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Friday Email - 6 SEP 2013

Julia Mackintosh
Welcoming Sunday
Forum this Sunday
Fall Church Retreat
Rich Park Voter Registration  
Retirees’ Group
Life and Faith in Downtown Raleigh
Youth Parent Retreat
Sunday School will start September 15
Parent Appetizer/Dessert Potluck – Rituals & Resources
NC Pride Festival and Parade
ONA Sunday
New to CUCC? Newcomers' Supper Sept. 30
Crop Walk
Keeping Homeless Families Together
Voter Registration Applications

Julia Mackintosh – Julia Mackintosh, frequent attender of Forum at CUCC, died last Saturday, Aug 24, surrounded by her family.  The memorial service will be on September 14, at 2:00pm, at Community United Church of Christ.  To view her memorial page on the Cremation Society of the Carolinas' webpage, go to:
http://www.memorialsolutions.com/sitemaker/memsol.cgi?user_id=1070802

Welcoming Sunday – Join us this Sunday, September 8 for our version of “Homecoming.” As we welcome everyone back from the summer, we participate in a variety of activities: playing games like horseshoes and croquet, signing petitions, and creating our own art work.  We then celebrate the day with fried chicken!  After a brief worship service, beginning at 10:30am, we gather in the main church yard where all are invited to enjoy the events and games.  We’ll have a chance to check out and enroll in health care plans, make Gay Pride posters, record 30 second spots on what CUCC means to us, and commune with our fellow CUCCers.  Besides fried chicken provided by Welcoming, Fellowship, and Growth, members are asked to bring a dish to share.  Welcoming Sunday is a wonderful opportunity to invite your family, friends, and neighbors to visit with us.  We always have a great time.   It just might be like having a taste of heaven.

Forum - Sunday, September 8 – 9:15am, Vaughan Fellowship Hall - Justin Lee, Executive Director of the Gay Christian Network, will be our guest speaker.  Justin will discuss his new book, TORN:  Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate.  Justin founded The Gay Christian Network in 2001 as a place for Christ-centered support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals and those who care about them.  Facilitator, Cathy Marshall for the ONA Task Force.

Fall Church Retreat – If you haven’t signed up for the Fall Church Retreat, you still have time to join our merry band.  The deadline is September 8 to register for the retreat held at Blowing Rock from Sept. 10-12th.  Mail your registration to the church office or place it in the offering plate along with your $50 deposit.  For more info, or to get a registration form, pick up a newsletter at the back of the sanctuary or online at communityucc.org.  Thank you to those who have already registered and paid your $50 deposit. The rest of the payment is requested by September 8th. Rooms are being reserved in the Corriher Lodge at BRCC.

Rich Park Voter Registration - We still need at least 20 more people to help register voters at Rich Park Apartments this Sunday afternoon, Sep. 8.  Required training at 3:00 in Vaughan Fellowship Hall; we’ll be going door to door registering from 4:00-6:00pm.  Young volunteers welcome to come with their parents.  To volunteer, sign up on the Vaughan Wing bulletin board or contact Jane Smith at 919-787-6539 or smithjeg@mindspring.com .  For more details, check the website Hot Topics section.

Retirees’ Group – The Retirees Fellowship Group will return to their fall program on Monday, September 9, at 10:30am, in the Vaughan Fellowship Hall.  Pastor Steve will present a program on his recent sabbatical, with pictures of his travels.  Come and enjoy the reflections of sabbatical and some wonderful fellowship.  Bring a bag lunch – beverages will be provided.  If you are a recent retiree or looking for a new fellowship group, please come and join those of us who have enjoyed this group for many years!

Life and Faith in Downtown Raleigh - The Life and Faith in Downtown Raleigh group will meet on our usual second Tuesday, September 10, at Tyler's Tap Room, 18 Seaboard Avenue. Suite 150, Raleigh, North Carolina.  Come at 6:30pm to order dinner or arrive at 7:00pm if you just want a beverage.  Look for the Life and Faith red comma at the round table on the far right of the restaurant.
Those who attend choose the topic for the night, but we generally bring a fallback question.

