Thursday, November 29, 2012

UUC Hunger Initiative Back Pack Project A Great Success

Thanks to the generosity of our congregation, we were able to donate 75 backpacks, plus a variety of extra items, to the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen backpack giveaway. Congratulations everyone for a fantastic effort! At the Daily Bread on the day before the giveaway we sorted through a mountain of packs. Ellen Harms lost count of the total number that came in, but it was over 1000. There were also lots of boxes full of extra items. The extra things were all filed into boxes according to type of item – blankets, gloves, socks, toiletries, snacks, etc. At first glance it appeared chaotic, but in fact the operation was quite organized. We did our best to stuff some extra things into packs that could hold a little more. We even had enough stuff to fill some bags that were donated empty. In the end, there were three rooms full of packs for men, women, and children. Then on the day of the giveaway, people were lined up around the corner. Unfortunately the weather was a little drizzly, but we had a very jolly Santa and helper who worked the line, giving out candy and doodads to keep people happy while they waited. People were allowed in ten at a time, so the giveaway inside was calm and easy. Everyone got a pack, and then a sack lunch. They exited out the back door. I was quite impressed by the smoothness of the proceedings. It was heartwarming to see how happy people were to receive the packs. Almost 100% of them said thank you and Merry Christmas. It was an uplifting experience. Thank you for helping to make the holidays happier for all these people.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

LGBTQ Ally Workshop at the UU Church in Urbana

"LGBTQ Allyship Through Language" Sunday, Dec. 2nd 12:30pm-2pm in the Library Come join members of our congregation for a workshop on language sensitivity related to LGBTQ allyship and our commitment as a Welcoming Congregation. We will explore what terminology is being used around LGBTQ issues; what is sensitive vs. what is a slur; and how we can demonstrate, through language, our commitment to LGBTQ affirmation and inclusion. Come one, come all. This is a workshop for teens and adults, alike!

December Shared Offering: Partner Churches

December’s Shared Offering Recipient: Our Partner Churches The Mission and Objectives of the Partner Church Committee are to develop long term mutually supportive relationships with our fellow Unitarians in Transylvania, Romania and in the Khasi Hills of India. To this end we promote an exchange of people and ideas, provide funds and other forms of assistance to help our Partner Churches in Szekelykal (Transylvania) and Nongtalang (Khasi Hills, India) and their communities to improve the quality of life for all the inhabitants and to foster economic development through enhanced educational opportunities. Our two Partner Churches are quite different, although they share an economy based on farming. In Szekelykal, it’s mixed agriculture, while in Nongtalang the primary crop is beetle nut. In Szekelykal, the Church building dates from before the Reformation during which the Church became Unitarian. The Church in the Khasi Hills has been finished and is a small concrete building. Paved roads are the connections between urban areas and villages. The roads in the villages themselves are dirt roads. Szekelykal has heated homes and electricity, but in the Khasi Hills, the level of income is frequently below the global poverty level of a dollar a day, but they do have electricity. The needs of both congregations are sizeable. Education and basic necessities are high on the list of ways the Committee hopes to support the growth and stability of both our Partner Churches. There are current photos from both Churches on the Bulletin Board in the Fellowship Hall. In the south entrance hall (by the parking lot door) are hanging several gifts from our friends in Szekelykal. If you wish to help support this ongoing effort to benefit those churches, please note that collections throughout the month of December are designated to that end. You may either write a check made out to the UU Church, with a note in the memo line that your donation is to go to Partner Churches, or you may use a red marked envelope. These funds will go directly to the Partner Churches. In addition to those funds, 50% of the undesignated cash collection will go to the Partner Churches. If you would like to visit or join our congregation’s Partner Church Committee, please contact the Chair, Brigitte Pieke, at brigittepieke@hotmail.com. To find out more about our Partner Churches, see pictures, read recipes from the regions, and listen to music from their congregations, please go to our website and click on the Partner Church page. http://uucurbana.publishpath.com/partner-church.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Connect with other UU Church of Urbana-Champaign Parents on Facebook!

