September 5. 2021
"With Meaning & Purpose"
Rev. Alison Eskildsen, preaching
On this Sunday of Labor Day Weekend, we explore what fills our days -- the work and activities we do. Are we doing what we most need to do?
Rev. Alison, Minister Emerita of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens, Georgia, leads the service. Following her retirement last year from that congregation, she and her husband, Paul, moved to Chapel Hill to be near their son and his young family. They look forward to becoming more deeply connected to this congregation.
MUSIC NOTES: This Sunday, the Community Church Choir will make their first appearance in a service since March 1, 2020, when we were joined by 150+ UU choristers from all over the region for our district choral festival. Church pianist Ariadna Nacianceno will play the Gathering Music, and the choir will supply three very different pieces of music, ranging from a short round written during the pandemic, a stunning arrangement of a Holly Near classic, and a spirited setting of a famous Emily Dickinson poem - all revolving around the theme of “hope.” The choir will remain masked and distanced for all their pieces.
If you wish to have a joy or sorrow named in the service,
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Sunday Programming
9 AM: Live Religious Education Service on Zoom
10 AM: In-Person Worship & Religious Education
11 AM: In-Person Coffee Hour
A recording of Sunday's service will be available early Sunday afternoon.
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LIVESTREAMING IN-PERSON SUNDAY SERVICES We will be livestreaming the in-person worship service each Sunday at 10 AM. View the livestream here, on the church's Youtube channel. In case the livestream is interrupted, a recording of the service will be made and posted following the service. Thank you for your patience as we expand our technologies.
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CHURCH PICNIC -- RSVP NOW!
Our annual church picnic will be held this year on
Saturday, September 11 from 5 - 8 PM at New Hope Camp and Conference Center
and all are welcome!
- Wheelchair accessible!
- Outdoors!
- Bathrooms available!
- Masks required!
- Group games + Bonfire!
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Thank You:
Youth Staff Captains and Welcoming Ministry Greeters for making last Sunday’s exciting, experimental Gathering of the Waters service go smoothly and successfully!
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WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK IN CHILDREN AND YOUTH MINISTRY? This Sunday, we will include a special ceremony in our kids' worship at the Rock. In the ceremony we will be welcoming kids to their new Church Circles that start on September 12. It's been 18 months since we have met in Water, Fire and Middle Earth Circles (Elementary and Middle School) and this is a celebration of the transition. Kids will receive a gift as part of the celebration. Family worship will be at 9 AM on Zoom and 10 AM in person. For more information about our Religious Education Program, contact Marion Hirsch or Kat Good.
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VIRTUAL COFFEE HOUR RETURNS BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 5! Please join Rachel Rose for the experimental return to this important time of connection. We will be meeting here, via Zoom at 11AM on Sunday, September 5. 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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RARE WOMEN We are elder women (mostly 60+) who discuss the gifts, myths, and challenges of growing older. We are discussing Ashton Applewhite’s book, This Chair Rocks – A Manifesto Against Ageism, using this discussion guide. Bonnie Gilliom’s group, here, will meet via Zoom from 10 AM-noon on Thursday, September 9. NEWCOMERS ARE WELCOME to join any of our three groups! Check our webpage, here, for group meeting times and Zoom links. Contact us here to join our email list.
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REGISTRATION FOR YOUTH AND CHILDREN'S PROGRAM IS OPEN The Fall Children's and Youth Ministry program begins Sunday, September 12. Registration is open now. Programs include Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education, Neighboring Faiths, Coming of Age, Bridging, Middle and High School Youth Groups and Sunday morning Religious Education. We will continue to have both live and virtual options this year. Children -- ages 0-5th Grade register HERE. Youth -- 6th-12th Grade register HERE. Questions? Please contact Marion Hirsch, Director of Religious Education, here.
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HOGWARTS HOGSMEADE FAIR POSTPONED The Hogwarts event, The Hogsmeade Family Fair which was scheduled for September 25 has been postponed due to concerns about the Delta variant. We are waiting to set a date for the Fair until things are more certain. We want things to be fun, safe and relaxed when we gather. Stay tuned. If you are interested in helping with the Hogsmeade Fair, contact Selden Holt, Headmistress, here.
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SIGN UP FOR CHALICE CIRCLES SMALL GROUP MINISTRY Chalice Circles will be very similar to covenant groups. Small groups of 7-10, including a trained facilitator, will meet monthly to connect deeply with each other around monthly themes. What is new and different this year: Participants will receive a packet with readings and reflection questions weeks before their group meets, so participants will have time to consider what to share. In person and virtual options available. The program will begin in October, and we are forming groups. If you are interested in learning more or signing up, please fill out this form. If you have questions, contact Anne Belote, here.
