 Watch Virtual Worship Service On Demand!
10am: Live Religious Education Service on Zoom
11am: Live Community Coffee Hour on Zoom
&
7pm: High School & Middle School Youth Group
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2020 FALL AUCTION
Wow! What a success the 2020 Fall Auction was! Many thanks to the 72 donors and ~100 bidders and buyers for making this happen. The current total raised is a bit over $14k with the first $10k going to the current operating budget and the remainder going to help Close the Gap. To find out what you bought, log into the Auction Catalog and click on My Statement. Donors and buyers are responsible for finding a safe way to exchange purchased goods and services. You can pay for your auction purchases by sending a check to Community Church with "Auction" in the memo line or by using the Donate Here button to select Fall Auction under One Time Donation on theVirtual Worship page or the church's contribution page here. If you use the Donate Here option, please consider adding the Offset Fees option. Questions? Contact Don & Susan Blanchard here.
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WORSHIP MINISTRY
HOLIDAY SERVICE PROJECT
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 Our congregation will be providing pajama sets (PJs) once again for the single women at HomeStart (14 of them this year). Interfaith Council's HomeStart provides safe, temporary homes to individuals and families experiencing homelessness until they obtain permanent housing. The single women are now housed in hotels, so they can be socially-distant both from each other and from the families living in the shelter facilities. Thanks to the Community Clickers and the Quilters, each woman will receive a soft knit scarf and toasty socks inside a lovely quilted bag, in addition to the PJs. We are grateful to the Minister's Discretionary Fund for providing funds to order PJs. This plan will keep gift-giving safe during the pandemic. We look forward to next year when we can, hopefully, gather to assemble holiday baskets in The Commons.
- Kathy Putnam, Alison Mercer-Smith and Joy Mermin
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WHERE DOES THE
BUILDING PROJECT STAND?
By the time this newsletter is published, the roofing may well have been completed and work likely on track to close in the walls by Christmas. You can take a virtual peek at the ongoing work by visiting the Building Project webpages, or see video and weekly updates to the Photo Gallery here;
that click will also introduce you to a new webpage section about the Gap status and the Gap-closing strategy endorsed by the Board in September and addressed in the October 18 Congregational Meeting. The Building Project Task Force leaders are eager to respond to your questions or expressions of interest - please contact us directly here.
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CHILDREN'S & YOUTH MINISTRY
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 NOVEMBER PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH
- Our Soul Matters Theme for November is Healing. There are lots of ways for families to connect with church. This fall, we are offering take-home kits for children. On Sunday mornings, you can join Family Worship 10-10:30 am on Zoom or watch the Family Worship video with your family anytime. Every Saturday afternoon there is a fun event on Zoom. Sometimes we play Bingo or Magic the Gathering. Sometimes we have a Choose Your Own Adventure. On Sunday evenings at 7:00 there is worship for youth, followed by Middle and High School Youth Group at 7:30.
- Details about the Children's Ministry program are here.
- Details about the Youth Ministry program are here.
- If you would like to be put on the weekly email for Children and Youth Ministry to get the zoom links, please Contact Marion Hirsch here.
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The Nominating Committee would like to congratulate the newest members of the Board of Trustees. Starting in January, Barb Chapman will be the new Vice President (becoming President in 2022), and Joe Swain and Merry-K. Moos will be brand new Board members. We heartily thank them for stepping up to serve our church for the next three years! Questions? Contact Laura Gilliom, here, George Thompson, here, Joelle Bourjolly, here, or Krista Westervelt, here.
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 TIMELY! Q&A SESSION DECEMBER 6 - DONATION STRATEGIES FOR CLOSING THE GAP There will be a key date in mid-spring 2021 by which time donations to the Capital Fund for closing the Building Project Gap could significantly cut future interest costs. There might also be tax advantages for those planning to make such a donation to do so yet in 2020. (Donations may be made toward fulfillment of pledges or in addition to pledges.)
An informal explanation and discussion of donation strategies and the Building Project finances will be held with Andrew Wright (Treasurer) and Bill Poteat (Assistant Treasurer) after coffee hour on the 6th. If you are interested but unable to attend this session or would instead like a private conversation on the topic, please email Andrew, here or Bill, here. Neither of them is a substitute for your own financial advisor, of course, but they are knowledgeable and would be happy to have a discrete conversation with you. |
 CONTINUING TO EMPOWER VOTERS IN GEORGIAWhile the presidential election may be over, Melva Fager Okun knows promoting voter access is just as critical as ever. That's because two critical senate races have yet to be decided in Georgia, where a runoff election is set to occur on January 5th. That's why on Sunday, November 15th, she found herself logging on to a UU the Vote phone-banking Zoom with 130 UUs from all over the country. "This is very exciting, non-partisan GOTV [Get Out the Vote]," Melva explains - "Right now, we are calling people who were once registered, but are no longer on the state voter list...I encourage everyone to get engaged!" At the end of the two-hour session led by UU the Vote and Reclaim the Vote, all callers came together to reflect on their experience and lift up their successes. More "UU the Vote" phone banks are planned to occur in upcoming weeks. Melva says the upcoming theme will be encouraging and supporting people with early voting and she hopes you can join! Find upcoming UU phone banks here.
