Tuesday, December 13, 2011

UU Church New Year's Eve Celebration

There will be a New Year's Eve Party for church members and friends on Saturday, December 31st from 5:00pm to midnight in the Fellowship Hall. Kid's Party 5-7 pm The kids will enjoy a pinata, Chinese calligraphy writing, and a punching bag. Coffeehouse from 7-9 pm If you would like to sign up to perform at the coffeehouse, or can help with refreshments or setup and tear down, please contact Jodi Barnhill at 217-840-1812 or barnhill@illinois.edu. Childcare is available, please contact the office at 384-8862 if you need to make arrangements for childcare. Ring in the New Year from 9-midnight with music and dancing. Hope to see you on New Year's Eve!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

The Mitten Tree

A Description of the book "The Mitten Tree" from Amazon.com. Candace Christiansen (Author), Elaine Greenstein (Illustrator) "On a snowy day, Sarah notices that a little boy at the bus stop does not have any mittens. Worried that he couldn't join in the winter fun, Sarah knits mittens for the little boy, placing them on a tree at the bus stop the next day. Each day thereafter, the children look for new mittens, and every day Sarah knits new ones. One morning she covers every branch with bright new mittens for the children. Though she has used up all her yarn, Sarah returns home with a full heart and discovers a wonderful surprise waiting on her porch." With this wonderful book as an inspiration, members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign donated a huge variety of hats, mittens, scarves and other warm apparel to the East Central Illinois Refugee Center, which is housed in our church. ECIRMAC (ecirmac.org) is an organization that aids in the resettlement of refugees and immigrants, regardless of country or origin, in the East-Central Illinois area and aids in the exchange and preservation of their respective cultures. Special thanks to all the members and friends who support this worthwhile cause. If you would like to make a donation to the Mitten Tree, please contact the church office at 384-8862.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Collecting Backpacks and Necessities for Daily Bread Soup Kitchen

Daily Bread Soup Kitchen will be handing out backpacks filled with cold weather items and toiletries on Wednesday, Dec. 21st and will be sorting/organizing backpacks the day before--Tuesday, Dec. 20th. They need both donations and volunteers to either sort/organize on the 20th or help hand them out on the 21st. For donations, backpacks can be filled with toiletries such as deodorant, hand lotion, toothpaste/toothbrushes, shampoo, shaving cream, etc., and cold weather items like gloves, hats, scarves, socks, long underwear, t-shirts, sweatshirts, hand warmers, cough drops and other items like deck of cards, books, small fleece blankets, candy, gum. All items should be new. Backpacks should be labeled with gender and size; most guests request L or XL (2X and 3X also needed). Filled diaper bags also appreciated. You can bring filled backpacks (or any of the above listed items--you don't have to fill an entire backpack) to the Hunger Initiative table after each of the services on Sunday, Dec. 11th in the Fellowship Hall, or they can be dropped off the week of Dec. 12-19th at Daily Bread, 124 W. White, Champaign from 9-1. To volunteer, or for more information about donating, call Daily Bread volunteers at 356-2551 or 356-7687.