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Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Lake Norman
An inclusive community embracing individual spiritual growth
-- living our beliefs through works
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Our services begin at 11 a.m. Sundays in the Lodge at Woodlawn School,
just north of Davidson. A nursery for children up to pre-kindergarten age starts at 10:45 a.m. in the classroom adjacent to the Lodge. Children in K-5th grade go to Spiritual Exploration following the children's story during the service.
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Upcoming services
Jan. 4: "On Solitude" with Rev. Amy Brooks
After the high-energy holiday and the turning of the year, we are sometimes left with quiet, calm, space. It can be a time when people feel lonely and even a bit depressed. But it can also be a time to turn inward and reacquaint ourselves with, well, ourselves . . . apart from the hoopla and expectation. Join me for a reflection on solitude -- and how (unlike loneliness) it can be a healing and transformational experience.
Jan.11: "Ancient Secrets to Personal and Global Peace" with guest speaker Mark Siljander
Mark Siljander will share how research and peacemaking in over 130 countries unearthed secrets from the ancients. Siljander will specify how these "secrets" generate outer and inner peace. It has already enabled building bridges between religions, resolved conflicts with nations, and brought personal inner peace transcending the grandeur of palaces and dehumanizing prisons.
The former member of Congress is president of Bridges to Common Ground, which builds "bridges of friendship" across cultural and religious divides around the world.
Jan. 18: "Stages of Life" with. Rev. Amy Brooks and members of the Fellowship
According to Hindu thought, our lives are broken into distinct stages with important functions and lessons. Drawing on that idea, we will explore some stages of life we find in our culture. This service is a reprise of a well-received service of a few years ago in which different members of our Fellowship share thoughts, experiences and wisdom from different stages of their lives. Jan. 25: "Reflections on King and the American Liberal Tradition" with Dr. Daniel Aldridge The Martin Luther King holiday gives us a time to reflect upon his life and work and the broader secular and religious tradition to which he and we UUs belong. Member Dan Aldridge is a professor of history at Davidson College, specializing in American and African American history. ___________________________________________
The next Coffee and Conversation will be Jan. 4 at 9:45 a.m. in Classroom #2. This is for anyone interested in learning more about Unitarian Universalism and the Fellowship. Please RSVP to membership@uulakenorman.org.
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Greetings Members and Friends,
Wow! What a fabulous holiday celebration! Great music, great participation, great energy. I couldn't sleep until late that evening, I was so excited. What a wonderful feeling to have so many of us togeth er. For those who were traveling, we surely missed you and hope your holiday was meaningful and your journeys were safe. We look forward to having you with us again soon!
Our large crowd on Dec. 21 reminded me that we had among us those who may not be familiar with us and our traditions. As our small Fellowship continues to grow, it is helpful for us to be conscious of our own language and way of doing things that could unintentionally make people feel excluded. For example: What is a chalice? Or RE or SE or UUSC? What is a member? How do I get a name tag? What about our seven principles? How can I help with coffee hour? And just what is Unitarian Universalism?
These words, acronyms and even processes mean things to us but could make it difficult for newcomers to understand us and even more difficult to feel like they can belong.
Our congregation does a wonderful job of welcoming people. Let us please also remember to take time to explain things that we say or do, conscious that what may be clear to us may not be as clear to others, especially our newer members, friends and visitors. Welcome to all, and Happy New Year!
Yours in faith and service,
Amy
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Sunday morning groups
On Jan. 4 the Humanist Discussion group will set up for the 11 a.m. service instead of meeting. The class will resume Jan. 11 with discussions on chapter 8 of The Happiness Hypothesis. Preparation is not necessary and all are welcome. The group meets in classroom #2 at 9:45 a.m.
The Adult Discussion group meets to explore and share what inspires us and the challenges life brings. It meets at 9:45 a.m. in classroom #3 and all are welcome.
Youth Spiritual Exploration (grades 5 and up): Youth are welcome to stay for the service or leave with the children for a separate break-out discussion.
