Community Church in Action
Recent activities in the life of our church
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4/30/2020: Community Service Ministry / Inter-Faith Council for Social Services (IFC) The Community Church is a founding church of the Inter-Faith Council for Social Services (IFC), and every month, volunteers from our church feed the hungry. Here, Jami Alexander (wearing a homemade mask by church member Susie Hafer) is bringing a carload of delicious pastries for IFC's Community House, a 24-hour residential facility for homeless men. Learn more about IFC here. Learn how to help here. |
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SPECIAL BUUDDIES On February 9, 2020: Special bUUddies Breakfast brings children and adults together for a morning of friendship, food and fun. There were 20 adult buuddies, 20 children, 15 youth and parent volunteers! |
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HKon J On 2/8/2020, six teens from our church marched in the Historic Thousands on Jones Street demonstration in Raleigh. |
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MAGIC: THE GATHERING Over 25 children, youth and adults attended the first church Magic: The Gathering meeting on January 25; all ages played Magic together for many hours. |
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On January 20, over twenty members of our congregation enjoyed a Fall Auction Event:
An Evening of Jazz with Erich Lieth at the home of Jeanne Lemkau
The music was great. Participants couldn't sit still!
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The Community Church Choir sang at the Chapel Hill Carrboro Interfaith Martin Luther King Day Service at First Baptist Church on January 20. More than 40 members of the Community Church attended this inspirational event, including 6th and 7th graders in the Neighboring Faiths Class with their families. |
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GECKOS (and a salamander!) AT CHURCH!
Thanks to Cassidy Sexton for sharing her geckos and salamander on 1/12 during Religious Education. She shared her expertise and her critters with more than 50 children on Sunday morning.
DONNA WASHINGTON STORYTELLING
After Children's Family Dinner on Saturday, January 11,
over 65 people of all ages enjoyed
professional storyteller & Community Church Member, Donna Washington,
regaling them with stories.
YUUle Ball 2020
Over 160 witches and wizards danced the night away at the YUUle Ball
on January 3. More than $1000 was raised to Close the Gap.
The UNC UU Campus Fellowship
End of Semester Dinner
December 10, 2019 - celebrating the graduation of co-chair Rachel Raasch
and the end of classes.
Nifty Gifty
On Saturday December 7, 21 church children at "Nifty Gifty"
make and wrap homemade gifts for family and friends for the holiday season.
ECO’s Mega-Recycling Event, Nov. 17:
About 25 church member households brought items no longer usable to be recycled,
as well as the music, concert and buildings and grounds committees which cleared large amount of items from stage right and a storage shed. Items were picked up by Anything With a Plug, a Raleigh-based company which recycles items in an environmentally sound way, and locally whenever possible.
CAMPUS FELLOWSHIP
FRIENDSGIVING
On 10/27/19, nine young adults of The UU Campus Fellowship at UNC
celebrated their annual "Friendsgiving" Dinner with turkey and all the traditional fixings.
OUTDOOR CONNECTIONS
10/26/19: Enjoying a banner year for falling leaves and falling water!
CAMPUS MINISTRY GROUP CAMPING TRIP
The UU Campus Fellowship at UNC-CH
celebrates the beginning of fall break
with a camping trip at Jordan Lake on October 12th.
COMMUNITY SERVICE MINISTRY EL CENTRO BRUNCH
On Sunday, Sept. 15, the Community Service Ministry hosted a brunch to benefit the Center for Education and Leadership (Workers Center) at El Centro Hispano. All proceeds will go towards helping to fund a storage shed where the workers can safely store their tools and equipment. Approximately 70 folks enjoyed delicious buffet dishes prepared by church members and were serenaded by the music of Erich Lieth and Pablo Valencia of Saludos Compay.
WomenCircle STORYTELLING
Award-winning storyteller, Donna Washington, led the WomenCircle program on Friday, September 6, telling stories of the Maiden, Mother, and Crone. Participants then broke into pairs to tell stories about significant women in their lives. Thirty women with ages spanning seven decades took part in the program.