Connect with other UUCUC parents on Facebook! We have three groups you can be a part of: * UUCUC Parents (for all parents with any age child) * UUCUC Parents of Teens * UUCUC Parents of Young Children (younger than teens) Please consider joining the general UUCUC Parents group and whichever group(s) applies to your family. We hope these groups can create a social network where parents can ask questions, share stories, articles, or information, and seek and give support to each other. Use the following links to access the groups and click on "Join." http://www.facebook.com/groups/uucucparents/ http://www.facebook.com/groups/uucuc.parentsofteens/ http://www.facebook.com/groups/uucucparentsofyoungchildren/ Thanks to Elaine Gehrmann, Ryan Thomas, and Lara Troyer for getting these groups set up. --Religious Education Committee

Feeding Body and Soul

Feeding Body and Soul
The Champaign-Urbana Storytelling Guild, in partnership with the Hunger Initiative of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign,will be hosting a benefit for the Eastern Illinois Food Bank on Saturday, December1. "Feeding Body and Soul", a story telling celebration, will be held in Fellowship Hall starting at 7:30 p.m. and will feature storytellers Elaine Bearden, Dan Keding, Barbara Bolser, Kathe Brinkmann, Linda Dust, Kim Sheahan and our very own Sue Searing. The evening will be a feast of stories to entertain and engage the mind and heart with a sampling of tasty treats for the body as well. Suggested donation is $10.00, with all proceeds going to the Eastern Illinois Food Bank. Contact the church at admin at uucuc.org for more information.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

November Shared Offering: Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Program

The Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Program of the Multicultural Community Center in Rantoul provides child care and comprehensive services of education, health, nutrition, transportation, and social services for children ages birth to five years old of farm worker families. The Multicultural Community Center is based in Rantoul, where many migrant farm workers come to work and live. Beginning in June and going throughout the summer until September, migrant workers and their families make their trek from places like Texas and Florida to Champaign County to detassel corn and to begin removing weeds and other unwanted plants from corn and soybeans. The majority come at the end of June and beginning of July for detasseling and again in September for other harvest activities. At the height of the season, an estimated 400 to 500 migrant workers and family members are in our area. In addition to the Head Start program for younger children, families are provided services such as childcare, dental, medical and legal assistance through the Multicultural Community Center. Migrant families and children need support every time they move. Let’s show them our support!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

UUC Urbana Sets IFH Rice Packing Record!

http://www.illinifightinghunger.org/uuc-urbana-sets-ifh-rice-packing-record/ The Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign, at 309 W. Green St. in Urbana, recently held a rice repack for the Wesley Evening Food Pantry, with the help of the Illini Fighting Hunger group. The link, above, provides details of the extraordinary success of the repack. If you would like more information about the church's Hunger Initiative, please contact the office at 384-8862 or admin@uucuc.org.

Friday, October 12, 2012

October Shared Offering: A Woman's Place

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and our shared offering, A Woman's Place, part of the Center for Women in Transition, is our local domestic violence shelter providing refuge for women locally in Urbana-Champaign and surrounding areas. The shelter provides a number of critical services for women and their children including free counseling, healthy relationships and skill-building programs, protection, and domestic violence services. As many of us know, during economic recessions, social services are hit the hardest. Your financial contributions for A Woman's Place will support their critical programs and services that help keep survivors of violence safe in our community. To learn more, contact A Woman's Place located at 1304 E. Main St. Urbana, IL 61802.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Book Discussion Group: Beyond Religion

Beginning on Wednesday, October 17, at 7:00 p.m., Axel Gehrmann will be leading an eleven¬ session discussion on the book "Beyond Religion - Ethics for a Whole World" by the Dalai Lama. Transcending the "religion wars," the author "outlines a system of ethics for our shared world," and offers "a stirring appeal for what he calls a "third way," a path to an ethical and happy life and to a global community based on understanding and mutual respect." The group will meet on the first and third Wednesdays. Please sign up on the sheet Minister’s Office door, or contact Axel (minister@uucuc.org) with questions or childcare needs.

New Anti-Racism Chalice Circle is forming!

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign has begun a new Chalice Circle. The first meeting of the Anti-Racism Chalice Circle was held on Thursday September 13 at 7 pm, in the church library, and was facilitated by Elaine Gehrmann. Meetings will be ongoing on the second Thursday of each month. We look forward to having interested parties join this important group. If you would like to participate, please contact Elaine Gehrmann, (gehrmanns at aol.com).

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Partner Church Dinner October 6th

Mark your calendars now for the Partner Church Fundraiser Saturday, October 6th, 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Dinner will feature food from Transylvania, and Hungary. Come for food and fun and to help out our Partner Church families! For more information about Partner Churches,see http://uucuc.org/hungarian-partner-church or contact Brigitte Pieke (brigittepieke at hotmail.com).

