The North Unitarian Universalist Congregation Newsletter

September 2010

Page 2

September News and Events!

“Orientation to Our Congregation” Set for Oct. 3 Sign up for the next “Orientation to our Congregation” session Sunday, October 3, 11:45am-1:00pm. Rev. Susan Ritchie and a Membership Committee rep. will explain the denomination’s (and our congregation’s) history and the meaning of membership. Babysitter service available upon request. New and recently joined members will be recognized during service Sunday, October 10. If you would like to join the congregation on or prior to this day, let Rev. Ritchie know - RevRitchie@aol.com or 740-657-8081. Coming of Age Program for Youth is Coming Soon! Coming of Age is a program, a passage, and a pilgrimage. It is the culmination of our Children’s Religious Education (CRE) program, and is the most significant rite of passage we offer to our youth, celebrating their passage from childhood to youth. Beginning mid January 2011, youth involved in the program will strive to define who they are and what they believe. They will grapple with some of the Big Questions in life: Is there a God? What happens after we die? What is faith? Why do bad things happen? What does it mean to live our UU principles? Youth will meet regularly with individual mentors who will help them explore and define their own beliefs. Each youth works on the development of a personal faith statement with Rev. Susan Ritchie, and is involved in creating the Coming of Age worship service at the end of the year where they will present their credos. In addition to requiring a commitment to regular attendance for the Sunday morning class held during usual Religious Education time, the youth will participate in one weekend retreat, and one service project. See Rev. Ritchie, Melinda Rosenberg, or Dick Leavy with any questions. Cost for the whole program (including overnight and retreat) is $75/youth. We need a commitment by Monday, Oct. 11 to make this program work. Contact RevRitchie@aol.com to sign up. Brown Bag Book Group Please join us on Tuesday, September 21 at noon in Fellowship Hall to discuss the book “Between, Georgia” by Joshilyn Jackson. A novel full of Southern sass which centers on the narrator, a spirited young woman named Nonny, who was born a Crabtree and raised as a Frett. Her adoptive mother and aunts, in their tidy print dresses and orthopedic shoes, are naturally at odds with her Crabtree grandmother and a slew of redneck Crabtree cousins. An attack by a vicious Crabtree dog brings the families together and sets the action in motion. For a complete synopsis, check it out at www.amazon.com ) Please bring your suggestions for future books you’d like to read as a group to the September 21 meeting Our small group continues to grow, and we are having lively discussions each month.  Remember, we meet the third Tuesday of the month at 12:00 noon.  We look forward to seeing you! For questions, please contact group facilitator Ruth Rusk at ruthrusk@midohio.net . Happy Reading! Fall Yoga Want to improve your health, your mood, your flexibility? Come try us out! Certified Yoga Instructor Abby Dorn has returned to offer a 10-session class of yoga on Thursday nights through October 28. Cost is just $8.00 per drop-in class.  Abby offers a blended style of hatha and vinyasa yoga with modifications and options suitable for all levels of fitness and experience, including beginners. No previous attendance or experience is required--all are welcome to come (our class is attended by both males and females). No need to purchase special equipment to visit--a limited supply of mats and other aids are available to use that night. Classes are sponsored by the NUUC Adult RE & Enrichment Committee. For questions and more info about the fall session, see the bulletin board or contact Jeri Dill at the church office at 740-657-8081, ext. 1 or Adult RE Committee member Ruth Rusk at ruthrusk@midohio.net. NUUC is Going Green! Thanks to the help of the Building and Grounds Committee, we will soon have the opportunity to recycle glass, plastic (#1 & #2), aluminum, and paper/cardboard. Please look for the correct bins to place the items to be recycled.  