Have you ever traveled with friends?

Dear fellow travelers,

Have you ever joined with friends to go on an automobile trip, to hike in a forest, to visit a museum?  Most of us have traveled with friends to do these things.  Such travel is a lot like our journey together at Piedmont UU Church.  We share the costs, the joy and the inspiration as we learn, work together and help others along the way.

Back in 1959 my friend and I took a long trip to the west coast and back.  My friend was in a car wreck and when he received an insurance settlement, he had bought a new 1957 Plymouth.  We struck out on US highway 14 from Minnesota with an army surplus tent, a folding shovel, a gasoline camp stove and a cooler in the trunk.  We covenanted to share expenses including the camping stuff.  We were frugal just like we are at Piedmont UU Church.  We even changed our oil along a dirt road.  I wouldn’t do that today.

Our horizon widened as neither of us had been west of Minnesota. 

We learned about 4 lane roads and medians in Idaho.  Around midnight we pitched our tent in a grove of pines near the highway.  Next morning we realized that we were camping in the median of an Interstate.  Highways that we had previously traveled had been national 2 lane roads.

We came home through Colorado and got close to nature.  We often just rolled out our sleeping bags under the stars.  I awoke one morning in the desert facing a little pack rat who had dragged all kinds of tin foil and bottle caps to the door of his burrow.  He was a junk collector, so he and I had something in common.

Similar to our longer term members at Piedmont UU Church, who built our buildings, my friend had already invested in a car but I had to share gas, oil and other expenses.  We did give rides to several hitch hikers and we did not ask them to pay.  

May your life journey be broadening, happy and educational.   May our church home nourish your spirit and inspire you to support Piedmont UU Church with a share of your time, treasure and talent as you travel with us and we learn together.

Karl

Pastoral Care Associates

The Congregational Care Council has eleven members who have recently received training from Rev. Justin Martin to serve other members as Pastoral Care Associates. These members are now available to members who seek an empathetic and caring listener for a problem or situation they would like to talk about. This is a ministry of Piedmont UU Church, for which there is no charge. Meetings may occur at a neutral place, such as a coffee shop or restaurant – probably not in each other’s homes. The care provided is not intended to be long term but meetings can take place over several months. Confidentiality is assured.

The Pastoral Care Associates are not intended to be therapists or professional counselors but would refer to Rev. Justin if appropriate for further referral, if that is what is needed. Examples of conversations with a Pastoral Care Associate could be a change in job status that is causing stress or the difficulties of aging parents. The Congregational Care Council has also gathered information about community resources that may be of use of members.

Members who received the training include Michelle Murphy, Val Whitfield, Cheryl Midkiff, Claudia and Alan Perkinson, Joyce Lemmond, Connie Byrne, Helen Patil, Alan Davis, July Dancing, and Merna Hesse. Nancy Delux and Anne Laukaitis, co-chairs of the council, also participated in the training but will not actively participate as Pastoral Care Associates.

If you are interested in this ministry, please contact Rev. Justin at Justin@puuc.org, and he will refer you to one of the Pastoral Care Associates.

Submitted by: Members of the Congregational Care Council: Rev. Justin, Nancy Delux, Michelle Murphy and Anne Laukaitis

The Cookbooks Are Coming!

In January of 2013 the core cookbook committee, Mimi Davis, Merna Hesse, Helen Patil, and Claudia Perkinson met for breakfast to talk about putting together a first ever cookbook by members and friends of PUUC. After contacting the Morris Cookbook Company in Kearney, Nebraska for information, the committee began to collect recipes from the congregation. Countless people submitted recipes on forms provided by the company that adhered to a specific format, on scraps of paper, or from neatly typewritten collections. All the recipes were collected, divided into categories, transcribed, edited, and proofread by many additional volunteers.

THE WELCOME TABLE was taking shape. A history of the Chalice was written, photographs taken on church property were chosen for the dividers, the cover design was decided upon, and finally, on October 4th, the contract for publication of 200 cookbooks was agreed to and the book submitted to the printer for preparation of a proof copy. The books will be available in late November or early December.

