• 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 the wisdom of children through the story of The Emperor's New Clothes. K-1 and 8th Grade OWLs are celebrating their completions this Sunday. Middle Schoolers in Neighboring Faiths are also wrapping up by examining earth centered traditions. High School Youth Group is discussing if animals have rights. For more information about our Religious Education Program, please contact Marion Hirsch or Kat Good.

• 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!

• 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, March12, 19, 26 and April 2. Course information and to register HERE.

• BALANCE & ACCURACY IN JOURNALISM MARCH 11, 7:30 PM SANCTUARY Staying Strong in the Storm: We bring together your advice on how to stay right-side-up in upside-down times! (There’s a local group of friends who have a “Book and Bottle Club.”) With bans emerging on hugging and shaking hands, and the destabilized climate rampant, how can independent media and interdependent communities cope? Come join the conversation on how we support each other and the broader community as election madness rages on. Contact: Jerry Markatos 919 542-2139

• 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 using words, pictures, and memorabilia. The morning group, facilitated by Bonnie Gilliom, will meet from 10am-noon on Thursday, March 12th, to share Fall (44-64 years). Newcomers are especially welcome to join this group. CLICK HERE for more information and discussion guidelines.

• STEP INTO CIRCLE SINGING! MARCH 12 Led by Eric Bannan Second Thursdays 7-8:30 PM, 3/12, 4/9, 5/14. Circle singing draws on traditions of chant, jazz, gospel, meditation and mindfulness to create one-of-a-kind choral improvisations. Circle singing is a mistake-free zone, accessible to beginning singers, but also challenges those with experience. Sign up here or contact Eric Bannan.

• March 14 Outdoor Connections walk on Pump Station Trail Join Outdoor Connections for the Pump Station Trail in Eno River State Park. The Pump Station Trail is known as the best spring wildflower trail in the park. Length is about 1.5 mile.Meet at church to carpool at 10 am. Afterwards we can have lunch at Picnic. Meet at the first trailhead on Rivermont, when coming from Cole Mill Road.If you park at the 2nd entrance, walk back 1000 feet to the 1st one. Our walk will end at the second entrance. RSVP HERE.

• 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.

• GENDER QUEER AND GENDER NON-CONFORMING: LET'S LEARN MORE Thur., March 19, 7-8:30 PM. Tommi Hayes, a local non-binary activist and Ames Simmons, Director of Transgender Policy at Equality NC will join us to give an overview of gender non-binary identities and issues facing members of the gender nonconforming community in our area, Come an learn about what you can do to help make our congregation welcoming to all community members.  Sign up here or contact Marion Hirsch

• BE IN THE FAMILY VARIETY SHOW! SATURDAY MARCH 21 Dinner at 5:00 pm and the show is at 6:00 PM. $3 per person for entree, plus a side dish to share per family. The early start time is to make it easy for folks with young children to attend! Everyone is welcome. RSVP for the dinner HERE or contact Marion Hirsch. Sign up for the Variety Show HERE.

• 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.

• WOMEN CIRCLE Collaging the Soul with the WomenCircle on Monday, March 23 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Straley Room. The art form of collaging is a wonderful way to express our inner life and feelings. Join us for an evening of piecing together images that express who you are. Materials will be provided, but if you have magazines or images to share, please bring them. If you need more information or childcare, please email Ivy Brezina or call 415-663-8703.

• HELP GET OUT THE VOTE! SUPPORT HOLLY NEAR CONCERT!! Getting out the vote is the single most important action you can take for the upcoming election! Come hear the fabulous vocalist/activist Holly Near and musical cohorts Friday, Mar 27, 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary! While there, you can register to vote AND learn how to get trained and volunteer to get OUT the vote locally! For more info on artists/concert CLICK HERE! To volunteer/questions, GO HERE! Desserts and beverages at intermission!!

• 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. 

• UU THE VOTE! We are on fire to get voters registered, informed and showing up at the polls this November. Side With Love will host a non-partisan Voter Registration workshop on Saturday morning, March 28, from 10-11:30 in the Commons. It will include an update on current voting laws and how to get involved, in addition to how to conduct voter registration. This training session is open to the whole community, so please share this invitation widely. Please register here. For more information contact Melva Okun

• PREACHING PRACTICUM--LED BY REV. THOM  Thursdays 7-9 PM 4/2, 4/9, 4/16, 4/23, 4/30. Have you ever wanted to write and deliver a sermon? Join Rev. Thom for this intensive sermon writing course and then deliver your sermon during a summer service at church! This course is limited to 4-6 participants and attendance at every session is required. All races, genders, sexual orientations, ages, and theologies are encouraged to apply. The class is a transformational experience. Contact Rev. Thom if you are interested in participating in the course.

• IMMIGRANT JUSTICE INITIATIVE is the new name that the Sanctuary and Immigration Support Ministry has chosen, to better express the nature of our activities--read about them here! While we remain committed to offering Sanctuary to a person at risk of deportation, we are finding that the most urgent call is coming from immigrants seeking asylum. While at heart, both endeavors are similar, in practice they are quite different. Either way, there are many opportunities for you to participate in this life-changing work.

• 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.

• ​8:30 a.m. –UUkes ensemble 
• 8:30 a.m. – Coffee, juice & scones
• 9:00 a.m. – Day of Service kick-off
• 9:15 a.m. - Teams depart to community locations to begin work on their projects. Other teams begin work at the church
• 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.– Irish-themed Lunch
•                       with Celtic music by Eileen Regan and friends 
• 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.– Afternoon projects commence
• 3:30 – 4:00 p.m. Clean up and end

• 115 (!) 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.

• 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 Grace Li Wang's art exhibit "Radiance in Nature" includes expressionistic and impressionistic works in oil acrylic, pastel, and mixed media. It will be shown from March 7 through April 26 in the sanctuary. Click here for the artist's website.

• 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.