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SUNDAY WORSHIP & FELLOWSHIP |
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9 AM - Live Religious Education Service on Zoom
11 AM - In-Person Coffee Hour
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October 3
“Spiritual Sources of UU: Science and Reason”
Rev. Thom Belote, preaching
Over the next several months, Rev. Thom will be preaching on each of the six sources of our living tradition. The first sermon in this series will be on science and reason. How might science and reason to be a source for spiritual growth?
October 10
“Reproductive Justice and UUism”
Rev. Thom, preaching
Unitarian Universalists have a long history of promoting and advocating for reproductive justice. In light of horrific laws in Texas and elsewhere, how is our faith called to respond?
October 17
“Spiritual Sources of UU: Earth-based Spirituality”
Rev. Thom, preaching
This is the second installment of sermons about the six sources of our living tradition. From Thoreau’s journals about his travels in the natural world to the present connection between neo-paganism and UUism, how is our spirituality shaped by Earth-based traditions?
October 24
“Authenticity”
Rev. Thom, preaching
At our best, our Unitarian Universalist church community can be a place where you can be your fully authentic self. This Sunday’s service is about the blessings and burdens of authenticity.
October 31
“Day of Remembrance”
Multigenerational Worship led by Rev. Thom, Marion, Kat, and Glenn
Join us this Sunday for a multigenerational All Souls service honoring those we have lost in the past year. We plan to offer two services this Sunday, one inside and one outside, so look for future communications with worship times.
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2021 FALL AUCTION BIDDING IS OPEN for the 2021 Fall Auction! Check out the 225+ items in the AUCTION CATALOG and bid often! Bidding closes at 8pm on Saturday, October 23rd. Learn how to bid in this video or this document. There are some great offers to bid on: delicious meals and food items, American and otherwise; several different types of concerts; many, many books; beautiful hand-made items, garden items, Zoom and in-person services, and much more! There is still time to enter your donations but the sooner the better so that they can be seen by more bidders! Enter items through the DONATE function in the AUCTION CATALOG. Upload your best picture and then send additional pictures (up to 3) to us for posting on the Auction Resources page. Need ideas? Stop by the Fall Auction table in the Courtyard after Sunday services to get suggestions.
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USING OUR NEW SPACE In addition to the lily pads in the Gathering Room and the youth in the Living Room, the elementary programs, Water and Fire Circles, are using the new porch. And, the Neighboring Faiths program, composed of sixth- and seventh-graders, is using the Gathering Room. As Marion Hirsch, Director of Lifespan Religious Education, says, “We are so lucky to have such perfect gathering spots in this time of Covid.” Our Religious Education program is noted for excellence throughout the State (and further). The Program Philosophy notes that the Children and Youth Ministry is worship-based. No matter the age, worship is central to the church experience and is designed to build community within each age group as they come together to worship.
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SHARE THE PLATE APPLICATIONS FOR JAN-JUNE 2022 DEADLINE! The Share the Plate (STP) Steering Committee is accepting applications for STP Sundays for Jan-June 2022. Our mission is to support the outreach ministry of our UU congregation by developing and coordinating Share the Plate Collections: designated Sunday morning collections that support specific causes or organizations, which reflect the passions of the congregation. Deadline: Sunday, OCT. 31! Applicants MUST use appropriate and current application forms and submit to the committee as directed. Questions? Contact Jill Baker or Jane Provan below.
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JOIN THE SHARE THE PLATE STEERING COMMITTEE! How would you like to be a part of a committed group of volunteers whose decisions significantly impact over twenty worthwhile organizations and projects both locally and in the wider world? The SHARE THE PLATE (STP) Steering Committee is looking for two or three new folks to join the ranks!! We meet twice a year to review applications for STP funding and select appropriate applicants, scheduling them for an STP Sunday. We also provide individual guidance for project coordinators and continue to refine our policies and guidelines for STP approval. Interested? Contact Jill Baker or Jane Provan below!
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SHARE THE PLATE: CFSA WILLIAM W. DOW SCHOLARSHIP For rural farmers trying to make an environmental difference in our food system, opportunities to meet with like-minded farmers and receive technical and social support are scarce. The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) Annual Sustainable Agriculture Conference in November is the largest sustainable farming conference in the Southeast. Even though it will be online, it is uniquely valuable for farmers just starting and for experienced farmers transitioning to sustainable practices.
