The North Unitarian Universalist Congregation Newsletter October 2007

October Events



Breaking Free - Women of Spirit at Midlife and Beyond (A 5-week class facilitated by Teri Cornell)

This is a class for any age, but particularly those who are facing 50 and beyond, that explores the personal and daring essays of some of our finest women writers who examine the second half of their lives. As we do, they grapple with what age and life have taught them, contemplate their experiences, and reflect on where they have arrived. These are writers who get down and dirty, who have looked at themselves as they are, and at life as it is, to discover not only what time has taken from them but also the powerful gifts that only come with age and experience. Each class will involve an essay discussion and a chance for us to explore questions such as "What can I yet become?", "What is pulling at me?", and "What have I learned in the first part of life that will sustain me in the second half?"

Class begins Monday, Oct. 1 at 7:00 pm in Fellowship Hall. Please register on the sign-up sheet posted in Fellowship Hall. Questions? Call Teri Cornell 614-891-5935 or e-mail imuuteri@yahoo.com

 October Calendar

(N) = Nielsen House

Oct. 1
7:00pm – Women of Spirit class

Oct. 2
7:00pm – Yoga class

Oct. 4
7:00pm – Spirituality Group

Oct. 6
10:30am – Covenant Group (N)

Oct. 7
11:45am – Social Action Committee
1:30pm – Registration for CROP Walk
6:00pm – Covenant Group (N)

Oct. 8
7:00pm – Women of Spirit class

Oct. 9
10:30am – Covenant Group (N)
7:00pm – Worship Committee
7:00pm – Yoga class

Oct. 10
7:00pm – Creative Fellowship

Oct. 13
9:30am – Fall Retreat – Mattoxes

Oct. 14
9:15am – RE Committee (N)
11:30am – Fair Trade Coffee Sale
11:45am - Adult RE and Enrichment Committee
11:45am – “Finding Time & Other Delicacies” group (N)
12:00pm – Building Exploratory Committee (sanctuary)

Oct. 15
7:00pm – Women of Spirit class

Oct. 16
7:00pm – Yoga class

Oct. 17
12:30pm – Brown Bag Books group

Oct. 18
7:00pm – Spirituality Group

Oct. 20
9:00am – Board Meeting

Oct. 21 - Bring A Friend To Church Day!
11:45am – “Finding Time & Other Delicacies” group (N)
11:45am – Membership Committee (N)
3:00pm – Chris Jones-Leavy Ordination and Reception

Oct. 22
7:00pm – Women of Spirit class

Oct. 23
10:30am – Covenant Group (N)
7:00pm – Yoga class

Oct. 27
11:00am – “Empty Bowls” project

Oct. 28
11:45am – “Finding Time & Other Delicacies” group (N)

Oct. 29
7:00pm – Women of Spirit class

Oct. 30
7:00pm – Yoga class

Oct. 31

Happy Halloween!


Yoga Classes at NUUC

Certified Yoga instructor Holly Jones will offer an 8-week yoga class on Tuesday evenings beginning Oct. 2 through November 20 from 7:00-8:15pm in Fellowship Hall. The class is geared for those with little to no yoga experience and suitable for all ages and levels of fitness. Emphasis will be on safe, gentle stretching with the goals of increasing flexibility, strength, balance and range of motion. If you missed the registration deadline of Sept. 30, you can still pay $8.00 at the door for individual drop-in sessions. For more information contact Jeri Dill at the church office at 740-657-8081, ext. 1 or nuucjdill@aol.com.

The Social Action Committee will continue to offer monthly Fair Trade sales on the second Sunday of every month. Please support this project by considering a purchase of delicious coffees and teas after the service on Sunday, October 14. (Chocolates available starting this month!) See Chris Jones-Leavy for more info.

Fall NUUC Spirituality Retreat

Please join Rev. Susan Ritchie at “A Time for Turning,” our Fall NUUC Spirituality Retreat on Saturday, Oct. 13 from 9:30AM-3:00PM (rain date Oct. 27). Outdoors, at the home of Ron and Diane Mattox in Westerville. Like last spring’s retreat, we will use a variety of meditations (inspired by our Unitarian Transcendentalist heritage), in group and by ourselves, in order to connect to the holy and each other by sharing in nature. Our special theme is exploring the challenges and promise of autumn. (Yes, there will be a bonfire, and s’mores.) Cost is $8 payable at the time of the retreat to cover lunch and supplies. Everyone is welcome. Please register by Wednesday, Oct. 10 on the signup sheet posted in Fellowship Hall.

