CUCC Weekly eNews

Prayers for Creation:   Come early (any time after 4:00pm), and beat the traffic! The park gates close at 8:00pm, and no one is permitted in or out after that time. Please plan on joining us until 7:30pm, and then make your way out, or count on spending the night!   If you are coming for the evening only please bring:   warm clothes, a side dish to share with dinner, and a camp chair. If you are spending the night, please bring:   warm clothes (it will be cold overnight!), a side dish to share with dinner, a camp chair, socks & comfortable shoes for walking/playing, a sleeping bag, pillow, bug spray, a flashlight, toiletries (there are sinks, but no showers), necessary medications. Directions:   William B. Umstead State Park is located in Wake County between Raleigh and Durham. Camp Lapihio is in the Crabtree Creek section which is located 10 miles northwest of Raleigh off US 70. The park visitor’s center is also located in this section. F...

We're collecting items a family will need as they move from homelessness into housing - things like soap, toothbrushes, a broom. There are posters in the Narthex and Fellowship Hall with post-it notes with items needed for welcome baskets for these families. Please take a note or two and bring the item back to the church by April 28th .   Contact Gray Woodard with questions. - submitted for Community Outreach Ministry

I t’s time again to enjoy baseball with the Durham Bulls on Friday, June 14, 7:05pm.   Durham will be playing Indianapolis.   Adult reserve tickets for the game are $8.99.   Children under twelve are $7.99.   These tickets are going fast so please sign up no later than Friday, May 24 th,    noon through the church office (919-787-6422) .   Community UCC will purchase the tickets for those who sign up for the game.   Please reimburse the church by placing a check in the offering plate with the notation “Durham Bulls” on the memo line.   We’ll meet at the church on Friday, June 14 th at 5:45pm. From there we will carpool to Durham.   Please call Robert Parrish at 919-616-1606 if you have any questions.   Let’s have a wonderful evening of fun and fellowship together as we experience Durham Bulls baseball.   A Gathering of Friends event - submitted for Welcoming, Fellowship and Growth

The rededication of RICH Park will be on Saturday, May 4th at 11:00am .   It will take place at Rich Park (555 Method Road).   All are invited. What is RICH Park? In 1968, Raleigh InterChurch Housing was born with the dream of creating low cost housing where anyone could live without regard to race. Five congregations - three black and two white - joined together to utilize a federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program to build 100 apartment units on Method Road. In 2008, RICH Park Housing celebrated 40 years of ministry. With the end of the HUD program, RICH Park continues to provide low cost housing in a mixed income development. The consortium of five congregations has rededicated themselves to providing oversight through a professional property management company. An on-site manager organizes a variety of programs for residents. RICH Park Housing Congregations Community United Church of Christ Cosmopolitan Baptist Church Davie Street Presbyterian Church ...

The final First Wednesday Potluck for this half of the year will be on Wednesday, May 1, 2013, 6:30pm, VFH.     Let’s enjoy our culinary creations in an atmosphere of gentle fellowship.   All are welcome. A Gathering of Friends event  - submitted for Welcoming, Fellowship and Growth Ministry

Did you miss the invasive plant work day at Mitchell's Mill State Natural Area two weeks ago? Did you enjoy it so much you'd like to come again? Want more hours you can count for 4/1 Earth? I'm thinking of doing another trip this coming Saturday afternoon - April 27. Please let me know if you are interested. Posted for Mike Schafale

Our colleagues throughout the community have asked us to extend a warm welcome to each of you to attend any of these special celebrations. Climate Convergence on Raleigh  Events April 20-21   " On April 20th-21st, 2013, people from all walks of life will converge in our state's capitol to demonstrate the need for sane and ​ substantive  discourse on the  ​ challenges caused by  ​ climate  change. " Community Conversations on Climate Change  at  St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church .   Sunday, April 28, 2013, 6:30-8:30 pm How Can Our Christian Faith Guide Our Response to Climate Change? Monday, May 6, 2013, 7:00-9:00 pm The State of Climate Change Science and Policy Wednesday, May 29, 2013, 7:00-9:00 pm Individual and Political Climate Change Solutions: What Can You Do? "A Sense of Wonder"  May 10 movie and potluck, 6-9pm.  Movie based on an award-winning play about Rachel Carson (Lena said the play was terrific).  ...

