CUCC Weekly eNews

Catherine Fairbanks will be moving to Florida in September. She needs help with loading the truck for the move. Tentative plans are as follows: At 4pm on Friday, September 5, she will need help loading the contents of the storage unit at Atlantic Ave. onto the a 16 foot van. The next morning at 930am, (Saturday, September 6) she needs help loading things from her apartment to the van. Catherine has gotten rid of her furniture, so the items to be loaded are mostly boxes. Please let me know if you can help on either or both days. The storage unit is at 5000 Atlantic Ave. and the apartment is at 7625 Wellesley Park North. (both in North Raleigh) Thanks.

When I installed the flat screen TV in the Fellowship Hall, I also put an audio system in the cabinet beneath the screen, and two external speakers beside the cabinet. The primary purpose was to have high quality and high volume sound available for use primarily with movies. While I did use the audio with last spring's Lenten Film series, I don't think there have been many other uses of the external audio system. (The speakers built into the TV are actually pretty good.)  The amplifier in the audio system recently died a natural death. (It was an old one I had donated.) And the question is whether to replace it or to just go with the speakers built into the TV. If you have an opinion on this, your comments would be appreciated. If you're a contributor to this blog, you can comment on this post by clicking the little "comment" link immediately beneath it. Thanks!

You don't have to be a teenager to join the CUCC Walk for Hope team! When: Sunday, October 12, turn in your pledge form and donations at 9:30 am, look for your CUCC teammates. The walk begins at 10:00. Where: The 10 k walk begins at the Angus Barn Restaurant parking lot on US 70 and winds along the paved roads of Umstead State Park. You don't have to walk the whole route; a shuttle will bring you back from any point along the route. Suzette is already planning to keep her walk short, so you won't be alone. Why: Walk for Hope raises funds for scientific research into the causes, cures and to discover more effective treatment of mental illness. Celebrate: The Walk ends back at the Angus Barn for a fabulous post walk celebration with live music, great food and prizes. It is a fun day, a great way to get exercise and spend time with friends and family and all the while helping many who suffer in silence. Just click the link below to register and join the team. Note our team

Saturday, September 20 from 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Bring your lunch and come for all of the day or part of it. Activities are planned for all ages and all mobilities. Directions to Lake Wheeler Park Plan your day! 10:30 Games for the whole crowd led by Marty and Steve 11:00 Choose from a selection of games to play in small groups (imagine tossing a wet ball or playing cards or guessing fun facts about each other) Noon Bring your own lunch , then decorate a fan to chase the afternoon breezes 12:30 Getting to know you activities 1:45 Sing-a-long led by Mike & Tom 2:30 Nature hike led by Mike, Lena & Vandy or (if we can find a ball) volleyball (play or cheer) 3:30 Closing worship 4:00 Day is done Jo is looking into boat rental for before 10:30 or after 4:00; contact her if you want more information.

On Wednesday, August 27 , The Capital Group Sierra Club presents Taken for a Ride , a film by Jim Klein and Martha Olson. It is the little known story of an auto and oil industry campaign to buy and dismantle transit. It is the first in a series of free films focusing on transit. The film of 52 minutes will be followed by a discussion highlighting the Group's efforts to improve local transit options and raise public awareness. It will be shown at The Colony Theatre at 7:00 pm . For more information contact conservation-cg@sierraclub-nc.org . www.NC.SierraClub.org/Capital

I've been in many conversations at CUCC where someone would be groping for a phrase and would more or less arbitrarily choose one from the list: evangelical , fundamentalist , conservative Christian . Now more than ever we have reason to be careful in choosing our terms. The landscape has changed, and it might be an opportune moment to think about what we're doing to adjust to the new landscape. A good place to start is with a recent article by E. J. Dionne entitled The New Evangelical Politics . Where do we see ourselves in this new landscape? What are we doing to adjust to these changes?

It's time to go back to our "studies"...our FORUM studies, that is! The Forum Committee announces the following schedule for September, as well as a special session on August 31: August 31- Rev. Rollin Russell, Former Southern Conference Minister and former Professor of Theology at Lancaster Theological Seminary, "Economic Justice: What is it?" Sept. 7 - Mary Rider, “Why I Went to Jail" Sept. 14 - “Sacred Conversation on Race” continues (topic and speakers to be announced) Sept. 21 - Karen Rindge, Executive Director of WakeUp Wake County , “Planning for growth in rapidly growing Wake County: What WakeUP Wake County is doing.” Sept. 28- Bridgette Burge, “Heirs to a fighting tradition” Come and continue our study of important social and economic justice issues that affect our communities and the lives of our fellow citizens. You may post your comments and suggestions here on the blog. For more information, contact Forum Committee Chair Cynthia Ball at cb

To celebrate the rebeginning of church school, the education ministry would like to invite you to bring a favorite goodie to share for a potluck in the Vaughan Fellowship Hall after church on August 24th. If you're committed to eating locally, here's an opportunity to share. One idea was to request you bring a food from the Bible as a novel idea to share. (This tests your Bible knowledge as well). I guess that means salt would be O.K. in memory of Sodom and Gomorrha, and there are a number of other options as well inclusive of milk and honey. See if your imagination inspires ideas. Put the date on the social calendars, and we'll look forward to seeing you and hearing about your summer!

Would you like to learn more about CUCC? Do you have questions about who does what or ways to connect to the life and work of the congregation? Have you wondered what we believe? Enjoy a delicious brunch for newcomers to CUCC after worship on Sunday, September 7, noon - 1:30. RSVP to the church office. Let us know if you have any dietary restrictions or need childcare. We look forward to getting to know you.