CUCC Weekly eNews

Did you know that there are adults-only long weekends for Appalachia Service Project?  If you've thought making homes "warmer, safer, drier" is something you would like to do but aren't sure you are ready for a week with our teens or you can't take off from work for a full week, this might be for you. CUCC friends Bill and Rosemary Pate (co-leaders on past CUCC ASP trips) lead periodic trips through their congregation, Christ the King Lutheran Church in Cary.  Here is the invitation from them. "Consider joining the Christ The King  Appalachia Service Project volunteers to Guyan Valley West Virginia to make homes "warmer, safer, drier" on January 28-31, 2016 (Group # 5412) and April 14-17, 2016 (Group # 5413). You can join one of the groups by going  here  and clicking on the "Join an existing group" button and by entering the appropriate Group #. Please contact us if you are interested in these trips. Bill and Rosemary Pate   919-303-7618

December 24, 2015 Weekly News (PDF) - email December 27, 2015 Weekly News  (PDF) - bulletin insert The  online calendar  is always available and is always up-to-date. Newsletters from 2013 and 2014 may be found on the News blog.  Older newsletters  are found in the archive. Deadlines to submit articles to the church office (office.cucc@gmail.com): Weekly News email  and  Sunday bulletin  - WEDNESDAY by 9:00 AM. N ewsletter  - WEDNESDAY  following the Church Council meeting  by 2:00 PM.  (The Church Council meets the 3rd Monday of the month, so the deadline is the Wednesday following the third Monday of the month.  Check the  calendar .)

This morning (Christmas morning) I awoke and opened an email message from Karen Withem written at 3:44 AM. Her message said, "Hey Lavon, no urgency on this regarding this article from N&O... but it may be of interest to the interfaith committee at CUCC. Would it make sense to pass it along to the appropriate person(s)?" So I'm posting Karen's link as the top contestant for "first thought of the day" on Christmas Day (since most of us aren't up before 4 AM on Christmas Day). http://www.newsobserver.com/news/state/article51356155.html

TradeUP:  A Societal Simulation January 31 from 12:30 to 3:30PM Fellowship Hall Ages 12 years and older All spots are filled. Registration required (maximum of 24 players) - contact the office (919-809-8850) or  Śānti Matthews  (education.cucc@gmail.com) Sponsored by the Economic Justice Task Force This is your invitation to set aside the afternoon of January 31, 2016, to join in an intergenerational simulation game we are calling "TradeUP."  The game is a fun and informative way to understand some of teh contemporary dynamics of American society--its economic and political patterns and how power is appropriated.  The game is experiential in nature and requires a three-hour commitment to properly engage in and de-brief.  There is a maximum of 24 players ( all spots are full ) and those 12 years and older are welcome.  For more information, contact Mac Hulslander or  Śānti Matthews.

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. Contact Cathy Marshall at the church office (919-809-8850 or office.cucc@gmail.com) BY DECEMBER 30th.  Provide the baby's name and relationship to you, the parents' names, the birthdate and place, and send a photo if you have one.  On Epiphany Sunday (January 3rd), we'll celebrate with a "Babies of 2015" display during our regular fellowship time.

On December 20, 2015, members of the church were led by Anne Moorman-Smith to sing carols at the retirement center across the street. Here's a 90 second excerpt. This video is also located in the CUCC Archive .

Community Outreach Ministry suggests that you give the perfect gift on behalf of people you love to people who need it the most. You can find people in need right in our own community. Please consider a gift to one of the organizations that COM supports: Urban Ministry Center Loaves and Fishes Method Child Development Center InterAct FIGS Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC Women's Center Emmaus House PLM Families Together From COM, a big, big thank you! 

On December 20, 2015, the CUCC Choir provided the bulk of the program for the 10:30 worship service. Six separate musical selections performed by the choir were spread throughout the service. They are merged here into a single video (18 minutes). Enjoy! This video is also included at a permanent location in the CUCC Archive .

December 18, 2015 Weekly News  (PDF) The  online calendar  is always available and is always up-to-date. Newsletters from 2013 and 2014 may be found on the News blog.  Older newsletters  are found in the archive. Deadlines to submit articles to the church office (office.cucc@gmail.com): Weekly News email  and  Sunday bulletin  - WEDNESDAY by 9:00 AM. N ewsletter  - WEDNESDAY  following the Church Council meeting  by 2:00 PM.  (The Church Council meets the 3rd Monday of the month, so the deadline is the Wednesday following the third Monday of the month.  Check the  calendar .)

(The Economic Justice Task Force sent the letter below to the Wake County Commissioners. This information submitted by Śānti Matthews.)

(This video has also been permanently placed in the CUCC Archive .)  The 2015 Christmas pageant was presented on December 13 by a large cast of children, a few adults, and one baby. The Christmas pageant is a long-standing tradition at CUCC, and the director for the production again this year was Anne Bailey Zschau. The production for this season ran about 26 minutes long, and is shown here in its entirety.

Having trouble reconciling what you are hearing on the news with your preparations for Christmas?  Joan McAllister asked me to post a link to this story with some specific suggestions for your Advent practice.   How to celebrate Christmas when everything feels wrong  by Lenora Rand Questions or want to discuss what you decided to do?  Talk to Joan.

