UPCOMING SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES  
10:15 AM in Sanctuary
Sunday, January 7, 2018
“The Great Turning: Transformation and Renewal”
Rev. Florence Caplow

This first service of the turning of the year will be an invitation to explore the path of personal and global transformation. The Buddhist eco-philosopher and activist Joanna Macy believes we are in a challenging time of what she calls "The Great Turning - the essential adventure..of the shift from the Industrial Growth Society to a life-sustaining civilization.” What do you think? Can we do it? If you are curious about The Great Turning and its possibilities, click here . Come be inspired and emboldened for the New Year!
Sunday, January 14, 2018
“MLK Day Service: Black Lives of UU”
Rev. Florence Caplow
In this service, the day before MLK Day, we will explore the Black history of Unitarian Universalism (and this church) and how it is informing the long-overdue, life-affirming, and healing shifts we are seeing today in our congregations and our national Unitarian Universalist Association. The January Shared Offering is for “Black Lives of UU”, a new but essential organization within our faith. Eldress Dawn Blackman, storyteller and social outreach pastor of The Church of the Brethren in Champaign, will be sharing a story for the children based on the Birmingham Children's March: "A Mother Talks About the Children's March." This service will be longer than our usual services; if you need to leave early, feel free to do so.
UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS

Rev. Florence is leading a weekly meditation at Channing Murray on campus, 4:30-5:30 pm every Thursday except January 25th. All are welcome, no meditation experience necessary.
Moving Forward: Supporting Each Other Through Divorce and Separation. For those who are going through, or have gone through, divorce and separation. On Fridays, 3:30-4:30 in the YRUU room (downstairs beneath the sanctuary). All are welcome. Questions? Contact Snaps Ginger for more details.
Next RJI Meeting   - Please join us for the next RJI meeting Thursday, January 11 th from 7 - 8:30pm in the UUCUC Children's Chapel. All are welcome to attend.
Join us for our next
Pathway to Membership Class!


Sunday, January 28, 2018, Noon - 3 pm
or
Monday, January 29, 2018, 5:30 - 8:30 pm

Children's Chapel

Light meal will be provided at each class and child care is available.

In this fast-paced and interactive class for those considering membership with UUCUC, you'll learn about the principles and foundation of the Unitarian Universalist Church. You'll also learn about the governance of UUCUC, activities and opportunities available to our church community, our social action mission, religious education offerings, and the role you can play as a supporter. Anyone age 14 and up can become a UUCUC member.

At the completion of this class, you'll have an opportunity to "sign the book" and become a member of UUCUC. Choose one of the classes and sign up early, as they tend to fill up.

For questions and to sign up, email  Sherry Bohlen or (217) 417-1148. There will be a sign-up sheet on the HUB table in Fellowship Hall throughout the month.

Note: If you have signed up already, please contact Sherry and let her know which class you prefer.
CARE CORE NEWS
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JOYS AND SORROWS

Jennifer Bannon shared that her mom is spending her first Christmas after her mother died.

Kyle Kroha shared thanks giving and gratitude for the life of my dad, 97.5 years old, one of the first 400 to land in Omaha Beach on D Day, who transitioned yesterday from this life, in rest with peace.
SOCIAL ACTION COMMITTEE NEWS
Shared Offering for January 2018: Black Lives of UU (BLUU)

We will share January’s offering with Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism. BLUU has been organizing since the early days of the Movement for Black Lives, to elevate the voices of people of color within Unitarian Universalism. The UUCUC Racial Justice Initiative proposed BLUU be a Shared Offering recipient, answering the call of the UUA for every congregation to pledge at least $10 per congregant, which will be matched by a donor family up to $1 million. The Racial Justice Initiative strongly supports BLUU’s efforts to provide support, information and resources for Black Unitarian Universalists and their work to expand the role and visibility of Black UUs within our faith. “We need to invest in a new generation of leadership. Specifically, we need to invest in Black Leadership and organizing within Unitarian Universalism, for this is the very leadership that can help move our faith forward in the promise and practice of beloved community—a community which practices radical inclusion within, and bold justice leadership for all beyond” – Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, UUA President.
Donations for the Women’s Shelter (Austin’s Place). Now through March 1 we will be collecting items for the Women’s Shelter - Austin’s Place, which is located at the First United Methodist Church in Champaign. The shelter welcomes up to 8 women a night from now through March 15. You can find a donation box by the SAC table in Fellowship Hall. If you have any questions, contact Cindy Loui . Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Donations of the following would be welcome:
  • Cases of water (mini bottles are best)
  • Juice boxes
  • Individually wrapped crackers (cheese/peanut butter)
  • Soft granola bars or cereal bars
  • Underwear (we usually do a size large/stretchy, they usually get worn once and tossed)
  • Deodorant (mini travel sizes are best)
  • Socks (Any kind are good, but the ladies do usually throw them away, so don't spend a lot!)
  • Lysol spray (for disinfecting the mats each morning)
Thanks for what you have donated for the Men's Shelter . Keep donating; small, 'packaged' items, NOT economy-sized, every little bit helps. 

