February 2
"How to Grow a Soul: Remixed and Rebooted"
Rev. Thom Belote, preaching
In January, Rev. Thom offered a sermon about How to Grow a Soul. But, there were a lot of things that didn't make it into that sermon. Join us on February 2 for the remix.
February 9
Frog & Toad Theater Presents... A Multigenerational Service
Rev. Thom Belote, leading worship
Join us for an all-ages multigenerational service including a puppet show with Arnold Lobel's beloved characters, Frog and Toad. On this Sunday before Valentine's Day, the service will focus on the power of relationship and resilience.
February 16
Campus Ministry Service
February 23
"Count It All Joy"
Rev. Thom Belote, preaching
The most recent book by poet Ross Gay is his "Book of Delights" in which he sets out to spend a year documenting on delights. This morning we'll focus on what brings us delight and the importance of gratitude.
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MUSICAL NOTES
by Glenn Mehrbach, Music Director
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 SOUNDROOM OPERATORS NEEDED The Music Team is looking for people to help in the soundroom during Sunday Services. No musical or technical experience necessary. There is a 10-15 minute training period, and plenty of resources available online and on site to make the job as simple as possible. Working is the soundroom is a small commitment, but one that reaps great benefits for the church. Contact Music Director Glenn Mehrbach for more information.
SONG LEADERS NEEDED The Music Team is looking for congregation members who would be willing to stand at the Joys & Concerns microphone during services and lead the congregation in singing the hymns. Resources are available online to sign up for individual service and to help learn unfamiliar hymns. This is a small commitment that can reap large rewards for the quality of the congregational singing during the service. Please contact Music Director Glenn Mehrbach for more information.
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COMMUNITY CHURCH CONCERTS
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BECKY BULLER BAND TO CLOSE OUT CONCERTS SEASON!!
The Community Church Concerts 2019-20 Season finishes up with a bang with IBMA and Grammy award-winning Becky Buller and band, Friday, Feb. 21, 8 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Becky Buller is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer who has traversed the globe performing bluegrass music. A 2-time Grammy award-winning songwriter, she co-wrote "Freedom," the lead-off track of The Infamous Stringdusters 2018 Grammy-winning album Laws of Gravity as well as "The Shaker" on The Travelin' McCoury's self-titled release that just brought home the
2019 Best Bluegrass Grammy.
Touring extensively with the Becky Buller Band, she recently released Crêpe Paper Heart, her 4th solo album that reached #1 on the August 2018 Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine Top 15 Bluegrass Albums chart.
Becky is the recipient of 8 IBMA awards, including the 2016 Fiddler and Female Vocalist Of the Year! For TICKETS, click HERE. Questions/to volunteer, click HERE.
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SIDE WITH LOVE
CONCERTS FOR A CAUSE
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The Side with Love Concerts for a Cause Committee proudly presents highly acclaimed vocalist and activist HOLLY NEAR in concert, Friday, March 27, 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary! The concert will focus on getting involved and getting out the vote. "Holly Near has been singing for a more equitable world for well over 50 creative years. She is an insightful storyteller through her music, committed to keeping the work rooted in contemporary activities. One of the most powerful, consistent, and outspoken singers of our time, her concerts elevate spirits and inspire activities. A skilled performer, Holly is an outspoken ambassador for peace who brings to the stage a unique integration of world consciousness, spiritual discovery, and theatricality". Holly will be joined by Jan Martinelli and Tammy Hall with opener by Crys Matthews. CLICK HERE for more information. CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS. QUESTIONS? Contact Ginger Long.
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Save the Date! Saturday, March 7, 2020: Community Day of Service
19 service projects have been organized by church committees, ministries & teams with over 300 opportunities for you to help. Online signups coming soon, and signups during coffee hour all Sundays in February. Look for our Community Day of Service tables and talk with folks who'll answer any questions you might have. We have selected a St. Patrick's Day theme this year, so be prepared to see lots of green, leprechauns, and shamrocks. The UUkes will be performing and we'll have other Irish-themed music and food. We are so LUCKY to have a committed, caring congregation willing to spend time volunteering to do important community service work in the broader community. The Community Day of Service helps us kick off our annual Pledge Drive in 2020. Please help us fill that pot of gold to support our church operations, programs, and staff! Please save this date on your calendar for fun, fellowship and a great day of giving and service. For more info, contact
Mary Beth Powell or
Bill Rote.
