Rev. Ann Marie

It has been about a year since I joined the staff of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greensboro. A year ago, I had just moved to Winston-Salem from Columbus OH to join my husband, Tom Dowling, as he began his new job at Wake Forest University. I was encouraged to find not one, but two, UU churches in the area, and was thrilled that UUCG was looking for an "RE [Religious Education] Coordinator." Not only was it a great match for my skill-set, but it met me where my heart was-as an educator and as a Unitarian Universalist.

With minimal lead-time, I honored leadership's vision to offer RE programming for children concurrent with Adult Ed at 9:30, while also coordinating children's RE at the 11:00 am hour. At 9:30 am, Fred Lehman, Marty Ward, Michelle Giorgi and I led a PreK-Fifth Grade class, "Wonderful Welcome." And at 11:00, after beginning in the main service, children and youth adjourned to the RE wing for "Spirit Play" and "Circle Worship," facilitated by Michelle Lee, Cindy Williams, Laura Graham, Rissa Tuttle, Ken Williams, Lauren Houck, Kevin Houck, Sharin Francis, Harold Gunn, Ian Perkins, Breeze Dunham and others.

This year's Religious Education programming for children and youth will be ushered in on Sunday, Sept 8 at 11:00 with our all-ages Water Communion and Teacher Dedication Service. RE classes for children and youth will begin the next Sunday, Sept 15-"Chalice Club" (ages Pre-K thru 5th grade) 9:30-10:30, followed at 11:00 by "Wonderers" (PreK-1st Grade), "Gatherers" (2nd-5th Grades), and "Sojourners" (6th-12th Grades). This will be followed by an all-ages potluck, to be held in the RE classrooms.

For more information, pick up a brochure in the lobby. Or send me an e-mail @ uucgre@att.net.

Namaste,

Cindy Dillard, Director of Religious Education

We have a wide range of Adult Religious Education opportunities this Fall at UUCG.  There will be Sunday morning programming from 9:30-10:30, Thursday nights, and some Saturdays.

Compassionate Communication will lead first Sunday each month. Compassionate Communication is based on the work of Marshall Rosenberg.  Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is based on the principles of nonviolence-- the natural state of compassion when no violence is present in the heart.

NVC begins by assuming that we are all compassionate by nature and that violent strategies - whether verbal or physical - are learned behaviors taught and supported by the prevailing culture.  NVC also assumes that we all share the same, basic human needs, and that each of our actions are a strategy to meet one or more of these needs.

People who practice NVC have found greater authenticity in their communication, increased understanding, deepening connection and conflict resolution.

http://www.cnvc.org/  

They will begin our fall session on September 15 and the first Sunday of every month after that.

Ken Knight will facilitate a study and exploration of The How of Happiness: A Practical Guide to Getting the Life You Want by Sonja Lyubomirsky for 5 Sundays September 22,29, October 13, 20, 27.

Learn how to achieve the happiness you deserve

"A guide to sustaining your newfound contentment." --Psychology Today

You see here a different kind of happiness book.  The How of Happiness is a comprehensive guide to understanding the elemetns of happiness based on years of groundbreaking scientific research.  It is also a practical, empowering, and easy-to-follow workbook, incorporating happiness strategies, excercises in new ways of thinking, and quizzes for understanding our individuality, all in an effort to help us realize our innate potential for joy and ways to sustain it in our lives.  Drawing upon years of pioneering research with thousands of men and women, The How of Happiness is both a powerful contribution to the field of positive psychology and a gift to people who have sought to take their happiness into their own hands.

www.TheHowOfHappiness.com  

Sharin Francis will lead discussion on Acts of Faith by Eboo Patel over three weeks November 17, December 8, 15.  We will first show this year's Ware lecture featuring Dr. Patel on November 10.

Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, in the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation

Acts of Faith is a remarkable account of growing up Muslim in America and coming to believe in religious pluralism, from one of the most prominent faith leaders in the United States.  Eboo Patel's story is a hopeful and moving testament to the power and passion of young people - and of the world-changing potential of an interfaith youth movement.  Currently only $2.79 for the Kindle edition.

http://www.ifyc.org/about-us/eboo-patel  

Thursday nights, beginning Thursday evenings at 7 pm on September 12, our Developmental Minister, the Rev. Ann Marie Alderman, will lead the Faith Like a River class. 

More details to follow in our weekly announcements.

Submitted by Steve Pearsall

 It is a fun event, and no special skills are required!  A light lunch will be provided.

Jim Roeder, Chair

Building and Grounds Team

A two part workshop on gender identity and gender expression will be presented at the UUCG on Saturday, September 14 at 6:30 pm. The workshop will be presented by Allison Woolbert and Deborah Duncan, Unitarian Universalists from New Jersey who lecture and give workshops on gender identity and gender expression. We are thrilled they will be able to give this informative and powerful two part workshop. A love offering will be collected.

Part 1: Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, So Where do I Come From?" A true story told by Allison Woolbert of her life experiences of being born into the world of fundamentalism and gender intolerance. 

