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: There are clickable links throughout the eNews. Look for colored underlined words - click for an easy access of an email, address, web shortcut or further reading.
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THIS SUNDAY'S SERVICE
STONEWALL 50: WHERE ARE WE NOW
EMMA HERZOG AND THE WORSHIP COMMITTEE
Sunday, August 18, 2019 at 10:15 a.m. in Fellowship Hall
In this service, we will take a look at the current status of LGBTQ+ rights. With the Stonewall riots fifty years behind us, what progress have we made, and what issues are we still facing?
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THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO CRAZY AND PERILOUS TIMES
REV. FLORENCE CAPLOW
Sunday, August 25, 2019 at 10:15 a.m. in Fellowship Hall
In 1979 the British writer Douglas Adams published the almost-immediately-cult-classic-book,
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In this service, our minister will explore what wisdom in the Hitchhiker's Guide might be relevant to our lives at this time of profound global strangeness. Due to warm weather, this service will be held in the air conditioned Fellowship Hall. Our water service, usually held on the last Sunday in August, will take place on September 8th this year.
LEARNINGS FROM MONTGOMERY
REV. FLORENCE CAPLOW
Sunday, September 1, 2019 at 10:15 a.m. in Fellowship Hall
In May, our minister traveled to Montgomery Alabama to visit the new Peace and Justice Memorial and other civil rights history sites. In this service she will share some of the transformative learnings from her time in Montgomery and reflect on how we can be inspired at this time by the courage and strength of the civil rights struggle in the face of terror. Due to warm weather, this service will be held in the air conditioned Fellowship Hall.
MNI WICONI, L'EAU EST LA VIE, WATER IS LIFE
REV. FLORENCE CAPLOW
Sunday, September 8, 2019 at 10:15 a.m. in Sanctuary
For our annual Water Celebration, which celebrates our coming together in community, we will also honor the Water Protectors across the country and the legacy of Standing Rock. Please bring some water in a small container from a place sacred to you, or representing a place sacred to you. We're planning to have this service in the Sanctuary, however if the heat is excessive due to warm weather we will move the service to the air conditioned Fellowship Hall.
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HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND AT UUCUC
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JOIN US FOR THE FIRST RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COUNCIL MEETING
Saturday, August 17, 2019, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Children's Chapel
Learning is for all ages and the council reflects this multi-generational approach.
Instead of monthly committee meetings, the council will meet three times a year to establish a foundation for working teams to carry out UUCUC’s religious education mission and vision. I hope you will join Michele Grove, Interim Religious educator and Barbara Hudging, Religious Education chairperson for this August 17, 2019 meeting. If you have any questions or wish to talk further about your involvement, email Michele at
re-director@uucuc.org or call her at the church office at 217-384-8862.
You can find a detailed description
HERE.
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IMPORTANT CONGREGATION MEETINGS ON TEMPORARY SANCTUARY
Sunday, August 18, 2019 at 11:45 a.m. in the Children's Chapel,
and Thursday, August 22, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall
The Immigration Justice Task Force (IJTF) received a request for the church to provide temporary sanctuary (1-5 days) for undocumented immigrants in danger of detention during ICE raids. Several area churches are stepping up to this challenge.
Three Spinners, a local non-profit that provides support for refugees, would provide food, bedding, and accompaniment for those staying at our church. Those we would protect from deportation include families with young children previously detained at the horrific border camps we have all seen in the news.
Representatives of the Task Force met with the Board of Trustees (BOT), and the BOT is both supportive of our request and understands its urgency. We want to hear from anyone with questions and concerns before moving forward. The BOT hopes to vote on this proposal on August 27, provided there is strong congregational support. To that end, we are holding two information meetings, and ask that you take time to attend one of them:
- Sunday, August 18, 11:45 a.m., Children's Chapel
- Thursday, August 22, 6:30 p.m., Fellowship Hall
Representatives of IJTF will give a short presentation, and then answer your questions. We know we have more work to do in order to provide temporary sanctuary with minimal disruption to our staff and building users. You can learn more about the proposal
HERE.
