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SUNDAY WORSHIP & FELLOWSHIP |
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Watch Virtual Worship Service On Demand!
10am: Live Religious Education Service on Zoom
11am: Live Community Coffee Hour on Zoom
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7pm: High School & Middle School Youth Group
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IN-PERSON FLOWER COMMUNION & RECEPTION JUNE 6 |
COME TO THE IN-PERSON FLOWER COMMUNION AND SENIOR RECEPTION SUN 6/6, 11-12
The Flower Communion is one of the most beautiful of our distinctive Unitarian Universalist Rituals. We will have an in-person Flower Communion and Reception for the Graduating Seniors in the church courtyard from 11AM-12 NOON on Sunday, June 6. This gathering will be in place of the Zoom coffee hour. The Rising Up Service will be online as usual, but the Flower Communion and Reception will be in person in the church courtyard. Masks will be required, because children will be attending. Bring a dozen flowers (one for each Senior, plus one for each member of your family attending the communion). Come and congratulate our Seniors and participate in the Communion. The event will take place over an hour to minimize crowding. Park in the parking lots, and then come to the Courtyard to greet the Seniors and their proud families. It will be wonderful to see you in person.
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ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING JUNE 13, 11AM |
Our annual Congregational Meeting will be held via Zoom on Sunday, June 13, at 11AM (There will be no Coffee Hour that Sunday.) We’ll present Congregational Awards, provide an update on the building project, and take some time to appreciate the resilience, generosity, and fellowship of our community over the last year.
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COMPLETION OF THE NEW WING OF THE JONES BUILDING Construction and most of the finishing details are essentially complete as we move into June. The traditional “punch list” of final tweaks is being worked on, along with the mandatory final inspections. Look for organized tour opportunities as soon as we receive our “Certificate of Occupancy” – hopefully, sometime in June! In case you missed this GREAT NEWS in April, the sum of everyone’s generous donations to date and pledges to be fulfilled means the Gap will be closed by June 2022, thus ensuring protection of the church’s future operating budget and permitting imminent consideration of deferred, small- to medium-sized capital improvements in the near future. Watch for discussion opportunities in the Weekly Announcements.
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ELECTRONIC VOTE FOR ENDOWMENT COMMITTEE POSITIONS – PAPER BALLOTS IF NEEDED Because the June 13 Congregational Meeting will be via Zoom, voting for the two open positions on the Endowment Committee will again be by electronic ballot, with paper ballots mailed to those who request them and/or are known to have difficulty with internet connection. The ballot will be sent to Members June 1, and details will be given in the church’s Weekly Announcements.
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JAY MILLER NOMINATED FOR ENDOWMENT COMMITTEE Jay Miller joined our church in 1999. As church Treasurer, he helped guide us through the economic downturn of 2008. His professional career started in 1980, with a small business selling musical instruments that developed into a chain of six stores across North Carolina. When he sold these stores, he started a small family foundation called Shared Visions. Currently, he is Treasurer of the Board of Cross Disabilities, Treasurer (and Interim Director in 2020) at Freedom House, Treasurer of the Inter-Faith Council, and a Board member of Club Nova and the Henderson Street Foundation in Chapel Hill. Jay is married to Ebeth Scott-Sinclair and they have three grown children in their 30s.
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KARI ANDRADE NOMINATED FOR ENDOWMENT COMMITTEE
Kari and Art Andrade joined our church in 1999. Kari has served as church Treasurer, led the initial team establishing the Endowment Committee, and served on the committee until being elected to the Board. As Board President, she led our church through an in-depth visioning and strategic planning process. Her many offerings in the Fall Auction have included financial planning, a beach condo, and gourmet dinner parties. Kari has an MBA and 30+ years of business experience in the US, Europe and China as a commodity trader, business consultant, and stockbroker. Currently, she works as a financial advisor. Kari's spiritual practice is working on translating the Tao Te Ching, which also helps her practice Chinese. Kari and Art have two children and three grandchildren.