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Music notes
Many Thanks
Kudos to choir members Jeff Pender, Nicole Davidson, Kim Worthington, Dan Aldridge, Laurie Walker, Amy Brooks, and Ken and Mary Powers for all their hard work in preparing for the holiday service. Also to the children's choir: Caroline Johnson, Evelyn Paradise, and Oliver and Hazel Pender. And let us not forget the instrumentalists: Ken Powers (guitar), Caroline Johnson (piano), Dana Brower (cello and bass bars) and Nolan Beall (percussion).
Winter Songs
With the holiday service behind us, the UU Lake Norman choir now takes a much-deserved rest. Special music will be provided on occasion by small ensembles and soloists. Services will continue to include new music brought back from the UUMN conference, as well as old favorites that continue to resonate with many.
Did you know that singing together can strengthen your immune system, even if you're singing about death? Researchers found that members of a choir singing Mozart's Requiem each showed an increase in the amount of the immunoglobulin S-IgA in their systems right after singing. At least that happened when they sang Mozart.... But my guess is it happens to us regularly during Fellowship services too, no matter what we sing. I look forward to singing with you on Sundays in January.
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Mark your calendar with these upcoming events: Jan. 10: Adopt-a-Highway, our quarterly cleanup of Concord Road in Davidson. We'll start at 10 a.m., meeting at Bruce and Lynn Henderson's house. All equipment is supplied; count on a two-hour commitment. We'd love to have first-time volunteers for this event, which gives UU Lake Norman great public exposure via permanent signs posted on either end of our route. See Bruce or write action@uulakenorman.org to volunteer or get details. Feb. 9 and March 13: Room in the Inn. Once again we will be participating in Room in the Inn at Davidson United Methodist Church. This is an opportunity to provide food and shelter for homeless people in the Charlotte area during the winter months. UU Lake Norman will provide the food and DUMC will provide the shelter. Keep posted for information on how to sign up. Guatemala Service Trip UU Lake Norman is partnering with Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church to support a service trip to Guatemala from June 27 to July 5 next year. In collaboration with Mayan Families, participants will be involved in a project supporting a community in the Lake Atitlan region. Mayan Families is a nonprofit organization that promotes the health and well-being of indigenous communities facing extreme poverty in Guatemala, through education and community development programs. We encourage you to attend our informational meeting to learn more about this exciting trip, or reach out to Amy Hartman for more information. The meeting will be held April 16, 7-9 p.m., at Piedmont UU, 9704 Mallard Creek Rd. in Charlotte. In conjunction with this trip, the Social Action Committee would like to initiate its 2015 focus on clean water. We will be raising money to purchase water filters for the schools or local community around Chuk Muk, Guatemala. These water filters will provide a local school or family with hundreds of gallons of clean water. Each filter costs $121, including a wooden stand built by youth in the Mayan Families woodworking class.
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Announcements
The Book Group meets at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday -- Jan. 14 this month -- usually at the home of a member. All are welcome! January's book is The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg. For more information, write bookgroup@uulakenorman.org.
We will begin a film series on the history of principles of our UU faith on Thursday, Jan. 15. The series was produced by the UUA and has gotten great reviews. It is strongly recommended as an introduction to Unitarian Universalism for newcomers and will deepen and refresh the knowledge of longtime members. Rev. Amy will lead a discussion for each segment of the series.
Aquesta Bank, at 9906 Knockando Lane in Huntersville, has graciously offered us free space for the series. It will run on successive Thursday evenings from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Please let Membership Chair Marge Flowers know if you would like to attend. The bank has two meeting rooms available, and we want to reserve one large enough for the group. All are welcome to all or some of these Thursday evening events.
Women of UU Lake Norman, center your mind, body and spirit! The Women's Centering Group will take a holiday break Jan. 2 but resume Jan. 9 at Community Yoga on Fridays from 8 to 9 a.m. No preparation necessary. For more information, please contact Laurie Walker at laurie1059@gmail.com.
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Our website is full of information on our congregation and Unitarian Universalism.
Board of Trustees: Nancy Brower, president: president@uulakenorman.org Veronique Singerman, president-elect
Amy Hartman, past president Joe Turner, secretary Anne Pender, treasurer Dana Overcash, trustee Rodger Clark, trustee Remember to "Like" us on Facebook. We announce our upcoming services and events there and hope you will share them with your friends and family.
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