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ANSWERS ABOUT THE BUILDING PROJECT
Open Q&A sessions with the Building Task Force leaders on 19 January addressed key questions, including:
- WHEN WILL THE CONSTRUCTION START AND END?
- Pending town permits which are in the works, we now plan starting March 2020 and ending December 2020.
- HOW MUCH WILL THE CONSTRUCTION COST?
- Based on the selected contractor bid, the total cost for construction will be $1.5M.
- WHERE DO WE STAND ON CLOSING THE PROJECTED GAP between total cost and total funds available?
- By the end of the three-year capital pledge payment period (June 2021), gap-closing strategies will have narrowed the gap to $289K. We will seek additional pledge funds to minimize that debt in the fourth year. Our aim is to leave the church operating budget, which pays for staff and program and facility maintenance, unencumbered by debt burden. Lots more information is at the Building Project webpage and Sunday tabling.
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MEMBERSHIP TEAM - WELCOMING MINISTRY
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2020 PHOTO DIRECTORY COMING SOON! Thanks to all who participated in strengthening community by being part of the 2020 Photo Directory.
Digital copies will be free to all Members & Associates!
Missed your chance this time? Don't worry! This was such a huge success; we'll do it again sometime in the future.
NAME / PHONE NUMBERS / EMAIL / MAILING ADDRESS
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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.
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CHILDREN'S & YOUTH MINISTRY
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WHAT IS HAPPENING IN YOUTH AND CHILDREN'S MINISTRY
THIS MONTH?
The Soul Matters theme of the month is " resilience." The Rainbow, Water, Fire and Middle Earth Circles will be exploring how to build our resilience.
February 2 -- Bouncing Back. We learn that resilience is the ability to bounce back. We will be exploring how rubber bands are a great metaphor for thinking about resilience.
February 9 -- Multigenerational Service featuring Frog and Toad Puppet Theater. This is also the morning of the Special bUUddy Breakfast.
February 16 -- Coping Skills. We explore how we build resilience with humor and other strategies.
February 23 -- Rising. There are so many examples of resilience in nature and myth, amazing strength rising from the ashes. We will celebrate the Fire Poppy and think about the mythological Phoenix. 8th graders are in the Our Whole Lives Sexuality education program. 6th and 7th grades are in the Neighboring Faiths program and will visit the Kehillah Synagogue and the Newman Center.
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR UPCOMING FAMILY DINNER NIGHTS
- Saturday February 22 5-6:30 PM
Games Night
Bring your favorite board games. Candy Land, Checkers, Uno
- Saturday March 21 5-6:30 PM
Variety Talent Show
Singing, dancing, magic, jokes, juggling, instruments, gymnastics, skits...
The Entree is provided for $3 per person, plus each family brings a side dish to share. These dinners are especially friendly for young families. ALL Ages and stages are welcome. It is an early dinner and short, fun program after so little kids can get home for an early bedtime. Come get to know people & have some fun!
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INTER-FAITH COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SERVICES (IFC)
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BOUNTIFUL BAGS ARE COMING ON SUNDAY FEBRUARY 16TH
Shannon Richards and Maureen O'Rourke will be distributing grocery bags after each service with a list of items. Grocery bags are to be brought back within two weeks though food is always needed. The bags will be distributed to the food pantry at IFC.
HERE YE, HEAR YE! The Community Church is responsible for providing two evening meals a month on the FIRST FRIDAY and the THIRD TUESDAY for the IFC Food Kitchen. Three people are needed to prep and four to serve on each night. For the Community Church to continue this commitment folks must be willing to make a year commitment. Please go to Weekly Announcements found on the Church's website and click on IFC dinners and sign up for the First Friday or the Third Tuesday to prep or to serve.
For more info, please text Maureen O'Rourke at 919 428 4440.