COMMUNITY CHURCH CHOIRS SING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM
On Saturday, August 31, 22 members from our church's choral ensembles, under the direction of Glenn Mehrbach, sang The Star Spangled Banner before the Durham Bulls game. Approximately 40 members of community rooted for the home team and enjoyed the post-game fireworks display.
HOGWARTS ON THE HILL
On July 19-20 we held our third Hogwarts on the Hill camp. Nearly 50 children and youth as well dozens of adult volunteers participated. The Community Church was transformed into Hogwarts and our young wizards-in-training practiced spells, potions, care of magical creatures, and much more. In the photo the sorting hat determines the house assignment of one of our young wizards. (Photo credit: Jon van Ark.)
WHITE ALLIES TOOLKIT
On Sunday, April 14, nearly 20 members of The Community Church attended the
"White Allies Toolkit" workshop, led by Dr. David Campt at Kehillah Synagogue.
Those attending learned practical skills for challenging and disrupting racism
and having better conversations about racism. The Community Church was proud
to co-host this event.
March 30th: Sanctuary for Dialogue members after a Better Angels Skills Workshop (Talking Across the Political Divide) at Croasdaile Village retirement community, where there is significant tension between liberal and conservative residents. The stars were added by a resident to express appreciation! 23 Croasdaile residents attended!
FIRST-EVER DAY OF SERVICE
On March 2, over 250 members of The Community Church congregation gathered to serve the greater community by participating in over 14 Service Projects. From building "Little Free Libraries" to helping to feed food-insecure children in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and more - the people of our church worked together
to serve others. It was a huge success!
SPECIAL BUUDDY BREAKFAST, 2/10
Friendships across the generations are formed at the annual bUUddy breakfast. Church children and adults are paired and correspond for weeks and then it programs culminates in a fun morning of shared breakfast and activities.
BETTER ANGELS STATE OF THE UNION
On January 31, the Sanctuary for Dialogue ministry hosted a watch party for David Blankenhorn's Better Angels State of the Union address.
Sanctuary for Dialogue partners with Better Angels to facilitate community conversations, in the Triangle and beyond, designed to de-polarize Americans.
2019 NAACP MLK SERVICE
On Monday, January 21, the Community Church Choir sang at the Chapel Hill/Carrboro NAACP's annual service celebrating the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Community Church's participation in the service
is a long-standing tradition.
HELPING HANDS HELP HABITAT
On January 13th, Church children learned about The Community Church's 23-year participation in Habitat for Humanity. The youth learned about how the homes are built and painted welcoming messages on insulation baffles
for our 23rd Habitat build!
- MEGA-RECYCLE EVENT A SUCCESS
- Many thanks from ECO! About 80 households participated and extra volunteers appeared to help both Sunday and Monday, 1/13 & 1/4/19. Everyone was of such good spirit. Some useable items were donated. Also, Rachel repurposed an item for the office, building/ground crew rescued a cart to use and youth ministry scavenged a few items for a "maker" activity. The recycler was happy with the load and all of us can be proud of keeping so much out of landfills. Well done, everyone!
NAACP SWEARING-IN CEREMONY
On December 17, leaders of the Chapel Hill/Carrboro NAACP were sworn in during a ceremony led by Senator Valerie Foushee.
Our minister, Rev. Thom Belote, who chairs the Religious Affairs Committee, took part in the ceremony, joining the Executive Committee of the local NAACP chapter.
The Religious Affairs Committee is currently hard at work planning the annual MLK service.
DECKING THE HALLS
The annual Greening of the Church, held on December 1,was a time of joyful community.
Activities included decorating the Sanctuary for the holidays, wreath-making,
a delicious chili supper with cornbread and eggnog, and a lively singing of Christmas carols led by our fabulous 16-piece ukulele ensemble, the UUkes!
The Greening again included a Service Project: the creation of 14 bountiful baskets
with care items and holiday treats for residents of the local women's shelter
as well as 8 bags overflowing with warm winter clothing.
