Sep 13, 2022 | Featured
….Midterm Elections Approach!
Save the Date: UU the Vote All Ages Postcard Project- October 9, 9:30AM (Before Service)
We are partnering with 22 UU Congregations in NC to mail, 27,000 postcards to infrequent registered voters of the Global Majority in Cabarrus County. This is one of the three counties that will be pivotal in maintaining abortion access in our state. Thank you to all who have already claimed postcards and to all who will join us October 9. Gracias!!!And as a reminder, please make sure that all postcards are completed and put in the mail no sooner than October 14th and within a few days after that date.
Moore v. Harper Supreme Court Case – The next major challenge to American democracy comes from North Carolina. Experts say an extreme interpretation of the Constitution by the Supreme Court in North Carolina’s Moore v. Harper redistricting case would make it even easier for state legislatures to suppress the vote, draw gerrymandered election districts, and subvert election results, among other concerns. You may not know that the “Harper” in the case is Becky Harper, a UU from Raleigh! Below are opportunities to learn more about this important case directly from Common Cause NC, a lead plaintiff in the case.
- Wednesday, September 28th at 7:30pmon Zoom hosted by the UU Church of Hillsborough. Register here.
- Friday, October 14th at 11:00amat UU Justice NC’s Friday Action Hour. Zoom Link.
Carolina Jews & UUs Faith in Action Phonebank in Partnership with the New North Carolina Project Foundation. Thursdays from 6:30 – 8:30 from September 15th through November 3rd. UU Justice NC is teaming up with Carolina Jews for Justice to co-host this weekly Get Out the Vote phonebank in the run up to the midterm elections. We’ll be calling voters of the Global Majority across North Carolina empowering and equipping them to Vote Love and Defeat Hate. Register Here
Sep 11, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, September 11, 2022 In-person and YouTube
Rev. Claudia Jimenez, Minister of Faith Development
Join us for the launch of the new Religious Exploration year with a reflection on the importance of community as a catalyst for growth, change and spiritual deepening. What do we bring as individuals? How do we build and strengthen community TOGETHER? On this Sunday we will also have a Child Dedication and a blessing for this year’s Religious Exploration team. Nos vemos!
Sep 7, 2022 | Weekly Message
Dear ones,
It is a busy and exciting time as we begin the new church year and our second year of the interim process. Your seven-member Search Committee met with Keith Kron in August following the Beyond Categorical Thinking workshop, and they met last weekend with their UUA coach for a retreat. Watch for invitations to join them for Cottage Meetings and other events that will assist them in their task of choosing your new settled minister. These meetings will be your opportunity to share your hopes and dreams for the future.
The UU Asheville staff had a wonderful retreat at the beautiful Montreat Conference Center in early August for teambuilding/brainstorming, and we spent time discussing UU Asheville’s assets and how they might be used to fulfill the mission of the congregation. It is no surprise that aside from having a talented and dedicated staff, you have much to be thankful for!
YOU HAVE: a beautiful sanctuary with great acoustics, natural light, and a wonderful piano, a great location with beautiful outdoor spaces, a stone patio, a fire pit, a lovely Memorial Garden, and Sandburg Hall is a great place to gather. There are many Religious Exploration rooms, Les brings in wonderful guest musicians, you have a great choir, and you have Les J. Asheville is a beautiful place to live, and UU Asheville is connected to and benefits from and many non-profits and social justice organizations such as Beloved, CoThink, Planned Parenthood, Faith4Justice, Mother Read, the Arboretum, and so many more. UUCA has its fun annual Mountain Retreat, a rich and vibrant Religious Exploration Program that is under the creative and competent leadership of Rev. Claudia, Jen, and Kim J This includes the OWL Program, the Coming of Age Program, and the children’s religious exploration classes being this Sunday! OMG, we are so lucky to have our house band, the Sandburgers, the Soul Matters curriculum enriches our lives with Small Groups, Creativity Matters, UU Writers, and so much more. There is a new Buddhist Sangha that meets twice a month, and the 8th Principle/Anti-Racism work happening. The Wednesday night Vespers and programming are starting up this week, and the choir will be singing twice a month beginning on September 18th. And then there is YOU!
Yes, your presence matters!
Don’t miss the fun and our Opportunity Fair on Sunday, September 18th. Maria is bringing her food truck, the Sandburgers will serenade us while we eat tacos and explore opportunities to get involved in the shared work of creating beloved community.
Unitarian theologian, James Luther Adams, once said that church is where we get to practice what it means to be human. Being human, with all its ups and downs, is so much better in a community where you are loved for who you are, where you are safe and can grow and learn, share your gifts, and receive the gifts of others while working together to make the world a better place. We look forward to seeing you in church!
In faith,
Rev. Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead Minister
Sep 6, 2022 | Scoop
Echinacea Flowers Pen and Ink Vector Watercolor Illustration
Invasive Plants
One of the UU Asheville’s responsibilities to retain our Pollinator Garden certification is that we must remove invasive plants. Most of us know when a plant invades our own gardens. The first indication is that It tends to choke out more desirable plants. Invasives are usually tenacious and vigorous, but can often be beautiful as well. Which can make it a hard decision to remove it.
This is the definition from the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the USDA: “An invasive plant is a plant that is both non-native and able to establish on many sites, grow quickly, and spread to the point of disrupting plant communities or ecosystems.”
One such invasive that we removed from the campus last week is porcelain berry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata). This was growing on the RE area fence, sporting beautiful blue and purple berries. It is quite attractive with leaves similar to grape. But it has a dark side. It is planted near the blueberry garden so it just might tempt a child to taste its berries along with ripe blueberries. I’ve found two sources that say the berries are not only NOT edible but can be toxic. And, it was engulfing parts of the sensory garden.
From the North Carolina State Extension Service: “Porcelain berry is an aggressive weed in the Vitaceae (grape) family of the eastern United States that closely resembles native grapes. Porcelain berry is listed as an Invasive, Exotic Plant of the Southeast reseeding readily and becoming very difficult to remove.”
So, it’s gone and we’ll be keeping an eye out to prevent it from coming back. And if you have questions about a plant being invasive, drop me a line and we can figure it out together!
Katejerome2020@gmail.com
https://katesgardenkitchen.com/