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SANCTUARY & IMMIGRANT SUPPORT MINISTRY
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COMMUNITY DAY OF SERVICE: DONATE CHILDREN'S BOOKS
We are collecting children's books (from board books to YA fiction) for Book Harvest, a non-profit based in Durham. It provides books and literacy support to families and children across the state and has donated more than 1.25 million books since 2011. 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 area anytime between Feb. 2 and Mar. 6 and sign-up to be part of making the books ready for distribution at the Book Harvest office on March 7.
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ECO'S ENVIRONMENTAL CORNER
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Did you know that proper recycling can help mitigate the Climate Crisis (by reducing extraction/production of new materials, among other things)? Every month ECO accepts batteries, corks and tiny metal objects at our recycling collection. In Februrary we'll also take your CELL PHONES (with or without chargers). LITHIUM BATTERIES should be kept separated, and CORRODED BATTERIES should be in a separate bag. See our recycling page for more information on what, when and where, and thanks for keeping these items out of the landfill!
Contact ECO here
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"WHY THE CLIMATE COULD TIP" PRESENTATION DURING ECO'S MONTHLY MEETING
Norbert Lechner, ECO member and sustainability expert, will give a 15-minute presentation about the climate crisis, explaining why the climate could "tip," i.e., reach a point of no return. The presentation will be given in the Kirby room immediately after the coffee hour following the second service on Feb 1. Hope you can join us!
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Thanks for Making HomeStart's Christmas Bright
A belated "Thank you! to everyone for your generous donations of PJs, personal care products, homemade knit scarves, toiletry bags, and washcloths for the gift baskets. Twelve (12) women at HomeStart (IFC's transitional shelter for women and families) enjoyed a festive evening on Dec. 11. After a fun singalong of traditional and holiday songs, led by four Ukelele players from the church, the staff carried in the gift baskets. I only wish you could have seen their faces as they saw their PJs and explored the contents. They were so surprised and pleased. Extra PJs, along with the diapers and wipes were given to the women and men at HomeStart's family residence. Thank you for making this Christmas season brighter and warmer for these residents!!
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SPIRITUAL EXPLORATION FOR ADULTS (SEA)
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Exploring the Story of Susanna
Led by Paige Smith and Karen Jesse
February 13, 20, 27, 7:00-8:30 PM
Explore this fascinating and little-known biblical story and its relevance for today's modern world.
Step into Circle Singing
Led by Eric Bannan, Starts Thursday, February 13, 7-8:30 PM and will be held every month on the 2nd Thursday until May.
Circle singing is a mistake-free zone, accessible to beginning singers, but also challenges those with experience. Register HERE.
Honoring African American History Month
Preparation for the Civil Rights Pilgrimage
These classes are designed as preparatory sessions for those taking the Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Montgomery and Selma (March 27-30) but they are also open to all in the church who wish to participate.
Thursdays evenings in February 7-8:30 PM. Register HERE.
- February 6: From 1619 to Today
- February 13: Preparing to Visit the National Memorial
- February 20: The Movement
- February 27: UUs Answer the Call to Selma
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OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG ADULTS
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Covenant Group
-- The 20s and 30s Covenant Group meets monthly on the
3rd Tuesday
from 7-8:30 for fellowship and spiritual deepening. It's a drop-in group.
Sign up link.
20s and 30s Facebook group--Contact Marion Hirsch at hirsch.marion@gmail.com for more information.
UNC UU Campus Fellowship meets Wednesdays in the Student Union in 3509 from 5-6 PM. To get on the mailing list contact Marion Hirsch at hirsch.marion@gmail.com
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BOOK DISCUSSION FOR FEBRUARY
On Saturday, February 15, at 10:30 in the Kirby Room, the Nonfiction Readers will discuss The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border, by Francisco Cantu. This powerfully written memoir focuses on two periods in the author's life: his four years in the Border Patrol, and then what he learns when an immigrant friend returns to Mexico to visit his dying mother. A gifted writer, Cantu has won many prizes. Carolyn Holt will be leading our discussion. The Readers meet on the third Saturday of each month. New members and drop-ins are welcome.
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Triple Header:
Winter Tree Identification + Woodcock Walk + Dinner at Mama Dip's
Sat., Feb. 15.
