coordinator
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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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