CFSA’s William W. Dow Scholarship Fund offers beginning and disadvantaged farmers assistance to attend the conference where they will receive peer support and education in sustainable farming, as well as a year of expert technical assistance from our farm services team. Your Share the Plate donations on October 3rd have the power to transform the working life of a farmer during this arduous time by offering them support, education, and mentoring at the conference and beyond. Please give generously.
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HABITAT FOR HUMANITY SHARE THE PLATE Our church has a long history of working with Habitat and area churches to provide safe, affordable homes for our neighbors. With our Oct. 17 Share the Plate, we can help build a Habitat home for Burmese refugees, Chrit Hae and Collage Paw, and their two preschool children. The couple, who met in a Thailand refugee camp, originally moved to the U.S. with their families. In 2014, his parents built a Habitat home in Chapel Hill’s Phoenix Place, and the family of four now lives there, too. Chrit Hae says building his own home is exciting, since he remembers his parents going through the process. “I love painting and roofing and go almost every day to volunteer.” They’ll also be closer to his housekeeping job at UNC Hospital in Hillsborough. Our church partnership pays 1/2 the costs and Habitat pays 1/2. Families repay the Habitat 1/2 in zero-interest mortgages and put in 350 construction hours. We can help build this home with our Oct. 17 Share the Plate. Please be generous. Thank you.
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UU Justice NC - October Share the Plate Recipient UU Justice NC (formerly UU Forward Together) is the Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of North Carolina. We joyfully organize UUs across 20 congregations in NC to contribute to a transformative movement for justice in our state through spiritual grounding, collaboration and imagination. We work in relationship with our state-wide partners, the UUA and UUs across the country to do justice work spanning racial, economic, immigrant, environmental and electoral justice.
Last year we activated more NC UUs to the work of justice than ever before in our history. We engaged over 650 UUs across 16 congregations (including Community Church!) in UU the Vote. This year we’ve continued to build on 2020 through our work around Redistricting, Voting Rights, Medicaid expansion, and pushing Duke Energy to invest in a clean energy future for our state.
In this moment of growth for our organization, we are deeply grateful to be the recipient of Community Church’s Share the Plate this October.
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SPIRITUAL EXPLORATION FOR ADULTS |
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SPIRITUAL NATURALISM COURSE
Tuesdays, Oct 12, 19, 22, Nov 2, 9, on Zoom from 7-8:15
Led by Ed Steffes
Spiritual Naturalism is a philosophy that aims to give contemporary meaning to the concept of spirit by associating it with the creativity of nature. (It could also be called “creative naturalism” or “aesthetic naturalism.”) A central idea is that both traditional religion and Machine-Age science have misunderstood creativity: religion by elevating human creativity to the supernatural realm; and science by trying to reduce all natural phenomena to purely mechanical processes. The new interest in natural creative processes has something to offer both religious and scientific humanists and may help build a bridge between the two. The course also considers the social implications of these ideas, suggesting that spiritual naturalism is more compatible with Unitarian Universalist principles than either supernaturalism or mechanistic materialism. Contact: Ed Steffes
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YOUR LEGACY CHECKLIST:
HOW TO LEAVE A GIFT, NOT A MESS
Led by Carolyn Holt, Ivy Brezina,
and Nancy Mayer, Attorney at Law
Tuesdays, October 12 and 19, from 7:00-8:30 PM on Zoom
As we get older, we all recognize the importance of having our affairs in order for our loved ones. Learn what documents are needed to complete this task. We will cover Wills, Advance Directives, and what needs to be done when death occurs. Upon registration, you will receive an electronic copy of Your Legacy Checklist. Completing the checklist is not a small amount of work, but you will feel fabulous when it’s done. Contact: Ivy Brezina
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THE FIVE BIG QUESTIONS
Thursdays, Oct 21, 28, Nov 4, 11, 18, on Zoom from 7-8:30pm.
Led by Kristen Dunivant and Steve Warshaw
A personal spiritual quest can be characterized by five questions: Who am I? How do I know what I know? Who or what is in charge? What is my purpose in life? What does my death mean?
