• DISH WASHING HELP NEEDED: Our commercial dishwasher needs a part replaced and is not working until further notice - and it may be several weeks before the part we ordered arrives. Are you willing to help wash dishes after Coffee Hour(s), at a concert, or one of the many other events we have coming up? If so, please COMPLETE THIS FORM. Many hands make light work! Thank you in advance!

• WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK IN CHILDREN AND YOUTH MINISTRY?In March, children (ages 3-13) in Religious Education are studying WISDOM. This week children are learning about Unitarian Henry David Thoreau and the idea that simplicity can teach us a lot about wisdom. K-1 and 8th Grade OWLs are nearing their finish lines in their penultimate week. High School Youth Group is having a “spa day.”  For more information about our Religious Education Program, please contact Marion Hirsch or Kat Good.

• MARCH 1 SHARE THE PLATE: THE HISPANIC LIAISON Ilana Dubester, founder and Executive Director of The Hispanic Liaison / El Vínculo Hispano will join us March 1st as part of the special Share the Plate for the Southern Area Choral Festival. EVH serves Chatham and surrounding counties. Its mission is to foster intercultural understanding, develop youth and adult leadership, and empower Hispanics to make their voices heard. Ilana will be at Sanctuary Ministry's table following each Service.

• ECO FIRST SUNDAY RECYCLABLES DURING COFFEE HOUR Every month, ECO accepts batteries, corks and tiny metal objects at our recycling collection. This Sunday, we are also collecting CHILDREN’S BOOKS. LITHIUM BATTERIES should be kept separated, and CORRODED BATTERIES should be in a separate bag. Thanks for helping to mitigate the Climate Crisis by recycling (reducing extraction/production of new materials, among other things) Newcomers are welcome. We meet in the Kirby Room after the second coffee hour. Email us HERE.

• WRITE HERE WRITE NOW Write Here Write Now will be tabling on March 1 during the coffee hours and the Day of Service, writing letters to our US Senators on an immigration bill. Sample letter and talking points are available. Please volunteer to write letters and assist with this project. We send the letters in UNSEALED envelopes to DC UUs who hand deliver them.CLICK HERE for information and sample letter.

• THE POP-UP MART – YOUR HUB FOR FRESH GOODS AND FRESH NEWS Early Spring means glorious fresh blooms on the Pop-Up Mart table during Sunday coffee hours! Stop “buy” for a few to take home – all proceeds go towards closing the Gap between projected costs and funds available for the church’s Building Project. While you’re there, ask Bonnie about the Building Project status, or step over to the building project display in the alcove between kitchen and stage. More project information is available online.

• RARE WOMEN Women who are interested in discussing the gifts, myths, and challenges of growing older are invited to join Rare Women. We are currently Sharing the Seasons of Our Lives. We will discuss Fall (44-64 years) at our next meetings. The group facilitated by Carolyn Holt will meet from 2-4 pm on Monday, March 2nd, and Susan Blanchard’s group will meet from 1:30-3:30pm on Thursday, March 5th. CLICK HERE for more information and discussion guidelines.

• COMMUNITY CLICKERS Join the Community Clickers in the Commons for our monthly daytime meeting on Wednesday, March 4th from 2-4pm. We will design at least one shawl for UNC Hospice and then sit, click, and chat. Can't knit or crochet? Come learn! Can't come? Drop finished washable acrylic #4 worsted blocks (7” x 9” with two 18” yarn tails) in the Clickers Box in the Commons. Next evening meeting: Monday, March 16th from 7-9pm. Questions?

• HELP FEED THE HUNGRY IN OUR COMMUNITY 3/6 AND/OR 3/17 Our church is a founding church of the Inter-Faith Council for Social Services, and volunteers from our congregation prepare and serve dinner on the first Friday and third Tuesday of every month. Please CLICK HERE to sign up to help and make an immediate impact in our community. Sign up once, or once a month - many hands make light work!

• DONATE CHILDREN'S BOOKS FOR COMMUNITY DAY OF SERVICE Start spring cleaning early. The Sanctuary and Immigrant Support Ministry is collecting children's books for Book Harvest, a non-profit based in Durham. Don't have books to donate? There are ways for you to participate, too. Please read more about this Community Service Day project here, bring your books to the collection box in the Commons anytime now through Mar. 6 and sign-up to be part of making the books ready for distribution at the Book Harvest office on March 7.