Part 2: Gender & Gender Variance Primer

Purpose: To provide an orientation to Gender Expression and Gender Identity; distinguishing gender identity and sexual orientation. Building awareness of the importance of gender in personal identity in our society; the forces that we all experience around gender; how the experience may differ for the gender non-conforming.

There is tremendous confusion in Western society around sexuality and gender. To understand the role of gender in our society it is critical to be able to distinguish the basic differences between sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. This workshop is designed to bring more clarity to these seemingly obvious concepts, which are, for most of us, tangled together.

This is their bio page: http://www.phoenix-lgbt.com/index.php/about-us

Please make plans to attend this workshop and spread the word to others. For additional information or to assist with this event, please contact Karen Madrone at kmadrone@juno.com.  

Every time we encounter other people we make choices about how to respond to them.  The Healthy Congregation Committee teaches Nonviolent Communication (Compassionate Communication).  We use the Jackal and the Giraffe puppets to illustrate choices we make in our interactions with one another.  YOU can decide the verdict!

CONFLICT IMPROVs begin Sunday, Sept. 15th at 9:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary.   Watch us act out a Back-to-School scenario, responding as Jackals or Giraffes, based on Compassionate Communication principles.  These scenes (some hilarious, some dramatic) should provide plenty of fodder for discussion afterwards, as we decide which solutions work best!  Childcare will be provided. To participate as an actor, please contact Sue Beck.

Mark your calendars: A new Improv will be presented the first Sunday of each month thereafter at 9:30 a.m. Childcare will be provided.

UUCG ushers are invited to a discussion meeting in the sanctuary on Sunday, September 15, immediately following the worship service.  Anyone who is currently serving as an usher or would like to become an usher is welcome to attend.

At that meeting the Ushers will review changes to the Sunday morning usher responsibilities.  Rev. Alderman will share her vision of how the ushers can enhance our worship services.

Please contact Dennis Hands if you have a question.

October 20, 2013        

1:00 assemble and register

Grasshopper Stadium in downtown Greensboro

UUCG will walk this year!  Watch for announcements of this year's team leaders in the Order of Service and October's newsletter.  If you want to help with the organization of our team, contact the Social Action Team by email or phone - sbourquin@triad.rr.com or 632-1616.

This is a community effort, supported by virtually all of the religious community, to raise funds to feed local people through Potter's House and to feed people worldwide through Church World Service.  Of the money raised, 25% remains in our community.  This year's event is expected to raise over $5 million.  This means $1.25 million to feed the hungry right here at home.  What a way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Having come from a different model, asking children to participate in offertory wasn't familiar to me. And over the past year, when I was in the classroom and children were asked about what "frog money" was, in their minds it wasn't necessarily connected with charity/social justice.   A few remembered the charity chosen (if they happened to have been in class on the day the presentations and voting took place). And some children are conscious that there is a difference between money their folks give them, and money that is actually theirs that they choose to give (such as money from the tooth fairy or birthday money). But mainly it seemed that the children loved feeding the frog. It's silly and fun. And there's nothing wrong with that...it just might not be the most tangible way to teach charity and social action to children.

In partnership with the Social Action Team, in the coming weeks, I will be introducing an ongoing project that incorporates the giving of "frog money" with many other ways to give. "Taking It T-UU The Streets" will be an ongoing project to more tangibly extend our caring to those in need on the streets through carebags. Those who can donate predetermined items may leave them the "Taking It T-UU The Streets" basket outside the sanctuary.  Those who prefer to make a monetary donation may "feed the frog."  Those who prefer to express themselves artistically can decorate the informational cards (which will list shelter/dental/legal etc. care info). Those who wish to put their hearts into action may either assemble or even distribute "carebags." This will be another way that we can make social action a regular part of how we are UUs.  Many of us see people on a regular basis, standing on a street corner with signs: Hungry-anything will help. I'd rather beg than steal.  Family in need. How do we respond when we see this? What are we teaching our kids if we do nothing but look away?  "Taking It T-UU The Streets" will provide us with one more way we can live our UU principles. For more information, please contact Cindy Dillard, DRE at uucgre@att.net.

The Social Action Team welcomes your input in determining the local organizations or causes that will receive funds from our Share the Plate practice.   UUCG shares with the larger community by contributing half of the undesignated cash in plate on the 1st-4th Sundays of each month. (On the 5th Sunday that cash will go to the Minister's Discretionary Fund). Some groups that have been recipients are Urban Ministry, Faith Action International House, and Hospice Greensboro/High Point.  

If you wish to nominate an organization to share, please plan to attend a Social Action Team meeting in September or October to present your nomination.  SAT regularly meets the second Sunday of the month after the service.   Additionally, SAT will meet on Thursday September 19 from 5:30-6:30 with Rev. Alderman.  If you cannot attend a meeting, please put your nomination in the Social Action mailbox with your name and an explanation of why you have made this choice.  In November the team will vote on the organizations to Share the Plate.