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Unity Church of North Easton News
(Unitarian Universalist)
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"We Pledge to Walk Together..."
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Volume 3, No. 11, November 22, 2013
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Minister Message
Dear Friends,
A couple of years back I came across this poem by an anonymous author: I have never understood why anyone
would roast the turkey
and shuck the clams
and crisp the croutons
and shell the peas
and candy the sweets
and compote the cranberries
and bake the pies
and clear the table
and wash the dishes
and fall into bed
when they could sit back and enjoy a hamburger.
As I worry over my seemingly endless to-do list between now and Thanksgiving, I can almost relate to the poem's author. Almost. Yes, Thanksgiving takes a lot of preparation. There's the menu-planning and the grocery shopping, the house-cleaning and the from-scratch cooking. If you usually travel for the holidays, your preparations may be completely different but are probably no less daunting. And yet, year after year most of us resist the hamburger option, however tempting, in favor of a traditional Thanksgiving experience. Certainly, the end-goal of a memorable Thanksgiving dinner motivates many of us in this annual culinary and hospitality crusade. But I think there's something to the process of making all of the preparations, of interrupting our everyday lives and making time to do things so many of us almost never make time to do anymore. The work, the planning, and the scheduling are all part of what sets the holiday apart, what makes it special. This is one way we might approach Advent, the liturgical season that begins next month and which offers time to prepare our hearts for Christmas - the birth of hope long past, and the long-awaited birth of peace into our world. Isn't it interesting that right after a holiday requiring extraordinary preparation we are invited into a time of spiritual preparation? Many of you in the Unity Church community have been hard at work all month spreading hope wide and far through your generosity. Together our congregation provided fully half of the turkeys for Father Bill's Thanksgiving Dinner, and we are still collecting ingredients for all of the fixin's. I hope to see you all at church this Sunday, November 24, as we celebrate the harvest our generosity has sown, and share the many ways what we received in the "reverse offering" a few weeks ago has been transformed into hope for the needy in our wider communities. May the Thanksgiving holiday light the flame of gratitude in each of us, and may it focus our hearts on the joy of preparing a place for hope in our lives, once again. Happy Thanksgiving! Rev. Kristin
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Want to Listen to a Sermon?
Thanks to our wonderful AV volunteers, Ernie Cohen, Greg Wolfe, and Jason Gold, sermon recordings are once again available for anyone who might have missed a service, or anyone would just like to listen again.
If you have any trouble finding them, or listening to them, please contact our Web Administrator, Cathy Adler at welcome2ucne at gmail.com .
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 3rd Annual Fellowship Luncheon
November 24 at 11:30am
Our 3rd Annual Fellowship Luncheon is coming up this Sunday November 24. During Social Hour after the service, gather in Parish Hall for a Seasonal Luncheon! Turkeys will be prepared for us and we all will bring the side dishes.
Thinking about what dish you would like to bring? Choices include:
- mashed potatoes
- stuffing
- gravy
- cranberry sauce
- vegetables, including green beans, corn, carrots, or your favorite
- rolls or cornbread
- pumpkin or apple pie, or your favorite pie
- cookies or a cake
For more information contact Audrey Davies 508-238-3516.
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Cookie Baking is for Everyone!
by Cheryl Brigante
On December 7, 2013, at 1 pm in Parish Hall, we will have our annual Cookie Baking extravaganza and everyone is welc  ome. This is purely a FUN activity! We will have several kinds of cookie dough, including gluten-free, egg-free and nut-free, and lots of different cookie cutters. Children love to roll the dough and decorate with colored sugars.
The baking is supervised by an adult and the new ovens work wonderfully.
So mark your calendar for this fun event. Bring some cookie dough if you'd like and bring your rolling pins.
Contact Cheryl Brigante at cherylbrigante at hotmail.com. if your family needs a specific allergy-free cookie dough to ensure we have enough dough for everyone. This is one of my favorite activities, which brings me great joy, remembering cookie baking times with my own mother.
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UUA Book Fair at Unity Church Starts this Sunday
S tarting S unday November 24, 2013, Unity Church begins to host a Book Fair, with books for sale from the publishing houses of the Unitarian Universalist Association. A sample of their books will be available for you to choose from. You can also order a specific title listed in the UUA Bookstore catalog.
This is a wonderful fundraiser for Unity Church; you pay the list price and
the church receives 40% of the price.
We will continue the Book Fair into the winter of 2014.
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L ro R: Rev. Kristin, Tina Sarcia, and President, Chris Pender
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Welcome to new member,
Tina Sarcia!
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Fall Retreat Success
On Saturday, November 9th, 28 members of Unity Church met with Rev. Kristin and Rev. Bill Zelazny, Ballou Channing District Executive to discuss a host of subjects. The topics were chosen so that Rev. Kristen, the Executive Committee, church leaders, and members could move forward with all of our ministries based on a common understanding of our heritage and goals for the year. Many participants commented on the positive energy present in the room. For a full summary of the Retreat, please click Fall Leadership Retreat November 9, 2013 under the Member Access menu on our web site. Many thanks to all who organized the retreat and for all who participated. As Rev. Bill pointed out during the retreat, ours is a faith of covenants, and one of the most important covenants is the Covenant of Presence - we gathered together, were present with each other, and heard each other. Let's continue on our Visioning journey with this same sense of supportive presence.
See you at church!
The Executive Committee
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Upcoming Music Programs
 November 27 at 12:15 Ode to Thanksgiving.This Organ Recital by Richard Hill, Music Director & Organist at Unity Church is free and open to the public.
December 7 at 7:00pm
Annual Christmas Concert with vocalists, choirs, and instrumentalists. Donations accepted at the door.
December 8 at 2:00pm
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 Volunteer at General Assembly
What do GA volunteers do, and how do I apply?
General Assembly runs on volunteers-over 200 of them! GA volunteers get free registration (and an attractive T-shirt) in return for 24 hours' service at GA (14 hours for youth and others who qualify for reduced registration). Look here for a list of volunteer opportunities. The application period for volunteers is March 1-31.
Want to be a super-Volunteer?
Are you willing to share your time and skills before GA as well as during it? There are still some positions left on the Volunteer Committee, the core group that heads up the various volunteer areas, including the Administrative Assistant who runs the onsite Volunteer Office and the Service Project Coordinator. Full GA expenses are offered for these positions. Think you might be interested? Please contact Beth McGregor at BethGA14 at gmail.com.You might also want to join the UUA's GA listserv, a place where participants exchange information, ideas, and tips about GA, set up carpools or joint child care, look for GA roommates, etc. To sign up, go to http://lists.uua.org/mailman/listinfo/uua-ga.
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Looking for Unity Church Member Contact information?
You can find it on our web site under the Member Access menu,
after you log in as a member.
Now in a more eco-friendly format of 6 (or 3, 2-sided) printable pages!
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New to Unity Church?
New to Unity Church or want to Join Our Mailing List?
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Photo Credits for this Issue of the Unity News
Ellen Dehm
Unity News Contact Info
For questions or comments regarding this message, please contact Cathy Adler, Unity News Managing Editor & Web Administrator
, at welcome2ucne@gmail.com . |
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