CUCC Weekly eNews

On Sunday evening, June 21, at 8 PM after the National event, CUCC members and friends will gather by Zoom to discuss what we heard and how we want to respond.  Please join us for this after-event, and help enable CUCC’s impact. For Zoom contact information, contact Jane Smith  smithjeg@mindspring.com or  sign up here CUCC: What's next? Sunday, June 21, 8PM on Zoom On June 20 and 21, CUCC is participating in the  VIRTUAL , nation-wide  Mass Poor People’s  Assembly & Moral March on Washington, DC. A Digital Gathering June 20 and 21, 2020 Broadcast June 20 at 10 AM, 6 PM,  and June 21 at 6 PM On June 20th, we will participate in the largest digital and social media gathering of poor and low-income people, moral and religious leaders, advocates, and people of conscience in this nation’s history. A global pandemic is exposing even more the already existing crisis of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy and...

We continue our preliminary work to explore what it would mean for CUCC to set a goal of becoming carbon neutral.  We're just at the beginning of the work and welcome people with all kinds of perspectives and skills. This is our second meeting to discuss and plan this strategy. Friday, June 12, 7:30-8:30PM  on Zoom Please contact Gary Smith to get the Zoom information so you can participate in this meeting.  (Email: smithgk@mindspring.com)

Join Pastor Lacey as we dive into Rachel Held Evans’ book, Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again , Thursday evenings at 7-8pm from June 11th – July 9th on Zoom. Register here. Reading for June 18  - The Temple through Chapter 2 There are three copies of the book available; contact the church office (office.cucc@gmail.com) if you would like one of them.  You may donate to cover the $15 cost here ; choose "give to Inspired book study." Or you may purchase your copy yourself; versions are available in paperback, Audible, or Kindle. “If the Bible isn’t a science book or an instruction manual, then what is it? What do people mean when they say the Bible is inspired? When Rachel Held Evans found herself asking these questions, she began a quest to better understand what the Bible is and how it is meant to be read. What she discovered changed her—and it will change you too.” Questions?  Contact Julie Robertson (contact information i...

New opportunities keep popping up every day, so keep checking the CUCC Online Calendar .  A note about virtual and in-person events:  Through June 7 the online calendar reflects our “stay at home” status.  Events after June 7 have not yet been corrected as we wait for input from the congregation at the June 7 congregational meeting. June 4. 2020 edition Thursday, June 4 CUCC Café – special focus:  “Where do we go from here?” Deacons Ministry All staff meeting Friday, June 5 CUCC Café   - Bill hosts Saturday, June 6 Conversation and Meditation Sunday, June 7    Trinity Sunday First Sunday food pantry donation Taizé worship and fellowship Sunday Morning Bible Study - Acts All-ages, traditional worship with communion and fellowship  Congregational meeting Youth Sunday School Monday, June 8 Monday Lunch Group Tuesday, June 9  Inter-faith Food Shuttle Collection Office staff meeting CUCC Café – Bill hosts You...

Join us Thursday, June 4 from 1:00pm- 2:00pm for a prayerful community discussion about the events of the last two weeks. Many of us are angry, sad, and concerned about the state of our country. Pastor Lacey will host a safe space to talk about these concerns through our weekly CUCC Cafe. Email lacey.cucc@gmail.com for the Zoom information.

We will hold our June congregational meeting after worship on Sunday 6/7/2020 on Zoom. Please review these three documents prior to the meeting: Minutes from the January Congregational Meeting Minutes from February Congregational Meeting Agenda The purpose of the meeting is to give you a picture of our church’s current status as we continue to Be the Church during COVID-19. Additionally, we would like to hear your questions and comments regarding the church’s future response. Please consider the following ideas prior to the meeting: What questions do you have about CUCC during COVID-19? What do you see as a “next step” or step forward for our church? What needs to happen for you to feel ready to “come back” to the physical space? What ideas or suggestions do you have? We will use breakout groups to manage our discussion of these ideas during our FIRST EVER Zoom Congregational Meeting. Additionally, we will be discussing our church’s remembrance of Cally Rogers-Witte. T...

On first Sundays, CUCC has a tradition of collecting bags of food for local food pantries in a shopping cart in the fellowship hall.  Now that we are worshipping virtually, we needed a plan B. June 7 is a first Sunday.  If you didn't bring a food bag for the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle last week (we collected over 100 food items!), you can still bring your donation this coming Tuesday, June 9. COVID-19 EMERGENCY RESPONSE FOOD ITEMS NEEDED: Canned Vegetables Canned Fruit Rice Pasta & Pasta Sauce Cereal Boxes Oatmeal Canned Soup Canned Chicken & Tuna Canned & Dry Beans For health and safety reasons, we cannot accept donations of: Items void of nutritional value including: Candy Vienna sausages "Fruit" drinks made without fruit juice Sodas Chips Home prepared food including canned/jarred fruits, vegetables and preserves Dented and rusted cans Items without labels If coming to CUCC on a weekday doesn't work for you, why not make a do...

Please sign this petition from the ACLU asking for bail bond reform.  Sign here Last fall CUCC voted as a congregation that we want to see bail bond reform. ( Here the resolution we voted in, and here is the version we are asking the Southern Conference of the UCC to endorse.) Because the cash bail bond system is a racially and socially biased system destroying lives. In North Carolina, 86% of the people in our jails haven’t been convicted of a crime. Being a person of color or being in poverty are a much better predictors of pretrial jail time than is guilt of a crime. Pretrial jail time leads to loss of jobs, disruption of families, and destruction of lives. Our state's money bail system is broken and corrupt. No one's freedom should depend on the color of their skin or their bank account balance. We urgently need a new system that restores fairness and justice to the process. We must do what we can to change the system. As CUCC, we have said that the sys...

