Live. Love. Be… In the Pride Parade with UUCUC

Come join others from UUCUC in the C-U Pride Festival Parade on Saturday, September 6^th at 5:00 p.m. (Please arrive before 4:45 p.m.) We will be walking as a group on the parade route around downtown Champaign to show our support for our LGBTQ community. Wear your new UUCUC red t-shirt, Standing on the Side of Love apparel, or other colorful clothing with the LGBT* Rainbow colors of Red (light), Orange (healing), Yellow (sun), Green (calmness/nature), Blue (serenity/harmony), and/or Purple (spirit). We will carry our banner and welcome other appropriate signs that complement this year’s theme “Live. Love. Be.” Participants are to gather in the parking lot behind Jos. Kuhn and Company (at the Walnut Street entrance) and between Main and Washington Streets on Walnut Street. Park your car in the large city lot at Walnut and Washington or in the Hill Street Parking Deck. 

For those who would like to participate in this year’s Pride Festival by volunteering at the UUCUC Booth, see Social Action Committee chair Ryan Latvaitis to sign up to cover a shift.

Have questions? Want to get involved? Contact Gail Tittle at gatittle@gmail.com or 309-569-1907.

Two Service Schedule Returning Soon!

Summer lay-led services have come to a close and, starting this Sunday, August 31st, we will return to the Sanctuary for our Sunday services which will again be led for the most part by our minister, Axel Gehrmann. Thank you to all of this summer's leaders for your hard work!

Beginning on Sunday, September 7th, the church will return to its usual two service schedule with an early service at 9:30 a.m. and a later one at 11:15 a.m. We hope to see you there.

Q&A on Unitarian Universalism

On Sunday, September 7th, there will be brief orientations to Unitarian Universalism held in the minister's office after both worship services. The sessions are informal and designed to answer your questions, whatever they may be. Everyone is welcome, whether you are new to the church or have been attending for a while.

Plug In at the New Connections Hub

Stop by the new Membership Committee-sponsored Connections Hub table in Fellowship Hall! It will be available every Sunday so you are always able to get the newest information on church happenings. Visit soon to find out about the many small group opportunities available at our church, sign up for a hospitality team, and schedule your portrait session for the new Photo Directory. Portraits will be taken the week of October 7^th through 11^th.

Questions? Contact Membership Committee co-chairs Peggy Patten at m-patten@sbcglobal.net or Karen Retzer at karenfooteretzer@yahoo.com. 

’Til the Bidder End: Auction Events for UUs

Several upcoming UU Service Auction events have open spots – come join the fun! If you are interested, please email auction@uucuc.org (Jody Hanger and Chris Hannauer). They will provide more details and inform the donors.

On Saturday, September 6th:

Afternoon Tea and Bocce Garden Party offered by Jenna Zeidler, featuring a lovely courtyard, a dreamy afternoon, and bocce ball!

6 places open / $12 per person

On Saturday, September 13th:

Canasta Dinner Party offered by Lin Foote, et al., featuring a casual dinner and canasta with "The Master."

2 places open / $50 per person

On Sunday, September 21st:

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream – a sundae buffet with ALL the toppings, offered by Cindy and Michael Loui.

10 spaces open (or 2 families) / $8 per person, $25 per family

On Sunday, September 28th:

Design Your Own Earrings Party offered by Virginia Brubaker and Gail Schiesser. Pick your own color combinations and bead shapes, while Virginia does the wiring work! Leave with three pairs of earrings.

5 spaces open / $15 per person

Oh, Those Summer Nights! Share Your Memories at the Ingathering Service

On Sunday, August 24^th, we will have our traditional Ingathering Service, which will include a Water and Stone Communion. Please remember to collect a small vial of water, or a stone, from your summer travels and activities, which you can share in the service.

Building Community, Strengthening Connections with Membership Committee

Many thanks to those who participated in the Membership Committee’s (MC) brainstorming meeting on July 9^th when we identified priorities for building community and strengthening connections with visitors as well as new and longtime members of the church. We hope you will notice the following new MC efforts in the coming weeks:

(1)  We will be “invigorating” our Sunday morning welcoming practices with more attention given to our greeting and hospitality experiences after Sunday services. Watch for details on how you can be part of this effort.

2)   We are introducing a new table in Fellowship Hall on Sunday mornings beginning August 24^th. This Connections Hub table will include information about the many ways to connect within our congregation. Be sure to stop by!

3)   We are updating the church’s Photo Directory, which was last published in 2011. Portrait sessions will be conducted during the week of October 7^th through 11^th, so mark your calendars! Sign-ups for portraits will be available at the Connections Hub table in Fellowship Hall beginning August 24^th.

4)   Finally, to offer members more opportunities for connection, we are changing our procedure of notifying members about Sunday Crew needs (which includes welcomers, announcers, and ushers). In the coming weeks, all members of the church will be added to the Sunday Crew email list to receive information about opportunities and needs to assist with this important activity of our church. While all members will be added to the list, members can ask to be removed from the Sunday Crew emails at any time. 

Feel free to contact Peggy Patten (m-patten@sbcglobal.net) or Karen Retzer (karenfooteretzer@yahoo.com) with your comments and questions or to be included on the Membership Committee listserv. 

August's Shared Offering: RACES

The August Shared Offering organization is Rape Advocacy, Counseling, & Education Services (RACES). Half of the cash collection and designated checks each Sunday in August will benefit this organization.

RACES is the community-based rape crisis center serving Champaign, Douglas, Ford, and Piatt Counties in East-Central Illinois. They provide free, confidential services to any person who has experienced sexual assault, abuse, or harassment as well as their loved ones. They also offer public education and training to schools, employers, and other organizations throughout the service area.

The mission of Rape Advocacy, Counseling, & Education Services is to challenge the rape culture and empower victims and survivors of sexual violence through advocacy, counseling, education, crisis intervention, and activism. They also work with non-offending significant others, allied professionals, and the community at large to end all forms of sexual violence. RACES believes that working to end sexual violence, a widespread form of oppression that primarily victimizes women and children, is essential to building a world free of all forms of oppression.

Services include: a 24-hour a day crisis hotline, Medical Advocacy and Legal Advocacy for victims of sexual violence, Free Individual, Group, Family, and Child Counseling, and Public Education and Training about Sexual Assault, Abuse, and Harassment to a wide variety of audiences. RACES accepts volunteers of any background 18 and older.

For more information, check out their website at www.cu-races.org.