Exploring Unitarian Universalism Through Short Literature

Starting Oct. 9, Rev. Ritchie will be offering a monthly series exploring important themes in Unitarian Universalist history, theology, ethics, and spiritual practice through the discussion of short pieces of literature. This series will take place at 12:00-1:30PM the second Sunday of the month, running October-February. You can attend either in person at church, or online on Zoom. You can sign up either for the whole series, or for individual sessions. Participants will be expected to complete the short readings (no more than 1-2 hours of dedicated reading time) before the workshops. No need to procure the material—Rev. Ritchie will send that out to those who register ahead of time. The individual classes are as follows:

November 13 ---Rescheduled for Nov. 6 because of the congregational meeting

In this workshop, we discuss the principles of Unitarian Universalist ethical thinking, alongside a conversation about Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story “The Yellow Wallpaper.”  

December 11 

This month we look at the Unitarian Universalist relationship to Christianity, Jesus, and social change, through an examination of two Christmas Stories, Lydia Maria Child’s “The Christ Child and the Poor Children” and Rev. Samuel Crother’s “A Christmas Parable.”

January 8 

Today we look at Unitarian Universalist spiritual practice, especially those connected to the Transcendentalists. The reading is “The Pond in Winter” by Thoreau (an excerpt from “Walden”) and an excerpt from Louisa May Alcott’s “Transcendentalist Wild Oats.”  

February 12

This month we read works by Francis Ellen Watkins Harper and Sylvia Plath to discuss Unitarian Universalist approaches to issues of race and gender. 

Sign up for one, some or all of the workshops here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/UUShortStory

Children's Religious Education News

This month, our Soul Matters theme is CHANGE.  In our children's program, we will be exploring: 

Nov 6: Traveling the Path of Our Changing Selves

In this lesson, we reflect on the many ways we change. In particular, this session looks at how change is a constant in our lives. We reflect on how our bodies feel when we experience change and how we can stay centered during change.

Story: The Creature of Habit by Jennifer E. Smith

Nov 13: Traveling the Path of Changing Our World

For this lesson, we explore the path of changing our world for the better. Taking action and working for justice is like being in a band. Each person plays an instrument and the sound that is created is much bigger than just that instrument.

Story: Amanda Gorman’s poem “Change Sings; A Children’s Anthem.”

Nov 20: Traveling the Path of Changing Thanksgiving

 In this lesson we explore the path of changing how we celebrate and think about Thanksgiving. We acknowledge the pain and suffering that Indigenous people experienced, and that white supremacy culture made invisible in the traditional Pilgrims and Indians myth of Thanksgiving. We move to change the holiday into a celebration of gratitude and giving thanks. We celebrate and honor wisdom from Native Heritages this month as well as how we can learn and change our relationship to the earth.

Story: The Tale of the Three Sisters

Nov 27: Traveling the Path of Changing the Winter Holidays

Similar to last week, this lesson asks us to explore making a change in the traditions of upcoming holidays. In other words, learn about the winter holidays celebrated among families in your congregation. By learning about others' family traditions, the children and families may wish to make space in their own celebrations for something special.

NUUC YOUTH GROUP:

This month’s youth gathering will be a fun FRIENDSGIVING celebration. Keep your eyes out for your special invitation and more information.

Jacquie Zarley Director of Religious Education and Intern Minister

Jacquie@NUUC.org

(234) 350-0419

Mowing Thank You

We have completed the mowing season and as you may know, we handled the mowing ourselves at NUUC instead of using a mowing contractor. Our coordinated mowing efforts went quite well and saved a lot of money. We estimate we saved $4,250 by not contracting out the mowing this year. The Building and Grounds (B&G) Committee members took turns mowing each week except for the 4^th and 5^th weeks each month, which were handled by volunteers from the congregation. 

We give a big thank you to the following congregational volunteers for their fine mowing efforts, which filled out the mowing schedule this season:

Mike Furbee & Maggie Fenton *

Roger Johnson *

Neil Kirby *

Ron Mattox *

Doug Reeder *

Gene Reid **

Jeff & Lisa Turner *

   ** = mowed 2 times

   * = mowed 1 time

For about 3 weeks each month, 3 members of the B&G Committee took turns mowing. We give a hearty thank you to these committee members for their monthly efforts:

Roger Orwick

John Rodeheffer

Bob Keith

Everyone enjoyed using our zero-turn mower, which we purchased about 4 years ago. The mower’s cost was totally funded by a very generous donation from Gary and Ruth Rusk, plus a generous donation from John and Lynn Foreman. Having the zero-turn mower continues to make a big difference in our mowing efforts. It has cut our mowing time in half and some volunteers even say the mowing is now fun! In addition, we’ve found that with 15 minutes of training, even people that have never used a zero-turn mower before were able to mow and feel confident and at ease.

Since our volunteer mowing approach worked so well coupled with having a zero-turn mower, we plan to continue this approach in the coming mowing season. Watch for more information on our mowing plans as spring approaches.