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

September Shared Offering: Daily Bread Soup Kitchen

The mission of the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen is to feed the hungry of our community regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity. We welcome all volunteers to this service who share an unconditional positive regard for every human being. We provide a safe, respectful, and inviting environment in an atmosphere of hope and dignity. Daily Bread Soup Kitchen was formed in August, 2009, when St. Jude’s Catholic Worker House Steering Committee made the decision to close the soup kitchen after seventeen years of operation. Many long-time Catholic Worker House volunteers remained strongly committed to the mission of feeding the hungry of the Champaign-Urbana community and banded together to create Daily Bread. Under the leadership of President Ellen McDowell, Daily Bread was incorporated as a 501c3 not for profit agency, a board was elected, and a fund-raising effort was undertaken. Daily Bread was delighted to be taken in by New Covenant Fellowship, 124 West White Street, just down the street from our former home. In three short years we have gone from handing out sack lunches to 30 guests from the doorway of New Covenant to serving a nutritious hot meal of soup, salad, entree, and dessert to an average of 200 guests a day in New Covenant’s Fellowship Hall, almost triple the number of guests we were able to feed at St. Jude's. We have recently paired with the Labre Project at Newman Center at the University of Illinois to staff a mobile van that now serves sack lunches at two different locations on the weekend. In addition, the guests that we serve come to us with many other needs as well. Our Assistance Committee provides what help we can: mainly helping guests get state IDs and birth certificates, necessary paperwork that allows them to qualify for jobs, disability, and public aid. In addition we buy yearly bus passes for guests with demonstrated need, and we try to refer our guests to appropriate programs. Daily Bread is a unique entity in many ways. First and foremost, it is entirely volunteer run. We have NO paid staff or administrative overhead. All donations go directly to client services. Secondly, we are funded entirely by donations and small local grants. Thirdly, we have a very diverse group of volunteers--men, women, black, white, Catholics, Protestants, Hindu, Jews, other, none of the above, Democrats, Republicans, etc, etc. Fourthly, our volunteers span a wide range of ages; although we tend to be either over 60 or under 25 (Middle agers are always welcome!!) And lastly, we have no requirements or preconditions for who we feed. Anyone who walks in the door is given a plate, no questions asked. And we never turn anyone away, even if they arrive late because, as Ellen McDowell reminds us, “the last person in line could be Jesus.” For more information check out our website www.dailybreadsoupkitchen.com

Friday, August 24, 2012

Our Whole Lives (OWL) Sexuality Education Classes for 8th graders

This fall, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Champaign Urbana will offer the “Our Whole Lives” (OWL) Sexuality Education program for 8th graders! "Our Whole Lives" helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, OWL not only provides facts about anatomy and human development, but also helps participants clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality. We're looking for 8th graders who may benefit from the only comprehensive sex education class in Champaign-Urbana. Class starts on September 9th, meeting on Sundays from 11:15am - 12:30pm throughout the academic year through 5/19/13 and it's completely free. There's a parent orientation coming up next week and if you're interested/want to learn more, it's a chance to meet the teachers and learn about the curriculum! Please forward this message to parents/guardians of 8th grade students! OWL Parent Orientation meeting Wednesday, September 5th 6:30-8:00 PM Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign 309 W. Green St., Urbana, IL 61801 (217) 384-8862

New Anti-Racism Chalice Circle Starting

The first meeting of the Anti-Racism Chalice Circle will be Thursday September 13 at 7 pm, in the church library, facilitated by Elaine Gehrmann. Please contact Elaine with questions, suggestions, and/or with your intent to attend (217-344-2335, gehrmanns at aol.com).

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Reminder; Sign Up for Immigration as a Moral Issue

"Immigration as a Moral Issue" is the UUA’s Congregational Study/Action Issue 2010—2014. This class is offered as a 6 week curriculum giving a broad overview to the complex issue of immigration. The UU Church of Urbana-Champaign is hosting a 6-week class beginning September 10th on Mondays from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the Children's Chapel. To sign up, or to get more information, please contact the church office at 384-8862 or admin@uucuc.org. "This six-week course highlights one of the greatest moral crises of our time. Migration of people-driven by economic, social, political and environmental factors-is taking place around the world. Millions are currently in transit, in refugee camps, in detention centers, or living and working in places without full legal status and without access to social services or protection of civil rights. The dignity of all the world's peoples is core to Unitarian Universalist (UU) principles and values. Given the justice-oriented nature of UU faith, UUs are called to be leaders in the struggle for immigrant and refugee rights, and to view immigration not only as a legal issue but also a moral issue."

