CUCC Weekly eNews

On my way to church I stopped in at CVS and got to talking to the clerk, probably 21, about carrying cash. He didn't see a need for it, which led me to ask if he had traveled abroad. He didn't know what "abroad" meant, and it turns out he didn't know anything about the vote in the UK last week. I am not sure he knew what UK and the European Union means, or what a pound is, for that matter. I'm betting he won't vote in November either. I think it is very important for our young people to know about the world in which they live.  Parents, grandparents, friends, how about engaging our young people over a meal?  No lecture or homework assignments, but just conversations about what is happening.  Where do they want to travel?  Do they know where those countries are?  Where have you traveled? And once you start talking about other countries, you can talk about other religions.  And food.  And what is happening in those countries. What ideas do you have for e...

Thanks to Susan Maleszweski and others who contributed to a large and energetic meeting of the Retirees Group on June 20. Click the photo below to view large versions of all photos from this event .

Dorothy Owen passed away on June 16 in Wilkesboro. She was the wife of the late Guy Owen who was author of the acclaimed novel Ballad of the Flim Flam Man . Dorothy's obituary includes multiple references to Community UCC. Two of them read as follows: "The couple caught one of Dylan Thomas' last public readings on one date and later married at the Community Church, a breakaway congregation set up to allow integration when segregation still lingered here in the fifties." "For a time Guy Owen taught at Stetson but after his first novel was hired by NCSU. He had written The Ballad of the Flim-Flam Man at her family homeplace in Wilkes County in the interim while on leave. She typed all his novels as no one else could decipher his handwriting. Settling in Raleigh, she eventually took a job as secretary to the local UCC church, later moving on to acquire a NC Craft Shop with a friend, enjoying the folk art of our state. After Guy Owen's untimely death in 1981, she...

June 24 Edition of Weekly News Index to all editions of Weekly News The online calendar is always available and is always up-to-date. Deadlines to submit articles to the church office (office.cucc@gmail.com): Weekly Newsletter email - TUESDAY by NOON. Sunday bulletin - TUESDAY by NOON.

Back:  crayon art Front:  CUCC's name small on right The CUCC youth have designed colorful t-shirts, and believe us, you don't want to be the only church member without one! Please order yours by filling out the form found on the table at the back of the sanctuary; leave it in the basket there or place it in the box on Śānti's office door in the Pilgrim House. Extras will be ordered, but to ensure that you get your size, please order your shirts by July 31 ! Shirts will be ready for pick-up by August 28. Payment is due when shirts are picked-up. Please do not pay in advance!

Incoming refugee children need new underwear, socks, flip flops and gently used shoes (All sizes, boys and girls)  If you would like to donate any of these items, please place them in the marked box in the Robing Room at church (Last room on the left before the Narthex) and I will take them to Lutheran Services Carolinas.  If you will attach your contact information I will provide donation forms for your taxes.  Thanks!  Joan McAllister

Exploring the Refugee Crisis Wednesday, August 3 and Wednesday, August 10 Dinner is Provided: 6:00 p.m. Program: 6:30-7:30 p.m. Childcare will also be provided, including programming for children, and separate activities for youth. Wave after wave of people keep coming into the US. They’re fleeing war, persecution or hardship, and trying to reach safety and the promise of a better life. What is life like for these refugee individuals and families, what are their needs, and how can we help? This summer and fall, the Religious Education Ministry will offer opportunities to listen, learn, and respond together. Join us for these two Wednesday nights this August as we begin this journey of understanding and compassion.

Adrienne Little sent these invitations for your consideration.  Adrienne represents CUCC's Social Justice Ministry at Congregations for Social Justice meetings. 1 - Raleigh Police Accountability Events from Ivanna Gonzalez On June 29 at 6:30pm,  PACT and community members will honor the memory of Akiel Denkins with a balloon release, led by his mother, Rolanda, marking 4 months since his death. Then, after months of letters, presentations, demonstrations, and dialogue with City Council, the Human Relations Commission, and City staff, the City of Raleigh have committed to implementing written consent-to-search forms and regular reviews of police officer stop-and-search data broken down by race! Come out to a community briefing to hear details of our community's victory from PACT leaders, a workshop on our rights with these changes from legal experts, and a discussion of how we'll keep working toward a Raleigh where police are accountable to the community!    June 30t...

