CUCC Weekly eNews

CUCC's  Open and Affirming Task Force  (ONATF) invites the people of CUCC to sign a letter thanking Governor McCrory for his veto of the Magistrates Recusal for Civil Ceremonies (SB2) . On Sunday, June 7, after worship, Suzette Roach will be at a table in the fellowship hall with a letter for your signature (for letter text, see below).  Although the ONATF does not know if the NC General Assembly will override the governor's veto, we think it is important to thank him for his action. On Thursday, May 28, Governor McCrory issued the following  statement : "I recognize that for many North Carolinians, including myself,  opinions on same-sex marriage come from sincerely held religious beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman. However, we are a nation and a state of laws. Whether it is the president, governor, mayor, a law enforcement officer, or magistrate, no public official who voluntarily swears to support and defend the Constitution and to discha...

Pastor Peg invites you to meet her friend, the Rev. Alison  Phillips Robuck*, and hear about the “Healing Oils of the Bible,” August 25 at 6:30 pm in Vaughn Fellowship Hall Have you ever wondered about the gifts of the Wise Men?  Gold would be an appropriate gift for a king…but Myrrh and Frankincense?  Why those?  What value did they hold?  Why did David request that God purge him with Hyssop?  Why was he so specific?  Hyssop…the very same herb upon which Jesus would be offered vinegar to drink while upon the cross.  What is so special about Hyssop?  And didn’t Solomon deliberately build his palace of Cedarwood?  Would not a different wood have worked just as well? There are more than 600 references to essential oils in the Bible.  Based on Dr. David Stewart’s book, Healing Oils of the Bible , we will discover the healing qualities and purposes of plants given to us…from the very beginning of Creation.  Come and experience the ...

Pentecost is the celebration of the birth of the Church.  We celebrate the gift of God's Spirit to each of us and to the Church for our work together telling/acting the story of God's love. By tradition, on Pentecost Sunday the Church decorates with the color red to remind us of the Spirit's presence as tongues of fire on that first Pentecost .  Pr. Peg has invited us to wear red this Pentecost - to worship, and throughout the day. Wear red Sunday, May 24!

Everyone gets there (older) sooner or later - if you are lucky!  What do we know about this particular stage in life?  What do we need to learn?   How do we navigate this territory?  Join us at Forum this Sunday, May 17, 9:15AM in an informal conversation as we share our thoughts about the challenges, blessings, questions and opportunities on this journey. - submitted by Shirley Birt

From the Intentional Interim Pastor Congratulations to Robert Parrish Clay Pots Needed for Garden Irrigation Wake Federation of the Blind Yard Sale Triangle Hands Across the Sand: Say Yes to Clean Energy! Youth Fundraising Brunch – Sunday, May 17 Forum 1st Tuesday Taizé is now 3rd Tuesday Taizé Fracking Stories: Tuesday, May 26, 7:00pm, CUCC Newsletter Deadline Relief Efforts in Nepal From the Intentional Interim Pastor "Taize is an ecumenical sung and silent participatory prayer service designed to achieve a contemplative state through music, song and silence." http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/taize.htm Dear Friends, I believe in worship.  I believe that worshiping together is the central focus of the church.  I believe that worship feeds our souls and prepares us to do the work of Jesus out the in the world.  It brings us into community and then sends us out to be the hands, feet and voices of God. Worship for me has many facets.  This past Sunday was a perf...

From your intentional interim May 14, 2015 "Taize is an ecumenical sung and silent participatory prayer service designed to achieve a contemplative state through music, song and silence." http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/taize.htm Dear Friends, I believe in worship.  I believe that worshiping together is the central focus of the church.  I believe that worship feeds our souls and prepares us to do the work of Jesus out the in the world.  It brings us into community and then sends us out to be the hands, feet and voices of God. Worship for me has many facets.  This past Sunday was a perfect example of how many voices bring us together.  The children sang.  Three young men led us in a Radical Mother’s Day litany, and a young woman brought the children’s message. You could feel the energy. It is my opinion that worship must have energy.  I don’t necessarily mean drums, clapping and dancing energy, but the energy that comes from the movement of the ...

