Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Forum – December 29
Menu of Compassionate Gifts
Loaves and Fishes Chili Sale
Moral Monday Gathering December 23
Prayerful Tuesdays
After Christmas Wish List
Pledges
Church Office Closed
“Epiphany/Babies We Love of 2013” Finger-foods Potluck
Christmas Day 2013 at Central Prison and dinner at the Catholic Worker House
Christmas Cantata and Children’s Christmas Pageant Online
Willie Foggie to Retire
Tai Chi
Christmas Fund
Coverage Under the Affordable Care Act
Christmas Eve Worship Service
Join us for our Christmas Eve Service on Tuesday, Dec. 24, at 5:00pm, followed by a brief fellowship with hot cider.
Forums December 29
December 29 – Hunger in American - A Place at the Table - One Nation, Underfed. (Part 2) 50 million Americans don't know where their next meal is coming from. This documentary tells the powerful story of three Americans who maintain their dignity even as they struggle just to eat. It may change forever how we think about the hungry.
Menu of Compassionate Gifts
Is there someone you plan to give a gift to that doesn't really need yet another gift - family member, neighbor, friend or coworker? How about choosing from our Menu of Compassionate Gifts? Six local charitable organizations have been selected and our menu tells you what your donation might do. The menu is available on the table in the back of the sanctuary and online, too. You will receive cards to give to the recipients of your gifts. So give it some thought; then give gifts that give twice. Contact Gray Woodard or Jeanne Ledbetter for more information.
Loaves and Fishes Chili Sale
It is time to place your orders for meat and veggie chili in freezer containers. We have increased the price of our chili for the first time in seven (7) years. Both meat and veggie will be $12.00 per quart. Please place your orders by Sunday, January 19, 2014, with Shannon Core (919-846-0902) or use the sign-up sheet on the hallway bulletin board. Pick up dates and times will be Friday, January 24, 2014, from 4:00pm -7:00pm, and Saturday, January 25, 2014, 9:00am - Noon at Hudson Memorial Presbyterian Church on Six Forks Road in Raleigh.
Moral Monday Gathering December 23, 4:00pm
People interested in carpooling to the Moral Monday gathering in Raleigh this Monday should meet in the Dixie Trail parking lot by 3:15pm Monday. Please let Joan McAllister know if you want to ride with others so we will know to expect you. This Moral Monday is focusing on the Governor and legislator's refusal to redeem themselves by calling another vote on the extension of Medicaid and restoring unemployment benefits. We are expecting significant participation from all over the state. The event will be downtown, but the location has not been finalized. At the time it was initially planned, the intended destination was the State Capitol. We will confirm this as soon as we hear from the NAACP. Please bring a battery operated candle if you have one. One of our members will have some extras to loan out to those who don't bring them.
Prayerful Tuesdays
Praying for the Poor at the People's House – Gather at the NC State Legislature to pray on Tuesday's from 12:30- 1 pm.
Instructions: Enter the front or back doors. Several of us gather in the front left garden court around a table. Or you may go to one of the four garden corner courts on the main floor. Sit or stand unobtrusively in the garden court, read your Scriptures or Prayer Books and pray. Pray in silence. There will be only limited conversation among participants. If people ask what you are doing, feel free to tell them.
Suggested Scriptures around which to shape your prayers for the poor:
Psalm 146
Isaiah 58:6-12
Luke 1:46-55
Luke 4:16-21
Matthew 25:31-46
For more information about Prayerful Tuesdays, contact Adrienne Little.
After-Christmas Wish List
As you are cleaning up from the holidays, please keep in mind that I can re-use wall calendars of various types for matching and sorting tasks for my students. Also, I have a student who is fascinated by bubble wrap, so I would appreciate any donations. Please leave these items in the robing room through January or give them to Robert or Linda Parrish. Thank You.
Pledges
For those interested in the status of their pledge total to date for 2013, please contact Carol Clark, 919-876-1393 or cdebclark@msn.com.
Church Office Closed
The Church Office will be closed Wednesday, December 25, and Thursday, December 26, due to the Christmas Holiday. Merry Christmas!