We have a new affinity group, the Community UCC Racial Justice Affinity Google Group.  This group is for members and friends of CUCC who are called to working for the end of racism in Raleigh, NC and the US.  The group will provide a safe platform to share about racial justice - our feelings, needs for support, information on current news and trainings and opportunities for action in the world.  Jim Smith is managing this list and invites anyone interested in joining the group to send him an email and he will add you to the group. Jim Smith  jwmsmith64@att.net

Webinar Topic:  America on Fire!  A racial equity conversation Thursday, June 4, 2020, 6:00 pm  (ET)  Webinar sponsored by the Southern Conference of the UCC To attend, contact Jane Smith for the Zoom meeting information   Featured Presenter:  Rev. LaShauna Austria is the Southern Conference Minister for Racial Equality and Justice This webinar is part of the SOC's series Educating, Equipping and Empowering. Here is a bio of Rev. Austria borrowed from the Rotary Club website: LaShauna Austria Executive Director of Benevolence Farms LaShauna grew up in Alamance County. She went to Alexander Wilson, then Southern Middle, then Southern High School. She joined the Army for a short while and then came back to Alamance County. She is married with four children. She is also a pastor for the United Church of Christ in Asheboro and she recently bought land in the southern part of the county to fulfill her dream of becoming a farmer. LaShauna became in...

Congregations for Social Justice will have a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, June 10th from 8:30 to 10 am. The speaker will be Ms Yolanda Taylor. She is a Managing Attorney with Legal Aid of North Carolina Incorporated. For a password to the meeting, please contact Bill Gretsch,  Merrilee Jacobson, or Adrienne Little.  Their contact information is in Breeze.  Or reach Adrienne at ajlittle39@gmail.com.

Living in Community Council’s Response to COVID-19 May 28, 2020 edition New opportunities keep popping up every day, so keep checking the CUCC Online Calendar . Thursday, May 28 CUCC Café – Śānti hosts Friday, May 29 Last day to order your book for "Inspired" study CUCC Café – Bill hosts Saturday, May 30 Conversation and Meditation Sunday, May 31     Pentecost Taizé worship and fellowship Sunday Morning Bible Study - Acts All-ages, traditional worship and fellowship    Wear red for Pentecost   Youth-led worship Youth Sunday School Monday, June 1 Monday Lunch Group COVID-19 Task Force Tuesday, June 2  Office staff meeting Inter-Faith Food Shuttle collection Office staff meeting CUCC Café – Bill hosts Life & Faith Wednesday, June 3 CUCC Café   - Bill hosts Confirmation Choir Thursday, June 4 CUCC Café   - Śānti hosts Deacons Ministry All staff meeting Friday, June 5 CUCC Café   - Bill h...

The last two months have brought challenges to our congregation, our state and our country. During this time of sheltering in place, we’ve discovered that the CUCC community is a vibrant one, even when we can’t be physically together. Thanks to the efforts of many, we’ve experienced meaningful worship, gathered online for small group and ministry meetings, held a virtual auction and said farewell to our interim pastors with a Zoom concert. Now that North Carolina is taking incremental steps to lessen restrictions, the Council has begun discussing what the “new normal” might look like for our community.  A taskforce composed of Mike Cline, Mike Soboeiro and Merrilee Jacobson gathered guidance from medical professionals, governmental agencies and national church bodies to ensure that Council had a wide breadth of information to consider.  At its May 18 meeting, Council held a lengthy discussion and mapped out some initial steps as part of our own “Phase 1” plan. Fi...

On June 2, the Raleigh City Council will be voting on a proposed $80 million affordable housing bond that will impact the city for five years if passed this November.  Congregations for Social Justice (CSJ), of which CUCC is a member, is concerned that the bond does not currently target residents who are most in need of affordable housing.  If you share their concerns, please take two minutes (literally!) to send the letter below via email to Mayor Baldwin, City Council members and their staffs. If you have questions about the bond, please contact CSJ members Adrienne Little (919-781-0829) or Merrilee Jacobson (919-274-4539). Sample letter to be sent to citycouncilmembers@raleighnc.gov and mayorstaff@raleighnc.gov with a copy to councilstaff@raleighnc.gov Dear Mayor Baldwin and Raleigh City Council members, On June 2, please vote in favor of an affordable housing bond that targets our neighbors living at or below 30% of Area Median Income (AMI). I am especially concer...

Join Pastor Lacey as we dive into Rachel Held Evans’ book, Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again , Thursday evenings at 7-8pm from June 11th – July 9th on Zoom. Register here. Order a paperback book here  (part of the registration form). Deadline is Friday, May 29. Cost is about $15; your donation toward the cost would be appreciated.  You may donate here ; choose "Give to Inspired Book Group." If you would prefer an mp3 or Kindle version, you may order that online yourself. “If the Bible isn’t a science book or an instruction manual, then what is it? What do people mean when they say the Bible is inspired? When Rachel Held Evans found herself asking these questions, she began a quest to better understand what the Bible is and how it is meant to be read. What she discovered changed her—and it will change you too.” Questions?  Contact Julie Robertson (contact information is on Breeze)