There is a need for volunteers to help clean the New Covenant Fellowship's Fellowship Hall which is done every Wednesday and Saturday, from 7:50 AM to 8:50 AM. Sign up alone or with a buddy for any one or more of that string of opportunities. The need will continue through March. Sign-up by e-mailing Rev. Cory Blackwell at FUMC.
RACIAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE (RJI) NEWS
MLK Sunday at UUCUC – Please join us for a special Sunday service on January 14th. Rev. Florence Caplow will discuss black UU history within our church and the broader UU congregation. We will also be joined by a special guest and story teller, Dawn Blackman, Sr. This is a very important racial justice service. Please plan to attend.
MLK Commemoration Events at the U of I
(for full list of events, click here )

Annual Countywide MLK Celebration - Friday, January 12th, 4 - 6 pm , Vineyard Church 1500 North Lincoln, Urbana. The event brings together community members from Champaign County to celebrate the mission, teachings, and legacy of Dr. King. This year the committee will honor the leadership of local youth who are serving the Champaign-Urbana communities. With the theme of “Fifty Years Past, Fifty Years Forward…Our Future Dreamers”, Sally Carter, CEO of Tap In Academy, will provide the keynote address.

33rd Annual MLK Service of Celebration - Sunday January 14th, 5 pm, Foellinger Great Hall at Krannert Center, Free; Reverend Dr. Charlie Dates will be the keynote speaker. Music by the Community Choir.

Poverty Simulation - Friday, January 19th, 1 - 3 pm at the School of Social Work (Room 2027), 1010 West Nevada Street, Urbana. The School of Social Work at Illinois will host a poverty simulation to help Urbana-Champaign better understand the issues, hurdles, and roadblocks that individuals living in poverty face. Participants should arrive at 12:30 PM to check-in. Register for the event at https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/9937424 .

Community MLK Celebration - Saturday, January 20th, 10 am - 12 pm , Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Stage 5. Associate Chancellor Assata Zerai will provide opening remarks. Champaign resident Dawn Blackman, Sr. will provide an engaging historical story about Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The program will include a performance by students from International Prep Academy and a lecture demonstration dance performance with Dr. Kemal Nance. The event will have entertainment for all ages and is free of charge.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (RE) NEWS
All Religious Education Classes resume this Sunday, January 7 th .
For the last five years we have had an Upstairs Downstairs Mystery Pen Pal program , to encourage the adults upstairs to get to know the children and youth downstairs and vice versa. We ask people ages 3-100 to complete a form, listing some of their favorite things. Adults and children are matched up based on commonalities, and for six weeks they write letters to each other the “old-fashioned” way, with paper and pen. Each “secret pen pal” is given a mystery name of a famous UU. Envelopes are available to use at the church. At the end of six weeks, we throw a Great Reveal party and the mystery pen pals are revealed! Many inter-generational friendships have grown from this program.

We will begin our sixth year of the Mystery Pen Pal Program this week. Here is what you need to know:

