Shared Offering Recipients for 2015

The Social Action Committee (SAC) is pleased to announce our Shared Offering Partners for 2015!

• January is The Public i, a non-profit community newspaper published by the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center. 
• February is Illini Service Dogs, a registered student organization at the UI which trains service dogs for people with disabilities. 
• March is Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County, which works to eliminate poverty housing locally and globally. 
• April is the East Central Illinois Refugee Mutual Assistance Center, which seeks to provide services essential to immigrant re-settlement in East Central IL. 
• May is Illinois Balanced and Restorative Justice, which seeks to expand the availability of restorative justice practices. 
• June is Schistosomiasis Control Initiative, which works to eliminate the poverty sustaining effects of disease-causing parasites. 
• July is the Southern Poverty Law Center, which works to fight hate-groups and promote tolerance. 
• August is Sanctuary 2014, a network of churches that provides refuge to undocumented immigrants who face deportation. 
• September is Compassion & Choices, which works to reduce people's suffering and provide some control over the end-of-life process. 
• October is Cunningham Children's Home, a place where children with serious emotional and behavioral disabilities can heal, learn, and grow. 
• November is Champaign County Health Care Consumers, a group who works for quality, affordable health care for all. 
• In December our Shared Offering is traditionally the Partner Church Committee, which supports our UU partner churches in Romania and India.

In the coming months, half of our cash collection during services, as well as designated checks, will go to support these organizations.  Please give generously.

As always, it was difficult to settle on just 11 organizations to support. All are invited to think of deserving organizations during the coming year, and submit nominations during the fall months, when we select our Shared Offering Partners for 2016.  Thank you! 

– Ryan Latvaitis, Chair

Meeting the Parking and Seating Space Challenges of One Sunday Service

The Membership Committee looks forward to the opportunities for increased connections and fellowship on Sunday morning as a result of going to one service beginning January 4^th (see the article from the Board on the next page for more information about this experiment). Changes in some of our past practices will be required by all of us to make our experiment with one service work. We are asking your cooperation in two specific areas.

Seating in the Sanctuary: Please be mindful of the increased attendance at the single service by moving to the center of the pews in all rows of the Sanctuary to make room for everyone, especially those who may arrive late to the service. Be aware that our ushers may encourage you to do so on Sunday mornings as well.

Parking on Sunday mornings: Please reserve the church’s parking lot for our members with mobility issues and for our visitors on Sunday mornings. There are two lots within a block of our church that we have permission to use on Sunday mornings: the lot behind Timothy John’s Salon on the northwest corner of Green and Birch, and the lots used by Urbana Library patrons (which are city lots) on the south and west side of the Urbana Library on Cedar and Green Streets. In addition to these lots, there is free street parking on Birch, Green, and High Streets every weekend. See the graphic below for a visual representation of Sunday morning parking options.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation in these matters as we strive to make our one service trial succeed.

Questions or comments? Don’t hesitate to contact Membership Committee Co-Chairs Peggy Patten m-patten@sbcglobal.net and/or Karen Retzer karenfooteretzer@yahoo.com. Alternatively, stop by the Connections Hub table in Fellowship Hall on Sunday mornings.

December's Shared Offering: The UUCUC Partner Church Committee

The mission and objectives of the Partner Church Committee (PCC) are to develop long term mutually supportive relationships with our fellow Unitarians in Transylvania, Romania and in the Khasi Hills of India.

Our two Partner Churches are quite different, although they share an economy based on farming. In Szekelykal, Transylvania, the economy is mixed agriculture, while in Nongtalang, Khasi Hills, the primary crop is beetle nut. In Szekelykal, the church building is dated from before the Reformation, during which the Church became Unitarian. The Church in the Khasi Hills is 125 years old and needs renovations.

The Transylvania church has heated homes and electricity. In the Khasi Hills, the level of income is frequently below the global poverty level of a dollar a day, although they do have electricity off and on.

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 write a check addressed to the UU Church, with a note in the memo that your donation is for Partner Churches.

To join our congregation’s Partner Church Committee, please contact Brigitte Pieke, chair, at brigittepieke@hotmail.com. 

End of Year Giving Made Easy

As the pace of life speeds up around the holidays, you may find electronic giving a welcome way to make contributions. Visit our church website at uucuc.org and click the “Give” tab. For tax-deductible donations, the IRS requires a postmark of no later than December 31st when mailing a check. Our electronic giving website will run the last report at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 31st, so don't wait until the last minute. Questions? Contact our financial secretary Amy Robison at finsec@uucuc.org. Have a Happy New Year!

Be UUCUC's First Worship Associate!

WANTED: UUs who wish to increase their involvement in church life and worship. Will develop skills; help plan, prepare and provide Sunday worship services; as well as work with the minister and Worship Committee. Responsibilities include selecting, creating, and/or delivering some or all of the following during Sunday services: opening words, chalice lighting, hymns, meditation, etc. Training and support provided. To apply, submit the enclosed application to the Connections Hub or Worship Committee mailbox, pick up an application at the Connections Hub, or click here. Applications are due Friday, January 30th, 2015. Try it – you may like it!

The Worship Committee will be kicking off the Worship Associate program this spring in conjunction with minister Axel Gehrmann. Questions? Ask one of the committee members: Amanda Ramey (Chair, amanda.m.ramey@gmail.com), Barbara Jahoula, Beth Cobb, Pam Blosser, or Sue Searing.