Creative Fellowship will meet Wednesday, October 10 at 7:00pm. Join us in Fellowship Hall as guest crafter Laura Howe teaches us how to crochet.  Or, as always, you may bring a project to work on and share in the opportunity to get to know other creative people in our congregation.

Future Creative Fellowship meetings:
Nov. 14 - Teri Cornell will share how to create a greeting card out of a book pocket

Dec. 12 - Amy Pressler will show us how to make homemade croissants for the holidays 

Questions? Contact Leader Teri Cornell at 614-891-5935 or imuuteri@yahoo.com
“Finding Time and Other Delicacies” – a casual book discussion group to be led by Rev. Susan Ritchie – will be offered after worship beginning Oct. 14 for four consecutive Sundays. Discussion will be based on former UUA President William Schultz’s collection of short occasional pieces. We’ll use his essays to touch on spirituality, religious liberalism, theology, Unitarian Univeralism, social justice, or wherever the essays take us. Sign up on the sheet posted in Fellowship Hall or by calling the church office at 740-657-8081.
The Brown Bag Books reading selection for October is Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life.  You might remember this book from one of Rev. Susan Ritchie's past sermons.  As you read this book, "hang on for the ride: With characteristic poetry and pluck, Barbara Kingsolver and her family sweep readers along on their journey away from the industrial-food pipeline to a rural life in which they vow to buy only food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it.  Their good-humored search yields surprising discoveries about turkey sex life and overly zealous zucchini plants, en route to a food culture that's better for the neighborhood and also better on the table. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle makes a passionate case for putting the kitchen back at the center of family life and diversified farms at the center of the American diet.  (Book Description from Amazon.com)  Please bring a lunch and join us on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 12:30 pm for a "delicious" discussion about this book!  Any questions, contact Ruth Rusk at ruthrusk@midohio.net.
 
Sneak Peek - You will want to get on a rather long waiting list at the library for November's popular book, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.  

Bring a Friend to Church Sunday Oct. 21

In an effort to get the word out about our congregation and the wonderful community we share, the Communications Committee will be sponsoring "Bring a Friend to Church" day, Sunday Oct. 21. While we strive to make every service welcoming, this will be a special opportunity for us to bring friends and family who have shown interest in our faith.  Susan will be sharing a service entitled "Of Barbarians and Butterflies," that is sure to be inspirational for all.  Please send out a special invitation to your family and friends to join us for this special day.

Coming up...

Two Exciting Class Offerings for NUUC Youth!

Coming of Age is a program for 9th-12th graders that helps youth discern for themselves what it means to be an adult Unitarian Universalist, individually and as a part of a larger faith community. It involves individual activities, a relationship with a mentor from the congregation, discussion with other Coming of Age youth and the minister, and special directed projects undertaken within the community and the congregation. Please contact Rev. Ritchie directly if you are interested in the Coming of Age program; to start this Fall  and run through May (revritchie@aol.com or 740-657-8081, ext. 2).

Stay tuned! We are proud to offer to our 7th-9th grade students Our Whole Lives, a comprehensive sexuality education course. Our Whole Lives helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives provides not only facts about anatomy and human development but also helps participants to clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality. Classes will be held Sunday afternoons, beginning in January 2008.

 If you or someone you know might be interested in membership, sign up to attend the next “New to UU” Orientation session on Sunday, November 18 from 9am-10am at Nielsen House (childcare services will be available at 8:45 am that morning). Rev. Susan Ritchie and Eileen Watters will present information on the denomination’s (and our congregation’s) history and the meaning of membership. A New Member Sunday will be offered on December 9. Register on the sign-up sheet in Fellowship Hall, or contact Rev. Ritchie at 740-657-8081.

For those of you who are eagerly awaiting the release of the NUUC-produced cookbook, the project should be completed in the next few weeks. If you would like to submit any last minute recipes (or a request for one!), contact Eileen Watters at Eileen.watters@gmail.com or 740-990-8347.  
The art hanging in the sanctuary for the months of September and October are by Melinda Rosenberg. The paintings are part of a series entitled "Tangled Web" involving an interplay of micro and macro perspectives. For more information about Melinda’s works, contact her at rosenberg21@sbcglobal.net or call 614-781-0166.

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