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UU JUSTICE NC AND SIDE WITH LOVE ACTION OF THE WEEK Tell your State Legislators to invest in the educational needs of NC children! (Organized by our friends at Every Child NC.) Unfortunately, both the NC House and Senate budget proposals have failed to adhere to the recent Leandro court ruling which states that North Carolina is failing to ensure that every NC child receives a sound basic education. This week, add your voice to the call for a budget that fully funds the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan! Take action here!
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SIDE WITH LOVE--WRITE HERE! WRITE NOW! UU’s for Social Justice, our DC partners, have chosen two timely action items for September. Your letters to your Representative in Congress, and to President Biden will impact their decisions about acknowledging the legacy of slavery and about reducing the burden of student loan debt. Our Activity Poster, here, has more information about these issues, related UU values, and sample letters to personalize or use as is. Contact us here if you want to meet with congressional staff about voter protections.
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NOMINATIONS FOR NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Looking for deeper involvement and a way to serve? The Church Board of Trustees will need 3 new members for 2022. Candidates will serve 3-year terms: a Vice President for 2022 becoming President for 2023 and Past President for 2024, and 2 candidates as at-large Board members.
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Rachel McManus - from Bloomington Normal to Chapel Hill |
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Rachel McManus attended the Unitarian Church in Bloomington Normal, Illinois for about 16 years before moving to Chapel Hill. She grew up in West Central Illinois, and later lived in the Bloomington Normal area for 51 years. After attending the UU congregation in Illinois, she visited Chapel Hill and The Community Church here about 2 1/2 years ago, and joined as a Member during the pandemic. Rachel is still trying to figure out what she is most interested in working on within our community, but has done Social Justice work in the past. Rachel says she values The Community Church Mission because "I feel that accepting all types of people and different beliefs is very important. " Welcome, Rachel!
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MAKE RESERVATIONS NOW! NEW SPACES NOW AVAILABLE Please request your dates & times in the virtual and physical spaces of our church for the summer & upcoming year. The form is always available here, on the homepage of the church website. Please use this form for all requests, including changes/cancellations; this helps Dana and Rachel track & meet our congregation's needs. Groups are meeting via Zoom and /or in person, and much of our campus is open. Here is our Building Use Policy, which we regularly update.
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SCAM ALERT Several members of the church received email from an address imitating Rev. Thom's, or those of other staff members. These messages ask people to purchase gift cards to give to people in the hospital, or something similar. These messages are a scam. If you receive them, please report them and delete them. If you have any concerns, please email Rev. Thom here. Please know that Rev. Thom and the staff of The Community Church will never send out email solicitations asking people to purchase gift cards.
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ART IN THE SANCTUARY From September through October, the art in the Sanctuary will be photographs by Maxine Okazaki. The show is titled, The Beauty of Nature: Birds and Butterflies. Maxine says "We often don’t notice Nature’s beauty because we’re too busy or we don’t bother to pay attention. When I go out to photograph Nature, I try to be mindful of whatever Nature reveals to me. Sometimes it’s a colorful butterfly or a bird actually sitting still to pose for me." Contact Maxine here.
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LECTIO MEDITATION GROUP We meet at 12 noon every Friday on Zoom. Using readings from poetry and the sacred traditions of world religions, we practice meditation through deep listening. If you’re interested in joining or would like more information, contact Barb Chapman here. (Please put LECTIO in the subject line of your email.) All are welcome!
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SUNDAY SERVICES FLOWER DONATIONS Would you like to donate flowers for The Community Church Sunday Services? Flowers can be shared to commemorate an anniversary, remember a loved one, or celebrate an important occasion. Please use this form to donate flowers to help make our Services more beautiful. Thank you!
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BEYOND OUR WALLS
EVENTS & MORE SUGGESTED BY MEMBERS & GROUPS
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ORANGE COUNTY COMPOST-A-THON AUG 21 – SEP 18, 2021 All Orange County residents are invited to take part in the 2021 Compost-A-Thon events, consisting of FREE virtual & in-person events with chances to win prizes. The Compost-A-Thon offers fun as well as key info for community members to take action for the sustainable handling of food waste. Did you know: Approximately 1 pound of food waste is generated per American per day with food waste the No. 1 contributor to US landfills, causing irreparable harm to the environment. More info here. Sign up here. Submitted by Joy Blevins
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Most BLUE text is clickable! Blue text links to outside websites or to an email address. Example: email c3hfinance@gmail.com for rentals.
Please submit Weekly Announcements contributions HERE.
Announcements are due by noon Wednesday, prior to Friday's issue.
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