Events

UCN Events

Meditation With Bhante Sila

Fridays, Jan 13-June , 6:00-8:00 pm

**See Below for information about all-day silent meditation Saturday March 10)**

Bhante Sila says, "I am a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk in robes for 38 years. I was ordained at the age of 16 as a Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist monk. I completed studies achieving a Master's Degree in Buddhist Philosophy from Pali and Buddhist University of Sri Lanka and have published translations of Mindfulness in Plain English, Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness, Beyond Mindfulness by Bhante G, The Meditative Path by Master John Cianciosi and My Master’s Robe by Tich Nhat Hanh in my language, Sinhala."

"After successfully completing my education, I worked as a high school teacher for 23 years. I later came to the US in 2004. After completing the first unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at St. Alexian Brother’s Medical facility in Illinois, I am presently taking several psychology classes at MATC before continuing work at St. Luke’s Hospital to become a chaplain. My aim here at UCN is supporting anyone interested in Buddhism and practicing Buddhist meditation."

Contact Info: bhantesila@gmail.com, Mobile: 414-502-4386 for more info.

What we will be learning and practicing

Meditation is an ages old technique mankind has used to watch his own mind, identify it with all the components included, and cultivate it. Here we will be learning and practicing Buddhist meditation which is revealed by Gotama the Buddha 2600 years ago. One will learn and practice what the Buddha specially revealed to the world. It is a tiny technique of cultivating the mind while practicing whatever is one’s own traditional religious belief. Each session includes sitting in silence, mindful walking, discussion of experience, and useful techniques and cultivation of loving friendliness (Metta). Sessions end with loving friendliness discourse chanting in English. Please bring your own cushion.

There is an increasing demand for Buddhism and Buddhist meditation. Cultivating generosity (Dana) is the first step while concentration and wisdom are the followings. Compassionate donations are appreciated. Sign up now for Meditatation with Bhante Sila in Adult Spiritual Enrichment white binder. For questions call church office, 262-375-3890.

Each session will be held Fridays from 6-8 pm in the Emerson Room with the exception of Feb. 24, March 23 and April 27, when it will be held in the Dr. Seuss Room.

If you are concerned that your class may not meet because of weather conditions, please call the presenter.

Next UCN Music Makers Jam Sessions 2/24

Come make music at upcoming UCN jam sessions!

Tune up your pipes and get that instrument out of the closet because UCN is introducing monthly UCN Music Makers evenings. These evenings will be opportunities for UCN community members to have fun with making music in an open musical “jam” session format. All levels of musicians, singers, instrumentalists, as well as older children able to keep a focus on the two-hour long activity are welcome. Polished performance-level musical skills are not needed!

The UCN Music Maker evenings will be from 7 - 9 pm in the UCN sanctuary on Feb. 24, March 23, and April 27. Linda and Poul Sandersen and Ginny Chiaverina will get this event going by leading some of the music.

Future monthly Music Maker evenings are scheduled for these Friday evenings: February 24, March 23, and April 27.

Participants are invited to bring snacks and beverages that will be shared during the evening in the old lobby. It is hoped that anyone with extra instruments, especially percussion instruments, will bring them to share.

Interested in attending but would like child care for younger children or have questions? Please contact Ginny Chiaverina or the church office.

A Day of Silent Meditation with Bhante Sila

Saturday, March 10, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Spend a day practicing mindfulness and cultivating loving friendliness with Bhante Sila, the monk who leads the Friday evening meditation sessions at UCN. The day will include sitting in silence, tea breaks, walking in silence, lunch meditation, question and answer period, and loving friendliness meditations.

There is no fee for the program. Compassionate donations will be gratefully accepted to cover the program expenses. Registration – name, phone number, email address, where you learned about the program – is required before March 7th at 12 noon. Materials will be emailed to the participants beforehand. A vegetarian lunch and beverages will be provided.

Bhante Sila, a Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist Monk, resides at Chua Phuoc Buddhist Temple on W. Oklahoma Ave, Milwaukee. He has been a meditation practitioner and teacher for some time now. For more information about Bhante Sila follow this link: http://www.meetup.com/Buddhist-Meditation-in-Milwaukee/members/10675497/

Download Event Flyer (PDF)

Register by email or fax to

Unitarian Church North, 13800 North Port Washington Road, Mequon, WI 53097

fax: 262-375-3403, email: info@ucnorth.org

Please Save the Date! UCN Goods and Services Auction 5/5 at 5:00

As I sit at my desk and watch the snow fall from our first real snowstorm of the winter, I can’t help but break into a warm smile as I think about all the talent that was so brilliantly shared at our New Year’s Soul Café coffeehouse service. One of our most precious gifts is the gift of…us! Our skills, our talents, our hobbies, our gifts, are some of UCN’s most treasured resources, and it’s always amazing when those resources are generously shared with the congregation and the community.

There’s another opportunity to share our treasures –literal and figurative – coming up in a few months: the 2012 UCN Auction! It’s another chance for us to gather together, enjoy some food, drink, and fellowship, and to benefit from the many gifts that we have to share with each other. The 2012 Auction will be held on Saturday, May 5, with the doors opening at 5 pm.

Your Auction Committee Co-Chairs (Leigh Hoftiezer, Brian Monroe, and Brian Mitchell) are already working to make this year’s event a smashing success, but we need your help. Specifically, here’s our wish list of things we need to make this year’s auction a hit:

• You! Our esteemed auctioneer Col. Robert Hanstad will be back to lead us through another round of feverish bidding and rebidding, but he’ll have a hard time generating excitement from empty chairs. So circle May 5 on your calendar, put it in Outlook, and do whatever else you have to do to be there! And when you arrive…
• Bring your friends and family, even (and perhaps especially) if they’re not UCN members themselves. There’s no reason to selfishly keep all our gifts to ourselves. And speaking of those gifts…
• An auction is only as compelling as the items up for bid, and last year we saw an amazing array of donations, and the most successful were when our members offered up some of those aforementioned treasured resources. The nearer and dearer your auction donation is to you, the more valuable it will be to our generous bidders. Consider the gift of a few hours of your time teaching, serving, entertaining, or even feeding the lucky winners. We need to have all auction item donation forms submitted no later than March 15, so please start planning your donations now, and watch for donation forms at the Information Table at Coffee-in-the-Middle.
• It takes a whole host of people to make the auction run smoothly, so if you can pitch in your time and energy by serving food or beverages, helping with checking bidders in and out, helping with our new raffle, or doing any other number of important tasks, let one of the co-chairs know.
• One last thing we need you to bring to the auction: your appetite. Having fun takes energy, and we’ll make sure everyone is fed and watered well enough to keep raising those bidding paddles high!

There’s more auction information to come, so keep watching the Friday Flyer and the Northliner for more information.

Brian Mitchell