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October 1
"More Delights" Rev. Thom Belote, preaching One of Rev. Thom’s favorite books of all time is Ross Gay’s The Book of Delights. With the poet and essayist’s new release of a sequel, The Book of (More) Delights, Rev. Thom will return with a sermon about how we can invite more delight into our lives. MUSIC NOTES: This Sunday, our stellar House Band, dubbed “The Delightful Five” for this service, will share their talents by playing the Gathering Music, accompanying hymns, backing up the Community Church Singers, and rocking a Stevie Wonder hit for the Offertory. Speaking of the Community Church Singers, they’ll be singing a song from the movie “The Greatest Showman,” written to be sung by a young P. T. Barnum. FALL WORSHIP SCHEDULE
9 AM:
Contact Marion Hirsch for Sunday evening High School Youth programming 
THE CHURCH AUCTION: SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!
290+ items include themed meals, special events, handmade treasures, food, art, sporting events, entertainment, craft classes, music, garden items, books, professional services, etc. Bidding ends at noon Sat., Oct. 14, so get your bids in NOW! Check out the auction table after Sunday services for more info. Check the Auction page for login and bidding instructions or email Auction Co-Chairs Joan O'Brien and Kathleen Farinola. COMMUNITY CHURCH IN ACTION
WELCOMING MINISTRY
Connections Fair 2023 On September 17, 2023, lay leaders and other volunteers participated in the life of our church by sharing and learning about the many groups within our beloved community that help us live our Mission at the Connections Fair. Twenty-seven groups showcased their important work within and beyond our walls! SEE MORE OF THE CONNECTIONS FAIR! For more information about the Welcoming Ministry, contact Director of Membership & Communications, Rachel Rose. QUICK LINKS |
UPCOMING EVENTSDURING SUNDAY SOCIALS:
WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK IN CHILDREN AND YOUTH MINISTRY? In October, children are exploring HERITAGE as their Soul Matters theme. This week, we will begin learning about our UU roots at 9AM on Zoom and in person at 9:30AM and 11:15AM. 5th Grade OWL and 8th Grade OWL continue and Coming of Age and Adulting meets in the evening. For more information about our Religious Education Program, please contact Marion Hirsch or Kat Good. STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR THE COMMUNITY CHURCH – BOARD OF TRUSTEES Each Sunday for the next several weeks, the Board will be tabling to sign up congregants for focus/discernment group meetings for the strategic planning process. Visit the table and learn more about the process! Register and see the questions focus team leaders will be using. Questions? Email Glenn Davis. I WALK WITH IMMIGRANTS The Immigrant Justice Initiative invites you to a walking challenge Sept. 24-Oct. 22 to see if together, in a month, we can walk as far as one of our asylum-seekers walked to reach the U.S. – as much as 1600 or 2400 miles. Imagine the conditions that could make that seem worth the risk. We'll have a web link to log miles, and sell “I Walk With Immigrants” buttons. Sign up online or at the Sunday Social. We'll end with a pupusa lunch and prizes for the person, family and team that walked the farthest. COMMUNITY CHURCH FALL BLOOD DRIVE SEPTEMBER 30 Fall is around the corner and that means it's time to schedule your next donation at our Fall Blood Drive scheduled for September 30 from 10 AM-2:30 PM. Special food treats will be available as usual, and the youth group will be supporting our canteen table as well. There are only 6 appointments remaining, so don't miss out. We'll be keeping you up to date on the Community Church Facebook page as well. Thank you for supporting the American Red Cross blood program! Find our Drive on the American Red Cross website. OUTDOOR CONNECTIONS Outdoor Connections will explore the High Point Piedmont Environmental Center in September. On September 30 we will meet there at 10:30 AM, hike Bill Faver Lakeshore Trail, and explore the other offerings of this location.Followed by a potluck picnic. Please RSVP to Teri Brooks, to receive updates, details and weather considerations. We hope you can join us for the walk or for lunch or both. If interested in a carpool from the church, let me know in your RSVP and Teri will try to coordinate. TRUST WOMEN - COME DISCUSS Join Melva Fager Okun and Merry-K. Moos for a Spiritual Exploration for Adults (SEA) course to read and discuss the book, Trust Women: A Progressive Christian Argument for Reproductive Justice by Rev. Rebecca Todd Peters. Read as much of the book as you can. Meet and share your thoughts and experiences on Saturday, Sept. 30 and Oct. 14 from 9-10:30 AM. Learn how people are fighting against abortion bans. (Note from Melva: Please forward this announcement to one member of the church who you think would be interested.) Register. SHARE THE PLATE CFF XTREME HIKE On October 1, the Share the Plate