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WELCOME KITS FOR UNACCOMPANIED MINORS
Sunday, August 18, 2019 after the Sunday Service in Fellowship Hall
This Sunday, after church, the Immigration Justice Task Force (IJTF) will be stuffing backpacks with blankets, towels, gift certificates and other essentials that will be given to unaccompanied minors starting school in Urbana. We invite Middle School and High School youth to help. We also will have note cards and pens ready for all ages to write short notes to these youth, welcoming them into our community. Please stop by our table and join us!
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BACK TO SCHOOL EVENT! FREE HAIRCUTS AND SUPPLIES!
Sunday, August 18, 2019, 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall
Cunningham Township Supervisor's Office, a local public aid office that provides a non-duplicated safety net for Urbana households dealing with the devastations of homelessness, eviction, joblessness, or disability, is partnering with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign, H2O Salon, and UC Friends Meeting to help homeless and near-homeless residents prepare for school.
Champaign County has over 650 homeless students enrolled in school!
Are you interested in helping with this event?
- Sign up to volunteer: https://signup.com/go/KvKxDVs
- Drop off school supplies at the UU Church (309 W. Green, Urbana, IL), UC Friends (1904 East Main Street, Urbana, IL) or Cunningham Township (205 W. Green St, Urbana, IL).
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UUCUC OFFICE HOURS THROUGH AUGUST 30
The UUCUC office will be open between 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. through August 30. Regular office hours of 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. will resume on Tuesday, September 3 after the Labor Day holiday.
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WHAT'S IN A QUESTION?
A New Question From The Dream Team
Last week (August 8), we asked you to answer two questions:
- What is your reason/purpose for participating in Fellowship Hour?
- If you do not attend Fellowship Hour, why not?
On behalf of the Dream Team task force, we thank all who responded. Your voice is crucial as we create a collective vision to guide our church’s future. And to facilitate this, we will be asking more questions over the upcoming weeks.
This week, we are posing one new question. Throughout this entire process, you may respond electronically or by writing on the insert in the Order of Service. Please let us hear you on the one question of the week:
- How would you describe our church ‘culture’?
You can answer this question electronically
HERE.
If you missed answering the previous week's questions and would still like to provide feedback, please follow these links to respond:
The Dream Team’s intent with these questions is to zero in on what members see as the mission and higher purpose of our church. Your answers and our later small group conversations will ensure we know who we are now and guide us to what we want to become. Again, your voice is critical to help on this journey of discovery. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Folk, Dream Team Chair, or other team members listed on the Bulletin Board next to the door to the RE Director’s office.
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MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER -
Do You Have A Spare Bedroom? Please Consider Hosting A Creative Climate Change Activist This Fall!
Friend of UUCUC Susan Parenti and the School for Designing a Society here in CU will be bringing together ten local people and ten people from around the world for three months this fall in an intensive exploration of possible creative responses to climate change. Host housing is needed for several of the participants. Host a filmmaker, a midwife, a composer, a comic, or an animator....from the US, Germany, Austria, or India. Participants will be covering their own food costs. All that is needed is a sleeping space. Housing needs to be arranged before September 1.
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WILD ONE'S GARDEN TOUR
From Andy Robinson
Last week, I provided a garden tour for Wild One's from Bloomington who granted us the money for the tall slope gardens. They were impressed by all of our gardens and kept asking: is this one the grant garden? They also liked that we have had insect scavenger hunts, kids helping, and that we leave as many stalks as we can for the insects until spring. It worked very well last year to just cut the dead growth in the spring up into little pieces for natural mulch.
Thanks to everyone’s help through the years for keeping the place native and beautiful.
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GLOBAL CLIMATE STRIKE: SEPTEMBER 20-27
The UUA has joined as a partner with the Global Climate Strike on Sept. 20th. #StrikeWithUs.
On September 20, three days before the UN Climate Summit in NYC, young people and adults will strike all across the US and world to demand transformative action be taken to address the climate crisis.
Millions will take the streets to demand a right to a future, and we’re inviting you to join us.
