CUCC Weekly eNews

Pastor’s Letter C U LT I VAT E |  H O LY W E E K Tell me again.  Tell me again to cultivate new life—         a life where I believe in myself, a life where, dare I say, I love myself.  Tell me again to cultivate new life—        a life of dancing in the kitchen and slow cups of coffee;         a life where Sabbath is viewed as a gift as opposed to a luxury;         a life where I trust my own voice and speak words dripping in hope, heavy in love.  Tell me again.  Tell me again because I will forget.  Tell me again because change has never come easy.  Tell me again, because on Monday I’ll wave palms And by Friday I’ll be at the foot of a cross.  So if you can, tell me again Of the love that changed the world,  And my invitation to do the same.  WRITTEN BY: SARAH ARE |  SANCTIFIEDART.ORG    ...

7th Annual Church-Wide Camp-Out and Outdoor Event Saturday April 27 at 3PM — Sunday April 28 at 11:00AM Camp Crabtree in Umstead Park Join us for the evening, the overnight, the morning, or all three! Let’s remember “how to be good guests, how to walk lightly on the earth like its other creatures do.” — Barbara Ward Let’s share in the beauty of nature and cherish God’s creation together. SIGN UP by emailing Santi at education.cucc@gmail.com

Do you have a pod-type coffee machine?  Read on.  Plastic coffee pods have to go to the landfill, and the coffee in them degrades to produce methane, a green house gas 20 to 80 times worse than CO2.  YUCK!!  Now there is a solution – compostable coffee pods!!    Here is one example  that Compost Now has confirmed is fine in their bins. Bill Gretsch (Jane’s dad) found them and served some to Jane and Gary who said the coffee is good. So as Bill says “KEEP BREWING, BUT RESPONSIBLY.  Love the convenience of your coffee pod machine, but worried about contributing to the glut of tens of billions of indestructible pods in landfills?  Enjoy a very good cuppa.  Try these, or others that can be found by searching.  YUM!” Then bring the used compostable pods to church, and put them in our outside compost bin to prevent methane production. Gary Smith for the Justice in a Changing Climate Task Force

Congratulations to D'niya and Lei Covington who successfully completed the Charlotte Super and Sprint in Cabarrus County this past weekend. This is a spartan race with a distance to run and daunting obstacles to overcome.   D'niya ran one mile and completed 9 obstacles.  Lei couldn't let her powerful daughter show her up, so she ran 5 miles and completed 21 obstacles.  When you see D'niya and Lei, ask them about the wall, the ropes, and the mud, and (for Lei) the fire!  If you have completed a spartan race, I bet they would enjoy comparing notes. If you or someone in your family completes a major goal, has a successful game, or is honored in some way, let us know.  At CUCC we celebrate with you as you share the talents God has given you with the world. - Jane Smith, Communications Committee

A current list of what we can recycle is taped to the ends of the green recycling bins in the kitchen. Keep our recycling and compost clean so that it can be useful for new products and growing food.

April 3, 2019 Dear Beloved CUCC Community: It is with a heavy heart, and a full spirit that I write these words: I will be resigning as Pastor of Community United Church of Christ effective June 30, 2019. My family has been called to Denver, Colorado, where I will be serving as the Sr. Pastor at First Plymouth Congregational Church, UCC. You have been such a kind and generous community, and you have welcomed my family with open arms. You have inspired me and challenged me. You have cried, laughed, and dreamed alongside me. You have loved me well over the last two years, and for that I am so thankful. While I am saddened to know that our Pastor/parish relationship will come to an end, I am heartened to know that the Spirit connection we share will stay with me for a long time to come. I am filled with gratitude to God, and to you, for the opportunity to have served as your Pastor; And, in the months to come, will be praying and working alongside you as we look to...