  • Sign-up forms for adults and children will be available the next two Sundays, January 7th and 14th at the RE table and the Hub table in Fellowship Hall, or online here.
  • You will be assigned a mystery name to sign all your letters. You will also be given the name of your mystery pen pal.
  • Instructions will be given when you are assigned your mystery name and matched with your pen pal.
  • The Great Reveal Breakfast is on Saturday, March 3rd 9:00-10:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall (mark your calendars).
  • Contact Cindy Wakeland if you have any questions, at re-director@uucuc.org.
Children and Youth will begin in Sanctuary next Sunday January 14 th , as we have a very special guest storyteller! Eldress Dawn Blackman will be sharing the story of the Birmingham Children's March at the beginning of the service in our Time for All Ages, so please come to the Sanctuary rather than to the RE classrooms at 10:15 AM. Rumor has it, that she is a fabulous storyteller, and it's a very empowering story for kids. The service will be longer than an hour, to accommodate, but there will be RE after the story. This would be a particularly powerful service for teens and middle schoolers to attend, since many of the thousands of children who marched for civil rights were between 12 and 18.
Join us for Movie Field Trip on January 14 th to see Paddington 2! Paddington Bear is coming back to the big screen! Children, youth, parents and friends are invited to join Cindy at Goodrich Savoy 16 on Sunday, January 14 in the afternoon (exact movie time TBD) to watch what antics Paddington Bear will be up to this time. Interested for a fun afternoon? Sign up at the RE table. We hope to see you there! 
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is Monday, January 15 th ! The Church of the Brethren in Champaign (1210 N Neil St.), where Dawn Blackman does social justice outreach, will have a special children's program on Monday the 15 th from 10-2, making banners based on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's famous speeches and making hats for kids in the poorer parts of town. Soup and bagels will be served. This is open to all, and would be a great way to send time on MLK Day in a diverse community. School-aged children and teens can be dropped off. If you want to go with younger children (under 6), she asks that at least one parent accompany them. Church of the Brethren is one of the four "Peace Churches" (with the Amish, Mennonites, and Quakers) and there is a connection to our own Unitarian history in Europe. Dawn does remarkable outreach work, including a whole volunteer program, matching teens and children to volunteer opportunities in the community.
UUCUC Mindfulness Meditation Group - Join fellow UU's in a mindfulness mediation practice before worship service on Sundays ( detailed schedule) in the YRUU room. As always, the door will be left slightly open so that late arrivals can enter quietly.
CHURCH CALENDAR
Dates are subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, visit our events page .
Friday, January 5
Moving Forward Divorce/Separation Group / 3:30 pm / YRUU Classroom

Saturday, January 6
(Many Paths: An Agnostic AA Group) / 4:30 pm / Classroom #1

Sunday, January 7
Partner Church Committee Meeting / 9:00 am / Library
Children's Choir Rehearsal / 9:15 am / Classroom #1
Mindful Meditation Group / 9:20 am / YRUU Classroom
Worship Service / 10:15 am / Sanctuary
Fellowship Hour / Immediately following service / Fellowship Hall
Adult Discussion Group / 11:30 am / Library
Young Adult Group / 11:30 am / Table in Fellowship Hall

Monday, January 8
Bridge Group / 1:00 pm / Children's Chapel

Tuesday, January 9
Property Committee Lunch Meeting / Noon / Fellowship Hall
Stewardship Committee Meeting / Noon / Library
Personnel Committee Meeting / 5:00 pm / Library
BOT Business Meeting / 7:00 pm / Library

Wednesday, January 10
OOS & eNews content submittals are due by noon to the office administrator. Please remember to submit in a word document to pubs@uucuc.org.
CrUUners Rehearsal / 6:00 pm / Sanctuary
Adult Choir Rehearsal / 7:00 pm / Sanctuary 

Thursday, January 11
(Many Paths: an Agnostic AA) / 6:00 pm / Classroom #1
Finance Committee Meeting / 7:00 pm / Fellowship Hall
RJI Meeting / 7:00 pm / Children's Chapel
New Member Covenant Group / 7:00 pm / Library

Friday, January 12
Moving Forward Divorce/Separation Group / 3:30 pm / YRUU Classroom
Upcoming Publications - Mark Your Calendars!
Next eNews: January 11
Deadline for content: Wednesday,
January 10 by Noon
February 2018 Uniter:
Thursday, January 25
Deadline for content: Wednesday,
January 17
UUCUC Contact Information
Church Office
(217) 384-8862
Rev. Florence Caplow
Minister
Cindy Wakeland
Director of Religious Education
Matt Sheppard
Music Director
Sherry Bohlen
Membership Coordinator
Rosalyn Maziarka
Office Administrator
Shornor Vineyard
Custodian and Building Caretaker
Beth Cobb
Assistant for Services
Matthew Gladden
Accompanist
Stephanie Cobb
Sunday Kitchen Helper
Mary Foltz
Childcare Coordinator