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A VISIT TO THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM IN NORTHBROOK, ILLINOIS
From Gail Cohen
Are you interested in visiting The Holocaust Museum in Northbrook, Illinois? I would arrange a group admission fee, services of a docent, bus to and from the location and lunch. The full-day trip would take place on a September or October weekday.
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LET'S CELEBRATE EVERYONE'S BIRTHDAY!
From the Membership Committee
The Membership Committee is sponsoring a fun, intergenerational event Sunday September 29 during Fellowship Hour. Would you be willing to supply a cake (home-made or store bought) for our birthday celebration? Or be a host at one of the 12 birthday tables to pass out cake and facilitate conversations?
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DO YOU NEED A RIDE TO CHURCH? Are you willing to drive your fellow UUs to church occasionally? If you need a ride or are able to help out with this valuable service, please contact our dedicated ride coordinator, Anne Reeser at: 217-369-1764.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION LEADER TRAINING!
Sunday, August 25, 2019 at Noon to 2:00 p.m.
All religious education leadership is invited to attend our first training of the year on Sunday, August 25th from Noon to 2:00 pm. The first hour will be an introduction to this year’s program. During the second hour, small groups will rotate through three workshops where they will learn the following:
- Creative ways to use music and worship in the Sunday morning Program
- The UUCUC Inspirational resource closet. How to use the vast resources!
- Classroom management. How do leaders approach different learning styles and classroom behaviors.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR UPCOMING YEAR
Use this link:
Registration of children and youth ensures:
- That religious education leaders have the most up-to-date information and the children and youth in their class. This helps them plan and teach to their fullest potential.
- That parents receive timely information about their class and the religious education program.
- That families receive first option to sign up for special programs like Our Whole Lives (OWL), Youth Cons, and other special events. This can be especially important when programs have limited enrollment.
This year, it is important to fill out a form for each child or youth enrolled so that we can connect children and youth with the adults in our Breeze database. Children and youth information is confidential and only shared with staff and class leaders. If you have any questions, please call Michele Grove, Interim Director of Religious Education at the church office or email
re-director@uucuc.org.
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JOYS AND SORROWS
A sorrow and joy shared by Florence Caplow
Sorrow that our wonderful young adult Amanda Owings will be leaving for Atlanta, Georgia. She has revived our Young Adult program, served on the Ministerial Search Committee, supported UU young adults on campus, and so much more. But this is also a joy for her, since she has completed her PhD and has accepted a postdoc at Emory University. Amanda, you will be missed!
A joy shared by Amanda Owings
Grateful that so many people came to celebrate Jason and my graduation yesterday! And congratulations to Claire Szoke for scoring the highest on the knowledge quiz about Jason and me!
A sorrow shared by Karen and Mike Retzer
It is with great sadness that we let you know that Karen's father, Lin Foote, passed away last Thursday morning at his home here in town.
A sorrow shared by John and Sheila Sfondilias
Sheila Sfondilias will undergo breast cancer surgery on Friday, August 16. This will be followed up at a later date by another procedure to deal with a leaking implant from an earlier cancer surgery 15 years ago. John and Sheila are doing pretty well but ask for thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.
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UUCUC COSPONSORS THE YMCA'S FRIDAY FORUM SERIES
We are pleased to announce UUCUC’s sponsorship of the YMCA's Fall 2019 series, “Women Rise Up.” As issues like sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, and the growing debate over reproductive justice receive increased attention in the news, the stories of women working tirelessly to address them are often lost.
This fall, the University YMCA’s Friday Forum explores how inspiring women leaders are addressing not just issues that disproportionately affect women but also a myriad of the most pressing social and environmental issues in our communities.
The fall series will take place on Fridays from September 7 through November 1. Lectures will feature individuals, programs, and initiatives who will address topics ranging from sexual assault prevention to housing justice. All lectures are on Fridays at 12:00 PM in Latzer Hall of the University YMCA, 1001 S. Wright Street, Champaign.
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UUCUC Shared Offering.