Please join us at THE WELCOME TABLE. Containing almost 300 recipes, including appetizers, soups, salads, main dishes, deserts, breads and beverages, the book is a wonderful collection of favorites at $15.00 per book with proceeds after expenses to benefit PUUC. To reserve your copy or copies please contact Michelle Murphy, michelsea@carolina.rr.com or Val Whitfield, Valerie@ypblifecoaching.com. Please make your check payable to PUUC and put “Cookbook” on the memo line. The cookbook is also available as an e-book.

Michelle Murphy for the Cookbook Committee

Have you ever joined with friends to go on a trip?

Have you ever joined with friends to go on a trip, to hike in a forest, to visit a museum. . etc.?

Most of us have and will join with friends to do these things. Krissa has just returned from such a trip with her husband. She expanded her horizons, visited old friends, learned new things and restored her spirit. Such are the benefits of travel on earth and actually also the travel through life.

It is more fun, more economical and more beneficial to journey with friends. That is why I have joined you-all at PUUC in my journey through life. The horizons of my experiences have expanded greatly by joining a Welcoming Congregation. I cannot say that I have visited old friends in PUUC because I had not known any of you before I joined back in 2009. Then again I have made a lot of older friends. Does that count? I clearly have learned many new things, some from Rev. Robin’s sermons, some from the small group Ethical Explorations and Chalice Circles and many from just being and working and laughing with you-all. PUUC is us and you have nurtured my spirit. I have participated in churches most of my life and always remained analytical and rarely found an emotional experience. At PUUC, I find myself with tears of joy. I have found a home here and my chores at my home are not a burden. They are not easy and they can cause me to sweat but like going on a hike in a rugged forest, the work is fun and rewarding when we travel together even if it sometimes is a struggle to keep up.

Karl

Spiritually Speaking: Following the Wheel of the Year

This time of year is extraordinary in North Carolina. It is part of what inspired me to move here: a warmer, green place with a gorgeous autumn and little snow? Sold! Add in an awesome church and it was a very easy decision.

Bright oranges, reds, and yellows fill the wide sky until they suddenly fall to the ground. The hazy days give way to beautiful bursting sunsets and the moon is full of a harvest promise.

As surely as it is a time of beauty it is also a time of paradox: set apart as a season of remembering as well as letting go; of mourning as well as celebrating. If by chance you feel pulled in many directions, then perhaps you have well embraced the spirit of this season.

This fall invites us into a vivid rendering of the cycles of life. Vibrant rich greens fade into brilliant colors that are released to the earth far too quickly. The coldness of night hits us suddenly and we remark, “Wow fall is really here!” It is an invitation to connect our souls again with the earth and to listen for tender truths tucked away in books that go untouched in summer, underneath leaves that hide the dying grass, and behind the starker silhouettes.

It’s amazing how our own lives follow nature’s rhythm. We depend upon the earth. Even with all of our progress, we still must change dress and habit to protect our fragile bodies, as it gets colder. If we were living even a hundred years ago, we would have been much more attuned to the changing seasons. Now with global transportation, we notice little change in the grocery store products or our eating habits. Well, except for the appearance of the pumpkin spiced latte and the delightful parade of pumpkinanized products! Even as our food may not change, we can’t deny the changing light, the colder temperature, and the color all around.

If we are wise recipients of creation, we pause in this time of year to listen to the ancient truths. We remind our bodies to slow down and to remember those who have gone before. We cannot set the pace for this remembering. Eventually, some gratitude is kindled within us. It is a gratitude for the long line of creation that has made our living possible. And then, nature invites us to let go of what we cannot hold and cannot control. The colors fade, the leaves decompose and earth returns to earth. We are aware that life is brief and fragile. Joy and a tender sadness can touch us this time of year.

At last as this season closes just before the dawn of winter, nature bids us to consider how we can give back in this season of harvest, of how our lives in the cycle of life continue the great circle. The time is short before the earth freezes and seeds cannot be planted any more for next year. The time is short; we see, for own lives to find the points where something greater may be planted, a harvest for those who follow.

I am grateful friends to be following the wheel of the year with you. Peace and compassion around you in this beautiful, tumultuous time of year.

Blessings of harvest,

Rev. Robin