The Newsletter, March 2020   
           



Our theme in worship and religious education this month is WISDOM

Congregational Meeting Called for after worship, March 15
Your Board of Trustees has voted  to schedule  annual  congregational meeting on March 15th  after  service.  At that time we will  elect new board members  and new members  of the  nominating committee.  
 
Gladly Teach and Gladly Learn!  A Call for Stories

Call for Stories! The worship on Sunday, March 8, will be a participatory one, lead by Rev. Ritchie, on the topic of "Gladly Teach and Gladly Learn." If you have a brief 3-5 minute story you could share about a special moment you experienced while either teaching or learning, please let Rev. Ritchie know at your earliest convenience ( revritchie@aol.com). You can either share that "live" in worship or write it up for someone else to read, or just share it casually with Susan. Thanks!

Music Note!  Youth Orchestra to Gather Soon

 
The NUUC Youth Orchestra will be start rehearsals in April with two performances in May. The orchestra is open to all instrumentalists ages 18 and younger. The piece this year is "Echoes of Time" by Douglas Wagner. There are parts for strings, winds, and percussion. 
 
For an advance copy of the music, please see Marlene Hartzler at any Sunday worship service or send her an email to be kept up to date about rehearsals. marlenehartzler@gmail.com
 
Musically Yours,
Marlene

Building Committee Update
Our archictect Kay Onwukwe is busy assembling the topographical studies that he needs to present a final site plan that accounts for adequate drainage.  Once he completes the site plan, we return to the township for approval of all of our plans--construction drawings for the building, and the site plan.  Then, we can start begin making a construction schedule!
Caution: Church email Scam 

UU churches around the country have been reporting a scam whereby 
members and friends receive an email that appears to be from the minister, asking for gift cards, cash, or a money transfer to help a person in special need.  Please consider any request for funds to be donated outside of either our secure online giving platform (accessible on the front page of the website) or by mail to NUUC at our PO Box to be fraudulent. 
Service Auction April 25
 
 NUUC's 2020 Service Auction is coming! It  will be Saturday, April 25, starting at 5:00 pm. A delicious free supper will be available. Childcare also will be free.
 
The theme this year is "Monopoly Built the UU Way!" Instead of buying and selling properties to amass a fortune, we will buy and sell services 
and other offerings to raise money for NUUC. In addition, instead of trying to become rich by bankrupting others, we are changing the rules so everyone can take part and be a winner by building community just as we are doing by building our new expanded church.
 
This is NUUC's only annual fundraiser, so please donate services or goods! Perhaps you can host a dinner, lunch, or party; or teach some lessons-language, music, photography, juggling...for a few examples. Can you provide rides to or from the airport, or do yard/house work? You might create a scarf, jewelry, a painting, or gourmet food. Where do your talents lie?
To give you ideas, the catalogs from the past 8 years are available on the NUUC website shown below and in Fellowship Hall. Another good source is the Theme Basket Idea Book also located in Fellowship Hall.
 
What's New?
"Fixed Price Items" will be part of the Silent Auction. Anyone can offer an activity, service, or something else for a set number of people at a fixed price, such as a game night with snacks, a picnic, or an informational nature hike. Each person pays the same price. We want these activities to be affordable.
Also, check out the Wish Basket in Fellowship Hall! You can suggest some ideas for services or activities that you wish someone would donate. Then your Service Auction Committee will see what we can do! (See the current Wish List at the end of this article).
 
Deadline for Donations is Mon. March 16. You can submit your donations using either the All-in-One Form found online at www.nuuc.org/serviceauction/ or the paper version of the form in Fellowship Hall.
 
You can look forward to an exciting Live Auction, a Silent Auction, a Theme Basket Auction, and our popular Kids' Raffle Auction. There will be door prizes for adults and children. Also, for additional entertainment, "Mr. Marconi's Marvin Gardens Magic Show" will be presented during the break between Live Auction sessions, and activities especially for the children will include "Property Improvement (building houses and hotels with craft sticks); a "Decorate a Community Chest" craft; the "NUUC Train Station," where kids can put together the B&O Railroad, the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Short Line, and the Reading Railroad from the Monopoly game; and a nook for playing different kinds of Monopoly games.
 
