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SUNDAY WORSHIP & FELLOWSHIP |
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9 AM - Live Religious Education Service on Zoom
11 AM - In-Person Coffee Hour
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While Rev. Thom Belote takes a well-deserved sabbatical until April 1, 2022, Rev. Alison Wilbur Eskildsen, a member of The Community Church of Chapel Hill Unitarian Universalist, and Minister Emerita of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens, Georgia, serves as Sabbatical Minister.
January 2
"The Sabbath: A Temple in Time"
Rev. Alison Wilbur Eskildsen
As Rev. Thom Belote begins his sabbatical, we'll explore how time for spiritual or personal rest and renewal might serve us. And to highlight Earth’s journey around the Sun and mark the transition to a New Year, we'll "call the directions".
January 9
"In the Footsteps of Our Forebears"
Rev. Alison Wilbur Eskildsen
Taking a pilgrimage to Unitarianism's foundational home in Transylvania, now a part of Romania, gives perspective to our present place in this historic faith, and may point us to our future.
January 16
"The Wolf You Feed: An MLK Sunday Reflection on the Work Ahead in 2022"
Rev. Lisa Garcia-Sampson
Another major election year is upon us and again we face a collective choice about the direction of our state and country. But the fate of our movement for justice lies in every small choice we individually make along the way. We are the totality of those choices. This Sunday we'll reflect on what Dr. King taught us about the nature of movements and how each of us are called to embody our faith in the new year.
Rev. Lisa Garcia-Sampson serves as the Executive Director of Forward Together, The Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of North Carolina. In this role, she has the pleasure of working alongside UUs across the state to do justice work spanning racial, economic, immigrant, environmental and electoral justice. She also proudly serves as CCCH's affiliated community minister.
January 23
“For Body, Mind and Spirit”
Rev. Alison Wilbur Eskildsen
Often our spiritual expressions and experiences remain in our heads. Let's fully embody our Unitarian Universalist spirit!
January 30
Frog & Toad Theater Presents... A Multigenerational Service
Marion Hirsch and Kat Good, leading worship
Join us for an all-ages multigenerational service including a puppet show with Arnold Lobel's beloved characters, Frog and Toad. The service will focus on the power of friendship and resilience.
Congregational Meeting immediately following the Service
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2022 PLEDGE WEEK COMMUNITY DAY OF SERVICE |
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We’re planning a DOUBLE HEADER this Spring with our Annual Pledge Week kickoff and Community Day of Service events on March 5. Help us KNOCK IT OUT OF THE PARK by signing up for a service project. Know a local organization that could use our time/talent? Contact Rae Dawson for more information.
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UU JUSTICE NC On January 23, we can give voice and amplify our UU values for a more just, equitable world through our financial support of UU Justice United, staffed by Rev. Lisa Garcia-Sampson. UU Justice NC helps us “give life the shape of justice” by supporting the social justice work of individual UUs and UU congregations in North Carolina while building relationships with others in our communities who are working for justice. |
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Our Side With Love team is working with UU Justice NC. Each week Lisa Garcia-Sampson sends a needed quick action. If you would like to be notified of such, please contact Melva Okun.
