Announcements

Guest House Outreach 2/18

Our next service to the Guest House is February 18th. Winter may be mild but that does not change the story of homelessness in Milwaukee. The Guest House is currently operating on overflow so there are more guys looking forward to your good cooking.

Have you had a chance to join us in serving food at the Guest House? If not, how about giving it a try this month.

We are looking for 2 to 3 more servers. We are looking for donations of the following: Hot casserole that serves 12 or more (ready to serve), Salad and dressing, Rolls (no poppy seeds, please), Beverages (soda is popular), Dessert (ready to serve).

Drop off is at 5 pm at UCN or Qdoba on Brown Deer Rd and I-43 at 5:20.

Please call or email Mike Strauss to sign up or contact the church office. Next food services are April 21 and June 30.

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Choralfest is Saturday, February 18, 2:30 pm

ChoralFest is a concert presented by most of the UU churches in Southeastern Wisconsin. UCN's choir, under the direction of Ginny Chiaverina, will be singing again this year. This year's concert is being coordinated by Olympia Brown UU Church in Racine. It will be held on Saturday, February 18 at 2:30 p.m. First Presbyterian Church in Racine, across the street from Olympia Brown, has opened its doors due to having a larger seating capacity. That address is 716 College Ave. in Racine. Parking will be available at either church. Hope to see you there -- Saturday, February 18 at 2:30 p.m. Please carpool.

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Meeting Date Change for the UCN Craft and Holiday Fair: 3/4

The Feb. 19 meeting for the Craft & Holiday Fair has been cancelled. The new date is Sunday, March 4 at 12:15 pm. We are looking for team leaders for the following areas: Bakery, Bookkeeping, Café, Hospitality, Layout and Music. Watch the March Northliner for more details.

Questions or ideas? Contact Susan Francis, Linda Brandenburg or the church office.

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UUA Central Midwest District Assembly April 27-29

Spiritual reflection, lots of music, a banner parade, many workshops, and national UU speakers make district assemblies the place to be in the spring!

The CMwD Assembly, entitled "Leadership Development With a Spiritual Core," will be held from April 2-429 in Oak Brook, IL (Chicago area), at the Marriott Oak Brook Hill Resort. The Friday night opening ceremony will feature speaker, Rev. William Schulz, President of the UUSC (Unitarian Universalist Service Committee) and past president of the UUA.

Rev. Marilyn Sewell will be the keynote speaker on Saturday morning. Her documentary, "Raw Faith," will be shown during the weekend. For more information, go to www.cmwd4uua.org. Contact Lucy Friedrichs or Rev. Julie Forest with other questions.

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UUA General Assembly is Sooner than You Think!

The UUA (Unitarian Universalist Association) General Assembly, “A Gathering of Congregations,” will be held from June 20 4 24, 2012 in Phoenix, AZ, at the Phoenix Convention Center. Please go to www.uua.org/ga for registration, programming, and housing information. Children, youth, young adults and adults are welcome to attend. Many workshops, speakers, musical events, and social opportunities are available. The GA Housing Reservation System will open on March 1, 2012. The reservations go quickly! For any GA questions, contact Lucy Friedrichs, UCN Denominational Affairs Chairperson, or our Minister, Rev. Julie Forest.

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2012 Pledge Campaign

We are in the middle of February and therefore in the middle of our pledge campaign. If you have not received a call from someone from UCN in regards to making a pledge, please contact Dennis Kohler or the church office. Our goal is to get all campaign visits done before the month of March comes in like a lion or a lamb. The campaign and these visits are for the life and growth of UCN and what it stands for. Remember to make the visits fun - laugh often. It is a wonderful opportunity to get to know someone better from a fantastic church.

As of 2-10-12 we are at $39,420 in pledges. Thank you to all of you who have turned in your pledge form already! Keep those pledge forms coming. Thanks! Dennis Kohler

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UCN Cookbook Needs Your Recipes

If you haven’t submitted any recipes for the upcoming UCN cookbook (as yet unnamed), please think about your favorite recipes and sharing them with us, your friends at UCN.

We need lots of help with this – not just from the cooks among us, but those who enjoy great food. If you know someone who made a great casserole for First Sunday Lunch, ask them to send it to us. If your mom makes the best ____ (fill in the blank), tell the world about it.