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Endowment Fund Continues to Grow! During the past year, the Endowment Fund has grown significantly due to both a donor gift and investment growth as part of the UUA Common Endowment Fund. The Fund value grew from approximately $187,000 in April 2020, to over $286,000 by May 2021. We are making significant progress toward reaching our goal of $1,000,000 by 2025 for this long-term growth fund! Projects supported by the Fund during the 2020-21 Fiscal Year included the Building Project, the Immigrant Justice Initiative, Our Whole Lives Education (OWL) for Older Adults and the Mental Health Ministry for Club Nova. For the 2021-22 Fiscal Year, the Endowment Committee has chosen to focus on continued growth of our Fund through the UUA Common Endowment Fund’s socially responsible investments focused on improving the lives and well-being of our more vulnerable populations. Help build the future of our church by contributing to the Endowment Fund!
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SPIRITUAL EXPLORATION FOR ADULTS |
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Exploring the Next Question -- Racial Equity
Summer Discussions
"The revolutionary road to racial justice happens face-to-face when we dare to ask the hard questions, listen and then ask the next question."
Our Racial Equity learning and community-building continue this summer with monthly focused discussions. The discussions are open to returning participants and new participants. Each month we will prepare for our discussion by watching an episode of The Next Question --Conversation. Transforming World Views. Everyday Bravery -- a wonderful webseries that focuses on productive, provocative and inspiring conversations on racial justice. Then, we will gather for a deep, heartfelt discussion in small groups. You asked for focused discussions and focused topics, so we can go deeper together. Registration is coming soon. Will be available on Zoom, and we may offer an in-person option.
The topics will be:
- June: It Doesn't Have To Be This Way
- July: People of Good Will
- August: Brave Together
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SCHOOL SUPPLIES SHARE THE PLATE JULY 11 Throughout the difficult year in 2020, students and teachers kept going to keep the education of our youth on track. Students last year received packs from our Share the Plate so that they had the supplies at home that schools might have provided when they had none. And all students need a place to keep their work and supplies. On July 11, the Share the Plate collection will go to fund backpacks and school supplies for K-12 students. Last year, The Community Church generously funded backpacks for 75 students in Chatham and Orange counties. As you can imagine, the pandemic has not been kind to families. Because we use bulk purchasing, a pack and supplies can be provided to a student for about $20.
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ECOCHALLENGE CONTINUES EARTH MONTH We at The Community Church are invited to join the UU Drawdown Initiative on Ecochallenge. If you have participated in the Ecochallenge during Earth Month, you know it is fun. Drawdown allows you to measure your impact on the climate and biodiversity crises as you record things you are already doing, actions you are learning about, and habits you are developing. Several members of ECO have already joined. If you have an Ecochallenge account, see the UU DD 2021 team here. By joining UUs across the country, we can make a greater impact by pooling our efforts, to be celebrated at the UU General Assembly meeting in mid-June. If you are new to Ecochallenge, register and join the team here. Any questions, Contact ECO here. First Sunday ECO meeting will be June 6, 2021 at 12:30PM via Zoom. All are welcome. For a Zoom link, Contact ECO here.
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Ice Cream Social(-Distancing): June 13, 3-4PM
We hope you can join us! Weather-permitting, we will meet in socially-distanced assigned (& rotating!) spots in the large parking lot at church for a fun (and tasty!) social event, including ice-cream sandwiches and popsicles, fun and fellowship.
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Mark Your Calendars for the Hogsmeade Faire on July 17 at 5 PM This year, Hogwarts on the Hill moves to Hogsmeade for a multigenerational in-person evening of COVID-safe fun in the Church Courtyard. There will be Booths, Magical characters, HoneyDukes, Goblins, Ghosts, Hogwarts Professors, Games, Dream Floss, and Fortunetelling. Wear your wizarding costumes! The Faire will be followed by a Sorting Ceremony, then "House Time" for wizards of all ages... then an Outdoor Dinner (order ahead)... Then, an outdoor Harry Potter movie in the Courtyard, once the sun goes down. Come for the whole time, or come to part of it. Celebrate Summer!
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OUTDOOR CONNECTIONS: NATURE CRUISE ON JORDAN LAKE + LUNCH, SAT JUNE 26 AM We’ll meet at Poe’s Landing (map to follow) for a two-hour nature cruise with Jordan Lake Tours on their 14-passenger covered boat. Dave Griffin will guide us to close-up views of Eagles and Ospreys, Great Blue Herons and Kingfishers and offer insight into the lake’s environmental history and future as our area’s principal water resource. Lunch at Flair (Governors Village) follows. Tour cost: $ 25.