December 11, 2015 Weekly News  (PDF) The  online calendar  is always available and is always up-to-date. Newsletters from 2013 and 2014 may be found on the News blog.  Older newsletters  are found in the archive. Deadlines to submit articles to the church office (office.cucc@gmail.com): Weekly News email  and  Sunday bulletin  - WEDNESDAY by 9:00 AM. N ewsletter  - WEDNESDAY  following the Church Council meeting  by 2:00 PM.  (The Church Council meets the 3rd Monday of the month, so the deadline is the Wednesday following the third Monday of the month.  Check the  calendar .)

December Newsletter  (PDF) The  online calendar  is always available and is always up-to-date. Newsletters from 2013 and 2014 may be found on the News blog.  Older newsletters  are found in the archive. Deadlines to submit articles to the church office (office.cucc@gmail.com): Weekly News email  and  Sunday bulletin  - WEDNESDAY by 9:00am. N ewsletter  - WEDNESDAY  following the church council meeting  by 2PM.  (The Church Council meets the 3rd Monday of the month, so the deadline is the Wednesday following the third Monday of the month.  Check the  calendar .)

Saturday, December 12, 1-3 pm Vaughan Fellowship Hall at CUCC Bring signs and wear green if you can! Join us as we gather the day after the Paris climate talks end in solidarity and with the energy of thousands of people across the world sending a message that the people are committed to a just climate future and leading the way to a 100% renewable transition! We will hear from speakers about solar energy and learn about actions we can take to help North Carolina move away from fossil fuels. There will be a time for reflection, when people will be given paper to write thoughts on: what are you doing to keep fossil fuels in the ground, or what are you doing to transition to renewable energy, or what are you doing for peace, or what are you doing for justice, for fair wages, for voting rights, for clean water, for regenerative food, for healthcare and more. We’ll take those pieces of paper and put them in a pot filled with dirt to be composted in the children's Plant-a-Row for the Hu

The annual Children's Christmas Pageant will be presented during 10:30 worship on Sunday, December 13. To jog your memory of past pageants, you can check out the collection of past photos and videos at the CUCC Archive .

Tuesday, December 15, 7:00 PM, Sanctuary With quiet meditation available from 6:30-7:00. Pause and rest from the frantic holiday pace and settle into Advent waiting. Reconnect with the Divine—”Be still and know”.

Saturday, December 12, open from 10:00AM - Noon at CUCC. What does it mean to wait for the Divine to arrive? We no longer have to wait for much in this world, what are we missing when we don’t slow down enough to feel the Holy Darkness? Are we able to sense the birth of new Light?  Can we hear the Angels? What in YOU is waiting to emerge? Come to an open house style experience of Advent Waiting. Leave the frantic world behind for a little while and enter into the wonder of Advent through art, scripture, written word, silence, or discussion. Go at your own pace, and leave when you’re ready.

December 4, 2015 Weekly News  (PDF) The  online calendar  is always available and is always up-to-date. Newsletters from 2013 and 2014 may be found on the News blog.  Older newsletters  are found in the archive. Deadlines to submit articles: Weekly News email - TUESDAY by 2:00pm. N ewsletter  - WEDNESDAY following the church council meeting .  (The Church Council meets the 3rd Monday of the month, so the deadline is the Wednesday following the third Monday of the month.  Check the calendar .) Bulletin  - WEDNESDAY by 9:00am.  

Sunday, December 6 , 9:30AM   Intergenerational Forum “Fear Not" How did Mary manage to say "Yes" despite her fears? We will explore together what gifts and traits Mary brought, what gifts and traits we each bring, and how we can draw from them all, as we experience the mystery of Advent, and the uncertainties in the world. Come be encouraged, affirmed, and appreciative of the power of our faith, and the strength of our community. Sunday, December 13,  9:30AM In the midst of our "Fear Not" theme, we will continue our exploration of our biases and our privelege. Sunday, December 20, 9:30AM We will discuss ways we can best help individuals who have been recently released from incarceration. Sunday, December 27,  9:30AM Our own Carson Roach-Howell will show us some of the movies he has been creating while at UNC-W and tell us how they connect to his years growing up at CUCC.  To get a taste of what you will hear and see, read what Carson wrote Community UCC:  My S

(Note: This post refers to the UU Fellowship in Raleigh, but the film will be shown at the UU Fellowship on Watkins Rd. which is located about midway between Wake Forest and Knightdale. The address is included in the poster you view when you click the link in the post.  -- Lavon) We received this invitation from the Unitarian Universalist Peace Fellowship in Raleigh. Greetings Rev Nowling Williams: I'm a playwright from Rocky Mount, NC--and a short film version of my play, You Wouldn't Expect , will be screened at the UU PEACE Fellowship on December 20th at noon.  This film recounts the horrific experiences of one of the almost 8,000 victims of the NC Eugenics Program. I would like to personally extend a welcome to you and any of your members to join us for the screening and discussion of the film. Thanks, and best to you. Marilynn Barner Anselmi