“Epiphany/Babies We Love of 2013” Finger-foods Potluck
Every Epiphany Sunday CUCC celebrates "our" babies born the previous year. So whether the new baby is in your home or you are a loving grandparent, aunt/uncle/cousin, etc., we want to celebrate your baby's birth. Tell Jane Smith BY JANUARY 1. Provide the baby's name and relationship to you, the parents' names, the birthdate & place, and send a photo if you have one. On Epiphany Sunday (January 5), we'll celebrate with a “Babies of 2013” display. Remember, everyone, to bring a finger food to share for this Epiphany celebration - no eating utensils will be provided.
Christmas Day 2013 at Central Prison and dinner at the Catholic Worker House
All are invited to the Fr. Charlie Mulholland Catholic Worker House annual Christmas morning witness and caroling at Central Prison at 10:00am. We meet under the railroad trestle on Western Blvd. Enter Boylan Heights through Boylan Ave, plenty of parking on street. We hold a big Merry Christmas sign and bring the only cheer the inmates get on Christmas - the warden does not allow visiting on Christmas to give more guards the day off. Then join us at 4:00pm for our open house potluck Christmas dinner at the Catholic Worker House, 124 Perdue St., Garner, NC. Many come, including the homeless, for a wonderful love-filled gathering. RSVP by email (pmtoneill@aol.com) for dinner or call 919-779-1912. Submitted by Adrienne Little.
Christmas Cantata and Children’s Christmas Pageant Online
For those of you who missed the Children’s Christmas Pageant or the Christmas Cantata, or would like to see them again, Lavon Page has posted the recordings on the CUCC website......www.communityucc.org. You can access them under the Hot Topics section on the top right of the page or under the CUCC Archives section.
Willie Foggie to Retire
Our beloved and loyal custodian, Willie Foggie is retiring at the end of the year. Willie has diligently and faithfully cleaned the church for 15 years. Please show your appreciation for his loyalty by signing his farewell card during fellowship after the worship service. Thank you, Willie, and we all wish you a wonderful retirement.
Tai Chi
There will be no Tai Chi for the next two Wednesdays, December 25 and January 1, due to the Holidays. We hope to see you on Wednesday, January 8, at 9:30am in the Vaughan Fellowship Hall. Have a wonderful Holiday!
Christmas Fund
The Christmas Fund for the Veterans of the Cross and the Emergency Fund is a Special Mission Offering of the United Church of Christ that affords us an opportunity to recognize and honor those who serve the UCC. Christmas Fund offerings provide direct financial assistance to individual UCC clergy and lay employees. CUCC's collection for the Christmas Fund will be made at the 5:00pm Christmas Eve service.
Coverage Under the Affordable Care Act
If you do not have health insurance, or if your insurance coverage is inadequate based on standards set by the Affordable Care Act, you still have until Monday, December 23, to sign up for coverage that will start January 1, 2014. Even if you don’t think the ACA is for you, we urge you to go to the website www.healthcare.gov to see what is available and what a plan would cost. For people ages 18-64 whose income is between 110% and 400% of the poverty guidelines, there are subsidies to help you pay - and the coverage includes free annual checkups, preventative care, vaccinations, prescription coverage, mental health screenings and treatment, emergency room visits, hospitalizations, maternity and infant care, and cancer screenings. If you don’t have access to a computer, you can call 1-855-733-3711 for expert advice and a referral for an appointment to complete the application. If you have Medicare, Medicaid, an adequate and affordable job-based insurance plan, retiree coverage, COBRA or some other types of current medical coverage, you will probably not be eligible since this coverage is intended for uninsured individuals. The income guidelines for subsidies are surprisingly broad. For a family of four, the gross income limit is $23,550 -$94,200. For a family of one, it is $11,490 - $45,960. Even though the insurance choices in N.C. are much narrower than states that expanded Medicaid, it is still worth investigating. The site is up and working well so check it out today! If you miss the deadline for January 1 coverage, apply anyway. Open enrollment extends until March 31, 2014, and the earlier you apply, the sooner your coverage will begin.
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING – The next Congregational Meeting will be Sunday, January 12, Noon, in the Vaughan Fellowship Hall. We will approve the 2014 budget and welcome our new and returning officers and committee/ministry members. Please plan to attend.