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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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SUNDAY SERVICE
A FREE AND RESPONSIBLE SEARCH FOR ADVENTURE
CHRIS HANNAUER AND THE WORSHIP COMMITTEE
Sunday, August 11, 2019 at 10:15 a.m. in Fellowship Hall
Our modern world has no shortage of ways to immerse yourself in fantastical worlds and situations. Video games, movies, television, books: all of these can take you on amazing adventures. However, the stories they give you are pre-determined, and you largely experience them alone, passively, without much interaction with those around you. Role playing games offer the ability to have the same adventures, but to play an active role in how they turn out, and more importantly, to have the experience as part of a team working together towards a common goal.
Join us for this service where we will explore the world of fantasy role playing games, and how the gaming experience influences real life. Presented by Dana Antonelli, Matt Burack, Chris Hannauer, Andrew Kerins, and Maggie Verklan.
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SUNDAY 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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HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND AT UUCUC
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JASON AND AMANDA'S GRADUATION AND GOING AWAY PARTY!
Saturday, August 10, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall
Amanda Owings and Jason Rock have both just defended their dissertations and passed their final defenses. They will be leaving within the next few months so please join us in celebrating these accomplishments and saying goodbye! All friends, staff, and members of the church are welcome to attend.
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UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS
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A DANCE PARTY WITH UU MEMBER, SOPHIE MEYN!
Saturday, August 10, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. outside Common Ground COOP at Lincoln Square in Urbana
Join community member and lover of all things Urbana, Sophie Meyn, on Saturday, August 10th from 5-8pm in the Co-op mall hallway for a DANCE PARTY as she celebrates the 3 year anniversary of her craniotomy and a time to honor the struggles we all face. Come celebrate the love and life that is all around us always and be together with community. All folx and feelings are welcome. Kid friendly, too!
Champaign County Health Care Consumers will be providing health care resources and accepting donations during the dance party. Drink refreshments will be provided by Common Ground Food Co-op. Wheelchair accessible entrance is available through Common Ground's main entrance to mall hallway.
More information about the event can be found on
Facebook.
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NORA FLANAGAN, "CONFRONTING WHITE NATIONALISM IN SCHOOLS - A TOOLKIT"
August 15, 2019, 6:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Sinai Temple, 3104 West Windsor Road, Champaign
Cosponsored by the Social Action Committee, this workshop, the 2nd in Bend the Arc’s series “
Safety through Solidarity: Building Hate-Free Communities”, will focus on identifying and preventing the indoctrination of our children by white nationalists. Keynote speaker Nora Flanagan has experience confronting everything from racist graffiti in a school bathroom to students flashing esoteric neo-Nazi hand signals. Her toolkit is distributed nationally by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Admission is free, but reservations are required. Reservations will be taken
HERE until 11 p.m. on August 14.
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BACK TO SCHOOL EVENT! FREE HAIRCUTS AND SUPPLIES!
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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REV. CAPLOW HAS RETURNED
Our minister, Rev. Florence Caplow, has been on vacation and study leave in the Pacific Northwest for several weeks, but has now returned to CU. Her first Sunday in the pulpit will be August 25th, but she is available for appointments through this link if you wish to meet:
https://go.oncehub.com/RevFlorenceCaplow. You can also now leave a confidential message on her voicemail by calling 217-384-8862 and pressing "1" or you can email her at
minister@uucuc.org.
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WHAT'S IN A QUESTION?
An Update From The Dream Team
Last week, we asked you to answer two questions:
- What brought you to this church?
- And why have you stayed?
On behalf of the Dream Team taskforce, 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. If you didn't answer the questions from last week, please take a moment to answer these questions
HERE.
This week, we are posing two new questions. 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 these two questions of the week:
- What is your reason/purpose for participating in Fellowship Hour?
- If you do not attend Fellowship Hour, why not?
You can answer these new questions electronically
HERE.
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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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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UUCUC IS LOOKING FOR A PART-TIME RELIGIOUS EDUCATION ASSISTANT!
The Religious Education Assistant specifically focuses on many of the specific detail-oriented aspects of religious education which supports the religious education director, religious education volunteers and programs. This attention to detail keeps the multi-faceted religious education program running smoothly and connected.
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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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JOIN US FOR THE FIRST RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COUNCIL MEETING
Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Who should attend this first interim religious council meeting?
- Anyone interested in children’s religious education.
- Anyone interested in youth religious education.
- Anyone interested in adult religious education.
- Anyone interested in multi-generational religious education.
- Religious education leaders for the upcoming year.
- Parents of children in the religious education program.
- Religious education staff
What can you expect?
- A time to dream about UUCUC’s religious education future.
- A time to plan for this year’s programming.
- A time to get to know others involved in UUCUC’s religious education program.
- Lunch!