In April the Social Justice Ministry (SJM) asked the congregation what social justice organizations and ideas we support with our time (volunteer or employed) and our money.  Read the  poll results .  The information is also posted on the wall in the fellowship hall.

From the intentional interim pastor May 6, 2015 "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." Mark Twain             How is that for something to think about?             In a few hours I’ll be heading to the eye doctor for my first appointment since moving to North Carolina.  Ken has already visited the practice and he liked them, so all is well. Eye exams are important. I’ve been wearing glasses since I was 12 years old.  I had headaches and the eye doctor discovered that I am near-sighted and have astigmatism.  If you aren’t familiar with “astigmatism” here is the definition:  “ An irregular shaped cornea or lens prevents light from focusing properly on the retina, the light sensitive surface at the back of the eye. As a result, vision becomes blurred at any distance” (from the American Op tometric Association). Apparently most of ...

From the Intentional Interim Pastor Forum Children will Sing & Youth will Provide Children’s Message this Sunday Durham Bulls Baseball! – Deadline to RSVP is Monday, May 11th Life& Faith in Downtown Raleigh Economic Justice Task Force Meeting, May 13 Moral Wednesdays (formally Moral Mondays) Sisters in Spirit Wake Federation of the Blind Yard Sale Youth Fundraising Brunch – Sunday, May 17 1st Tuesday Taizé is now 3rd Tuesday Taizé Our First “Jobs for Life” Graduates! Scroll down for additional information on the above topics (For information on all upcoming topics, go to:   communityucc.org ) From the Intentional Interim Pastor May 6, 2015 "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." Mark Twain How is that for something to think about? In a few hours I’ll be heading to the eye doctor for my first appointment since moving to North Carolina.  Ken has already visited the practice and he liked them, so all is well. Eye exams are important. I’...

The “Jobs for Life” program we announced last fall has just graduated its first students.  The course, sponsored by our Economic Justice Task Force, teaches unemployed and underemployed people basic job skills that will improve their career opportunities and their lives. The course was held at Loaves & Fishes and most of the students were former LAF students and parents. Over eight weeks, the classes covered such issues as conflict resolution, identifying career goals, writing a resume, interviewing skills and identifying and overcoming roadblocks.  We invited a number of businesspeople to the class to give real-world insights about the careers the participants were seeking.CUCC members who volunteered were Shirley Birt, Susan Lane, Adrienne Little, Joan McAllister, Robert Parrish. Jane Smith,  Edith Sylla, Laura Upchurch and Kathy Widenhouse. The feedback we received from the students was extremely  positive and enthusiastic.   We will stay in touch with th...

Joan McAllister, on behalf of the pastoral transition team, asked me to put together some information from the CUCC Archive that will give the transition team an overview of the church history over the past 50-60 years. The documents and media files listed here constitute a stab at doing that. -- Lavon Page (May 5, 2015) This list of resources reflects what we have in our archive. It does not pretend to present a balanced overview of the church. "Spiritual growth" efforts don't get documented in the same manner as social justice initiatives. So our archive is lean in that area. The "Remembrances" and the  "100th Anniversary Scrapbook" contain lots of photos that paint the human side of the church. The other scrapbook you'll see references to is of great value as well, but since it was assembled around 1960 you won't learn anything from it that pertains to the last 50 years. Origins of church slogan Peggy Hoffmann's history of the 19...

Edith Sylla, the CUCC Historian, has written the following description of the historical relationship between CUCC and OCWM. This document is also permanently located in the CUCC Archive under the Documents tab. CUCC and OCWM  - written by Edith Sylla, May 2015

May 2015 Newsletter (PDF) The  online calendar  is always available and is always up-to-date. Newsletters from 2013 and 2014 may be found on this page.  Older newsletters  are found in the archive.