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OUTDOOR CONNECTIONS: SUNSET/MOONRISE PADDLE, SAT. JULY 24, 7 PM This is a BYOBoat event. We'll (yay!) meet for dinner at Tarantini in Governors Village at 7PM for dinner then go to the canoe/kayak launch at Farrington Point (Jordan Lake) to enjoy the sunset and moonrise. A shallow shoreline here makes motorboat mayhem unlikely. Less predictably than astronomic events, eagles, ospreys and beavers often add highlights to this trip.
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BOOK EVENT Book Sharing by Zoom on Saturday, June 26 from 10AM-Noon. We will take turns talking about, and sharing short excerpts from, our favorite books. This has been a favorite event for avid readers! Please sign up ahead of time and the Zoom link will be sent to you by email.
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WOMENCIRCLE TO PAINT AT NC BOTANICAL GARDEN WomenCircle goes artistic. We are going to the NC Botanical Garden for a Plein Air workshop with Steevie Parks. Mark your calendars for Saturday, July 24 from 9AM to 11AM. We have permission from the Botanical Garden, and they are asking that we make a $5 donation per person. Steevie has brushes, but participants will need to buy inexpensive watercolors, watercolor paper (still working on how to share this) and bring a plastic cup, thermos of water and a chair. We will start in one location (with a brief “how-to” from Steevie), and then spread out. We are limited to 15 participants. There will be more details coming in June, via a WomenCircle notice.
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RETREAT AT MONTREAT Montreat Redo: WomenCircle Retreat will be held October 1-3 at Montreat Conference Center in Black Mountain, NC. Because of the pandemic, we were not able to go in 2020, but they honored our deposit and we are set for this October. We will be staying in the Reynolds Lodge which is handicapped-accessible and will accommodate 32 people (16 twin-bed rooms). There is a large common room with a kitchen. We will be able to cook our own meals which makes our stay very reasonable - $100 for the two nights. A letter has been sent to those who registered in 2020, confirming their payment. If you have not paid, please register & pay by August 1.
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NONFICTION BOOK DISCUSSION FOR JUNE On Saturday, June 19 from 10:30 to 12, the Nonfiction Readers will discuss The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman. In this thought experiment, the author approaches the question of humanity's impact on the planet by envisioning the earth without us. Specifically, if humans disappeared immediately and without further environmental impact, how would the world change—its cities, forests, nuclear power plants, flora, fauna etc.? Thoroughly interesting and written by describing consequences for a variety of specific examples, e.g. New York City. It's a brilliant approach to the natural environment and the changes we have wrought. Glenn Davis will be leading our discussion. The Readers meet on the third Saturday of each month, currently 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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As Rare Women, we build relationships in small groups by sharing our lives and the gifts, myths, and challenges of growing older. We will end our current 2020-2021 program year in late June. See the Rare Women’s webpage, here, for specific information about the meeting times/place for each of our three groups. Group meetings, facilitated by Susan Blanchard, Bonnie Gilliom, and Joann Haggerty, will resume in September when we will read and discuss Ashton Applewhite’s book, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism. See the discussion guide here. You can watch a short (11.5 min) TED talk by Ashton Applewhite. Check our website and the August newsletter for more details.
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HOUSING OPTIONS AS WE AGE |
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Since January, we have had wonderful presentations and excellent discussions about where we should live as we age, i.e. aging in place, versus moving to another location. In our next Zoom meeting here, at 1:30pm on June 9, we will hear from Mareah Steketee and others about 2T, a 501c3 organization that is working to create a unique, creative, affordable, and inclusive affinity community for musicians, dancers, artists, and others who are interested in the arts. They are committed to living gently with the earth while aging and cherishing life together to the “last waltz.” At our LAST MEETING here on June 23, each person who wants to will have an opportunity to BRIEFLY discuss what they have learned from our discussions and what, if any, changes they have made in their future housing plans. Meeting topics and resources can be found here.
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We are hoping to have an in-person component for this year’s event, the largest annual FUNdraiser for our church, outside of the pledge campaign which supports the operating fund. Last year’s online bidding option was a huge success, and will definitely be part of this year’s auction too. THE 2021 FALL AUCTION CATALOG WILL OPEN FOR DONATIONS ON JULY 1! Enter your donations here. Let’s bring back shared meals and events as major components of this year’s auction – oh how we missed getting together over the last year! Oh, the fun we will have and the FUNDs we will raise as we build community together during the 2021-2022 year!
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AUGUST NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY JULY 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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