Each month a selected organization is chosen to receive half of our weekly Sunday plate collections, designated checks written to UUCUC with organization's name written in the memo line, cash envelopes designated for "Shared Offering" within the specified month and on-line donations through our
GIVE WEBPAGE
.
Latino Partnership of Champaign County NFP ( LPCC) was formed for charitable and educational purposes. Their primary and specific mission includes:
- to eliminate discrimination
- to defend human and civil rights protected by law
- to support instruction or training of individuals to develop and improve their skills and abilities, and
- to share public awareness and understanding of timely issues which are pertinent and beneficial to the community
LPCC recently co-sponsored the UC No Cages rally and vigil, intended to draw attention to the immigration crisis taking place at the US-Mexico border, as well as indiscriminate, nationwide sweeps being conducted by ICE. While raids are unlikely to occur in CU, many people are threatened to be arrested after having their asylum cases denied. Children are already arriving here in Urbana-Champaign bearing the psychological scars of having been kept in cages at the border. These are children legally seeking asylum. LPCC is currently raising funds for legal assistance and the immediate housing needs of these newly arrived children.
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CHURCH CALENDAR
Dates are subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, visit our
UUCUC Calendar page
.
Note: Parenthesised meetings/events are outside rentals. Asterisk meetings/events are closed.
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Thursday, August 15
Membership Committee Meeting / 5:30 p.m. / Fellowship Hall
(Many Paths: An Agnostic AA Group) / 6:00 p.m. / Classroom #1
Confronting White Nationalism In Schools - A Toolkit / 6:45 p.m. / Sinai Temple
Worship Committee Meeting / 7:00 p.m. / Library
Friday, August 16
No events scheduled
Saturday, August 17
RE Council Meeting / 9:00 a.m. / Fellowship Hall
(Many Paths: An Agnostic AA Group) / 4:30 p.m. / Classroom #1
Sunday, August 18
Adult Discussion Group / 9:00 a.m. / Library
Mindfulness Meditation Group / 9:00 a.m. / YRUU Classroom
Nursery / 10:00 a.m. / Classroom #4
Summer RE / 10:15 a.m. / Classroom #1
Sunday Service / 10:15 a.m. / Fellowship Hall
Young Adult Group / 11:30 a.m. / Fellowship Hall
Sanctuary Information Meeting / 11:45 a.m. / Children's Chapel
Back to School Event / 2:00 p.m. / Classrooms #1 and #4, Fellowship Hall
Monday, August 19
Bridge Group / 1:00 p.m. / Fellowship Hall
Caregiver's Chalice Circle / 7:00 p.m. / Library
Tuesday, August 20
(DSC Playgroup) / 8:30 a.m. / Classroom #4
UU Feminist Book Group / 7:00 p.m. / Library
Wednesday, August 21
Last day for content for eNews & Order of Service by noon, the latest.
UU Playgroup / 9:00 a.m. / Classroom #4
CrUUners Rehearsal / 6:00 p.m. / Sanctuary
(Smart Recovery) / 6:00 p.m. / Classroom #1
Thursday, August 22
UU Women's Lunch Group / 11:30 a.m. / Fellowship Hall
(Many Paths: An Agnostic AA Group) / 6:00 p.m. / Classroom #1
Sanctuary Information Meeting / 6:30 p.m. / Fellowship Hall
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UPCOMING PUBLICATIONS - MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
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Next eNews: August 22, 2019
Last day for content: Wednesday August 21 by noon the latest.
Please do
not
send to admin@uucuc.org.
Don't forget to publicize your meeting/event!
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UUCUC CONTACT INFORMATION
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Regular Church Office Hours
Monday through Friday, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
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Church Office
(217) 384-8862
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Rev. Florence Caplow
Minister
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Kate Barton
Facilities Manager
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Sherry Bohlen
Membership Manager
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Brian Franklin
Congregational Administration Manager
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Matthew Gladden
Assistant Music Director
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Michele Townsend Grove
Interim Director of Religious Education
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Kelsey Libert
Childcare Coordinator
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Emily McKown
Youth Coordinator
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Matt Sheppard
Music Director
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Shornor Vineyard
Custodian and Building Caretaker
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