Fall Changes at Church

Just a reminder to the congregation that things begin changing at the church in the next few weeks! The Ingathering/Water and Stone Communion takes place in the sanctuary on August 26th. Don't forget to bring your vial of water or a small stone from your summer travels, which you can share at the Water and Stone Communion on August 26th at 10am. The two-service schedule resumes on September 9th, 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. At that time, RE classes also resume, as do the Second Sunday Potlucks. Mark your calendars and join us on Sunday for worship!

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Shared Offering for August: The Latino Partnership of Champaign County

The Latino Partnership of Champaign County, NFP (LPCC) is a clearinghouse agency that exists to support and improve general services offered to the Latino population in Champaign County.  The corporation supports and improves services to the Latino population in Champaign County by building the capacity of service-providing organizations and individuals through the distribution of information relating to community safety, legal rights, healthcare, educational and employment opportunities, language skills and other subjects beneficial to the community. It is associated with/has a membership made up of over 40+ public and non-profit organizations that seek to develop and improve services for/with members of the Latino/a community. 
 
The Office and Service Spanish class for direct service providers is geared to increasing proficiency of the 'gatekeepers'  by giving them sets of skills to handle tasks like intake, handling appointments and messaging with Spanish speakers.  LPCC has put on about 20 of these classes over the last 8 years, training about 500 service providers.
 
LPCC maintains an emergency account with the Eastern Illinois Food Bank.  This account is used to address short term emergencies involving families with children who are at risk of going hungry due to financial hardship.  We have provided any number of other types of assistance as need arises, often in coordination with other agencies. We have worked with the East Central Illinois Refugee Mutual Assistance Center (ECIRMAC) on many occasions.  LPCC also coordinates and assists with the Mobile Consulate visits from the Mexican and Guatemalan consulates.  This allows local residents to maintain proper documentation without the added expense of traveling to larger cities for these purposes.

Friday, July 6, 2012

UU College of Social Justice Receives Major Support

At the 2012 Justice General Assembly, the UU College of Social Justice (UUCSJ), a new UUSC-UUA joint venture, was officially introduced to thousands of people. Shortly thereafter, Brad and Julie Bradburd of Gwynedd, Penn., announced their gift of $1 million to UUSC in support of UUCSJ. Their incredibly generous contribution reflects their confidence in and enthusiasm for this new initiative that will increase the capacity of Unitarian Universalists to catalyze justice. Visit the new UUCSJ website.And don’t forget to like UUCSJ on Facebook and follow on Twitter!  
http://actnow.uusc.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=8061.0&dlv_id=12001

Missed General Assembly? Don’t Miss the (Social) Action 
If you couldn’t make it to GA this year, that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on UUSC’s Values into Action workshops! First, discover what was happening with UUSC on the ground in Phoenix through our extensive social-media coverage. Then make sure you have the tools to take the next steps for justice in your community — check out UUSC Senior Associate for Online Advocacy Shelby Meyerhoff’s top five take-home resources

 2012 Annual Fund Campaign: Success! Over the past month, UUSC has been reaching out to supporters in hopes of meeting an important $300,000 Annual Fund goal. Thousands of people responded with such generosity that we’ve surpassed the goal and will start the next fiscal year strong and ready to continue advancing human rights! Read a few words of thanks from Maxine Neil, UUSC’s director of institutional advancement. 

UUSC Announces Winners of Social-Action Awards Each year, UUSC recognizes one congregation and several individuals who have given their time, energy, and talent to advance social justice in cooperation with UUSC. UUSC is humbled by their dedication to human rights and excited to honor their first-rate support. Read about the winners of this year’s social-action awards.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Immigration as a Moral Issue

"Immigration as a Moral Issue" is the UUA’s Congregational Study/Action Issue 2010—2014. This class is offered as a 6 week curriculum giving a broad overview to the complex issue of immigration. The UU Church of Urbana-Champaign is hosting a 6-week class beginning September 10th on Mondays from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the Children's Chapel. To sign up, or to get more information, please contact the church office at 384-8862.

