Unitarian Universalist
Church of the
North Hills
Nourish your spirit. Celebrate life. Cherish the connectedness of all things.
Newsletter - Thursday - August 4, 2022

INTERCOM

Sunday - August 7, 2022
10:30am (EDT)
PSI (PHILOSOPHICAL, SPIRITUAL INSIGHTS) GROUP
PSI [Philosophical, Spiritual Insights] Group – Will be held on Sunday, August 7th from noon – 1:15 PM on Zoom and at church [upstairs, follow the yellow signs]. Once one has inserted a foot into a bucket of evil, the likelihood of planting the other foot inside grows. Evil on a large scale is, at the same time, something possible, yet unbelievable. We’ll start the discussion in this session. See Tony Palermo for details.
GAMES NIGHT RETURNS TO UUCNH!
Join us on Friday, August 12, 2022 6:30 – 9PM

As part of the new TEAM FUN activities, an old favorite is being brought back for a trial run this August. Some of you will remember the fun we had back in 2012 – 2014 at monthly Games Nights – a wonderful community-building activity for all ages. So come, join us in Fellowship Hall. Bring your friends – everyone is welcome. This is an unstructured, multigenerational activity - no formal program.  Small groups form spontaneously to play whatever games attract them – card games, board games, Mexican Train dominos, etc.   Since there is no arranged child care, parents are encouraged to help their children integrate into activities. Come for an hour or for the whole evening. It’s easy, it’s fun, and it’s free!  Come and be community with us. More info? Contact Connie Ritzert.
BUUCS NIGHT IN THE BURG'
Are you Ready for BUUCs night? 
Plus larger than regular Skyblast Fireworks Bonanza 

Join UUs for the BUUCs vs the Reds game on
Saturday, August 20, 2022 at 7:05pm
See all the new young Buccos
(They did sweep the Dodgers in the series out west)

Information and more can be found on this BUUCs Flyer
or e-mail David Miles or call 412 651 4594

BOCCE REMINDER
Please be reminded that Bocce has been cancelled for Saturday, August 6, 2022. The next scheduled date for Bocce is Monday, August 15 from 6:00 - 8:00pm. See you then.
SYSTEMIC CHANGE TEAM
Creating Change

Recent
  • Connie, Diana Hull, and Cheryl Rampelt have been gathering names on Petitions of people who support reforming PA’s legislative procedural rules to “Fix Harrisburg”. Petitions are being sent to our individual legislators. Sign the Fix Harrisburg Petition Here.
  • Ruth Horowitz attended the service "Memorial for the Lost'' at our neighbor, St. Brendan's. It was a service to honor those lost to gun violence in Allegheny County, she said it was quite moving.
  • UUJusticePA held a fundraising campaign to support a part-time Get Out The Vote Organizer. We topped our goal of $10,000. We look forward to meeting Sharee Clark and working with her. The November elections will be crucial and we are eager to have you join us in getting out the vote!
 
Upcoming
  • The next Faith in Action Forum will be at St. Brendan’s Church and virtual on September 22; topic will be Hate Groups in SW PA. Registration information will be forthcoming.  
  • Postcarding sponsored by CeaseFirePA will be held on August 11 at 6:00 - 8:00 pm at North Park Flagstaff Pavilion , 10301 Walter Rd. Allison Park 15101. Click here to register
  • Everyone is welcome at our monthly meetings. The next one is on Monday, September 5 at 7:00 pm on Zoom. E-mail Liz Perkins to receive the link.  

Anyone interested in more information and/or helping with any of our activities, please contact chair, Liz Perkins.
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN UPDATE
Many of you have hopefully noticed an area in our "back yard" near where the Little House used to be that is staked off (15 feet x 30 feet) with bright green tape (shown above). This could be a location for a new outdoor pavilion. Such a space could be used for coffee hour, RE classes, outdoor meetings, etc. And being outdoors, people using the pavilion would be less susceptible to Covid and other similar transmissible diseases.
We had a wonderful church picnic on Sunday July 31. Your Capital Campaign Team used the opportunity to look at some of North Park's pavilions.

The pavilion picture shown above is similar in size to the staked off area picture also shown above.

What do you think?
WEEKLY OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONNECTIONS
Zoom with UUCNH Friends - CLICK HERE
This drop-in connection will be held every Tuesday at 3:30-4:30 pm and will be led by Michael Horwitz. Click the link above to join the Zoom meeting. Login is the same each week:

Vespers - with Reverend John Ballance - CLICK HERE
Join us for a Vespers service every Wednesday starting at 7:00 pm. The formal part of vespers will end at 7:30, but the Zoom link will remain open until 8:00 so that participants who wish to remain longer can converse informally about what’s going on in their lives. Please join us (and invite others to join us as well!) as we continue to nurture our bonds with one another.
MARKETING EXPERTISE?
We are in need of volunteers to work with the communications and capital campaign teams on our social media, branding and marketing in support of our capital campaign.  If you would like to be involved and learn more, please contact communications.
SOME UUCNH HISTORY AND OUR PRESENT SITUATION
Read in the July 24th Service

Good morning. I’m Chris Hill. I wanted to give you a bit of UUCNH history and to share my experience about a prior situation.
 