Imagine:  You have grabbed your family and a few possessions and have fled your home and your country.  You have traveled by foot, by train, by dinghy, by any means you could buy and have escaped to freedom.  You have lived for years in a refugee camp, in tents, with others who have fled.  However, you had to maintain your guard to survive the crowding, illness and threats from others.  You are among those who have passed the screening exams to be accepted into the United States.  You imagine a better future for yourself and your family.  The airplane takes you from everything you have known- your profession, your credentials, your language, your neighborhood, your faith community- and you land at Raleigh Durham international airport.  You know that Americans have become increasingly suspicious of refugees, and  you don’t know what to expect.  The agency that is helping you lets you know that within six months you must be independent: em...

June 17 Edition of Weekly News Index to all editions of Weekly News The online calendar is always available and is always up-to-date. Deadlines to submit articles to the church office (office.cucc@gmail.com): Weekly Newsletter email - TUESDAY by NOON. Sunday bulletin - TUESDAY by NOON.

June 9 Edition of Weekly News Index to all editions of Weekly News The online calendar is always available and is always up-to-date. Deadlines to submit articles to the church office (office.cucc@gmail.com): Weekly Newsletter email - TUESDAY by NOON. Sunday bulletin - TUESDAY by NOON.

If you use Gmail and think you are not receiving the weekly church email that Cathy sends out, think again. What's most likely happening is that Gmail is filtering the church email into your "Promotions" category. Look at the tabs above your Inbox and see if you see tabs named "Primary", "Social", and "Promotions". (This classification scheme for incoming mail was introduced in Gmail about 6 months ago as a way of separating out spam from our private email. You can turn this feature off, but most Gmail users find it helpful.) If you haven't been receiving church weekly email in your "Primary" listing, check to see if you find church email in your "Promotions" listing. If so, you can follow a simple step which teaches Gmail to allow your church weekly email to go into your "Primary" listing. The following image shows how to do this ...   Click image to enlarge   If you choose to "always put message from t...

Special events on video from May and June ... New Members (May 15) Pentecost story for children (by Laurel Powell) (May 15) Confirmation 2016 (June 5) Children's story on sharing garden produce (June 5) Congolese Singing (June 5)

May and the abundance of rain has made for a bountiful spring garden at my house. Peas, spinach, lettuce, chard, onions, kohlrabi, turnips, strawberries and blackberries are now coming in as fast as I can pick them. Squash and cucumbers are just around the corner, and I'm counting the days until I can harvest the first tomato. But I am reminded we are called to share our bounty: “When you cut down your harvest in your field, and have forgot a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.” Deuteronomy 24:19 To all my fellow gardeners at CUCC, there is an act of faith you can take to make sure your excess harvest can help those in need: donate your produce to Plant a Row for the Hungry . CUCC has an account and our Sunday School children are already donating. You can drop your produce off at Logan Trading Company, 707 Semart Drive, or at t...

Nancy Callaham and Lavon Page will lead a special Tuesday afternoon Taize' service at 3PM on June 14.  This is in the tradition of the second Tuesday evening Taize' services that ran for a period led by Pastor Steve and then Pastor Peg.  There was a Tuesday afternoon Taize' service at Nancy's house on January 19. Nancy has now expressed an interest in returning the lay-led service to the church sanctuary. Please join us for this resumption of Tuesday Taize' in the church sanctuary. Contact Nancy or Lavon if you have questions or suggestions.

Retirees' Luncheon, Monday, June 20, 10:30AM, Vaughan Fellowship Hall Lena Gallitano will present a program of Flora and Fauna of Tanzania beginning at 10:30AM.  Lunch will begin at 11:45AM. Please RSVP to the church office or Susan Maleszewski so Welcoming, Fellowship and Growth has enough food for all.

Vote, of course, and attend a Raleigh City Council meeting in support of Penny for Housing.  Here's the scoop from Adrienne Little: Wear a white shirt for Penny for Housing You are also invited (urged) to attend the Tuesday, June 7 Raleigh City Council meeting - 7:00 PM - 222 W. Hargett St., Raleigh, 27601 The second item on the agenda is the City Budget Public Hearing.  We will stand in support of Shana Overdorf, the Partnership to End Homelessness and the Penny for Housing. By raising property taxes 1 penny/$100 assessed valuation, the City of Raleigh will have funds to build much-needed affordable housing.  Read the story in the News and Observer . Exerpts:  "The money would pay for 125 more rental units and 10 more homeowner rehabilitation loans."  [That's per year.] "Raleigh property owners currently pay a tax rate of .42 cents for every $100 in assessed value, which equates to about $842 a year for owners of homes valued at $200,000. That figure would jump...

June 2 Edition of Weekly News Index to all editions of Weekly News The online calendar is always available and is always up-to-date. Deadlines to submit articles to the church office (office.cucc@gmail.com): Weekly Newsletter email - TUESDAY by NOON. Sunday bulletin - TUESDAY by NOON.