This is a wonderful class of exploration and discussion. By the end of the course, each participant will have written her/his personal creed. Registration closes 10/15. Contact: Kristen Dunivant
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VIRTUAL COFFEE HOUR CONTINUES IN OCTOBER! Please join Rachel Rose for the experimental return to this important time of connection. We will be meeting on Sunday mornings at 11:30 AM . We will have an icebreaker, be assigned into random groups (it's fun!) and have a time of sharing and fellowship, followed by a closing reading. We hope to see you there!
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Help make Sunday mornings happen - Become a Greeter! Our church is busy, and we need folks to help welcome people - both newcomers and longtime members - into our church on Sunday morning... andwe have many Greeter spaces open over the next few weeks! Please take a moment to sign up below, 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!
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RARE WOMEN Samantha Reynolds wrote in her poem, “I am the hours, Connected like dots, Into good sense…” NEW MEMBERS are welcome to join our groups of women (mostly retired) who share personal stories and thoughts about the gifts, myths, and challenges of growing older. We are currently discussing This Chair Rocks – A Manifesto Against Ageism by Ashton Appelwhite using these DISCUSSION QUESTIONS. There are three different Rare Women groups: Joann Haggerty’s group meets from 2-4 pm on the 1st and 3rd Mondays; Bonnie Gilliom’s group meets from 10 am–noon on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays; and Susan Blanchard’s group meets from 1:30-3:30 pm on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays. The meeting schedule and discussion topic for each group are posted on the Rare Women webpage, here. Notices about in-person meetings (not currently occurring) and Zoom links for each group are also posted there.
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NONFICTION BOOK DISCUSSION FOR OCTOBER On Saturday, October 16 from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM, the Nonfiction Readers will discuss Empire of the Summer Moon by C. S. Gwynne. The book spans two astonishing stories: (1) the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history; and (2) the saga of the pioneer woman Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed-blood son Quanah, who became the last greatest chief of the Comanches. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and many other book awards. Kari Andrade will be leading our discussion, which will be held via Zoom. New members and drop-ins are welcome. Contact the group to ask questions or to be placed on the distribution list for meeting information.
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ECO FIRST SUNDAY OCTOBER 3, 2021, 12:30 PM; TIMELY ACTION ECO has been working to influence our legislators and environmental regulators to enact and enforce stringent laws that would end our reliance on fossil fuels and reduce pollution. Do join us, as there is strength in numbers. For a Zoom invitation contact ECO. No time to join us this month? You can still make a difference now by contacting U.S. House members who have signed onto the Fight Dirty Energy letter to ask them to stay strong in opposing subsidies for fossil fuel industries.
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WOMENCIRCLE SOUP SWAP WomenCircle invites those who relish making and eating homemade soup to share the fun by exchanging quart jars of each other’s creations. Each participant will make a favorite soup, give a quart of it to another participant, and receive a quart of someone else’s homemade soup. It’s a two-step process: The first step is a Zoom meeting (October 10, 3-4 pm) of all players - email Gail McKinley (below) by Oct 9 to RSVP and sign up for a link. During the meeting, each participant will describe the recipe she pledges to make, followed by random match-up of soups and winners in 2 categories: vegetarian and not. Two weeks later, after the soups have been made, the second step will be a socially-distanced gathering in the church courtyard (October 24, 3-4 pm). During that time, we’ll enjoy chatting with each other and ensure that each jar of soup goes home with its winner.
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QUUILTERS MONTHLY MEETING QUUilters meets the first Saturday of every month from 9:30 until 11 AM in the Church Commons. Our next meeting is Saturday, September 4. We get to know each other better by chatting and working together on quilts and other handmade items for various local charities. Contact Rae Aline Dawson to be added to our email list.
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OUTDOOR CONNECTIONS: FALL HIKE/PICNIC AT SEVEN MILE CREEK, SAT. 10/16 10 AM
Lovely 2-mile autumn walk along Seven Mile Creek and through mature hardwood forest, followed by picnic at tables adjacent to parking. Bringing something to share is always nice. Sharing your enjoyment of fall, even nicer.
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OCTOBER NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY OCTOBER 15
The Community Church of Chapel Hill Board of Trustees wants to hear from you!
If you would like to learn more about The Community Church of Chapel Hill,
please contact Rachel Rose, our Director of Membership & Communications:
Whether you are new, or a longtime attendee, and whatever your beliefs or background,
we welcome you to our community of friendship and ideals.
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106 Purefoy Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
919-942-2050
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