LET'S TALK TRANS
As we mark our 15th anniversary as an LGBTQ Welcoming Congregation, our church hosted Let's Talk Transon Thursday, November 29. Ames Simmons, Director of Transgender Policy at Equality NC, spoke, providing an overview of gender identity and answering questions about how to be more welcoming and combat transphobia.
CHURCHWIDE THANKSGIVING POTLUCK
On November 22, Members of The Community Church,
along with family and friends, celebrated Thanksgiving 2018 with a huge array of food and fellowship. Folks who have been part of this community for years, UUs from out of town - all had a festive time. And, all helped clean up afterward!
VISIT TO STEWART DETENTION CENTER
On November 10-11, a group from North Carolina, including Rev. Thom and two Members of The Community Church, traveled to Lumpkin, Georgia, to visit immigrants detained at the Stewart Detention Center. We worked in conjunction with El Refugio, an organization providing support to detainees and their families. The trip was organized through FaithAction House in Greensboro.
BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS
On Sunday, November 4, The Community Church of Chapel Hill held a Blessing of the Animals Service. People of all ages were joined in the service by lots and lots of dogs and a couple of intrepid cats. The service celebrated our connection with our animal companions and a few dogs delighted everyone by howling along to the hymns.
VOTER ENGAGEMENT DRIVE
On the weekend of October 19-21, Community Church hosted a busload of UUs from the Reeb Project of All Souls Unitarian Church in Washington D.C. Our guests were paired with members of our church, trained by You Can Vote and Democracy NC, and sent all around the Triangle to help with voter education and get-out-the-vote efforts. Countless volunteers helped make the weekend a success with home hospitality and providing a potluck dinner on Saturday evening.
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VOTER OUTREACH,
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feeding the futureOn Tuesday, October 9 a group of 10 members of our church's Community Service Ministry took part in a bagging party at TABLE in Carrboro. The group packed 200 backpacks of food for hungry students in our community.
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uukes perform at hurricane shelter
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When a member of the UUkes, the ukulele ensemble
hosted at The Community Church, learned that dozens of evacuees from Hurricane Florence were being sheltered at the Bill and Ida Friday Center in Chapel Hill, she sprang to action. On Monday, September 24, the 26-piece uke ensemble played a show for the people in the shelter. |
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LETTER-WRITING CAMPAIGN
On September 2nd, members came to the ECO table during Coffee Hour to write letters to Governor Cooper in opposition to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. |
After clowning around with Wooly Bull, the Community Church Choir
knocked it out of the park while singing the National Anthem at the Durham Bulls game on Saturday, September 1. The Bulls went on to win the game, 12-9. |
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Flaming ChalicES End Season With A WinOn Sunday, August 19, the Community Church's church league softball team, the Flaming Chalices, won their last game of the season playing against the United Church of Chapel Hill.
With players ranging in age from teens to folks in their 70s, the softball team is an opportunity for intergenerational bonding and good fun! |
CHALICE CAMP
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hogwarts on the hill
On the weekend of July 27-29, The Community Church was transformed into Hogwarts for a Harry Potter-themed camp. More than 50 children and 60 adults took part in the experience which included a great feast, sorting in the four Hogwarts houses and magical classes.
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Community Church members turned out on Friday, May 25 to dedicate the Tengono family's completed Habitat house. Our QUUilters presented the family with two lap quilts. As a part of Building Hope we have partnered with other faith communities to build a house each year for the past 22 years. This year's house was made possible in part by the Joe Farinola Memorial Fund and we dedicated our work on the house to his memory.
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volunteering for table
On Tuesday, May 5, members of the Community Service Ministry joined with others in filling bags at TABLE with shelf stable foods for children at risk for hunger in Carrboro/Chapel Hill schools. Later in the week another shift added fresh fruits and produce to the bags which were then delivered to these kids at their schools and after school programs. TABLE is currently serving over 650 children weekly!
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shelter neck family retreat
13th Annual Shelter Neck Family Retreat--April 27-29.