They will be located both in the kitchen and in Nielsen House.  While helping the planet, we may even be able to make money from recycling our pop cans!  Please contact Cathy Rodeheffer with any questions (614-370-5202). September Music Notes I hope you have enjoyed the small ensembles that provided music for summer worship services. I was particularly delighted by the range of selections from vocalists and instrumentalists. A special thank you goes out to the August performers: Fred Kohn, Lauren Richards, Marty and Bob Keith, Daniel Mallett, Barb Lubberger, Carolyn Gross, Darlene Tschudy, and Ruth Rusk. The NUUC Choir will return in full voice on September 12, for Ingathering. I am pleased to announce that we will be welcoming four new members to our ensemble, bringing our number to 24. Pretty soon, we won’t all be able to fit on the chancel. Music selections through Christmas have been chosen to compliment the sermon topics. Expect to hear old favorites and plenty of new music too. Choir members: folders of music are available NOW. Please pick one up from me before the first rehearsal. Our first rehearsal is Sunday, September 12, at 9:00am, which is also our first morning singing at the service. (The nursery will be staffed with a sitter at 8:45am) Please be prepared to sing the first four songs in your folder. This will be my eighth year as music director at NUUC, but it never ceases to be a fulfilling job. I love making great music with truly talented and interesting people. I’ll see you on Sunday! Marlene Metz Hartzler, Music Director (marlenemetz@yahoo.com). “Women of Spirit” Program NUUC's women's group, “Women of Spirit,” continues a new program that might best be described as “Looking for the Feminine Soul.” The program consists of 10 sessions and meets every 6 weeks (session one began on June 27, but you can come whenever you like). Meetings are from 4:00-6:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall or another agreed-upon locations whenever noted. We will be reading these novels: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, The Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker, and/or The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan. There also will be readings (provided) from The Dance of the Dissident Daughter (Sue Monk Kidd), The Goddess in the Gospels (Margaret Starbird), When God Was a Woman (Merlin Stone), Toward a New Psychology of Women (Dr. Jean Baker Miller), and the UU curriculum Rise Up and Call Her Name (Elizabeth Fisher). Men are welcome to attend meetings. They may be interested in “archetypes” or the bits of history that will be studied (see session six). Women and men: come to as many (or as few) sessions as you like. The remaining sessions: 3 (Sept. 19) Taking the Journey, part 2 Book discussion: The Secret Life of Bees, with questions to consider 4 (Oct. 31) Doing Our Own Naming 5 (Dec. 12) Reflecting “The Great Goddess,” inside, out 6 (Jan. 23, '11) Inviting Men Into the Quest: What's In It For Them 7 (Mar. 6) Assessing the Hard Facts: What is Still at Stake, part 1 Abuse world wide, and why 8 (Apr. 17) Assessing, part 2 Book(s) discussion: The Temple of My Familiar, The Kitchen God's Wife, or other 9 (May 29) Backing Away from Power: Why is That? The importance of conflict 10 (July 10) Unlocking It Just what have we “locked up”? The “Water Blessing” Contact person: Marty Keith (740) 369-1919 or martykeith@verizon.net