Questions?
Please contact Chris Aultman ( chris.aultman@gmail.com or 614-365-0944) or one of the other "Service Auction Magic Makers" (SAMMs): Dee Burlison, Marty Keith, David John Krohn, Harold Shrock, Debbie Shaw, Trina Timson, and Bob Keith (chair).
Let's make this year's Service Auction the best ever!
 
Current "Wish List": A singing lesson, a jewelry repair session or workshop, garden planting using raised gardens that are deer resistant.

 



Adult Enrichment activities for this next month include:

  For March, Adult Enrichment opportunities include:
 
An exploration of "Science and Religion" in the Second Monday Morning Covenant Group, March 9, 10:00 until noon at the church.
 
A discussion of Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie for Brown Bag Books, Tuesday, March 17 at noon in Fellowship Hall.
 
A possible lunch for the NUUC Women's Group with a representative from the Delaware County Democratic Party Headquarters after service March 22, at Senor Antonio's Mexican Restaurant, to learn more about how to get involved politically.



 

SOCIAL JUSTICE NEWS

MARCH LOOSE CHANGE OFFERING: This month, our Loose Change Offering will be donated to CENTRAL OHIO CITIZEN CIRCLE. Many individuals are released from jail or prison with no money, no hygiene items, and only the sweat shirt and pants they are wearing. They may have nowhere to live, no job, and no one to turn to for help. Others are fortunate enough to have family to help or may have been placed in a transitional program. Starting over with a felony record after release from prison requires overcoming numerous barriers for successful reentry. Citizen Circles are groups of community members committed to helping offenders make the change from "offender" to "citizen". Central Ohio Citizen Circle offers restored citizens the opportunity to sit down with representatives from social service agencies and organizations on the First Friday of each month to get assistance with housing, employment, veteran's services, education and training programs, healthcare, recovery services, mental health services, getting an ID card or driver's license, legal aid, voter registration, and transportation. All the providers at this event are welcoming and committed to resolving issues, filling in the gaps, conducting intakes, and making appointments to see a designated representative of their agency for the participant's next step. The Central Ohio Citizen Circle also provides transportation and coverage of fees to obtain documents needed to get an ID card. Newly released individuals who do not have anywhere to go are provided a hotel room for a few days until housing can be found in a homeless shelter or halfway house. Other assistance includes bus passes to get to job interviews, parole office appointments, or free stores for clothing. Hygiene bags are also available for those in need. Occasionally Kroger gift cards are given to parents with small children who have little money for food or diapers. Central Ohio Citizen Circle does not have paid staff or government funding. It is operated by committed volunteers and donations from people who understand the critical role the community plays in the transition from inmate to responsible citizen.
In addition to donations to the Loose Change Offering on March 8th, we will also be collecting items for hygiene bags including: deodorant, lotion, shampoo, razors, washcloths, shower gel, toothbrush, toothpaste, and combs. All items can be purchased at a dollar store. For men, you can get 3 in 1 body wash (shampoo, conditioner, and body wash).  Items will be placed in gallon plastic bags to be distributed at First Friday in April. COTA Day passes are always needed.  You can buy 5 at a time for $22.50.  A one day pass will allow someone full-day access to travel without buying additional transfers. You can leave hygiene bags in the designated plastic bin in Fellowship Hall through the end of March.
On March 8th, Vanita Nevis will give the call for Loose Change and share more information about the Central Ohio Citizen Circle including opportunities to volunteer. See the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall or Pam Patsch for additional information.

UU JUSTICE OHIO : In this crucial election year, the number one goal of Unitarian Universalist Justice Ohio (UUJO), is to implement our Voter Advocacy initiative and give congregations the necessary tools and encouragement to participate in this work. We will be conducting planning meetings to discuss how best to advocate in your districts, as well as holding community conversations, training, and other activities to address the ways we uphold democracy through the electoral process. Working with the UUA's #UUTHEVOTE, and our other partnerships, we're hoping to mobilize as many congregants as we can.  If you are interested in conducting such conversations and planning voter advocacy programs contact Pam Patsch at pgp723@aol.com.