Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church - Unitarian Universalist

Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church - Unitarian Universalist

Friday News Update          September 30, 2011

Services – 9:15 AM+11:15 AM

October 2, Sunday: Sermon - Confession is Good For The Soul. Thomas Collier and Rev. Erik Wikstrom will weave worship that will explore the many facets of the concept of confession, and may make some surprising discoveries along the way. This will be a STAR Story Sunday.

Religious Education classes for children and youth are offered during both services.

This Sunday, four year-olds through fifth grades are in the Sanctuary for the first twenty minutes of the service.

For more information, see the RE display table in the Social Hall on Sunday morning.

Nursery care is available for children under two years-old in the lower hall of the main building.

The “Comfort Room” at the Rugby Road entrance of the Sanctuary is designed for parents with young children. Audio from the service can be heard in the Comfort Room.

Church This Week.

September 30, Friday: Oktoberfest! 5 PM, Social Hall. A fun and fabulous event sponsored by the Lifespan Faith Development Council. Grilled bratwuerst, spicy onions, german potato salad, beer and more! Polka music and BINGO with great prizes. Dinner is free but donations are appreciated. Bingo cards are $2 each or 3/$5.

October 1, Saturday: Communications Summit, 9 AM-1 PM, Social Hall. We are looking for the broadest possible cross section of people from the congregation. If you would like to come, RSVP to the church’s Facebook group or write communications@uucharlottesville.org. Even if you cannot come, please send us your concerns, suggestions, and inspirations.

October 2, Sunday: Registration for Adult Faith Development fall semester, Social Hall.

October 2, Sunday: Artist Reception, 1 PM, Social Hall. The artist this month is Dylan Jacobs. “I have tried to express what I hold sacred in my life, through paper, pen, and sharpie. I hope for the people who look on my work to perceive the sacredness, and beauty of the universe in their own lives.” The reception for the artist will be after the second service during the coffee hour.

October 2, Sunday: Greeter’s Luncheon, 1 PM, Parlor.

October 4, Tuesday: UUppities, 7 PM, Parlor. Come meet and/or greet our Minister, Rev. Erik Walker Wikstrom, who will join us in an open discussion.

October 5, Wednesday: Green Sanctuary Task Force, 7 PM, Parlor. Join us as we continue working on our twelve action projects to prepare for our accreditation application to the UUA so that we can become, in January, an official Green Sanctuary. Next major project: Bellair Farm Tour and Lunch. Newcomers welcome!

October 6+13+20+27, Thursdays: Active Minds, 1 PM, Parlor.

October 7, Friday: Food Pantry, 9 AM, Social Hall.

October 9, Sunday: Sermon – Reconciliation. We all have places in our lives where we need reconciliation, with family and friends, with ourselves, with that which is deepest and most high. Bob Kiefer and Rev. Erik Wikstrom will weave a service of hope.

October 9, Sunday: PA-UN, 12:45 PM, Summit Room 2. Come and participate to help make important decisions.

Church Notes & Requests for Help

TJMC-UU October 2011 Bulletin is now online at uucharlottesville.org.

Help desperately needed in our children’s RE Program. We need volunteers in a variety of capacities at both the 9:15 and 11:15 services. Our church’s children need you!  Please speak with Leia Durland-Jones, DRE, today to learn more. Leiadj@embarqmail.com or 293-8179 x 3#.

Soup Kitchen looking for recruits! Soup Kitchen has been active in providing a meal every Sunday for the needy for the past twenty years. We are currently serving at the Haven, downtown. We have six teams who rotate Sundays with each team having a crew of volunteers. Volunteers are asked to contribute to the meal and also to serve when available. You need not be a gourmet chef as we usually serve simple meals. And the more people who volunteer, the more we can spread out the $$ and the energy required. Currently, we are serving about forty to sixty people each Sunday. Come join us one Sunday at the Haven between 1:30 PM–2:30 PM. No need to make a firm commitment without trying it on for size first! For more informaiton contact Cynthia Pulaski, the Soup Kitchen Coordinator.

Prepaid Orders of Rev. Erik Wikstrom’s Books are being Accepted: Our own Rev. Erik has three published books and is part of a contemporary anthology. Information about these books will be available at the UUsed Bookstore and Membership table for the next three Sundays after both services. We are accepting prepaid orders for these books with anticipated delivery for the last two Sundays in October. If you have any questions, please contact Jean Newland.

