|
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Lake Norman
An inclusive community embracing individual spiritual growth
-- living our beliefs through works
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
April 3: "The Courage to Create" with Rev. Robin Tanner
In our monthly theme of creation, we will explore cultivation courage to create new worlds or birth new ideas. Learn about failing forward and the Silicon Valley courage cultivation.
Rev. Tanner is the lead minister at Piedmont UU Church of Charlotte. Our ministers are exchanging pulpits regularly throughout this year to give each congregation a chance to to hear from different speakers. Rev. Amy Brooks will be at Piedmont's Salisbury location on this day.
April 10: "Deepening Our Faith" with member Dan Aldridge
This interactive service will discuss ideas for creating an Adult Spiritual Exploration program. Volunteer-led and -designed, the program may include special classes, programs, and small group ministries that empower members and friends to explore issues, spiritual matters, and other things that interest and motivate them.
Dan Aldridge is a professor of history at Davidson College.
April 17: "This Amazing World We Share" with Rev. Amy Brooks and the children of UU Lake Norman
Our children will inherit this precious place we call home. Help us celebrate the beauty of creation and the wonder of our interdependent web. This service will include a child/family dedication.
April 24: "Origin Stories" with Rev. Justin Martin
Origin stories: From ancient texts to rebooted superhero movies. Why are origin stories important, and what do they have to say about us?
Rev. Martin is part of the ministerial team at Piedmont UU Church of Charlotte.
___________________________________________
The next Coffee and Conversation will be April 17 at 9:45 in Classroom #2. This is for anyone interested in finding out more about our faith and our Fellowship. It is a fun and informative discussion. Child care will be available, if requested beforehand. If you have questions or are thinking about membership, please contact Marge Flowers at membership@uulakenorman.org.
|
|
Milestones
We send our best wishes to John Lawrence and George Guzyinski, both of whom are heading along new spiritual paths.
|
|
Sunday morning groups
The Humanist Discussion Group meets at 9:45 a.m. in classroom #2. The group regularly meets on the first and third Sundays of the month -- this month, April 3 and April 17. The group welcomes all those interested in discussing life from a humanist perspective.
The Adult Discussion Group is not meeting at this time.
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.
|
Music notes
Children's choir this spring!
Calling children ages 5-10: Come early on Sundays and practice with singing and playing instruments! We will present a song on May 8 (Mother's Day). Rehearsals begin April 10 at 10:15 a.m. in classroom #1 and will continue each Sunday through May 8. Children will learn to sing together, follow a director's cues, pla  y cool Orff instruments, and make everyone's hearts glad. If you have questions, please contact me at music@uulakenorman.org. Orff instruments Were you there to hear Barbara Haggart play the giant bass bars on March 27 when we sang Olam Chesed Yibaneh? These fun instruments are really self-contained xylophones. But instead of the usual xylophone's row of wooden bars to strike, each single pitch gets its own wooden box. That's because to produce those marvelous low pitches, the bars have to be huge -- so big, that lining them up side by side would require a resonator box bigger than a refrigerator! So, each low pitch stands alone with its own box. Carl Orff designed these and other similar pitched instruments to make use of his method of teaching music to children. In the Orff method, children play simple repeated patterns. Thanks to Trinity United Church of Christ for lending us these wonderful instruments. We will be using some of them in our children's classes starting April 10.
Theresa Woody
Music Director
|
|
Stewardship update
So how are we doing with the responsible planning and management of our congregation's resources? Fourteen of our 40-plus "pledging units" -- that's about one-third of us -- have delivered pledge cards to treasurer Anne Pender. And eight wonderfully detailed pledges of Time & Talent have arrived in my mailbox. That's pretty good considering how many people are traveling or up to their ears in family events right about now. We'll keep updating you over the next few weeks.
We thank Rev. Amy for her kick-off sermon the first Sunday of March, and Rodger Clark for his affirmation on the second Sunday. Last Sunday, Karen Miller shared her religious journey to this congregation where she found an open place that gives her both relief and joy. Husband Kerry, claiming to be the "heavy," urged us all to pony up if we want to grow and expand all the great things we have to offer to a wider community. And my words the week before came straight from my heart -- but of course you knew that. We hope to wrap up the pledge phase of stewardship shortly. We'll certainly report back on how close we came to achieving or even exceeding the $64,800 budget we challenged you with. But we're not going into hiding until next year. We want to keep track of what things cost, what more we can do to boost budget revenue, and how we can keep our members and visitors excited about growth. Marge Flowers, Kerry and Karen Miller, Marilyn Campbell
|
Thanks to all volunteers who helped host and serve our neighbors at Room In the Inn in February and March. UU Lake Norman's supporting two nights was a significant effort, and a great way to help the community understand how we live our beliefs through works.
Adopt-a-Highway was rained out in March. The new date is April 9 at 9 a.m. If you are interested in helping maintain a clean highway and keeping the Fellowship's roadside sign up in Davidson, email action@uulakenorman.org.
Save these dates:
o April (dates TBD): Smithville Community Gardens
o May 7: Davidson Town Day
o May 29: Social Action Sunday (Memorial Day weekend), by the Social Action Committee with Piedmont UU Church
o June 18: Adopt-a-Highway for second quarter
o June 25: Habitat for Humanity women-build landscaping
o July 31: Social Action Sunday
o Aug. 19-21: Charlotte Gay Pride weekend
|
Announcements
Annual UU picnic The picnic with groups from the Piedmont UU and Charlotte UU churches will be May 21 at Reedy Creek Park. Everyone who attended last year had a wonderful time, good food, and great conversation with our sister UUs! UU Lake Norman had a great turnout from our group, especially considering our smaller size. More information will follow later in April as the plans are confirmed.
Annual meeting
The Fellowship's annual meeting will follow the May 22 service. We will vote on the slate of candidates for the 2016-17 Board of Trustees and review the budget for the coming year. All members are encouraged to attend so that we may share updates and answer any questions.
The group next meets on Wednesday, April 20 at 7 p.m. The group is reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. For more information, please email bookclub@uulakenorman.org.
|
|
Our website is full of information on our congregation and Unitarian Universalism.
Board of Trustees: Veronique Singerman, president: president@uulakenorman.org Sandy McFeeley, secretary Anne Pender, treasurer Rodger Clark, trustee Dan Aldridge, trustee Nicole Gantz, trustee Eddie Gunn, 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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