Church families gathered at Shelter Neck UU Camp in Burgaw for a relaxing weekend of food, fellowship, campfires, games and a talent show. |
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naacp dinner
NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner April 28, 2018
The Community Church hosted a table at the Chapel Hill Carrboro NAACP annual Freedom Fund Dinner. We enjoyed a fun and inspiring evening of fellowship and inspiration including a terrific keynote address from Anita Earls. |
2018 music gala
On April 21 Community Church held our annual Music Gala, titled "Big BlUUe Marble: the earth in song." Favorites like Danny Gotham, the UUkes, both of our adult choirs, and many others performed, with music spanning styles and generations, including original songs and arrangement created specifically for the occasion. Funds raised will go towards music and sound equipment upgrades, including a new digital hearing assist system.
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Musicians Visit SECU House
A group of musicians from the Community Church visited SECU House on April 16. SECU House provides comfort, hospitality, and respite for patients and their families who travel long distances to receive treatment at UNC Medical Center. Our church shared the gift of music with the residents there.
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SYRIAN DINNER
The Sanctuary & Immigrant Support Ministry hosted a delicious and successful fundraising dinner at the church on Saturday, April 14. A Syrian refugee family catered the dinner and speakers talked about the services both available and needed within the refugee community. Funds raised went to compensate the caterer and support an organization that works with refugees in the Triangle.
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March for Our Lives
Dozens of young people and adults from the Community Church traveled to Raleigh joining thousands from across the state on Saturday, March 24 to attend the March for Our Lives and to call for meaningful and responsible public policy to address gun violence in our nation.
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Actor Joey Collins at Community ChurchOn Sunday, March 4, actor Joey Collins - starring in Playmaker's productions of The Christians and Tartuffe - joined us for worship at The Community Church. He performed a scene from The Christians and also told a story about how he came to question a belief in hell. You can hear the sermon here.
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Campaign Kicks Off with Dinner and a ShowA large crowd attended a church party on Saturday, February 25 to kick off the combined Capital Campaign and Annual Pledge Drive. Festivities included a taco bar prepared by our high school youth, homemade donuts for dessert, and a wonderful talent show featuring talented church musicians of all ages as well as a magic performance
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Campus Ministry Gives Us Hope
On Sunday, February 18 the UU Campus Ministry at UNC led our worship service. The service included three mini-sermons by members of the Campus Ministry as well as poems, meditations, and readings. The service ended with a joyous singing of "Tomorrow" from the musical "Annie." The Campus Ministry meets weekly in the Student Union during the school year and the Campus Ministry service is an annual highlight.
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Community Church Choir Sings at PlaymakersOn February 17 and 18, the Community Choir Choir, under the direction of Glenn Mehrbach, appeared in Playmakers' production of "The Christians." The play tells the story of a schism that occurs in a church when the senior pastor becomes a Universalist. Rev. Thom will preach about the play on March 4.
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Community Church Shows Up for HKonJ
Dozens of members of the Community Church braved the rain in downtown Raleigh on Saturday, February 10 to attend the Forward Together Movement's annual Historic Thousands of Jones Street (HKonJ) march and rally. The Forward Together Movement articulates and promotes a moral vision for our state that includes voting rights, care for the poor, public education, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, and environmental justice.
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rehearsing for "the Christians"
The Community Church Choir, under the direction of Glenn Mehrbach, will be one of six local choirs appearing on stage for Playmakers' production of "The Christians." "The Christians" portrays a church conflict that erupts when the pastor tells the congregation that he no longer believes in Hell. Our choir will be singing in the show on February 17 and 18 and on March 8-10.
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Rev. Paul Davis Guest Preaches at Community ChurchRev. Paul Davis, minister at the Congregational UCC Church in Greensboro, was our guest preacher on Sunday, January 21. Rev. Davis preached about his congregation's experience welcoming Minerva Cisneros Garcia and Oscar Canales into sanctuary. You can hear the whole sermon here.
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Community Church Shows Up For Annual MLK ServiceNearly 50 members of the Community Church were present for the Chapel Hill / Carrboro NAACP's annual service commemorating the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. held at First Baptist Church on January 15. Our Community Church Choir with Glenn Mehrbach directing contributed a choral anthem during the service. And, our own Rev. Thom, serving as the chair of the Religious Affairs Committee of the NAACP took a leading role in planning the service.