You can submit up to 5 recipes by going to the website that we’ve established and use their simple format. Just follow the steps. Log in at www.typensave.com. Once you’re there, our group login is ucn50th and your password is tr554. I love trying new recipes, especially when they’re from people I know.

Please send your recipes in by February 15.

Thank you, Linda Sandersen

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Calling UCN Gardners: Feed Families through Family Sharing

Calling all UCN members with home gardens or members who would like to start a home garden. The Green Committee is asking you to consider growing additional fruits and/or vegetables to support Family Sharing, Ozaukee County’s only food pantry and resale shop for residents in need. This is a tangible way of sharing the fruits of our labors with those in need. Lower income residents or families on hard times typically don’t have access to fresh, healthy food and we’d like UCN to help change this.

Some background is in order. One of UCN’s Green Sanctuary projects is to partner with Family Sharing, particularly with their food pantry. The Green Committee wants to help them make available healthier food in their pantry, i.e., fresh produce that is nutritious, locally grown, and preferably organic. Currently, the Green Committee is working out details for a summer Share-the-Plate proposal that would use the basket proceeds to purchase local produce, perhaps from Growing Power, from a local Piggly Wiggly, and/or from local farmers markets. To supplement these efforts, we’re asking members to plant their own seeds of hope and to farm for families in need by sharing their garden bounty.

As your garden fruits and vegetables ripen, we’re asking that you bring your harvest to a Sunday service. A Green Committee member will make arrangements to get it to Family Sharing on Monday. Of course, you are welcome to take your produce directly to them. For more information about Family Sharing, visit http://www.familysharingozaukee.org/. For more information about this initiative, contact John Hoff or the church office. Please let John know if you plan to participate.

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UCN's 50th Anniversary

Next year, from January through June 2013, we will celebrate the 50 th anniversary of the beginning of UCN. On January 11, 1963, nine former members of First Unitarian Society in Milwaukee met and signed the membership book, just as you did when you joined. In so doing, the North Shore Unitarian Fellowship was formed. This group was later named the Unitarian Church North.

Our plans are to celebrate for six months, one month for each decade, starting in January with the 1960s, February the ‘70s, March the ‘80s, etc. In June we will have a formal celebration with a dinner. So plan to hear all about what was happening at UCN and UUism in the nation as we visit each decade. Find your tie4dyed shirt to wear to church when we celebrate the ‘60s and whatever you wore in each of the decades. What food did you enjoy in each decade? Plan to bring it to Coffee4 in4the4Middle. What movie was your favorite in each decade? Would you like to see it again?

Let’s have fun with the celebration!! There are lots of opportunities to get involved in the planning of this celebration. Which decade was your favorite or which one would you like to know about? Contact Nancy Maynard or the church office to join a group which is planning the activities for the celebration of your favorite decade.

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RE News

We begin 2012 with a new curriculum for the K46th grade classes. The focus of the two new programs is justice and diversity. Our kindergarten and first graders will use a curriculum called “Rainbow Children.” This program is an anti4bias curriculum that focuses on racial and ethnic prejudice. The older children will use “We’re On Our Way,” a curriculum based on the exploration of the diversity of race, gender, family, political thought and other ways we are different and the same. As Unitarian Universalists, we affirm the inherent worth of all people, and both of these programs are ones of affirmation. The word "affirm" has its origins in a Latin word that means "strong." To affirm diversity is to make a strong statement about our religious belief in the inherent worth and dignity of all people and the interconnectedness of the human family. We look forward to the opportunity to expand our children’s understanding of society as multiracial and multicultural.

RE FAMILY OUTING!
Families please check your emails for information about a sledding/tubing outing at the end of February. The Religious Education Committee is hosting this fellowship event. We hope you can join us!

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Raising the Roof Update January 27

$20,877 Pledged to Date! Just $4,323 to go….

To donate to the Roof Campaign please:

  • Write a check with “Roof” in the memo line
  • Complete a pledge form (you have until the end of April to fulfill)
  • Create a one-time auto pay by emailing Amber Miller or Nancy Neumann with your intentions.

  Download the Raising the Roof Pledge Form

Read the "Raising the Roof" Barn Banter Q & A from November 13, 2011

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