Leave the church for Mason Farm at 4:15. From a graphics perspective, winter may be our hardwoods' most beautiful season. Frank McKeever, retired forester and forestry professor, will help us learn to better know and appreciate them. Our earliest rites of spring include the woodcocks' sunset mating calls and spiraling, feather whistling flights followed, if our luck holds again, by a spotlit view of courtship dancing. Dinner at Dip's to follow. CLICK HERE TO RSVP
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MEMBERSHIP TEAM - WELCOMING MINISTRY
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2020 PHOTO DIRECTORY COMING SOON! Didn't get your photo taken? Your contact info can still be included! Photo or no, 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 to let us know if you might like to order one (or more!) from now until
February 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 by
March 8!
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ENDOWMENT GRANT OPPORTUNITIES AND INFORMATION SESSION
For the grant cycle beginning July 2020, the Endowment Committee is offering two opportunities for distribution of funds as follows:
(1) $3000 of additional support for the Building Program. $7000 has already been granted for fit-up or other project completion needs.
(2) Up to $3000 is available for other opportunities that support new and/or ongoing ministries either within or beyond the church walls.
Grant Applications, instructions and timeline will be available on our website by February 1.
The Endowment Committee will hold an informational session after the 2nd service on February 23, to provide interested parties with a review of the application process, the timeline for each of the two types of grants, and answer questions about types of initiatives that might be supported.
Grant Applications, instructions and timeline are available on our webpage:
CLICK HERE.
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Come join the Community Clickers as we use needles and yarn to create comfort and warmth for our community.
Our projects are made with 7" x 9" knitted and crocheted blocks (with two 18" yarn tails) of washable acrylic, #4 worsted weight yarn. Our ongoing projects are to make shawls for UNC Hospice Home in Pittsboro (nine were delivered in January!) and a lap blanket for Charles House as our Day of Service project. It takes 18 blocks to make each shawl and 25 blocks to make the lap blanket. Join us on Wednesday February 5th from 2-4 pm in the Commons Area and on Monday February 17th from 7-9 pm in the Straley Room. We generally begin with a group project and then click and chat, but some attendees click and chat the entire time! Can't knit or crochet? Come learn! Contact us for more information.
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As Rare Women, we build relationships in small groups by discussing our lives and the gifts, myths, and challenges of growing older. In February, we will begin a new topic: Sharing the Seasons of our Lives. Join any group! One group meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays from 2-4pm; another meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays from 10am-noon; and the third meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays from 1:30-3:30pm. During each group's first meeting in February, we will share memories of people and important events in our lives from Spring (0-21 years). See our WEBPAGE for suggested questions that we will use to guide our sharing. Join our email list for more information by contacting us HERE. In February we will also begin collecting nutritional supplements, e.g. BOOST, ENSURE, etc., for our "Milk" and Cookies for Seniors Day of Service project. Watch the Weekly Announcements for more information.
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Don't miss the following February opportunities for fun, community building, and fundraising to help Close the Gap! On Friday, February 7th (7pm), you can join Bryan Moyer and Lex Headley in the Sanctuary for their performance as Neville's Quarter. Tickets for EA7 are $15 and kids are FREE with ticketed adults! Brian and Lex will perform original (delightful!) music on guitar, fiddle, piano, and mandolin. You can also pay at the door with cash or check! On Saturday, February 22nd (10am), your family can learn about monarch butterflies from Becky Waibel, Community Church's butterfly enthusiast, at her one-hour tutorial (S19) in the Straley Room. The price is $20 per person. Kids under 15 get in free.
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CPR / AED WORKSHOP MARCH 14: SURVEY
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Our church recently acquired an AED
(Automated External Defibrillator). But do you know how to do CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation) and how to use the defibrillator? We are planning on conducting an American Red Cross approved CPR/AED workshop on March 14, 2020 and would like to get a sense of what kind of training and what format members of the congregation would be interested in having. We have a choices. Do we want both Adult and Pediatric CPR? Do we want to add First Aid? Do we want an online component in addition to the in person training, which would make the training shorter and cheaper. Prices depend on the options but range from $64 for Adult CPR/AED to $96 for Adult and Pediatric CPR/AED with First Aid. If you are interested, please fill out this survey.
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STAY CONNECTED
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