Monday, April 16, 2012

CROP Walk

The Hunger Initiative and the Social Action Committee invite you to participate in the Champaign-Urbana CROP walk on Sunday, April 22nd, at University Place Christian Church in Champaign; walk begins at 2:00pm This is a community-wide walk to raise funds for hunger-fighting organizations. Participants sign up to walk in advance, and then collect pledges. Or if you don't want to walk, you can donate to the UU walking team, or sponsor an individual who is walking. To join the walk or to donate to the UU walking team, come to the CROP walk table after each of the services on upcoming Sundays in March and April, or you can contact Nancy Dietrich atnancydietrich@juno.com/337-0334 or Sandy Hannum at hannum1@illinois.edu

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Butterfly Garden is a Hit!

While the Green UUs were cleaning the butterfly garden this week, Maya and I found a monarch chrysalis.  Good to know the garden is getting good use.  Danaus plexippus is the state insect of the State of Illinois.  
 
 
 

April Shared Offering: Four Walls and a Roof

Four Walls and a Roof is a non-governmental organization working in collaboration with La Coordinadora de Mujeres Urbanas, a grassroots feminist organization in Cotacachi, Ecuador. Together, we seek to improve resources and services for women and children living in violence (domestic, interpersonal, and state-sanctioned) in the Andean region of Ecuador. Apart from general support for resources and local personnel, Four Walls and a Roof  is currently supporting the project of establishing the first battered women's shelter in the area--a facility we're working to ensure is sustainable, both environmentally and economically.Our church contributions will help support critical organizing led for women by women in Cotacachi. As a reminder, April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Four Walls and a Roof and La Coordinadora de Mujeres Urbanas work to support survivors of sexual assault and trauma.

Monday, March 5, 2012

March Shared Offering Will Go to ECIRMAC

The purpose of the East Central Illinois Refugee Mutual Assistance Center (ECIRMAC) is to aid in the resettlement of refugees and immigrants, regardless of country of origin, in the East-Central Illinois area and to aid in the exchange and preservation of their respective cultures. ECIRMAC was incorporated in August 1980 and has been operating since January 1982 through funds donated by churches, sponsors, the refugee community, United Way, Champaign County Mental Health Board, and the Illinois Department of Human Services. Some examples of services provided by ECIRMAC are job placement and supportive employment services, orientation, translation, referral, counseling, and advocacy. They provide local sponsors with liaison and translation services and resettlement information. ECIRMAC shares the unique cultural heritage of the refugee and immigrant community with all interested individuals, and assists refugees and immigrants in the preservation of their language, culture, and traditions. They provide tutoring in ESL and help with permanent residency applications, family reunification papers, and citizenship services. In addition, ECIRMAC provides family support groups, interest free loans to refugees in emergencies, and help with violence against women applications (VAMA).

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

29th Annual Service Auction Saturday April 14th!

29th Annual Service Auction – Sat., April 14th
Donation Form-see back for suggestions

 Please turn in your form to the church office or to Jody Hanger by April 9th. After that date you may still offer a donation, however, it will not be printed in the program. Early submissions are MUCH appreciated and will be listed in advance. You may also email all of the above information to: Jody@hannauer.net or you can call Jody at 351-6756. All services or items purchased in the auction expire one year from this year’s event, unless arranged otherwise with the offering party. The organizers may decide to switch an item’s auction category based on experience on what sells best and on live auction space availability.







NAME: ___________________________________________________

PHONE: _____________________ EMAIL: ____________________________

CIRCLE CORRECT AUCTION CATEGORY: LIVE SILENT FIXED
What is your suggested starting bid price or set price for fixed? ____________
If multiple items/plates/etc. available (this is per each).
Describe your offered service/item. Be creative to build interest in your donation.
PLEASE include dates if possible, number available (dinner for 8, 12 batches of brownies. etc): _____________________________________________________________________________




