Northern Light 
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The North Unitarian Universalist Congregation Newsletter November 2010 |
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One of the things that I felt most
ambivalent about when I was starting out in ministry was asking people to
volunteer to do things. I worried about
being intrusive. I worried about
striking the right balance between really letting people know that they were
wanted and needed, but also making sure that if the job or the timing wasn’t
right, they would have full permission to say “no.” What I wasn’t experienced enough to
do was to trust in the magic “yes” energy.
Something amazing happens when we say “yes” to what we can. We transform the others around us. I know this is true because I have been
riding a lovely wave of the “yeses” you have offered here for most of this
season. Our Board Members and Officers have
all said “yes” to serve us in a most unglamorous way. Our religious education volunteers spread
special yes energy when they agree to work with our children. Laura Howe said yes to chairing our
Stewardship Committee, and her committee members and stewards joined right
in. And people say “yes” in ways small
and large that we will never be able to acknowledge in full (as I write this,
Bob Keith of the Building Committee is saying “yes” to a lock for Jeri’s
door!). Recently, Becca and Nathan
Morse said “yes” to Chairing our Service Auction (see page 2 of this
newsletter for details!). And yes, of course, this is
the part where I ask you to keep the love in motion. If you haven’t yet made a financial pledge
to NUUC for the upcoming year, please do so now if you can. Every bit helps. Information on how and why we do the
stewardship campaign, complete with a form you can fill out on line (yes!) is
available on our website, just click
here. And to all of
you who have already turned a pledge form in, thanks.
To Life!
Above: Miss Merrily, NUUC’s Director of Puppet
Ministries, at a recent meeting in Boston with UUA President Rev. Peter
Morales. Nursery
Observes Fall Hours The NUUC nursery is staffed weekly to
service younger-than-toddler age children.
Unless otherwise noted, nursery hours are “Northern
Light” Newsletter (done) The “Northern Light” is a monthly
newsletter produced by North Unitarian Universalist Congregation and is
distributed approximately the 1st of each month. Submissions: The deadline
for submissions is generally the week following the monthly Board of Trustees
meeting. The submission deadline for
December’s issue will be Tuesday, November 23. If possible, submissions should be sent as
a Word-compatible document attached to an e-mail to Jeri Dill at nuucjdill@aol.com. Pasting the
article into the body of the e-mail is also suggested in case of
incompatibility of software. Delivery
matters: Delivery by electronic mail (e-mail) is our
preferred method in order to save paper and postage; however, paper mailed
copies are available upon request. If your postal mail or e-mail address changes or you wish to
be added to or removed from either mailing list, please advise Jeri Dill in
the office at nuucjdill@aol.com or by calling her at 740-657-8081, ext. 1. |
Worship Schedule November 7 The Primacy of Play. Not only is playfulness fun; it carries
with it a powerful spiritual message. November 14 Fear No More. Epicureans were not just good eaters,
although they did like to grow their own vegetables. An examination of how Epicureanism tried to
help people overcome fears in order to live a life rich in relatedness and
meaning. A Good Life: Lessons from the
Ancient Greeks Series, Part Two. November 21 Table Service. Our annual intergenerational celebration of
Thanksgiving. We will observe a bread
communion directly from our European Unitarian past; where the importance lay
in serving each other at table. (No
Children’s RE today) November 28 Let the Wrong Ones In. Our religious heritage has been informed by
unusual ideas about the powers of inclusion.
An intergenerational service (no Children’s RE today). Children’s Religious Education Our formal age-appropriate RE classes
are currently meeting weekly unless services are noted otherwise as
“intergenerational,” with classes running concurrently to the 10:30am worship
service. (There will be no Children’s
RE on Nov. 21 and 28). Class formats are the same as last
year—“Chalice Children” is for 3-5 year olds and meets in the back of
Fellowship Hall. The “Explorers” (ages
6-11) and Youth “Seekers” (ages 12+) meet in Nielsen House, our religious
education “house” located across the driveway from the church building. (The age groups are a guide; you are
welcome to place your children to accommodate any special needs or circumstances.) The complete and updated 2010-11
Religious Education Prospectus of class offerings may be viewed by visiting
us at www.nuuc.org, click on “Worship and RE,” then on “Children’s
Religious Education Program.” If you would like to learn more about
teaching or assisting with one of our classes for the Winter/Spring 2011
session, please contact Rev. Ritchie at 740-657-8081, ext. 2 or RevRitchie@aol.com . Youth “Seeker” News The youth group has been a powerhouse
this fall! They had a bake sale to benefit the Crop Walk and walked the
10k Crop Walk, raising over $300. They
have also planted day lilies and yellow lilies in front of Nielsen House and weeded
the front of the church. Way to go,
Seekers! Not that it is all work and no
play… We watched "Pay it Forward," a great film in which a
middle school boy is challenged to create a project that will change the
world. He does it, but at a great price. We discussed the movie
and the kind of faith required to do self-sacrificing acts of
kindness. We had another movie night on October
23rd at the Podrey's, and another night scheduled on November 20th at the
Malletts. Sunday mornings are filled with discussions of faith and
one’s personal spiritual journey. Melinda Rosenberg For the Youth Teaching Team
Also in this issue Page 2 Events & Activities. Find out
what's happening this Month! Page 3 News from the Board and Committees. Page 4 A Call to Action! See how you can
support your congregation and your world! |