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COMMUNITY SERVICE MINISTRY |
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IFC COMMUNITY MARKETIFC COMMUNITY MARKET is the new name for what we previously called the Food Pantry. This aims to make it seem a more welcoming place to shop, less like a handout from outside people. Providing groceries for hungry people was the 1st service of the IFC when it was formed over 50 years ago. We have continued to collect food at church on a year-round basis ever since. Any person who lives or works in Orange County and meets the financial guidelines can get food once a month. Before Covid, a person could go through and choose items for themselves according to the size of the family. With Covid, the bags were filled by staff or volunteers to reduce the risk of infection. The intention is to go back to people choosing for themselves once Covid is much better under control. There has been a list of most wanted items in church announcements for several weeks. Really any nonperishable foods or basic personal care items are welcome in the blue bins. More details next month!!! |
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ECO FIRST SUNDAY JANUARY 2, 2022, 1 PM ECO meeting will be by zoom at 1PM. For a link contact ECO. We will start to plan Earth Month and will discuss actions, such as, if still relevant, contacting our senators about the Build Back Better Act. You can call now: Thom Tillis (202 224-6342), Richard Burr (202 224-3154). When you call, thank them for having voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, and tell them why passing the Build Back Better Act is important to you. For a better understanding, see Sierra Club’s Fact Sheet. |
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QUUilters meets the first Saturday of every month from 9:30 - 11 AM in the Church Gathering Room. We get to know each other better by chatting and working together on quilts and other hand sewn items for various local charities. Contact Rae Dawson (rae01dawson@gmail.com) to be added to our email list.Rae Dawson (rae01dawson@gmail.com) |
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RARE WOMEN As part of our Day of Service project called "Milk" and Cookies for Seniors, we will be collecting ENSURE, GLUCERNA, and similar nutritional drinks in a large box that will be available in the Commons Area in January and February. The entire congregation is encouraged to donate. These dietary supplements will be given to Meals on Wheels in Durham county in March. In addition, volunteers are invited to bake cookies or muffins for the Meals on Wheels program. Sign up to bake, or to help decorate and package the cookies for the Day of Service on March 5. |
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SPIRITUAL EXPLORATION FOR ADULTS |
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WHAT IS IN A WORD? A CLASS ON RELIGIOUS LANGUAGE Religious language can be a help or a hindrance when describing religious or spiritual experiences, beliefs, or ideas. Some traditional words cause us pain, others comfort; some words mean nothing, others everything; and some words we confine to narrow meaning, while others we allow to hold multiple meanings.
Join Rev. Alison Eskildsen, Sabbatical Minister and member of the Community Church of Chapel Hill – Unitarian Universalist, to explore a variety of religious words and their possible meaning. Come to listen, reflect, and express yourself!
We’ll meet once a month from January through May 2022, either by Zoom (on 4th Thursday evenings at 7 PM) or in person (on most 4th Saturday mornings--except in January--at 10:30 AM). Likely words we’ll discuss include God, prayer, faith, worship, holy, and sin.
In-person meetings are: Saturday, January 16, February 26, March 26, April 23, and May 28. Online Zoom meetings are January 27, February 24, March 24, April 28, and May 26.Sign up for this program here . Contact: Marion Hirsch
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STUDY OF THE DAO DE JING January 24, January 31 & February 7 (on Zoom: 7-8:30 PM): Kari Andrade will lead this study this primary text of Daoism (Taoism) written 2500 years ago; it is the second most translated book in the world after the Bible. Together we’ll study 6 of the 81 chapters focusing on the three treasures of Daoism: compassion, moderation and humility. We will read several translations and discuss their meaning and how these ancient ideas still apply to our lives. Each chapter is similar in length and complexity to a poem. This class is sponsored by Spiritual Exploration for Adults (SEA). It is reprise of the Dao class Kari offered last spring. Contact: Kari Andrade
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VIRTUAL COFFEE HOUR CONTINUES IN JANUARY! Please join Rachel Rose for the return to this important time of connection. We will be meeting on Sunday mornings at 11:30 AM January 2, 9, 16 & 23 (There will be no Coffee Hour 1/30, to allow for the Congregational Meeting). We will have an icebreaker, be assigned into random groups (it's fun!) and have a time of sharing and fellowship, followed by a closing reading. We hope to see you there!
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Help make Sunday mornings happen - Become a Greeter! Our church is busy, and we need folks to help welcome people - both newcomers and longtime members - into our church on Sunday morning... andwe have many Greeter spaces open over the next few weeks! Please take a moment to sign up below, 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!
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COMMUNITY CHURCH CONCERTS |
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HENHOUSE PROWLERS OPEN OUR WINTER '22 CONCERT SERIES!! Bluegrass Ambassadors and band, The Henhouse Prowlers, will kick off our Winter '22 Community Church Concerts Series Friday, Jan. 14, 8 p.m. in the Sanctuary! The Prowlers have been to more than 25 countries across the globe, working with the U.S. State Department and under their own nonprofit, Bluegrass Ambassadors - incorporating music from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and more into their already robust repertoire of unique traditional American music. Founded over 16 years ago with the simple desire to play original and powerful bluegrass, this quartet now finds themselves at the intersection of performance, diplomacy and education.