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CHARLES HOUSE SHARE THE PLATE The Charles House Share the Plate was held on Sept. 27th. Many thanks to all who contributed $1070. These funds will help to support them during these Covid-restricted times. They are doing some virtual programs for elders enrolled in their day care programs and continuing their 2 small residential homes with many extra health precautions. Your generosity will help this organization to still be there for many seniors when this pandemic comes to an end.
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COOKBOOK IS NOW AVAILABLE! GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA!
The hot-off-the-press Community Church Cookbook 2020 contains over 130 tantalizing recipes from dozens of enthusiastic contributors in our congregation. This cookbook, a historic first to the best of our knowledge, will enhance our virtual connections through sharing beloved recipes, some that are familiar favorites on the Jones Building buffet tables, and some that are intriguingly idiosyncratic.
Order your cookbooks here - Scroll down to "Cook Book" under "One-Time Donations), or you may pay by check. The price per book is $15. Proceeds will help close the Gap for the Building Project! Please look in the Weekly Announcements for information on picking up your order. If you have any questions, email us here.
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 In this Season of Giving, we encourage you to give the gift that keeps on giving by supporting our Endowment Fund. This Fund was created apart from general operating funds to forward the mission and vision of our church now and well into the future for individuals and communities yet to come! The Fund supports initiatives both within and beyond our walls that live out our shared values. The amount of such support can only grow as the Fund itself grows. Find out more about ways to give here. To learn about programs we have supported to date, please visit our webpage, here, or contact one of our committee members. As The Grinch reminded us last year, now is the time to commit to the future of our beloved community. There are many ways to give a gift to the church. For those who have already made an end-of-life commitment to the Community Church, please complete and return this Donor Intent Form to the Congregational Administrator, Dana Lundquist, here. |
SPIRITUAL EXPLORATION FOR ADULTS (SEA)
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 PANEL ON FAITH-- 12/3
As UUs, our third and fourth principles encourage spiritual growth and a full and responsible search for truth and meaning. But, what does that look like in personal practice? Join us for our first-ever Panel on Faith and hear members of our congregation share what that search for truth and meaning looks like in their own lives by offering their personal perspectives and practices of faith, spirituality, and/or belief. This moderated panel will include a Q&A session and time for brief small group discussions. The panel takes place Thursday, December 3, 7-8:15 on Zoom.
Register to attend here. For more information please contact Krista Westervelt, here, David Klibanow, here or Marion Hirsch, here.
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As Rare Women, we build relationships in small groups by sharing our lives and the gifts, myths, and challenges of growing older. Newcomers of any age are welcome and are encouraged to join any of the three existing groups. All groups meet at least twice a month via Zoom and are currently discussing specific chapters from Women Rowing North - Navigating Life's Currents and Flourishing as We Age by Mary Pipher. On Thursday, December 3rd, Susan Blanchard's group,here (1:30-3:30pm) will discuss Chapters 12-13. Joann Haggerty's group, here (2-4pm) will discuss those same chapters on Monday, December 7th, and Bonnie Gilliom's group, here (10am-noon) will discuss them on Thursday, December 10th. See the Rare Women's webpage here for suggested discussion questions as well as the list of topics and meeting dates and times for each of the three groups through January. New topics are coming in February! Join our email list here.
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OUTDOOR CONNECTIONS: ANNUAL PLANNING MEETING (ZOOM) SAT., DEC. 12, 1 PM Yes, there will be life beyond COVID. In the meantime, we need to continue focusing on local outings, making adjustments as can best keep us safe from the virus, and sanity through enabling interaction with friends. If all goes as well as we might now reasonably hope, we can also begin exploring expanded travel horizons and the cost-sharing, group-enjoying benefits of shared rental space. There are some wonderful opportunities for small group weekends. Bring your best experiences and fondest hopes, and let's see what plans we can make. RSVP here.
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 WOMEN CIRCLE ANNUAL PLANNING MEETING
Come join us for the WomenCircle annual planning meeting on Wednesday, December 9 on Zoom from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. In spite of the pandemic, we had a busy year. We made truffles in February and participated in the annual Day of Service before COVID struck. After that, events were limited to 8 or 10 people whether outside or by Zoom. We had memoir writing, poetry in the garden, swimming and relaxing by the pool, games playing, and book sharing. Again, we need to think about virtual (or safe outdoor) activities for 2021. We are inviting active, occasional or WomenCircle "wannabes" to bring their ideas to the Zoom meeting. Please note time and day. Please RSVP to Sindy Barker here so she will have your email address for the Zoom call. If you cannot attend, but have a suggestion, please contact Joann Haggerty at 919-929-5573 or email her here.
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- There will be no Weekly Announcements Friday, January 1, 2021. Thank you for understanding!
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STAY CONNECTED 
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