Youth Parent Retreat - On Saturday, September 14 we will have a Parent Retreat upstairs in the Pilgrim House from 9:00 am-12:00 pm.  Coffee, juice, bagels, cream cheese, and fruit will be provided. This is an important meeting to look over our plans for Church School and Youth Group activities for 2013-2014. We need parent input on Church School Curriculum, Confirmation, BYC, ASP, Service Projects, etc. Parents please respond to Śānti (forsanti@aol.com or 919-961-8814) to indicate whether or not you will be able to make this meeting.

Sunday School will start September 15 - In addition to the nursery we will have a pre-K class (3 years old - kindergarten) and an elementary class (1st - 5th grades).  Our preschool class will be led by Ellen Beidler, Linda Baker, Gray Woodard, Kathy Widenhouse and Marty Lamb.  Please thank these ladies when you see them!!!  Parents will also be asked to teach one Sunday during the year and to help with special activities.  I will lead the elementary class and be assisted by parents as needed and the youth when they volunteer.  Susan Maleszweski has agreed to help us with her cooking skills when it is our turn to provide treats for fellowship time.  There will be several times during the year when we have a combined class, which is always nice, so the older and younger children can stay in touch.  We will be using the Gather Round curriculum; the theme is "God's people scattered and gathered." Lessons are adapted for each class. Looking forward to seeing everyone!!!

Parent Appetizer/Dessert Potluck – Rituals & Resources** - Do you have a child elementary age or younger?  You are invited to join other parents in the same boat for conversation about raising children as faithful people.  It's a time to compare notes and resources, ask open-ended questions, laugh together, and become friends.  Nobody will tell you what to do - it's not that kind of group.  We're meeting Sunday, September 22, 4:00pm – 6:00pm at Jane and Gary Smith's home.  Bring an appetizer or dessert to share.  This meeting is parents-only.  RSVP to Jane so she has enough chairs and plates (smithjeg@mindspring.com or 919-787-6539).

** “Rituals and Resources for Teaching Faith at Home" - this group meets about once a month on a Sunday late afternoon.  Most months parents and children come together.  Parents talk while the children play, then we share a potluck dinner together.  But sometimes the group wants time when their children won't be in earshot, so we do an earlier gathering with appetizers/desserts.  New folks welcome.

NC Pride Festival and Parade - Saturday, September 28.  Come out and show your support for your LGBT family and friends.  CUCC will have an outreach table and will march in the parade.  If you have never been to Pride, you have missed out on a wonderfully affirming event.  We need volunteers to help at the table and we would love to have as many of you as are able to march with us.  The event is located on the Duke East Campus.  Festival grounds open at 10:00am and the Parade begins at 1:00pm.  Contact Cathy Marshall (cathyann8504@gmail.com) or Maegan Mohr (Maegan_mohr@yahoo.com) for more information.

ONA Sunday – Sunday, September 15, the ONA Task Force will lead the 10:30am worship service. Please join with us as we celebrate our 24th year of being an Open and Affirming Congregation.  It will be an uplifting celebration followed by fellowship provided by the ONA Task Force.

New to CUCC? Newcomers' Supper Sept. 30 - You are invited to join us for supper on Monday evening, September 30.  Around the table will be some people new to CUCC and some who have long been part of the congregation.  Bring your questions about the church and its congregation.  Arrive after 6:00pm for appetizers; we'll sit down to supper at 6:30.  RSVP to the church office (919-787-6422).  Let us know if you have any dietary restrictions or if we can arrange childcare for your young children.  We look forward to getting to know you.

Crop Walk - CUCC will participate in this year's CROP WALK...and we want YOU!  This year's CROP Walk will be held Sunday, October 27, 3:00pm, in downtown Raleigh.  This is a fun, family-friendly event that raises money for food organizations in our community.  We would love to have a big CUCC presence this year!  If you would like to join the team (and we hope that you will!) and/or sponsor a walker from our church, please email Laurel Powell (laurel.powell@gmail.com).  We hope to see you there!

Keeping Homeless Families Together - Please continue to help families be able to live together as they transition from homelessness to temporary housing to permanent housing by contributing household items.  Take a post-it or two from the bright poster in the Vaughan Fellowship Hall, purchase the item(s) written on the post-it(s) and then return the item(s) to the basket under the poster.

Voter Registration Applications – Voter Registration forms are available in the CUCC office.  Fill out and return it to the Board of Elections yourself or Jane Smith will return it for you.  Deadline to register is September 13.  Early voting begins September 19.  Election Day is October 8.