• RARE WOMEN – AND EVERYONE! We need HELP FROM YOU for our Day of Service project, Cookies and “Milk” for Seniors. (1) Contribute BOOST, ENSURE, or similar nutritional drinks/shakes in a large box in the Commons Area in February. (2) Sign up to make cookies. (3) Sign up to help decorate (ages 3 and up) and package (ages 8 and up) the donated cookies for Chapel Hill-Carrboro Meals on Wheels during the Day of Service on March 7th. Questions?

• SEA- MARCH OFFERING ​Building Your Own Theology (BYOT)' course addresses five questions that characterize any personal religious quest. It will be held 7-9 PM, March 5, 12, 19, 26 and April 2. Course information and to register HERE.

• WOMEN CIRCLE WomenCircle is calling Chili Cooks, Salad Tossers and Cornbread and Dessert Bakers for our Day of Service project on March 7 at HomeStart, the shelter for homeless women and children. We will be playing games from 9:30 to 11:30 and bringing lunch to share at 11:30. There is a sign-up sheet at the Annual Pledge Drive table and HERE. Here is another sign up sheet listing all three activities. If you have questions, please email Sindy Barker. 

• CPR/AED, FIRST AID WORKSHOP MARCH 14 If you are interested in attending the workshop, which will be taught by Nancy Mayer, an American Red Cross certified CPR instructor, on March 14, please fill in the survey (see link ) as we would like to get a sense of what kind of training and what format members of the congregation would be interested in having. Email Judy Lechner or call (334) 707-1303 with questions. Here is the link to the on-line survey about the class. Thank you for filling it out as soon as possible.

• ENDOWMENT GRANT APPLICATIONS DUE MARCH 15!! Grant applications for up to $3000 for initiatives that support new and/or ongoing ministries within or beyond our walls are due by March 15th. Information and forms are available HERE. CLICK HERE for further information.

• NONFICTION BOOK DISCUSSION FOR MARCH On Saturday, March 21, at 10:30 in the Straley Room, the Nonfiction Readers will discuss The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight against the Islamic State, by Nadia Murad. Mary Hulett will be leading our discussion. The Readers meet on the third Saturday of each month; new members and drop-ins are welcome. Click here to contact the group.

• HOLLY NEAR CONCERT TO "GET OUT THE VOTE"!!! Get your tickets NOW for the Holly Near concert on March 27, 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary, sponsored by Side with Love Concerts! For this concert, Holly wants to emphasize the importance of voting. We will have voter registration at the concert, and will also have information new voter laws and ways to get involved. Get out the vote!​ and enjoy an evening of inspiring music with this amazing ambassador of peace. Tix at SLC table on Sunday or HERE! 

• HELP WANTED FOR HOLLY NEAR CONCERT We are excited about having Holly Near perform here on March 27, to raise awareness about voting, (and help us Close the Gap as well). But a bit more help is much needed, especially with parking lot and refreshments. Please check out our SignUp page. 

• COMMUNITY CHURCH CONCERTS HITS NEW RECORDS!! CCC had a fantastic 2019-20 season! We hosted 1,155 paying guests with a record season profit of $5,896.31, post expenses. We again were voted second place for "Best Place to Hear Bluegrass" from the Indy's "Best of..." competition! We can't thank our fans and volunteers enough! You made it happen!!! Stay tuned for next year's fabulous line-up and ticket sales later this Spring! Want to volunteer? CLICK HERE.

• heart2heartnc - Share the Plate heart2heartnc would like to thank the church membership for their generous donations of $1165.25 during the Share the Plate collection on January 26, 2020. These funds will go to support the direct services - such as hands on healing, gentle guidance, deep listening and live sacred music - for individuals, families and communities that are navigating the living path of dying, death and beyond. CLICK HERE for more information.

• LAST CHANCE TO UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFO! LAST CHANCE TO ORDER PRINT COPIES OF THE 2020 PHOTO DIRECTORY! Didn't get your photo taken? Your contact info can still be included! Please contact the office with updated information if any of these things have changed in the past few years: Name / Address / Home phone / Cell phone / Email. Digital copies are free! To express interest in a print copy, please CLICK HERE if you might like to order one (or more!) from now until 2/29. Once we know how many are desired, we will learn the price; the more interest, the lower the price! We hope to present the Directories in March!

• 112 (!) PEOPLE HAVE OPTED IN FOR TEXT ALERTS IN CASE OF CHURCH DELAYS AND/OR CLOSURES Would you like to receive a text in case of weather-related or other church closures and/or delays, too?  If so, please fill out this form: we need to have your current cell phone number and carrier. Please note: these texts cannot receive replies.

