“Will the new minister hear me? Will my concerns and needs be met? Will the minister understand what I’m living with? How will the community respond to our minister?’

In answering these questions, a picture of the “ideal minister” (categorized by age, gender identity, nationality, physical or cognitive ability, race, sexual orientation, etc.) comes to mind. With this picture in place, it can be easy to unintentionally exclude ministers who fall into certain categories. At times, as we get caught up in comparing candidates to our “picture,” we can even forget what it is we hoped for in a minister.

On Friday, November 18th and Saturday, November 19th, UUCUC will participate in the Beyond Categorical Thinking workshop offered by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) for congregations involved in the search for a new minister. The Settled Search Team invites all congregational leaders, members, and friends to participate in this workshop.

Come on Friday, November 18th from 7:00 to 8:30 PM and Saturday, November 19th from 10:00 to 11:30 AM on Zoom to participate in this UUA-sponsored workshop, led by Donna Dolham and Gil Guerrero. The workshop is in two parts, both of which are critical to our understanding of the subject matter, so please plan to attend both sessions if at all possible. That said, if you can only make it to one of the sessions please plan on doing that. To register, fill out our quick online form (https://tinyurl.com/UUCUC-BCT).  

Please send your joys or sorrows to joysandsorrows@uucuc.org any time before the Joys and Sorrows portion of the service. They will be read aloud.

Your contributions and support allow us to continue to respond with love and resources to the needs in our congregation and the wider community. We couldn’t do it without your support and we are grateful to each of you.

Join our online Zoom Fellowship Hour after the service this Sunday

Join us at 11:30 (or immediately following the service) for an in-person fellowship with coffee, beverages, treats, and good conversation in UUCUC's Fellowship Hall.

As of November 10, 2022, the COVID-19 transmission level in Champaign County is MEDIUM. That means masks continue to be required during services (both in the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall) as well as in all RE&E program activities. Masks are welcomed (but not required) in UUCUC’s building for non-RE&E activities before and after the service. Food and beverages are also permitted in the building when transmission levels are medium or low. Please visit this link for UUCUC’s current COVID Safety Guidelines.

Bookmark our UUCUC Events and UUCUC Calendar webpage for future reference.

There has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes and we are ready to share an important update. With the help of the Board, the Operations Council, the Personnel Committee, our ministers, other church staff, and many others, our church has posted a job description for a REE Manager to help coordinate our children and youth programming. We hope to be able to fill this position by early November.

Please consider donating to the Little Free Pantries run by AJ Herzog (Champaign) and UUCUC (Urbana). Their Amazon wish list has been updated to include the most high priority items. All orders sent through Amazon are split between the two pantries. You are also welcome to drop off items in person at both locations. Questions? Contact AJ (zogs92(at)gmail.com) or Penne Beckett (penne.beckett(at)uucuc.org).

JOYS AND SORROWS sent to joysandsorrows@uucuc.org for last Sunday, November 6, 2022.

From Sylvia McDermott: It's a joy for the McDermott family that Andrew has recovered from covid, and returned to his family.

Please send your joys or sorrows to joysandsorrows@uucuc.org any time before the Joys and Sorrows portion of the service. They will be read aloud.

UUCUC Social Action Offering. Each month a selected organization is chosen to receive offerings from our congregation. You may donate to the social action offering for the month in one of the following ways:

November's Shared Offering recipient is the School of the Americas Watch (SOAW). SOAW was founded in 1990 to denounce the massacre of religious leaders in El Salvador by graduates of the U.S. Army's School of the Americas. The U.S. school made headlines in 1996 when the Pentagon, under intense pressure, released instruction manuals used to train Latin American soldiers to torture, extort and execute political dissidents. Among the list of graduates from the SOA are some of the worst violators of human rights in the continent, including nearly a dozen Latin American dictators. Among those targets by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, and others who work for the rights of the poor. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, "disappeared," massacred, or forced into refuge by those trained at the School of Americas.

Over the past 30 years, SOA Watch has grown to become the largest grassroots Latin American solidarity organization in the United States. In 2016 SOA Watch moved to Nogales Arizona/Sonora to call attention to US foreign policy as an important root cause of migration, as well as to the devastating impact US security and immigration policies have on refugees, asylum seekers and immigrant families all over the continent.

The training at the School of the Americas (now called Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation) is among the root causes of migration that forces people to flee their countries in Latin America. SOA/WHINSEC-trained soldiers are the military muscle that keeps in place a system guaranteeing profits for the elites - and exploitation for the poor. Many immigrants to the United States are victims of U.S.-sponsored military training and atrocities in Latin America.

SOAW continues to provide education and advocacy supporting the closure of the School of the Americas, exposing the corruption, human rights violations and culture of racism and violence characterizing the border Patrol and joins in solidarity with organizations and movements seeking justice and peace throughout the Americas.

During the month of September, our shared offering was able to raise $2,137.30 for Uniting Pride of Champaign County.

Uniting Pride was founded in 2009 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization to advocate for the equality, wellness, and visibility of the LGBTQ+ community in Champaign County. UP exists to create a community where all who identify as sexual and/or gender minorities can live full, healthy, and vibrant lives.

Read our policy on publications for details.

Please send your submittals to pubs@uucuc.org and not to the admin email.

9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Monday - Thursday

By appointment on Friday

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Sunday REE Coordinator sundayree@uucuc.org

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Director of Business Administration admin@uucuc.org

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