Volunteer at the St. Paul's Country Fare Restaurant at the NC State Fair! October 15-25 Pencil in a shift NOW CUCC has taken on some big new ministries (including our new full-time Youth and Adult Education staff person). St. Paul’s Christian Church (our friends from Maundy Thursday worship) has invited us to join them at their St. Paul’s Country Fare restaurant at the NC State Fair.  We will receive a percentage of the proceeds depending on the percentage of volunteers we provide.   More than a country-style food restaurant, this 50+ year old ministry is “a wonderful outreach to show how Christians work together for a common a good.”  The restaurant provides a safe place to sit out of the elements, comfy and familiar fair foods, and smiling faces.  I volunteered for a shift last fall and thoroughly enjoyed the people from St. Paul’s and from their scout troop on that evening’s shift.  Who knew scrubbing industrial sized pots could be so much fun? Volunteer...

Join us for discussion about these topics at the Sunday Morning Forum , 9:15-10:15 in the Fellowship Hall. May 10th - Discussion on education and solving problems in the public education system.   Hosted by Deborah Lipman - M.Ed. candidate, Concordia University May 17th - So what do you think about growing older?  Everyone gets there (older) sooner or later - if you are lucky!  How do we navigate this unexplored territory?  What do we know about this particular stage in life?  What do we need to learn?  Join us in an informal conversation as we share our thoughts about the challenges, blessings, questions and opportunities for this special journey. Conversation facilitated by Shirley Birt, who is growing older. May 24th - Human Trafficking 101 - Modern day slavery.  Hosted by Janna Lipman, co-founder of Anka Rising . - submitted by Todd Lipman for Christian Education Ministry

Yesterday in worship, Pr. Peg invited us to read all of Acts this week to imagine what the "missional church" looked like in the beginning days of the early church.  In Pr. Peg's words, the "missional church" is "the church out there" - doing God's work in the world.  Whether through our work, in our neighborhoods, through volunteering - how are we serving? The Social Justice Ministry just asked us the same question, sort of, with a survey of congregational members to learn what justice groups we support, where we volunteer, and what community needs are important to us.  You can see those results on the wall of the Fellowship Hall. At the congregational meeting, Mac Hulslander wondered whether our new staff person for Youth and Adult Education might help us individually discern our calls and support us together in ministry in the world. And of course, the congregation as a whole is entering a time of discernment about our future in ministry during ...

Many thoughtful people believe that our current economic system is broken. We continue to witness the stress and suffering left in the path of "Our Great Recession." What do faith communities have to say about this brokenness? How can we respond, not to just the immediate needs, but to the unjust structural systems which perpetuate inequality, lack of opportunity and hopelessness? The list of concerns is extensive and critical: wealth inequality, livable wages, wage theft, worker benefits, on-call worker scheduling, safety in the workplace, misclassifying workers, fair retirement plans with qualified financial advisers, job training, access to education, student debt, child care, unfair tax laws, reforming financial institutions, fair financial services for our low income population, protecting consumers, payday loans, food insecurity, poverty in our schools and our community, affordable housing, health care, influence of money in politics and on decision making, etc. However...

CUCC Youth will prepare and serve a delicious brunch (made with local ingredients) in the fellowship hall after the 10:30am worship on Sunday, May 17! Don't miss this chance to fellowship with the church family while helping us raise funds for BYC summer youth church camp. Suggested donation: $10 per plate for youth and adults $5 for school age children up to 5th grade Free for preschool kids All are welcome - reservations are not required. We are focusing our brunch on local foods, much of which is vegetarian.*  We are serving family style, so every table will have the same food on it: one quiche, one basket of muffins, one bowl of grits, one bowl of strawberries, one plate of sausage links, one pitcher of lemonade, and one pitcher of water, and one basket for donations.  People will seat themselves at tables and pass the food at their tables family-style. Coffee drinkers will have to fix their own coffee at a separate coffee service table. Brunch menu: quiche made with local...