The Newsletter  June 2019   
           

 Our theme this month in worship and religious education is BEAUTY

March in the Pride Parade this June

Would you like to join with our friends from First UU Church to march in this year's Pride Parade? The Parade is Saturday, June 15, 10:30 am-1:30 pm. There is a flatbed truck available to ride on if mobility is an issue. RSVP to Rod Myers at rlmyers49@netscape.net


Picnic June 9

Join us for  a delightful
picnic June 9th, right
after church, a potluck at
Shale Hollow Park, a
mere 5 minutes from
NUUC. So, bring anything you'd like to share, and
even if you can't bring anything, we don't care!
We want you there!  There
is only one road that goes
 into the park~follow it  
until its very end to find a
grill, picnic tables, and a restroom. We will provide
cups, plates, utensils, and chicken salad sandwiches. Anything else is welcome.
If you have any questions:
melindarosenberg@gmail.com
  In case of rain, we'll just
picnic indoors at NUUC!


Summer Sunday Snack Signup   

Please consider contributing some unopened, nonperishable snacks for coffee hour this summer.  We will stockpile snacks, making it a breeze for volunteers to host coffee hour during this low-kay, lower-attendance time of year.  Just drop off the treats in the kitchen before or after service.  Questions?  Contact Diane Mattox ( dimattox@gmail.com or 614-204-4184). 
 
PS:  We're still looking for greeters and coffee hosts for the summer, particularly in July and August.  You can sign up online through Signup Genius   Click here to link to the NUUC Greeter/Coffee Host schedule. or Diane will gladly sign you up.  
Mowing at NUUC - We Need Some Help

For this mowing season, the Building and Grounds Committee plans to handle the mowing using the same approach as last year, which will avoid us having to contract out the mowing and save about $3,530 in the budget. Our plan is for the B&G Committee to handle the mowing on a rotating basis with some help from the congregation. B&G Committee members will mow 3 weeks of each month, and the 4th week plus sometimes the 5th week will be handled by a different volunteer from the congregation. This approach will spread the work so each committee member will mow about once a month, and each congregational volunteer would mow just one time during the season. Our approach will keep everyone's work commitments reasonable.
 
The areas to be mowed include the church yard (bounded by the driveway and the parking lot) plus the yard around Nielsen House. The southern field at the rear of our property and the west side of the parking lot are excluded and will be mowed separately by the B&G Committee members.
 
We have a new zero-turn riding mower, which can be used for almost all of the mowing.
The mower's cost was totally funded by a very generous donation from Gary and Ruth Rusk, plus a generous donation from John and Lynn Foreman. For a few small, tight areas, which the zero-turn mower cannot handle, we then use a self-propelled push power mower. If you are not familiar with using a zero-turn mower, we will give you some brief training for about 15 minutes that gets you familiar enough with the mower to comfortably mow the main parts of the yard. You will still trim the edges of the yard with the self-propelled push mower.  Using a zero-turn mower is fun and allows the mowing to be done in about half the time. But, some people prefer to use the push mower to mow the entire yard instead of the zero-turn mower.
 
We would like to get 1 or 2 volunteers from the congregation each month to mow one time in the season. The mowing season runs from April through early November. But volunteers from the congregation will be needed only from May through October. Two of those months have 5 weeks and will require 2 volunteers, so we need a total of 7 volunteers.
 
Please consider volunteering to mow one time this season. If you would like to help the church handle the mowing, you can sign up on the mowing sign-up sheet in Fellowship Hall. Just pick a date that works for your schedule. If you have questions or would like more information, just contact Bob Keith at 740-369-1919 or bobkeith@zoho.com .





Adult Enrichment 
 
 
This month's Adult Enrichment opportunities include:

NUUC's Women's Group, June 2 after the Sunday service, lunch out and a discussion of Ursula K. Le Guin's novel The Left Hand of Darkness. Another meeting will be June 23 after the service in Nielsen House; that fourth Sunday is our regular time to meet.

A look at "Curiousity" during the Second Monday Morning Covenant Group, June 10, 10:00 until noon.
Brown Bag Books, Tuesday, June 18, at noon in Fellowship Hall- The Man Who Walked Backward by Ben Montgomery.
In addition, hosts Laura and Renae Cree-Sturpf are having a few NUUC friends and members to their home June 15 for the last spring "Eat and Meet" Dinner this year.
Joint Capital Campaign and Annual Pledge Drive Underway! 

92% to Goal!
 
We are currently almost done with our combined pledge drive for our annual program budget, and our exciting capital campaign for building expansion. We currently have $784,686 (92% of the low side of our goal) pledged to the capital campaign. Every commitment counts! You can now make both your annual pledge and your pledge to the capital campaign online by clicking here , or if you would like to be contacted in person and you haven't heard from a visiting steward, just let us know by sending an email to capital@nuuc.org . You can also see our expansion plan as well as learn about our financial assumptions and other details by clicking the "Capital Campaign for Building Expansion Underway" banner on the front page of the website (www.nuuc.org).


From our Student Minister

Multumesc Foarte Mult!
(Romanian: Thank You Very Much!)

Dear North Unitarian Universalist Congregation,
Although I could not make Memorial Sunday service (scheduled to be my last one at NUUC as your student minister) I was there in spirit. And, I plan to return at some point later this summer to say good bye in person. Your generosity has touched me so deeply I have been thinking a lot about gratitude and the many layers that comprise it.

