CUCC Weekly eNews

Our niece, Sabrina Tavernise (daughter of Jo's sister Cindy) was one of the first reporters on the scene in eastern Ukraine when the plane with 298 people on board was shot down on July 17. She was visiting with us the weekend of July 4-6, and left to fly to Ukraine on July 6. While she has written most of the reports from the crash scene which have appeared in the NY Times since July 17, the most poignant commentary she has offered yet is to narrate a slide show of photos taken by Times photographer Mauricio Lima who was on the scene with her. The slide show is attached to the following article ... Effort to Secure Malaysia Airline Crash Site Falters in Eastern Ukraine Or you can go directly to the slide show ... Slide Show The text accompanying the slides was written by Sabrina. She sent me the link this morning.

During the month of August, the Community Outreach Ministry will be collecting school supplies for children supported through PLM Families Together .  Starting August 3, backpacks will be placed in the Narthex and the Vaughan Fellowship Hall.  Please use the school supply list below to help fill the backpacks!  Donations will be taken to PLM Families on August 24, 2014. Items to include in the backpacks are: College Ruled Paper               Graphing Paper             Notebooks 3 ring binders                         Protractors                   Compasses Pencils                                     Highlighters                   Pens Erasers       ...

Party at Glenaire Retirement Community Youth Group - “Human Beans Together” - Sunday, July 27 Inequality for All – Film and Discussion Pray at the Legislature – Tuesdays, 12:30pm-1:00pm Four-Week Summer Series Based on NOOMA Films Help Community Outreach Fill the Packs for PLM Families Together Emergency food bags Due Next Sunday Change Agent Coin Holders Still Available Godspell, Jr Oak City Outreach Center Seeking Volunteers Divestment by World Council of Churches from Fossil Fuels No August Newsletter Party at Glenaire Retirement Community All CUCC people are invited to a party at the Glenaire Retirement Community, 4000 Glenaire Circle, Cary, NC, 27511, on Saturday, July 26, 2014, at 3:00pm, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Ed Klemmer’s birth.  No birthday presents will be accepted.  If you need directions or additional information, call 919-481-3541 or email Ed and Ruth Klemmer at erklemmer@gmail.com. Youth Group - “Human Beans Together” - Sunday, July 27 The Youth nee...

Geri Bowen recently led an evening nature walk along the Neuse River. Here are some photos from that event. The description of the event provided by one of the participants reads as follows: Moonrise over the Neuse River, taken on a sunset nature walk offered by one of our members at the 2014 Family Fun Auction.  We learned to hear the voices of four types of frogs/toads and witnessed a heron take flight and a mysterious water mammal swim into the sunset.

On Tuesday, July 29, 7:30 pm, in the CUCC Sanctuary, the Social Justice Ministry will sponsor a showing of the documentary Inequality for All .  In the film, former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich makes a compelling case about the serious crisis the U.S. faces due to the widening economic gap.  Reich states, “Until we can take a step back and understand the big picture, we can’t do anything to get ourselves out of this mess. Our democracy as we know it depends on it.”  For questions or additional information, contact Joan McAllister.

This letter is to let you know about the recent activities of the Deacons’ Ministry in planning for Steve’s departure at the end of the year. As you know, Pastor Steve on April 27 announced his decision to retire; and in doing so, generously allowed the congregational leadership ample time to plan for a call to a new full- time permanent pastor for Community UCC. The first step was to inform ourselves of the resources and guidance available from the denomination. In May Nora Faust of Eastern North Carolina Association (ENCA) of the Southern Conference, United Church of Church met with Deacons and Church Council members with this information. It is through the auspices of the ENCA Board of Ministry that we will receive referrals and profiles (applications) of candidates – first, for an interim ministry position, and then, for the new CUCC pastorate. The search and call process presented to us in that meeting is described in detail (for all contexts including the relevant one of retiring...

