CUCC Weekly eNews

(submitted by Shannon Core) Loaves and Fishes Ministry, Inc., a nonprofit organization, Chili Sale is Friday, January 29 and Saturday, January 30. The mission of Loaves and Fishes is to serve as an extended family to a group of at risk children through long-term, individualized support so the children succeed in school and society. Please order your quarts of meat or veggie chili, $10,00 per quart in freezer containers, by January 17, 2010. There is a cap on the amount available so place your orders early with Shannon Core, 846 0902, or on the sign up sheet on the Coming Events bulletin board in the hallway or e-mail Shannon (address in church directory). Pick up your chili at Hudson Memorial Presbyterian Church, 4921 Six Forks Road. Pick up Friday, January 29 (3-7 PM) or Saturday, January 30, ( 9-11 AM). I have been a volunteer with Loaves and Fishes twenty plus years and have witnessed the success of this valuable program .

The complete recording of the Christmas Eve service (5 PM) is now available on the music portion of the Media Projects area of the CUCC website. In previous years we had a "family service" primarily for children at 5 PM, and an adult service at 11 PM. This year the two were merged, and everyone seemed to like the intergenerational focus. An abundance of musicians participated in the service, and this recording captures the spirit of the evening. You can enjoy the service in its entirety, or you can pick and choose among the labeled selections. In addition to the beautiful music provided by a great variety of performers, there's a Christmas story written by Sheila Barrick and read by Sue Cottle, and the pastoral remarks of Pastor Steve Halsted.

Dr. Seuss explains Copenhagen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_RlKxz_ymQ&feature=player_embedded hilarious take on a serious topic.

Epiphany - the day we remember the story of the wise men's search for hope, discovered in a child. Epiphany Sunday, January 3, we'll celebrate the hope incarnate in the children born to us in 2009. Join us after traditional (10:30) worship for Epiphany cake as we thank God for Jesse and Ruth Ann.

Take a look at the fun and fellowship we had at this year's Christmas Party ( 3 short videos ) and then put it on your calendar for next year (2nd Saturday in December). Or if you did make it to this year's party, enjoy a quick reminder of the fun and celebration. (Photos are available via the Photo Gallery link on the home page at communityucc.org .)

I just noticed that Senator Hagan has signed on as a co-sponsor of S.1524 , The Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009 .  This is the bill for which we made a Bread for the World offering of letters in May.  Please send Senator Hagan a quick note of thanks. Have a few extra minutes?  Contact Senator Burr , asking him to join as a co-sponsor.  This bill has bipartisan support because it truly seeks to build accountability for tax dollars spent and to make sure our foreign assistance helps people in need.

CUCC is a founding member of the new LGBT Center of Raleigh.  The Center is inviting LGBT-owned and LGBT-friendly professionals and business owners to be listed for free on their website's Community Resources section. Contact the Center at lgbtcenterofraleigh@gmail.com .

The new members who joined CUCC on December 13. From left: Ida Klages, Annemarie Evans, Marsha Tai.

The video of the Christmas pageant presented by the children of CUCC on Dec. 13 is now available. (There's also a link to it in the "Current Events" box on the home page at communityucc.org .) In keeping with the higher bandwidth that is now commonly available to most Internet users, we're ramping up the quality of the video that will be delivered in the media section of the CUCC website. This video of the 2009 Christmas pageant is higher resolution than we've opted for in the past and supports fullscreen viewing. The 30 minute video is about a 170 megabyte download, but for viewers with standard DSL or cable service, the video should play without significant delay and should play smoothly without stoppages. It does a reasonably recent version of Adobe Flash, but that version is now ubiquitous on PCs and Macs. And Flash now has the ability to display the high resolution videos that Apple's Quicktime has long supported. So the same video may be viewed via Quic

If weatherizing and repairing homes is a ministry you'd enjoy, but you aren't wild about a week with teens , consider one of the Adults Only Weekend trips.  Read more below from our friends Bill and Rosemary Pate from The Prince of Peace Episcopal Church (Apex) - our ASP partner congregation.  Jane Smith can give you their contact information if you have questions.  The Pates are wonderful- caring, organized, witty, passionate about justice.        "Please mark your calendars and save the dates for the following Adult ASP trips. We leave on Thursday morning and return on Sunday afternoon. The cost is $105 per volunteer - scholarships are available. February 4-7, 2010 to the Guyan Valley Center in Brenton, West Virginia   This trip occurs two days after Ground Hog Day and regardless of the ground hog prediction, we are sure that it will be cold in West Virginia for this weekend. Come and see how people in substandard housing survive the cold winters in Appalachia. Voluntee

Link to video at WRAL.: http://www.wral.com/news/education/video/6532140/

The UCC has created a weekly Advent game sheet to print and has links to six simple on-line games that might be fun to explore with your child or grandchild this Advent.

(posted for Santi) Need some time to Christmas shop without the kids? CUCC youth (7th -12th graders) are providing childcare to CUCC children on December 13. For a donation to the youth program (whatever amount they choose), they can receive childcare following worship from 12:00-2:30 p.m. on December 13. We will order pizzas for lunch, play outside (weather permitting), and watch a Christmas video (The Little Drummer Boy). Parents, please contact Santi by email forsanti@aol.com or 919-961-8814 to RSVP with the number and age of children requesting care. Please RSVP by Monday December 7. Also, Santi will need adult helpers if anyone is interested.