The gratitude I feel toward NUUC as a teaching community is the deepest gratitude of all, spiritual gratitude. Much of the transformation in all of us was in the present moment; however, on a spiritual level, this experience will continue to influence me throughout my ministry.

Not only is NUUC appreciated for your welcoming hospitality to students, it is so needed! To be welcomed openly, allowing grace, and sharing who you are as a community, is a rare gift. Being given the opportunity to lead service, write and deliver sermons, learning all the other parts of the service, especially joys and sorrows (my favorite), being the popcorn popper at Lights, Camera Auction, and treasured time in conversation with many of you, is not taken with slight or for granted. On top of all of that, Rev. Ritchie is the absolute best mentor I could ever hope for!

This has been a very special time on my seminary journey, thank you for allowing me to share this time and space with you. I am certain each of you comprising NUUC will continue to shine. I will miss you and carry joy in my heart knowing UUs like you are in this chaotic world working towards justice and making a positive difference in the world!

With so much gratitude,
Mary Vietmeier

 


 


Social Justice News

INTERFAITH ASSOCIATION OF CENTRAL OHIO (IACO) Helping Central Ohio Homeless : Join representatives from other faith communities to help serve meals to homeless families at the Van Buren Shelter, 595 Van Buren Drive, Columbus, 43223, from 5:30 PM (introduction and tour) to 8:00 PM on Sunday, June 23rd. If you prefer an earlier time, you can volunteer to serve meals to single women from 3:30-6:00. Please contact Gwyn Stetler at  gwyn.stetler@ymcacolumbus.org if you are interested in volunteering. This is a great opportunity to serve those in need AND to get to know people from other faith traditions. For more information, see the SAC bulletin board or ask Pam Patsch.
 
UUJO WEBINAR UPDATE ON THE OHIO LEGISLATURE - Wednesday, June 19, 2019 at 7:00 - 8:30 pm. This new session of the Ohio Legislature is sure to be filled with important bills that will have lasting impact on our state and our local communities.  We already know that there will be legislation on abortion rights, free speech, and the environment.  And we want to help everyone stay up to date on what is going on at the Ohio Statehouse. UUJO will hold monthly Ohio Legislative news/resource updates on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm.  Webinar facilitators are Rev. Joan Van Becelaere, Executive Director, UUJO, and Justine Konicki, UUJO volunteer staff and legislative researcher. We will also send you reminders each month if you register  HERE :  https://uujo.wufoo.com/forms/m1k16gbw1qs7zc8/ . To stay current on social justice news in Ohio, check out the UUJO Facebook page and sign up for email alerts.
 
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE (UUSJ): As part of the NATIONAL WEEK OF ACTION TO END CHILD DETENTION (FROM JUNE 9TH - 16TH)UUSJ, UUA, UUSC and other UUs are part of a coalition with AFSC mobilizing to close Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Alien Children in Florida and beyond. Steps you can take, in support:
 
From your home or congregation :
  •  Sign the petition to HHS Secretary Azar, Assistant HHS Secretary Johnson and Acting Director of Office of Refugee Resettlement Hayes before June 10. The petition asks to reunite children with their sponsors as quickly as possible and end collaborations with the Department of Homeland Security that interfere with reunifications, as well as close the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Alien Children.  The coalition wants to gather 100,000 signatures to deliver to Dept. of HHS & Key Members of Congress. Message: All children deserve to live in safety and peace. It's time to reunite children with their loved ones.
    • The link for the petition is on both UUSC and AFSC pages.  
    • Side with Love has also put it up on Facebook so you can share on social media and write your own intro
    • A Flyer and Fact Sheet by AFSC is available.
  • Prepare letters written by children directed to the children in detention at Homestead FL.  Organize religious education classes to write letters, or have your children and grandchildren participate. The coalition will deliver letters to your members of Congress between June 10 and 14.
National Events: June 9 to June 16:
  • Sunday, June 9:
    • "Where are the Children" Pajama Clothesline Project (representing children separated from their families) as part of International Children's Day on National Mall, Washington, DC between 12th and 14th Street, 10 a.m. to 5:30 pm.  
    • Interfaith vigil at Homestead Florida, look for details to be posted on the AFSC portal.
  • Wednesday,  June 12 - Coalition will visit Hill offices to advocate for bills in House and Senate aimed at prohibiting federal funds from being used for emergency influx facilities (like Homestead Detention Center) and prohibiting HHS from sharing information on potential sponsors of detained children with DHS, which could use the information to deport sponsors.
    • Details TBA on the AFSC portal. We will update you when they become available. If you want to help in either planning or visit roles, please let us know at info@uusj.org.
  • Sunday, June 16 - Father's Day - Inter-faith March and Vigil at Homestead Detention Center in Florida.  Encourage friends and families to join (or travel yourself to Florida).  Coalition partners include AFSC, Florida Immigrant Coalition, United We Dream, Miami Friends Meeting, WeCount!, Farmworker Association of Florida and Miramar Circle of Protection.  
    • Sign up at the AFSC portal for news on gathering site and time (at Homestead Hospital) and to sign up to join vigil.
 PLASTIC BAG REPURPOSING SUSPENDED DURING SUMMER:  The Horizon women at ORW have graduated!  A new group of participants will be moving in over the summer and formal programming will resume in September.  During the summer, please take your plastic bags to a grocery store that recycles them.  In September, we will resume collecting bags for the women at ORW who use them to make sleeping mats for the homeless