Party at Glenaire Retirement Community Youth:  Church School, Lunch, and Beyond Youth Group - “Human Beans Together” - Sunday, July 27 Earth Sabbath Celebration – Tuesday, July 22, 7:00pm Gardening Therapy at CUCC Pray at the Legislature – Tuesdays, 12:30pm-1:00pm Four-Week Summer Series Based on NOOMA Films Inequality for All – Film and Discussion Godspell, Jr Oak City Outreach Center Seeking Volunteers Divestment by World Council of Churches from Fossil Fuels NEWSLETTER DEADLINE – Wednesday, July 23 Party at Glenaire Retirement Community All CUCC people are invited to a party at the Glenaire Retirement Community, 4000 Glenaire Circle, Cary, NC, 27511, on Saturday, July 26, 2014, at 3:00pm, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Ed Klemmer’s birth.  No birthday presents will be accepted.  If you need directions or additional information, call 919-481-3541 or email Ed and Ruth Klemmer at erklemmer@gmail.com.  Carpooling from CUCC would simplify travel and parking. Yout...

Church Office Closed Tomorrow, July 11, 2014 Four-Week Summer Series Based on NOOMA Films Church Summer School Resumes this Sunday Wednesday Evening Bible Study PFLAG Godspell, Jr Pray at the Legislature – Tuesdays, 12:30pm-1:00pm Oak City Outreach Center Seeking Volunteers Sam and Jack Alcorn Support Affordable Housing with Bike & Build Church Office Closed Tomorrow The Church office will be closed tomorrow, Friday, July 11, 2014.  I will be visiting two of the grandbabies who live down in Leland, NC.  I will be checking email and phone messages throughout the day.  Have a great weekend! Four-Week Summer Series Based on NOOMA Films Joy Alford will be facilitating a short, 4-week, summer series beginning Thursday, July 17, 6:00pm.  We will meet at the church or in the homes of gracious and kind CUCC members.  The discussions will be based on NOOMA films.  NOOMA films are like parables. They are a series of short films, each about 10-15 minutes long that...

I will be facilitating a short summer series which will last 4 weeks.  The group will be a continuation of what I like to call Living our Questions in Living rooms. Depending on the number of interested people—it will either be held at the church or in the Raleigh Living room(s) of gracious and kind CUCC member(s).   The discussions will be based on NOOMA DVDs. Noomas are somewhat like parables. They use the experiences of our lives to teach about the fullness of life through Jesus. Basically, I’d define this as a new format for spiritual formation.  The discussions will tackle issues like relationships, defining God, finding God, and living for God.  We will also cover discipleship, which includes acts of justice, periods of silence and unconditional love. These meaningful discussions will spark relevant questions and biblical references for our exploration. Rob Bell, a leading pastor and breakthrough communicator in the Christian community, is featured in our first...

Jo and I were largely absent from the recent celebrations of Cy King's life and legacy because of travel and family commitments. However, I've kept my ear to the ground and tuned in whenever possible. One of Cy's most endearing features was his willingness to seek common ground with just about anybody if there appeared to be a chance of working for the common good. His outreach toward the President of Mt. Olive Pickle Company was a case in point. His interest in the welfare of workers at the Tar Heel NC plant of Smithfield Foods was another. It wouldn't be appropriate to say that Cy would have sought an alliance with the Devil, but Cy avoided calling anyone a "devil" if he thought he could find some good in them. As far as I know, the last recorded interview anyone did with Cy was the 70-minute interview I recorded in his apartment on January 8, 2013 . His health was beginning to wain by then, but his mind was sharp. And he had no reluctance to comment bluntly...

This edition of Friday Email was distributed as a PDF file. Friday Email for July 4, 2014

Raleigh’s Cy King, a soldier for peace and justice (reprinted from Raleigh News and Observer, July 3, 2014) (This article was also emailed on July 4 by the secretary of the Association of Retired Faculty at NCSU  to all retired faculty and staff with the introductory comment, "Several of you have written to me kindly, with remembrances, in response to Cy King's death, and in case you missed it, I wanted to single-out this fine tribute from yesterday's newspaper, by his close friend, Jim Jenkins,") Even as life was ebbing from the body, the spirit was as strong as ever. Yes, at the very last, Cy King was concerned about getting down to the Legislative Building for another Moral Monday demonstration. He was 92, and his last visit there had been in a wheelchair, but he was ready to go again. It was not to be. Cy died last Wednesday in Raleigh, quietly, with dignity, at home and after a life dedicated to raising awareness of the needs of the less fortunate, the deprivatio...