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43,851 Reasons to be Grateful |
The Share the Plate program, which schedules Sunday collections for local organizations that reflect our values, is proud to announce that a record $43,851 was raised in 2017. These funds went to organizations like Planned Parenthood, the Interfaith Council for Social Services, El Centro Hispano, and many others. Click here to see a list of all of the organizations we supported in 2017. We are amazed by our church's extraordinary generosity!
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Magnificat MagnificentThe Community Church Choir and Music Director Glenn Mehrbach created a beautiful choir service on Sunday, December 17. Accompanied by a 16-piece orchestra our choir sang a stunning and moving rendition of J.S. Bach's Magnificat.
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Holiday Fun at Grinch Night
A large crowd of children, their families, and others feeling young at heart enjoyed Grinch Night, an annual tradition at Community Church, on Friday, December 15. Scott Provan reprised his role as the Grinch offering an enthusiastic reading of the classic story by Dr. Seuss. Following the performance the congregation joined in singing Christmas carols.
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Community Service Ministry Takes Habitat to LunchOn Saturday, December 16, our church's Community Service Ministry provided lunch to the team working at the Habitat for Humanity site in Efland. Our church is part of an interfaith team working to construct a home for Gerardo and Ilail Tengono. This year's project is extra special as it is being built to honor the memory of Joe Farinola.
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Rev. Thom Attends National Interfaith Clergy WitnessOn December 14, the fifth anniversary of the shootings at Sandy Hook elementary in which 20 children and 6 adults were killed, Rev. Thom Belote joined religious leaders from around the country at the National Interfaith Clergy Witness outside the NRA headquarters in Fairfax, VA. The witness mourned the tens of thousands firearm deaths each year in the United States and issued a moral call for reasonable and responsible gun laws in our country.
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Campus Ministry Celebrates LDOCThe Unitarian Universalist Campus Fellowship at UNC celebrated the last day of class by going out to an Indian restaurant on Franklin Street. After dinner the church presented each of the students a care package for finals. These care packages, filled with snacks and joyful items, were created by one of the covenant groups in our church.
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Holiday Baskets
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Holiday Fun at the Greening
Nearly 150 members of our church community took part in the annual Greening of the Church held on December 2. After decking the halls of the church, creating wreaths, and assembling baskets for HomeStart we enjoyed a chili supper, sipped egg nog, and our UU Ukelele group led us in singing our favorite Christmas songs.
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Community Church Talks Turkey
On November 20 and 21, Sanctuary for Dialogue hosted two evenings of trainings to help people to learn how to have better conversations across the political divide. Utilizing material from Better Angels, these "Let's Talk Turkey" workshops helped participants learn how to listen better and be more effective at articulating their own values.
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Community Church Performs "Oliver!"A cast and crew spanning the generations produced and performed the musical Oliver! at the Community Church of Chapel Hill on November 17-19. In response to the themes of poverty and abuse included in the musical, we raised over $1,000 for the Durham Crisis Response Center over the weekend. Beginning 10 years ago with our first church musical, we have produced a musical every other year.
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Services Auction a Super SuccessThere was an abundance of Fellowship, Fun-raising, and Fund-raising at our annual Service Auction on Saturday, November 11. (Left) Attendees making their bids during the silent auction. (Right) Attendees pose with our fabulous auctioneer, Donna "The Peacock" Washington. Thanks to Susan and Don Blanchard, our Auction co-chairs for organizing our largest fellowship and fundraising event of the year!
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Community Church Sends Team to "Better Angels" TrainingEight members of our church's Sanctuary for Dialogue team attended a two-day training with the organization "Better Angels" on November 10-11. Better Angels is an organization seeking to de-polarize Americans by training them in how to talk and listen across the blue-red divide.