In May of 2009, I was about to be elected as the next VP of the Board. A few weeks before then, I got an email from our then minister, Rev. Carol Meyer. She wanted to arrange a meeting “to discuss her future with the church”. At that meeting, she said she had decided to leave UUCNH and wanted to negotiate a separation.
 
For the next several weeks, which included the Annual Meeting, I couldn’t say anything about this. A very limited number of members were involved in the process. Once things were settled, Rev. Carol sent out a letter with her decision to leave. This was on a very short timeframe, as it was in June and she was going on her usual summer leave.
 
As Board VP, I held a number of open sessions (live ones!) to answer questions and clarify the situation as much as I could. For many, the news came as a shock, so having a chance to ask questions helped a lot.
 
I bring up this prior incident, although it has no relevance to the present, to say that I have been ‘on the inside’ of a situation that required the Board to be very confidential.
 
Now, in 2022, I am a Member who is ‘on the outside’. The first email from the Board surprised me, as I’m sure it did most people. The mind spins with possibilities… and questions. I have no extra facts about the current situation beyond the board’s emails, but I feel as informed as is possible at this time.
 
Like all of us in the congregation, I hope for a quick resolution. Until that occurs, I don’t know what our future path is. But I know that answers will come ... I do have faith that the Board, elected by us, will find the best path and will inform the congregation at the proper time.
 
Our current situation requires patience, support of our leaders and each other, and trust. I know that our community will persevere.
 
Thank you.
SHARE THE PLATE FOR AUGUST
The August Share the Plate recipient will be the Allegheny Land Trust (ALT), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization helping local people save local land in the Pittsburgh Region. The August collection will focus on the Girty's Run Watershed project. ALT is working to protect 62 acres of farm and forest land in Reserve and Shaler Townships for permanent green space and continued agricultural use.
You may donate by August 31st in the following ways: 1) Place cash or check in the BLUE envelope in the offering plate during Sunday services; 2) Mail a check to the church office; or 3) Go to the church website's Donation Page and select Special Offerings. Checks should be made payable to UUCNH, with "Share the Plate" or "ALT" in the memo line. If using the website Donation Page, please be sure to include the words "Share the Plate" and/or "ALT" when making your donation. 

Share the plate totals are not fully tabulated by the end of the month but will be shared when finalized. Thank you for your patience and your generosity!
SIGN UP NOW TO HOST COFFEE HOUR!
Yippee! Coffee Hour is back at UUCNH as a regular thing. For now, it will be coffee and tea only, no food at this point in time. Also, while we are requiring masks inside, Coffee Hour will only occur outside weather permitting.
 
Sign up to host using this link. You can also find the Coffee Hour Form located on the website.

There will be one hosting household per week. On your hosting Sunday, you'll need to bring a quart of half and half and a container of apple juice. Come before 10:00 to set up an urn of regular and an urn of hot water. A Keurig and reusable pods will be available for decaf. Empty clean dishes from the dishwasher. Follow the instructions for setting things out with the coffee. Stay to the end, mulch the dogwood outside the office window with the coffee grounds, rinse out the urns, load and run the dishwasher. Bask in the glow of building loving religious community!
 
No host, no Coffee Hour!
 
Questions? Contact Tassi Bisers
JOYS AND SORROWS
There were no new Joys or Sorrows listed for this week.


Note: There are times when you may not be able to share during a service but want the Congregation to know what is on your heart. In that instance, just contact a member of the Lay Pastoral Care Team (LPCT) in person, or submit your Joys & Sorrows electronically by CLICKING HERE. Once submitted, the form is sent to all LPCT members. (Chris Hill, Ruth Horwitz, Susan Powers, Lynn Richards, Lynne Herchenroether  & Rev. Jane Thickstun) Please be sure to submit your item by NOON on Saturday at the latest, so we get it in time for Service. Also, the LPCT now has an email address ([email protected]) which forwards to all members of the team. We welcome your sharing and would be honored to carry forth your message.
UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS
THURSDAY – August 4
  • West Room + Zoom-GEN - Craft Group - 10:00am - 12:00pm

FRIDAY – August 5
  • No Meetings or Events Scheduled

SATURDAY – August 6
  • No Meetings or Events Scheduled

SUNDAY – August 7
  • Inhouse & You-Tube - UUCNH Virtual Service - 10:30 - 11:30am
  • Outdoors - Coffee Hour - 11:30am - 12:00pm
  • Justice Room + Zoom/FD - PSI [Philosophical, Spiritual Insights] - 12:00 - 1:15pm

MONDAY – August 8
  • Zoom-GEN - Finance Meeting - 7:30 - 9:30pm

TUESDAY August 9
  • Zoom-CONG - Communications/Capital Campaign Meeting - 10:00 - 11:00am
  • East Room - Quilting Group - 10:00am - 2:00pm
  • Zoom-CONG - Zoom with Friends - 3:30 - 4:30 pm
  • Zoom-MIN - Executive Committee Meeting - 7:00 - 9:00pm

WEDNESDAY August 10
  • East Room - Sisters in Spirit - 6:30 - 8:30pm
  • Zoom-GEN - Vespers - 7:00 - 8:00pm

THURSDAY – August 11
  • West Room + Zoom-GEN - Craft Group - 10:00am - 12:00pm
UU Church of the North Hills
2359 West Ingomar Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
Phone: 412-366-0244