In collaboration with Carol Kepler, I have created an auxiliary page on this blog to publicize the church auction. You'll see it in the right sidebar under "Pages" where it will remain until after the auction has taken place. Anyone in the church who wishes to help publicize the upcoming auction is welcome to use a link to this page for general publicity purposes.  Church Auction Publicity

Saturday, April 20, 6:30 pm  The CUCC Family Fun Auction is coming up on Saturday, April 20, and we need you to help make it a success! The auction is an annual fundraiser for CUCC. Would you consider donating an item to the auction? Examples of past auction items include: * Garden plants  * Weekends at the beach, lake or mountains  * Hand-made pottery, quilts, jewelry and original artwork * A morning of bird-watching & lunch  * Therapeutic massage  * Day trips to fun destinations. A geology field trip or a hike at a state park * Pet-sitting, Babysitting, Yard work, Handyman, and Computer services  * Brunches, lunches, dinners  * Delicious homemade cakes, pies, jams, etc.  Please contribute your time, talents or treasure to this wonderful annual event. To make a pledge, call the office and let them know the item, the minimum bid, any conditions (date, maximum/minimum number of people, etc.), AND whether you will be attending the auction. Pleas...

The Property Ministry has scheduled an ALL DAY WORKDAY for Saturday, April 13. This will be an outside workday, and we will be weeding and cleaning up the compost area and readying it for a rain garden. Lunch will be served (probably pizza). Trucks are needed for hauling off debris from the compost area. This is an excellent opportunity for families to get outside with the kids. There are lots of pine cones to pick up and pine straw to rake and bag. Please come and help make our church grounds beautiful and enjoy camaraderie with our CUCC family.  The Property Ministry asks all people who attend meetings or other functions at CUCC to please turn off lights and check doors to make certain they are locked before leaving the property.  - Submitted by Nancy Stoddard  PS  These hours will count toward your Mission 4/1 Earth tally.

CUCC youth are organizing a camping trip to Umstead Park on April 26 ! Join us for any of the following: dinner, games for all ages, a camp fire, and cabin camping. Signup sheet with details will be in the narthex beginning April 7 .  Your time camping will count toward your Mission 4/1 Earth hours. - for the Youth Group A Gathering of  Friends event

Rituals and Resources for Teaching Faith at Home: We'll meet on Sunday, April 14, 5-7pm at the home of Laurel Powell and Richard Nicholl . Our special guest is Santi Matthews, CUCC Youth Leader, who will answer questions about what to expect for your children as they grow up at CUCC.   Bring a dish your children enjoy and a toy for your children to share while they play. Contact Jane Smith to learn in which home we are meeting.  - posted for the Rituals and Resources group A Gathering of Friends event

Have you ever had someone tell you, or perhaps told yourself, that "You're not talented enough to…”   “You can't…”   “You're too old to…”   “Who do you think you are?" or "You're not good enough to..."? These statements may come from a "Creativity Monster" that bashes your artist within.   This month's SIS meeting on Tuesday, April 30th , may just be for YOU!! We'll visualize our individual creativity monsters on paper or in sculpture form, and destroy them or tame them and make them our mascots. If you have some items in your home you'd like to recycle or repurpose by making them part of a "monster,” bring them with you. We'll also have paper, crayons, glue and other tools available. All female artists and non-artists in the church are welcome to come and play. Bring a dish to share for our potluck at 7:00pm , and then we'll enter into our imaginings! If you have toiletries to donate to the women’s shelt...

As part of the 4/1 Earth initiative, I am organizing an expedition to remove invasive plants from Mitchell's Mill State Natural Area. This site is near Rolesville, just northeast of Raleigh, about a 30 minute drive from the church. This would be a great opportunity to spend some hours caring for the Earth. While it's mainly a service trip, we will take time to see the distinctive granitic flatrock communities that make Mitchell's Mill one of the most ecologically significant sites in the state. Spring is the best time to see them. Learning counts towards 4/1 Earth too. Please let me know if you are interested in coming, and which of these dates you would come: April 6 - morning and/or afternoon (this Saturday!) April 7 - afternoon April 20 - morning and/or afternoon (church auction in the evening) April 21 - afternoon May 5 - afternoon I'll pick the one that suits the most people. You don't have to stay for the whole time. Contact Mike Schafale if you are interested...