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Eric Bannan Plays Benefit ConcertOn November 3 church member Eric Bannan performed a concert celebrating the release of his new album "You Are Welcome Here." Funds raised from the concert went to support the Movement to End Racism and Islamophobia (MERI.) Concertgoers enjoyed two sets of music from Eric and at intermission enjoyed sweet and savory fare catered by Hana Jabr, a Syrian refugee living in our community.
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Record Share the Plate for Puerto RicoOur Share the Plate on Sunday, October 29 raised funds for disaster relief in Puerto Rico following Hurricanes Irma and Maria. That morning our special offering raised $3,145 for Unidos Por Puerto Rico / United for Puerto Rico, our largest Share the Plate collection to date. (Our Share the Plate program donates our Sunday collection twice a month to organizations that support our values. Each year we raise about $35,000 through Share the Plate.)
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Community Church Holds Labyrinth Walking ClassMembers of Rev. Thom's Labyrinth Walking class walked local labyrinths on three consecutive Sunday afternoons this fall. The class visited labyrinths at UNC Hospital, Carol Woods, and Camp New Hope. Click the link below to view other offerings through the Spiritual Exploration for Adults program.
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Shelter Neck Retreat for Middle SchoolersThe Middle School Youth Group enjoyed a weekend retreat at Shelter Neck from 9/22-9/24. Highlights included trips to the beach and aquarium, a workshop on non-violent communication, Smoreos (S'mores + Oreos), and a magical creature costume contest (pictured.) Shelter Neck is a Universalist-owned retreat center near the NC coast.
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Community Church
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Annual Picnic was Fun, Fun, Fun
One of the highlights at the beginning of every the church year is our annual All-Church Picnic, held at Camp New Hope on September 9. Participants enjoyed a potluck meal, played games including the popular "Tug-o-War," and finished the evening with a campfire.
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Community Church Hosts MERI
The justice organization MERI (Movement to End Racism and Islamophobia) held its quarterly meeting at the Community Church of Chapel Hill on Tuesday, August 29 with our members serving as hosts. Participants shared a meal and planned justice events for the fall.
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UU Campus Fellowship @UNC
With the start of a new semester the Unitarian Universalist Campus Fellowship is back and resuming weekly meetings. The Community Church has sponsored a campus ministry program on UNC's campus since 1998. UNC students are invited to join us each Wednesday during the semester at 5:00 in a meeting room in the Student Union. Fellowship plus bread, hummus, and cookies every week!
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Welcome Blanket
On Sunday, August 20, the Community Clickers displayed the blanket their group created as part of the Welcome Blanket project. The blanket will be sent to the Smart Museum in Chicago where it will be displayed this fall and then gifted to a newly arrived immigrant family.
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Sanctuary & Refugee Support Ministry
This photo is from the August 17 meeting of the Sanctuary & Refugee Support Ministry. This group, formed last spring, has been building momentum by providing direct service to Latino immigrants and refugees from Syria, partnering with other congregations and organizations, and attending events related to Sanctuary and immigration justice.
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Hogwarts on the Hill
August 11-13, 2017, over 50 children, youth and adults gathered to create a Hogwarts mini-camp. Pictured here is Headmistress Selden Holt presiding over the opening feast. There was sorting, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Quidditch skills, wand making, butterbeer and fun for all.
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Community Church Choir at Durham Bulls
On Thursday, August 10, the Community Church Choir performed the National Anthem at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and then stuck around to root, root root, for the Bulls! The Community Church Choir rehearses every Wednesday evening in the Straley Room. Contact Glenn Mehrbach for more information.
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Outreach by Peace and Justice Committee
On August 9 The Peace and Justice Committee commemorated Hiroshima and Nagasaki Days with a viewing of the documentary PICTURES FROM A HIROSHIMA SCHOOLYARD and a performance from the Raging Grannies.
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Race Matters
Five youth from the congregation were participants in the Race Matters Training, August 5-6 at Carrboro High School. The Racial Equity Institute workshop was sponsored by Orange Organizing Against Racism. The Community Church, in addition to sending youth, also helped organize and sponsor this event.
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Tim Tyson Visits
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The Community Church
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