April 3, 2019 Dear CUCC members and friends, Like you, those of us on the Church Council received Pastor Jenny Shultz-Thomas’s resignation with deep regret.   Even as we process our sadness, we rejoice with her over the wonderful opportunity to which God is calling her.   We acknowledge with thanksgiving the gift of our time together.   Pastor Jenny and her adorable family have brought us great joy.   And, inspired by her leadership, our congregation has grown even closer to God and to each other. On Monday night, the Council began to discuss some of the choices we face as we continue our work.   We readily came to a consensus view that we are in a good position to move soon to a search for a new settled (permanent) pastor.   By the grace of God, ours is a healthy congregation with a strong sense of its mission. The Council passed this motion: “As our church moves forward, the Deacons and church council are actively engaged in establishi...

There’s Still Time to Join our Lenten Small Group Discussions EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON And Other Lies I’ve Loved You don't have to have read the book or prepared in any way, just join in the discussion on either of the next two Sundays (April 7 or 14), 4:30pm-6:00pm. Facilitated by Suzette Roach and Ellen Beidler. Come explore our CUCC Lenten concept of  letting go  through discussions around Kate Bowler’s book and podcast:  Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved . You do not have to have read the book to participate in the discussions, but there are still books available. It’s described as ...“A meditation on sense-making when there’s no sense to be made, on letting go when we can’t hold on, and on being unafraid even when we’re terrified. And t happens to be hilarious. Above all, this is a love letter to life, and it’s gorgeous.” —Lucy Kalanithi, MD, FACP

Join us for our Lenten Bible Discussions - It's Not Too Late!  Animate: Bible; Sundays, 9:15am until April 14 - Hoffmann Room Would you like to explore, reinvigorate, or deepen your understanding of the Bible? Would it help to explore with others during Lent? The group is facilitated by Julie Robertson and Sue Cottle. We share our questions, experiences and opinions, watch a brief video to stimulate discussion and use journals for information and reflection. This Lenten group especially enjoys small group discussions, honest questioning and the opportunity to get to know each other better. 

Cynthia Ball, st ate house representative for North Carolina’s  49 th District, is returning to meet with CUCC members on Monday, April 8 at 1:00 in the Fellowship Hall She spoke to a group a few weeks ago and  discussed  her  work in the legislature.  Among other issue, she talked about the efforts around reforming gerrymandering , expanding health insurance coverage to more residents , and closing the income gap.  The objective of this next meeting is to hear from Representative Ball how we can help her achieve her goals ;  goals  which are important to the CUCC’s mission. Please join us on the 8 th  for what promises to be a stimulating and interesting conversation!

Congregations for Social Justice is a coalition of faith communities committed to advocating for public policies that create a better Raleigh for all people.  Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month and rotate among local churches. The next meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m. on April 10 at Temple Beth Or and will feature Lorena McDowell, Wake County Director of Housing.    CSJ also has an Affordable Housing taskforce that meets monthly at 6 p.m. at the Robertson Hill Community Room, 1725 Poole Road. The next taskforce meeting is scheduled for April 9.  For more information on either of these social justice groups, please contact Adrienne Little (919-781-0829) or Merrilee Jacobson (919-274-4539).

We welcome Rev. Dr. Donna Battle to our pulpit for the 10:30am worship service this Sunday, March 31, 2019.

Sunday, March 31, 9:15-10:15 a.m., Fellowship Hall Adrienne Little and the Economic Justice Task Force bring us this wise and compassionate community leader with experience in reforming bail bond systems. Cultivate justice by learning from David Bland about how we can better advocate for bail bond reform in N.C. David was born in Pittsboro, NC, is a graduate of a Charlotte high school, has degrees from Wake Forest University, Southeastern Theological Seminary, and NC State University. He has a unique perspective on bail bonds: he was commissioner of prisons and jails in Kentucky, and as special assistant to the Governor of Kentucky, he helped eliminate bail bonds in that state.  His career also includes community college president, VP of development for an international corporation, published author, advisor to two successful Kentucky campaigns for Attorney General and Lieutenant Governor, and director of a successful registration effort in DuPage County, Illinois.  ...

Who took 1990-1999 annual reports from the office?  Please let Jane Smith know so she can sleep at night.  Thank you.