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
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OUR WHOLE LIVES (OWL) LEADERSHIP NEEDED
This year, the religious education program will offer an Our Whole Lives (OWL) comprehensive sexuality program for 7th-9th grade youth. This year-long program has a wonderful reputation for guiding youth to a place of understanding their full and diverse sexual selves while also understanding the complex world around them. This program takes trained leadership and we are in need of at least two new leaders to join the current experienced team. If you have ever wanted to be a leader for OWL, please reach out to Michele Grove to learn more (
re-director@uucuc.org). UUCUC will fund your training if you are willing to commit to leading our youth for at least two years.
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IS AT ITS BEST WHEN PASSIONATE LEADERS ARE INVOLVED...
From Michele Grove
Learning is a treasured gift at UUCUC. It is our hope to strengthen the systems that make religious education learning and leading easy to identify.
I ask each of you: How do you wish to connect to the learning community of UUCUC?
- Maybe you would like to be a learner – attending classes and learning events.
- Maybe you would like to join a children’s class as one of the leadership team. In this scenario, you work with others who have a passion for learning to bring creative and inspiring learning opportunities to children ages 3 to 10.
- Maybe you would like to be a youth leader in the classroom or with the middle high or senior high youth group (more commonly known as YRUU).
- Maybe you would like to lead adult learning opportunities.
- Maybe you would like to be a part of a support team who supports Sunday morning religious education programming.
- Maybe you are interested in being a part of OWL leadership. OWL (Our Whole Lives) is a comprehensive sexuality curriculum for children, youth and adults.
- Or…. Maybe you want to be involved but you are not quite sure how to connect.
The possibilities for connecting to our learning community are many. The gifts received by those who connect are even more abundant! It is my hope you will join us- no experience is necessary.
If you are not sure how to connect, the first step is simple:
- You can fill out this easy online survey to tell us how you wish to be involved: https://uucuc.breezechms.com/form/2b5759
- You can email Michele Grove at re-director@uucuc.org and say, “I am interested in learning more about being involved in the UUCUC learning community. Can we have a conversation?” And I will answer with an enthusiastic: “Of course! I would really enjoy such a conversation!”
This summer, I hope we have the opportunity to talk. In the meantime, remember this:
Faith development is all we do.
Unitarian Universalism is the faith we teach.
The congregation is the curriculum. -Connie Goodbread
We learn in all we do! We teach in every action taken. By being a part of UUCUC, you are a learner and a teacher. It is my hope that the path to intentional involvement is wide and well-marked. Thank you for bringing your unique gifts and your unique self to this community.
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JOYS AND SORROWS
A sorrow shared by Anonymous
Our hearts go out - YET AGAIN - to the victims families and communities reeling from acts of gun violence in El Paso and Dayton this last weekend. May we find solutions, remedies, actions to stop this scourge.
A sorrow shared by Jenny Hunt
Sorrow for yet two more mass shootings this weekend. We must end this. Thoughts and love go out to those impacted by these tragedies.
A joy shared by Elizabeth Simpson
Celebrating the 40+ people who came together to prepare song for the no cages vigil, and the hundreds of people who sang with We Wanna Woke. Your voices give us strength.
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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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THANK YOU FROM THE EDUCATION JUSTICE PROJECT!
The Racial Justice Project recently donated $400 on behalf the congregation to the
Education Justice Project. The Director of Donor Relations, Debbie Morgan, sent a thank you letter to the congregation:
Thank you sincerely for being and integral part of EJP. Your gift has started us out for the FY 20202! Your support makes it possible to continue to grow our educational programs for our incarcerated students, sponsor events on campus` and in the community, and produce our reentry guide to name a few of our accomplishments. You do make an impact! Thank you!!
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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 8
Care Core Steering Committee Meeting /11:00 a.m. / Library
Ministers Meeting About Gun Violence Vigil / 5:00 p.m. / Library
(Many Paths: An Agnostic AA Group) / 6:00 p.m. / Classroom #1
Friday, August 9
No events scheduled
Saturday, August 10
Loss of Life Partner Covenant Group / 11:30 a.m. / Library
(Many Paths: An Agnostic AA Group) / 4:30 p.m. / Classroom #1
Amanda Owings Graduation Party / 5:00 p.m. / Fellowship Hall
Sunday, August 11
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
Monday, August 12
Bridge Group / 1:00 p.m. / Fellowship Hall
Compassion and Choices Action Team Meeting / 7:00 p.m. / Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, August 13
(DSC Playgroup) / 8:30 a.m. / Classroom #4
Board of Trustees Study Session / 7:00 p.m. / Classroom #1
Wednesday, August 14
Last day for content for eNews & Order of Service by noon, the latest.
UU Playgroup / 9:00 a.m. / Classroom #4
REEF / 5:00 p.m. / Library
(Smart Recovery) / 6:00 p.m. / Classroom #1
Thursday, August 15
(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 in Champaign
Worship Committee Meeting / 7:00 p.m. / Library
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UPCOMING PUBLICATIONS - MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
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Next eNews: August 15, 2019
Last day for content: Wednesday August 14 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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