CUCC Weekly eNews

ADVENT CELEBRATION! EVERYONE IS INVITED!!! Please join us in the fellowship hall on December 2 at 2:00pm to decorate the Christmas tree and stuff stockings for needy children in our community. As always, the ornaments for the tree will be made by the children on Thanksgiving weekend and the youth will provide our tree. Please bring a small new toy (stocking size) for a child  (infant-12 years) and a plate of cookies to share. 

The Psalms of Advent  Psalm 25:1-5 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.  O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. —— Waiting seems to be a metaphor in my life. As a child I waited to grow up, and sometimes felt like I was trapped in the facade of childlikeness though miles away in my mind contemplating the burdens of an adult world. As a teen I waited to find my place in the world eager for the next step, somehow certain that just over the horizon was a pot of "golden sense" waiting for me that would align all my mismatched stars and I would finally feel at home in this big, changing, and uncertain world. As an adult I waited for the day I would feel

Lectionary for the Week of December 2, 2018   - First Sunday of Advent (Year C) Violet 0r Blue Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-10; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36 First Night of Hanukkah

Sunday  12/02       9:00am Nursery provided   9:00am   Taizé Worship – Sanctuary     9:30am   Adult Series: “Practicing Contemplation in Advent” - Bradow Room 10:00am   Youth Choir Rehearsal - Sanctuary 1 0:30am Worship with Communion - Sanctuary 10:45am Children’s Sunday School - Sunday School Rooms 11:45am Fellowship - Vaughan Fellowship Hall 12:00pm Mexico Mission Trip Team Meeting - Hoffmann Room 12:00pm Social Justice Ministry Meeting - Bradow Room   2:00pm Church-wide Family Advent Celebration - Vaughan Fellowship Hall   4:00pm Covenant Community - Bradow Room Food Bags Due 1st Sunday Monday 12/03   12:15pm Monday Lunch Group - Hoffmann Room   Tuesday 12/04 10:00am Office Staff Meeting - Pilgrim House Wednesday 12/05      9:30am Tai Chi – Vaughan Fellowship Hall   6:00pm Bible Study - Pilgrim House   7:00pm Choir Practice - Sanctuary    Thursday 12/06     5:30pm CUCC Staff Meeting - Pil

Support Those Seeking Asylum Tear gas was fired at families, women and children seeking asylum at the US border this week. This latest act of violent aggression on those legally seeking refuge and asylum is both immoral and illegal. It is just the latest in the fear mongering and escalation of attacks on immigrants and asylum-seeking families. As people of faith, we are faced not with a border crisis but a moral crisis. The current policies and practices of the Administration on the asylum process and immigration directly contradict our Scriptural teachings. We must give voice to our faith and calling – to stand with the most vulnerable. The United States has the moral and legal obligation to accept asylum seekers wherever they present themselves and we have the resources and foundational assets available to receive and welcome those seeking asylum. Those seeking asylum have not and do not represent a crisis. Each day and with each new appalling measure the Administration takes to

CUCC is joining West Raleigh Presbyterian, Pullen Memorial and Fairmont UMC for a meal and  gathering of gratitude and fellowship on Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 6:00pm. This year a group of Syrian women will be preparing a delicious traditional Syrian meal. This is a FREE event sponsored by our neighborhood congregations; we hope to see you there! Please register ahead of time, so that the host church (Pullen Memorial) can adequately prepare for your arrival. You can also register by  emailing  covery@pullen.org .  

Sisters in Spirit (SIS) SIS will be at Marty Lamb's house at 415 Calvin Road  this month on Thursday November 29th at 6:40 PM for potluck and "Table Talk." Great place to bring Thanksgiving leftovers  or other surprises. All women of the church are welcome! We also welcome your donations of toiletry items for the Women’s shelter.

CHILDREN'S ADVENT CELEBRATION! EVERYONE IS INVITED!!! Please join us in the fellowship hall on December 2 at 2:00pm to decorate the Christmas tree and stuff stockings for needy children in our community. As always, the ornaments for the tree will be made by the children on Thanksgiving weekend and the youth will provide our tree. Please bring a small new toy (stocking size) for a child  (infant-12 years) and a plate of cookies to share. 

Dear Friends, As we enter a season of gratitude, many of us will sit around tables with family and friends with whom we have shared a lifetime. For some of us this time will be filled with joyous laughter and heartfelt connections, and for others of us this time only reinforces the disconnect we feel, and reminds us of loss and pain. My prayer for each of you is that no matter what you bring with you to the table, or what awaits you when you walk through that door, that you will walk the path of life, and allow Spirit to lead you in the way of blessing. With Gratitude, Jenny Shultz-Thomas The Blessingway Written by Talitha Arnold, November 18, 2018, reprinted from ucc.org "You show me the path of life." - Psalm 16:11 "We must remember the worlds our ancestors traveled," writes Luci Tapahanso, the Poet Laureate of the Din é (Navajo) people. "Always wear the songs they gave us… Remember we are made of prayers. Now we leave, wrapped