Donation Guidelines and Suggestions
Many who want to donate an item to the Auction ask WHAT sells, what is of interest? So below please find examples of things that do well as well as those that do not! We also offer a few tips based on experience. We hope you find these helpful. Remember that we have TWO categories of auction sales. We have the Silent Auction in the Sanctuary and the Bidding LIVE Auction in Fellowship Hall. Silent Auction: The Silent Auction items may be at a fixed price OR you can encourage bidding to begin at a price you set. We suggest that things like a large social event be at a FIXED price to be sure you encourage lots of attendees at a price that will enable whole families to attend. Setting a price per family or lower price per child is a good idea. We typically get a lot of wonderful social events at the Silent Auction. In the past we’ve had Game Nights, Sing Alongs, Barbeques, Bowling and build your own ice cream sundaes. Services are also a big hit and can be fixed or biddable. Art lessons, beading classes, music lessons, pet sitting, gardening help or handy man/woman work, etc., are all good examples. Everyone has a talent! Go ahead and offer yours for the Silent Auction. We also get baked goods, plants, and art works from jewelry to pottery, painting to leather goods. Consider donating a work of art that you’ve created! Please think of things that appeal to families with children and that both boys and girls would enjoy. Please note that the Silent Auction is not for white elephant items unless you know the item has good resale value. The organizers must reserve the right to decide what can be included as space may be limited. Live Auction: The Silent Auction always brings in a nice percentage of funds (especially for events with many potential attendees!) But the big ticket items are usually in the Live Auction. Dinners are EXTREMELY popular and can be bid up quickly. Do you love to cook and entertain? -- consider this as an option. A lovely benefit is that you will have the opportunity to get to know fellow church members over a great meal. We’ve seen donations that include a week in a vacation home, baseball outings, wine tours, snowmobiling, boat trips, inventive games like the Amazing Race adopted for our community as well as donations of time for significant house projects, baking or ice cream custom made. Here’s where doing a creative write up can make a huge difference. We suggest you keep the beginning bid price at a rate that is reasonable and you may consider offering two smaller things (less time, less goods?) at a lower price available to more bidders rather then a single item at a very high price that may scare some bidders off. We have seen that these switches can make all the difference. Get your forms in ASAP to help build excitement! Remember the final deadline of April 9th and THANKS as always for all you do to make this a lot of FUN.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

February Shared Offering: Frances Nelson Health Center

The Shared Offering for February is Frances Nelson Health Center which has served low-income, uninsured and underinsured families for over 60 years. Family Practice medicine is the core service, with many special programs including prenatal care and mental health. Late in 2011 dental services were added through the new Frances Nelson Dental Center. The need is great and continues to grow. Please give generously to this worthwhile organization during the month of February. All specially designated donations will be given to Frances Nelson, along with half of the plate cash collected throughout the month. Thank you.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Resistance and Transformation: New Adult RE Class

“Resistance and Transformation: Unitarian Universalist Social Justice History “ (A UUA Tapestry of Faith Class for Adults by Rev. Colin Bossen and Rev. Julia Hamilton) This 8-unit course will be offered on Wednesdays from 6pm -7pm in the SouthEast classroom. Amy Schneidhorst, Ph.d., Director of Religious Education will facilitate the class. Class dates: February 1, February 8, February 22, February 29, March 7, March 14, March 28, April 4, 2012. Enrollment limited to 15 participants. Sign-up sheet on the DRE office door. Grounded in the belief that even "failures" in our history can be instructive, this program presents the ongoing struggle of our tradition to live up to its ever-evolving ideals of social transformation. This class moves beyond celebrating heroes. Instead, this curriculum encourages us to consider to what extent individuals and the church have sustained commitment to our principles even when it means taking controversial public positions out of step with popular opinion. How do these historic examples instruct our actions within our congregations today? February 1 Workshop Overview February 8 Prophetic voices, Parallel voices, Institutional voices February 22 The Response to Slavery February 29 The Nineteenth Century Women’s Peace Movement March 7 Just War, Pacifism, and Peacemaking March 14 Religious Freedom on the Margins of Empire March 18 Utopianism April 4 UU Countercultures and Youth Resistance This program leads Unitarian Universalists to ask the justice questions that pertain to our lives, congregations, and society today, and provides models of action that inspire us to take on the social justice challenges of our era. Thank you! Amy

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Communications Survey Coming Soon!

Look for the opportunity to provide input and feedback to the Communications Task Force to help improve overall communications within the church community. The Task Force is comprised of Ryan Thomas, Dianna Black, Bill Childers, Warren Osbourne, Elaine Gehrmann, and Janis Hooper. We are putting together a brief electronic survey which we hope will capture some thoughts and suggestions for improving the flow of communications around the church. When the results are tallied, we will provide feedback to the Board of Trustees and make recommendations for improvements. If you are interested in learning more, please contact the office administrator, Janis Hooper, at admin@uucuc.org or 384-8862. We appreciate your input.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Salt and Light Ministry; January's Shared Offering

Salt and Light’s mission is “to share the love of God by helping those in need...through the services we provide we meet physical needs, educate our clients to help them meet their own needs, and attempt to meet their most basic spiritual needs.” Salt and Light has been designated as the recipient of collections specifically designated for them, as well as half of the cash collections from the collection plate throughout the month of January.