Proof of vaccination and masks REQUIRED. Due to Covid, we will not be selling refreshments. Info about the artists, our Covid Policy and purchase Season Passes and single concert tickets below! We need volunteers for parking, box office, and ushers. Contact Terry Baker to volunteer! Thank you!
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We are women (mostly retired) who represent “the retrospective of my life as art.” WE ARE OLDER, WISER, AND RARE! We meet via Zoom and will be discussing This Chair Rocks – A Manifesto Against Ageism by Ashton Applewhite through the end of February using these discussion questions. There are three different Rare Women groups: Joann Haggerty’s group meets from 2-4 pm on the 1st and 3rd Mondays; Bonnie Gilliom’s group meets from 10 am–noon on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays; and Susan Blanchard’s group meets from 1:30-3:30 pm on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays. NEW MEMBERS are welcome to join any group. The meeting schedule and discussion topic for each group are posted on the Rare Women webpage. Notices about in-person meetings (not currently occurring) and Zoom links for each group are also posted there.
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WOMEN CIRCLE BOOK SHARING WomenCircle Book Sharing Saturday will be held on Zoom on Saturday, February 5 from 1 to 3 p.m. Share your favorite book with Lisa Epner and Ivy Brezina. We would love to hear what you are reading or would recommend. Be prepared to read an enticing very short passage or paragraph from your book. We will only have 10 spaces available. Please RSVP to Ivy Brezina below, or call, 415-663-8703. We will send out the link to Zoom a few days before the meeting. |
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SEATED TAI CHI The WomenCircle is offering a seated Tai Chi, Qigong Workshop via Zoom on January 15 at 11:00 a.m. The workshop is offered by Judy Lechner who is a certified instructor by the Tai Chi for Health Institute. Tai Chi is a moving meditation. Qigong involves a variety of ways to move energy (or qi) through our body. Both have their origins in Daoist philosophy of our relationship to the universe and to each other. In the workshop we will focus on the basic principles and will learn a several qigong movements that you can practice on your own. You should wear comfortable clothes and have a straight-backed chair with no arms. RSVP to Peggy Dorfman below by January 14 or call 919-929-7573. She will send out the Zoom contact information. Remember to bring your imagination. |
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NONFICTION BOOK DISCUSSION FOR JANUARY On Saturday, January 15 from 10:30 AM to 12 PM, the Nonfiction Readers will discuss The Road to Unfreedom: Russia/Europe/America, by Timothy Snyder. The author, whose On Tyranny we read in 2021, goes beyond the headlines of the British vote to leave the European Union, the US election of Donald Trump, and the overall rise in populism to expose the true nature of the threat to democracy and the rule of law. His book tries to help us better understand the challenges and stark choices facing us, and hopefully to see a path to restoring the way of life we have come to know and depend upon. Jeff Blass will be leading our discussion, which will be held via Zoom. New members and drop-ins are welcome. Contact the group to ask questions or to be placed on the distribution list for meeting information. |
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ART EXHIBIT IN SANCTUARY From January 9, 2022 through the month of February, the art in the sanctuary will be paintings by Joe Rizzolo. Joe is an abstract expressionist painter. He is originally from New Jersey, but has lived in North Carolina since 1980. Joe says, "I enjoy creating abstract imagery. I like trying to find ways to make the spirit speak through the form, creating psychological, spiritual, and emotional landscapes. Making art is engaging and meditative for me, and I hope it may be for the viewer, also. Influences include Miro, Klee, Hundertwasser, Kandinsky, and Klimt." |
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FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY FEBRUARY 15
The Community Church of Chapel Hill Board of Trustees wants to hear from you!
If you would like to learn more about The Community Church of Chapel Hill,
please contact Rachel Rose, our Director of Membership & Communications:
Whether you are new, or a longtime attendee, and whatever your beliefs or background,
we welcome you to our community of friendship and ideals.
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106 Purefoy Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
919-942-2050
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