will be for the benefit of Gavin’s Groupies Xtreme Hike team for the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation. We hike till CF = ‘Cure Found’.In the 1950s, a person born with CF was not expected to make it to elementary school. Now they expect to live into their 50s. Trikafta has improved the lives of 90% of CF patients. With your help, we can invest our resources in research today, while raising funds for tomorrow, to ensure that CFF can make CF = Cure Found. GROUP WALK AFTER CHURCH OCT. 1 After the second service Sunday Social on Oct. 1, a member of the Immigrant Justice Initiative will lead a group walk across campus from church up to Coker Arboretum and back, 2.5 miles round-trip. It's a fairly flat route and wheelchair-friendly with some small detours. Please gather in the kast Courtyard after Sunday Social if you would like to join the walk and log some miles in community for the I Walk With Immigrants challenge. Questions? Email us. STEWARDS OF CHILDREN TRAINING --SUN OCT 1: 1-3 PM--CHILDCARE PROVIDED Protecting children from sexual abuse is something we all do together. This effective training for parents, grandparents, friends, relatives, and babysitters from the Orange County Rape Crisis Center strengthens adult-child protection behavior in our community. This training is informative and empowering! When more of us know what really protects kids our community is stronger. $10 donation. Childcare provided. Cosponsored by Side with Love and Children's Ministry. Register for the training. Contact Marion Hirsch or Diane Williams COMMUNITY CLICKERS Monthly meeting - Wednesday October 4 at 2 PM in the Gathering Room. Join us to knit/crochet and share projects, design a Hospice Shawl, and visit. We are working to finish our commitment of 30 shawls for Hospice. We welcome you to join us. We are happy to help get you started if you currently don't knit or crochet. See our webpage for additional information. OPENINGS IN MONTHLY CHALICE CIRCLES --1ST WED, 2ND WED, & PARENTS OF YOUTH Chalice Circles are a wonderful way to meet people and deepen connections in a monthly small group. This year's Circles begin in October and we have a few spaces left in 3 groups: 1st Wednesdays in person at 7 PM, led by Laurie McDonald 2nd Wednesdays on Zoom at 7 PM led by Anne Belote Parents of Middle and High School Youth in person at 6 PM on 4th Sundays Come and make a connection! Register. Contact Anne Belote for more info. REGISTER NOW FOR A STRATEGIC PLANNING FOCUS GROUP ON ZOOM – OCT 6 OR OCT 12 Help chart the course for our congregation. Join a Strategic Planning Focus Group on Zoom. Register for Fri Oct 6 from 2-3:30 PM. Register for Thurs Oct 12 from 12-1:30 PM. Zoom links will be sent to your email the day before the meeting. There will be more sessions scheduled at later dates. Questions? Contact Board President Glenn Davis or Barb Chapman. QUUILTERS We meet on Saturday morning, October 7, 9 - 11:30 AM, in the Gathering Room. Check in with your fellow qUUilters, share your personal projects, and find fabric and batting for making placemats for Meals on Wheels, and lap quilts for refugees and hospice, and more. Browse our refreshed fabric bins, too! A few grab & sew kits will be available as well as fabric bundles. Join our email list. UU JUSTICE NC STATEWIDE GATHERING OCTOBER 7 IN RALEIGH Join UUs from across the state at the UU Fellowship of Raleigh from 9-4 for this celebration of our work, with music, panel discussions with justice partners, opportunities to connect with fellow UUs. Our keynote speaker, Serena Sebring, Executive Director of Blueprint North Carolina, will speak about our movement to build power for an anti-racist, inclusive democracy in North Carolina. There will also be an opportunity to participate virtually. Register! Want to ride-share? Let us know. |
WE ARE A WELCOMING CONGREGATION
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We are a congregation that has historically stood for the civil rights of all people, especially those affected by racism and homophobia. We are a Welcoming Congregation, celebrating and affirming the active presence in our congregation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and heterosexual members and friends and their families. We are actively engaged in dialogue about how to be a more racially diverse, multicultural, anti-oppressive congregation. |
SUNDAY PARKING: Please honor the parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities and limited mobility at the front of the church, as well as the spaces reserved for the Auction Winners. We encourage folks to carpool and/or park offsite, if at all possible. Parking is available at The Community Church, as well as alternate parking options. See a map here. Please note: Parking is not allowed at the Kehillah across the street. WEEKDAY PARKING (for church functions): The Main Lot is fully rented; please use the small Front Lot directly in front of the church, the wooded Pine Lot along Purefoy Road, or in the Rear Lot behind the church.