Opportunities to Connect: Leadership Development Committee. If you loved the “Cultivating Connections” event on Saturday, September 10, and you would like to share your creative ideas with the team that pulled it together, think about serving on the Leadership Development Committee. We are looking for someone who cares about the future of TJMC, works well with other creative people, and would like to be more deeply connected to our community. This is a two-year term. For more information, email leadership@uucharlottesville.org or call Jean Sorrels-Jones, or any member of the Leadership Development Committee.

Membership Committee Launching bUUddy System to Whole Congregation: The membership committee has been cultivating connections with new members of the church by using a bUUddy system of pairing up new members with long time members in the church to make a deeper connection with TJMC-UU. Now it is time to expand our base of long time members. A bUUddy is an involved member of the church who would like to share his/her interests with a new member. Detailed forms are posted on the bulletin board under Community Life. If you would like to become a bUUddy, forms are available in the membership box. Please do not be discouraged if you do not get a bUUddy right away because as we keep adding new members, our program will continue to expand. Patsy Swindler and Gayle Floyd, bUUddy Coordinators.

Fall Means WVTF Fundraising: If you are a proud UU/NPR listener, you have heard the underwriting announcements telling folks about TJMC.  Those announcements are paid for by people who make their donations through our church instead of directly to the station. Just drop your check in the offertory any Sunday in September or October. Make it out to TJMC with “WVTF Radio” in the memo line.  Does it before the fund drive starts and we will even enter you into their drawing for great prizes! Support public radio and help get the word out about TJMC.

Wondering where the Fall Auction/Chili Fest went to? Your hardworking Fundraising Committee is channeling its efforts into a single auction this year for Saturday, February 25, 2012. It will be a “one-derful” event with live and silent auction items, yummy food, and lots of fun. If you are already thumbing through cookbooks thinking about the dinner you want to host, contact our Dinner Diva, Lynn Heath, to get your date on the calendar. We will be booking events from March 2012 through February 2013. For more auction information, write auction@uucharlottesville.org. We will be One; it will be Fun.

Seeking Barn or Garage or Storage Shed: The Yard Sale Crew is desperately seeking a dry storage space for donations through the year. Our angel, Shirley Paul, is downsizing and her perfect one car garage is no longer available. We prefer a place close to town, but any offer would be nice. Please notify Elizabeth Breeden.

Covenant Groups: Covenant Groups will be beginning during the first and second weeks of October. If you would like to participate in a group from its inception, please register this week either on line at the church website at uucharlottesville.org or use the paper form to be found at the Covenant Group table in the Social Hall after the worship services on Sunday.  Questions? Contact Sally Taylor.

Circle Potlucks: Sign-ups for the Circle Potlucks to be held on October 7-9 will close after this Sunday’s second service. They can be found in the gallery between the Social Hall and the Sanctuary. Do not miss your opportunity to get to know others in the TJMC community for a fun, purely social occasion. Questions? Contact Sally Taylor.

TJMC Holiday Card: Send a TJMC Holiday card to members and friends and contribute to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) at the same time. Edith Good is collecting on Sundays in the Social Hall for the card that TJMC distributes during the end-of-year holidays to benefit UUSC. UUSC is a social justice affiliate organization of the UUA. See their website at volunteerservices@uusc.org. The card will be distributed electronically with the December issue of the monthly Bulletin. Hard coies will be available. Donations are tax deductible as are memberships (seniors 65 and over $20, adults $40, adult couples $35, youth $10). Make checks out to UUSC. Your name will appear on the card if you donate before November 7. Lorie Craddock, bless her, has again agreed to design this year’s card.

Greeting Cards Collection for FWCC: The Labyrinth Ministry is collecting stationery items (greetings cards of all kinds, writing paper, and especially stamps) for our annual holiday donation to the Fluvanna Women’s Correctional Center (FWCC). At 23 cents an hour, it takes almost two full hours of inmate employment to afford a single first-class stamp. Please help by placing your donations in the FWCC Collection Box located at the Edgewood Lane entrance. Deadline is the end of October.

Registration for the 2011-2012 Religious Education Program for Children & Youth is available at http://www.uucharlottesville.org/education/religious-education-program-registration on the church’s website. All families with children infants through twelfth grades participating in the program need to register.