September Calendar Preview: (N) = Nielsen House (F) = Fellowship Hall (S) = Sanctuary September 2 7:00pm – Yoga (F) September 4 10:30am – Covenant Group (Highbanks Park shelter house) September 5 No Social Action Committee Meeting due to holiday No Children’s RE today September 9 7:00pm – Yoga (F) September 12 Ingathering (intergenerational service) Loose Change Sunday (benefiting Fair Trade Sales after service September 14 Worship Committee Meeting September 16 7:00pm – Yoga (F) September 18 9:00am – Board Meeting (F) September 19 Children’s RE classes begin (F & N) September 20 Sign-ups for new Covenant Groups end September 21 Noon - Brown Bag Books (F) September 22 October newsletter submission deadline September 23 7:00pm – Yoga (F) September 30 7:00pm – Yoga (F) New NUUC Covenant Groups Forming Two new covenant groups are now forming and will start meeting in October. One of these new groups will meet on a weekday morning each month and the other new group will meet monthly on a weekday evening. A third existing covenant group still has room for new members and meets in the morning on the first Saturday of each month. So what is a covenant group? Covenant groups are small groups of 6-10 people that meet monthly and allow you to explore significant questions and to experience community through deep, intentional listening. Covenant groups are not support groups. Nor are they intended to solve people’s problems or to provide spiritual enlightenment. In covenant groups, people get to know each other in a neighborly way, to feel in touch with each other's lives, and to provide a context in which to think about and talk through "the big questions." Covenant groups provide a unique experience that differs from adult education, other groups, Sunday services, or anything else you do at church. The groups are open to NUUC members, non-members, visitors, and friends. Covenant groups meet for 2 hours monthly from October through June. Each covenant group creates a covenant as a way they intend to be together. Meetings have a discussion topic, follow a simple format, and are guided by a facilitator. The format of the meetings helps participants set aside daily distractions, reflect on their lives and beliefs, and make meaningful connections with one another. Each meeting focuses on a different topic, which leads to reflection on the deeper issues of who we are and what gives our lives meaning. Here are the planned topics to be discussed: (* - Weekday morning & evening groups, ** - Saturday group through Dec.) Sorting Our Values * Pure Joy * Ethical Wills * What If God Was One of Us? * The Bucket List * Stages of Faith * Play’s the Thing * Where would you be without UU? Turning Points * Path of Forgiveness ** Failure ** Accomplishment ** Finding Our Boundaries ** Here is specific information about each group: Weekday Morning Covenant Group: o Meeting Day & Time: To be determined by group o First Meeting: October o Facilitator: John Rodeheffer (740-369-9659, jrodeheffer@insight.rr.com ) Weekday Evening Covenant Group: o Meeting Day & Time: To be determined by group o First Meeting: October o Facilitator: Bob Keith (740-369-1919, bobkeith@frontier.com ) Saturday Morning Covenant Group: o Meeting Day & Time: Monthly on 1st Sat. at 10:30 AM o Next Meeting: Sat. September 4 at 10:30 AM o Meeting Location: Highbanks Metro Park on US 23 north of I-270. The group will meet at the first shelter area on the left after entering the park. The topic will be "Path of Forgiveness" and will be led by Melinda Rosenberg. In case of rain, the group will meet at the Panera Bread store north of the park on US Rt. 23 in Lewis Center. o Facilitator: Dick Leavy (614-890-7319, rckleavy@sbcglobal.net ) If you have general questions or other comments about covenant groups, please send a note to Rev. Susan Ritchie at RevRitche@aol.com. The sign-up for the newly forming covenant groups is by September 20. To sign up for a covenant group or to ask questions, just contact the group’s facilitator. Also watch for the covenant group brochure, which will provide more information about the covenant groups, including a description of each meeting topic. Reminder: Renew your Kroger Plus Cards NUUC recently received $167.34, thanks to your registering your Plus card with the Community Rewards program and designating NUUC as your recipient. Thank you! Individual participation must be renewed annually, so be sure you have updated your record. Go to http://www.kroger.com and select Kroger Community Rewards at the bottom of the page. You’ll need your account information or your Plus card number to complete the registration. It is a little cumbersome, but the sooner you do it the sooner your purchases start counting toward another nice donation from Kroger. (Should you need it, our NUUC Nonprofit Organization Number is 84869). Fair Trade Sales Resume Fair Trade Sales of coffee, tea and chocolates will resume on Sunday, September 12 after service (typically held the second Sunday of the month).  Your purchase of fair trade coffee, tea and chocolate supports economic justice in coffee-growing communities.  See new coordinators Brandy & Paul Montgomery for more info (brandy.montgomery@gmail.com ) Delaware County Community Market The Delaware Country Community Market is a fascinating new venture in downtown Delaware. A non-profit market, you can shop there for groceries, handmade foods and other items, and household goods, and then direct 20% of the profits to your favorite non-profit. Yes, NUUC is on the list of nonprofits to choose from—we received our first check this past month!) The market is open 7 days a week (10-6 weekdays and 10-4 weekends). More information at www.dccmc.com. The store is located at 222 East William Street. NUUC Directory The Summer update to the NUUC Directory of Members and Friends was disseminated via e-mail just before Memorial Day. Additional updates will be sent out as new information warrants (next update about October or more often if needed.) Please notify Jeri Dill in the church office if your address, phone, or e-mail information needs updating. If you ever need a re-send of the directory, or you have no means to print out a copy of the directory and/or just wish to have a paper copy, kindly let Jeri know at nuucjdill@aol.com or 740-657-8081, ext. 1, noting whether you are able to pick it up at church (to save postage) or you need it mailed to you. Go to: Page 1 Page 3 Page 4