The North Unitarian Universalist Congregation Newsletter May 2008

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Call to Action!

NUUC YOUTH PARTICIPATE IN DIYS PROJECT TO BEAUTIFY MINGO PARK In spite of the cold and rainy weather, the NUUC Youth Group had a successful DIYS event on Sunday, April 13. Kylie, Lily and her friend Biz, Amelia and her mom Melinda, Kinsey and Jen and their mom, Lynn, and Mylly, daughter Miryam and mom Paddi, plus about a dozen participants from the Ecumenical Youth Group of Delaware, worked together in the spirit of interfaith cooperation to beautify Mingo Park in Delaware, OH. The two groups installed 2 new trash bins and picked up litter along the walking path by the river, between William Street and the southern side of the park. Afterwards, they gathered for refreshments and discussion about the DIYS initiative and how people of different faiths can work together for the common good. (Note: visit www.ifyc.org for more information.) Both youth groups decided that they would like to combine forces again, so look for a second annual DIYS event coming your way in April 2009! NUUC BLOOD DRIVE SCHEDULED FOR JUNE 5 The Social Action Committee will host an American Red Cross blood drive on Thursday, June 5 from 1:00-7:00pm at NUUC. For those of you who have signed up to donate blood on June 5^th, you can now call the American Red Cross to schedule your appointment or you can log onto their web site to schedule. Phone number is 1-800-GIVE-LIFE Web site is www.BloodSavesLives.org sponsor code UnitUnivCh. If you would like to give blood and/or volunteer to help out on the day of the drive, please sign the sheet posted on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall. (We need 2 volunteer workers for each two-hour shift of the drive – total 6 people). For questions please contact blood drive coordinator and Social Action Committee chair Yvonne Clippinger at yclipping@columbus.r.com UUA LEADERSHIP COURSE Where is the leader inside you? We and most churches have a lot of people who could be leaders and would be very good at it, but aren’t really sure what is involved, or what is expected, and so the leader in them remains hidden. Or maybe you have been on committees, have some good ideas, but assume that you are the new person on the committee, and you would not be able to lead it. In fact, leaders are really just people who care. They need a few tools. And we need good leaders in our churches. In recognition that we have many “closet leaders,” the Ohio-Meadville District of the UUA has put together a selection of one-day workshops for new and potential leaders. The workshop addresses the tools leaders use, some myths about leadership, and provides a much better understanding of how churches do (or should) work. The remaining offering for this session will be Saturday, May 17 in Findlay, OH. Sign up on line at http://www.ohiomeadville.org/conference/leaderconf08.html. Or call the OMD office at 740-252-5980 to register. Pre-registration (by May 10) is only $20. See the large bulletin board in Fellowship Hall for more information and for registration forms. If any question on the course, contact Bob Erdman: Chair, OMD Leadership Development Team, 330-656-2275, pearlybob@gmail.com, or Dianne Digianantonio, Conference Coordinator, at 330-495-8463. GETTING GREENER A monthly column offered by Rebecca Morse to help us reduce our footprint on this Earth! Spring is here! It's so wonderful to see everything literally "getting green" as all of the plants come back to life. I think that my quest to become greener has actually given me more appreciation for the beauty around us. I'm especially looking forward to the fresh local produce we'll be getting in just a couple of months! Many thanks to Ruth Rusk for sharing this website from the Smithsonian Magazine website on how to reduce your use of plastic: www.smithsonianmag.com Select “Ecocenter: Greener Living” form the main menu And thanks to Jeri Dill for sharing some links from “Oprah” magazine and the Oprah Winfrey Show website on “Going Green 101.” http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200704/tows_past_20070420.jhtml http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/200802/omag_200802_eco.jhtml I hope everyone had a happy Earth Day! This month there were all sorts of events happening in our country and around Columbus. Did anyone get to participate? We'd love to hear about your experiences! We can be greener, one step at a time, together! Please send me your ideas or info to sillygirlq@gmail.com. Rebecca Morse

SOCIAL ACTION “IN ACTION” Got Coins??  Want to get rid of that loose change and have your money go to a good cause?  Your Social Action Committee will continue collecting your loose change during service on April 13 and on the second Sunday of each month throughout the year.  Monies collected will be distributed to Social Action causes at some point during 2008.  This is a new idea to the congregation; the committee will report to the congregation on the progress and outcome of the project. If you have questions about this project or other social action matters, please contact Yvonne Clippinger yclippin@columbus.rr.com or Launia White launia@columbus.rr.com , your Social Action co-chairs MAKE A DIFFERENCE: JOIN THE SOCIAL ACTION COMMITTEE If you've ever wanted to make a difference in the congregation and the community but weren't sure you could commit enough time or energy to a cause, now's the time to join the NUUC Social Action Committee. Each member of the Social Action Committee takes the lead on one or two programs or events each year. This way, no one person gets burned out by trying to do too much, but at the same time, as a congregation, we remain involved and committed to social action throughout the year. Projects we're tackling this year include the recent UU Service Committee "Guest At Your Table" program; the June Blood Drive; the summer school supply collection; participation in the Columbus Gay Pride Parade; and the Empty Bowls fundraiser for the Mid Ohio Food Bank. And, of course, we organize the Fair Trade sales and loose coin collections on the second Sunday of each month. New Social Action Committee members could lead the congregation in the October Crop Walk or Holiday Family Collection, or suggest new projects for the committee to take on. If you'd like to join us, we meet on the first Sunday of the month after service (in the Nielsen House if it's available, or in the back of the sanctuary). If you'd like to know more, ask any member of the committee: Yvonne Clippinger (chair), Ed Andrix, Diane Mattox and Tracy Steinbrenner (vice co-chairs), Martha Filipic, Chris Jones-Leavy, Tom MacLaughlin or Tony Marconi. MARK YOUR CALENDAR NUUC MARCHING IN GAY PRIDE PARADE JUNE 28 For the fourth consecutive year, NUUC will be marching in the Columbus Gay Pride Parade on Saturday, June 28. We're proud to be one of a large number of Columbus-area congregations to show support for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community by taking part in Pride Day festivities. To participate, watch for a sign-up sheet in Fellowship Hall by the end of May. In the meantime, please contact Social Action Committee members Martha Filipic or Tony Marconi at tonymartha@columbus.rr.com or 740-368-1629 to learn more. Go to: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3