• SMART RECOVERY FAMILY & FRIENDS SUPPORT GROUP A new SMART Recovery Family & Friends support group has begun meeting in the Straley Room each Friday from 9:30 to 11:00am. Anyone who is or has experienced supporting a Loved One with a problem behavior (alcohol/drug use, gambling, sex, eating, etc.) is welcome. We are a science-based alternative to Al-Anon and Johnston Intervention. We also have a Wednesday evening meeting from 7:00 to 8:30pm at 180 Providence Rd in Chapel Hill. Click here or email Pete Rubinas for more information. Submitted by Pete Rubinas

• WORLD DAY OF PRAYER Friday, March 6, sponsored by Church Women United. “Rise: Take Your Mat and Walk” (Program written by the WDP Committee of Zimbabwe) Morning Service: 10:00 am (refreshments), Church of the Holy Family (200 Hayes Road, Chapel Hill, 919-942-3108) Evening Service: 5:30 pm (light supper), Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church (301 E. Franklin St. Chapel Hill 919-929-2193) Contact for Information: Leona Whichard, Secretary (919-918-7713) or Connie Gates (919-929-0650) Submitted by Connie Gates

• MENTAL HEALTH MINISTRY Faith Connections on Mental Illness-- Hope & Healing Conference 2020: Faithfully Practicing Community Inclusion on Friday, March 13 at the McKimmon Conference Center in Raleigh, NC. Speakers from Founder of Homeboy Industries, LA, the Durham Nativity School, Rebound, Recovery Communities of NC, and Reintegration Support Network will present how engagement and support creates a healthier community. Early Bird rates end 2/28/2020. For registration and more information, CLICK HERE. Submitted by Julie Worth

• Art in the Sanctuary through March 1 the art in the Sanctuary will be paintings by Raleigh artist Abie Harris. Harris' works are abstract visual representations of JS Bach's Goldberg Variations created in conjunction with live performances of the Raleigh-based classical string trio Quercus and the Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra. Each work explores the intricate nature of the music pieces through dynamic use of color and geometric structure. Click here to contact Abie Harris.

• FRIENDLY REMINDER: COMMONS ETIQUETTE We are so fortunate to have so much going on in our church! However, please remember that the Commons is a place where folks who cannot join in Service (Those who need a comfy place to breastfeed! One with a persistent cough! Someone who needs a place to weep!) can still hear the Service. Please, keep quiet in the Commons during Services. Outside of Service times, it's a wonderful meeting space - please be aware that meetings may be in progress and use other doors, whenever possible. Thank you!

• LOST & FOUND The Lost & Found is in the Admin Lobby. Where's the Admin Lobby? The doors farthest to the right on the face of our church buildings - it's also accessible through the Community Room (where Coffee Hours take place). Please look for lost things - that's where forlorn potluck dishes go, abandoned raincoats and neglected coffee mugs, as well. These bins are emptied seasonally, so give them gander and see if your "lost" has been "found"!

• REMINDER ABOUT WEEKDAY PARKING Thanks for participating in the life of our church! We love to see you here. If you come to church during the week, there are some guidelines. Please do not park in the big lot; the church rents those spaces M-F, 6am to 7pm. The income from these rentals is a significant part of our operating budget, and we want to treat these renters equitably. You are welcome to park in the lot near the office, or in the "pine lot" at the top of the driveway, or in the small lot in the back (with its own driveway). Questions? Please contact Rachel Rose.

• Help make Sunday mornings happen - Become a Greeter! Our church is busier than ever, and we need folks to help welcome people in to our church on Sunday morning and we have many Greeter spaces open over the next few weeks! Please take a moment to sign up to be a Greeter, and help new people see what our community is really like. Please join us when you can for this simple, but important work. Thanks so much - your help is appreciated!

• WELCOMING CHILDREN IN THE SANCTUARY Children are a wonderful gift to this community. Children are always welcome to worship in the Sanctuary. To support little ones during the service, we will now offer Busy Bags (pouches with fun activities) and Busy Boards (coloring and writing activities) as well as soft toys for our youngest worshipers. Stop by the new Children's Welcome Table in the Sanctuary (across from the Art Table near the Sound Room).

• LECTIO (SACRED READING) MEDITATION GROUP meets at noon every Friday in the Commons. We use readings from poetry and the wisdom traditions of the world's religions as prompts for reflection and sharing. No need to sign up ahead of time. Please join us.