The Northliner

Sunday services are held at 10:00 am. Currently our services are held live at UCN and also streamed on Zoom. Coffee hour follows the service. If UCN closes due to weather or building issues, the closing will be reflected on our website, on our office voice mail, and a special email will be sent out, if possible.

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/93364454692?pwd=U29yanFGZTUvOXAvcWM0UWQ1UFU0QT09
Meeting ID: 933 6445 4692
Password: 13800

Services begin promptly at 10 am. If you'd like to join in conversation before the service, you may join the Zoom meeting at 9:50 and wrap up your conversations shortly before 10.

October 20: “Celebration (and Blessing) of the Animals,” Rev. Alexander and Julie Konik

A Special Service downstairs in the Fellowship Hall…Please bring your well-behaved pet, or a photo or memento of an animal that has meant something important to you in your life.

On this Sunday, Rev. Alexander and Julie Konik will conduct an intergenerational/ interactive/participatory service in “Celebration (and blessing) of the Animals” downstairs in the fellowship hall. This service will provide us time to reflect on our kinship and connection with (and duty towards) the many different animals (whether domesticated or wild) in our lives. Both Rev. Alexander and Julie Konik will share brief reflections on the “kinship” that is possible between us and the animal kingdom…do be with us on this fun Sunday.

Oct. 27: "How Will You Spend Your Dash?" Day of the Dead, Rev. Tony Larsen

This Sunday is our annual Day of the Dead service ("Dia de los Muertos" in Spanish). Feel free to bring a photo or artifact from a loved one, to be brought up to our "altar" for our remembrance ritual. (If you don't have one--or you do but forget to bring it--don't worry, we will have little paper "tombstones" for you to fill out if you wish. We will have some special music from our own Rosa Gomez, and Tony's sermon will refer to the dash that lies in between the date of birth and the date of death, on many tombstones.

We will also present Britney with a farewell gift from her friends and appreciative members at UCN.

Tony Larsen was our minister here at Unitarian Church North for 4 years (2019-1023), having served before that at Olympia Brown UU in Racine for 40+ years. He was raised Catholic, and studied to be a Catholic priest for 10 years before being ordained to the Unitarian Universalist ministry. He received his B.A. in philosophy from Maryknoll College in 1971, his M.A. in theology from Maryknoll School of Theology in 1973, and his D.Min from Meadville/Lombard Theological School in 1975.

Help us Send Britney off to Los Angeles with our Love and an "Appreciation Purse"

While we are so sad to see Britney leave us at the end of October as she and her husband pursue professional opportunities in California, we rejoice with her on this exciting life transition. Britney has faithfully been with us for 6 years, she has so greatly enhanced our worship with her musical talents, and we want to send her on her way now with an "appreciation purse" that we gather from grateful members and friends.

Checks can be sent to UCN with "Britney appreciation" in the memo line...or you can contribute online. Go to https://ucnorth.breezechms.com/give/online

And on the first line where it asks "give to," scroll down to "Britney's Going Away."

We will be presenting Britney with her gift at the Oct. 27 service.

Here is the link to Scott's 5 Smooth Stones sermon, "Respect," from Oct. 13: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qfhSU4mcuClCY3xu4GtEzjLtjyg4vy48/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=109072791973067277249&rtpof=true&sd=true

Processing the Upcoming National Election as a Trauma Event in our Lives

Dear Members and Friends of UCN,

As your minister, over the upcoming weeks (both before and after November 5th election) I will be focused on helping us both face and process what I believe to be a significant trauma event in our shared lives. While nothing like the trauma of a hurricane or tornado or flood, the terrible dynamics of this election have made us all anxious, disheartened and fearful…and I believe that (whether we are fully aware of it or not) we are already experiencing trauma that is dangerous to our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

For me as a Unitarian Universalist, this trauma has two obvious dimensions:

1) I am terribly worried that a slight majority of the electorate may make a terribly wrong choice, sending America spiraling down a mean, dark, divisive and destructive path.

2) I am already experiencing incredible disbelief (and profound grief) that so many of my fellow citizens seem willing to support a hateful, racist, xenophobic, misogynistic, homophobic, compassionless, excusatory and backward-looking vision of what America must be.

And no matter what the actual outcome of the election is -- and whether we succeed in settling the results without falsehoods and violence, something I am not at all sure of – we still we face the on-going, and unrelenting trauma of having a nation deeply divided between “Right” and “Left.”

Because of all these painful concerns and more, I will be devoting the Sunday before the election, November 3, to an “Election Sermon” addressing what we together face…and the Sunday after the election, November 10, to the topic of “So, Where Do We Go From Here?”

Also, we have scheduled a special congregational “REFLECTON AND SUPPORT” SESSION at 6:30 on Thursday evening, November 7th for us as a community to process the election and its on-going ramifications.

I know that all of you share my awareness of how terribly monumental and important this election is to us as a people of faith and Americans -- so very much is humanly at stake. Please be in touch with me personally if you have other concerns, and join with the other members and friends of the congregation as together we work to process this trauma and move forward.

In compassionate response to the devastation across North Carolina caused by Hurricane Helene, UCN held a special collection that will be sent to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville. There are other UU churches in North Carolina that have also been impacted by the storm, as well as yet another hurricane that hit Florida hard this week. If you would like to help our southern neighbors recover from the damage, here are a few options:

UUA Disaster Relief Fund: https://www.uua.org/giving/disaster-relief-page

American Red Cross: www.redcross.org

Salvation Army: give.salvationarmyusa.org

OWL classes will be held this Sunday, but there will be no classes for the K-2nd and 3rd-6th students this week; instead we are having a special intergenerational service. The congregation will have a “Celebration (and blessing) of the Animals.” In this service we will reflect on our kinship, connection and duty to animals in our lives. The service will be downstairs in the Fellowship Hall, and you are invited to bring your well-behaved pet, or a photo or memento of an animal that has meant something important to you in your life.

OWL will also be meeting on October 27th, while the younger students will participate in our annual Day of the Dead/"Dia de los Muertos" service. Rev. Tony will refer to the dash that lies in between the date of birth and the date of death. Feel free to bring a photo or artifact from a loved one, to be brought up to our "altar" for our remembrance ritual.

Immediately following service on the 27th, we will be holding our annual Trunk or Treat, with Halloween-festooned car trunks, candy and other surprises, games, a costume contest, and a simple kid-oriented lunch. Please join us; the more the merrier! Contact Katie Egan-Bruhy (egan.bruhy@gmail.com; 262-339-2104) if you would like to help with games or food.

Replacement Shoelaces Needed

Jean Woodmansee asks UCN members and friends to bring new or used shoelaces to UCN help migrants asking for asylum in Arizona. The Border Patrol agents require migrants to remove shoelaces and belts when they are picked up in the desert and returned to Mexico. Migrants have no other source of replacement shoelaces for boots or shoes except through the efforts of the nearby UU church and other volunteers.

I have been active with that UU church near Tucson for many years and have participated by providing food, clothing and bedding for those returned to Mexico. My inspiration for those efforts was learning that approximately 200 migrants per year in the Tucson sector were dying of dehydration in the desert while the locals and vacationers lounged in pools.

Dedicated UU members and others drive in the desert looking for migrants needing help and calling out in Spanish in case people are hiding from their trucks in the scrub and cactus. It is forbidden for volunteers to transport people in need of services, so the volunteers will call for help from the Border Patrol or emergency services.

Collecting shoelaces is one easy way for us to participate in helping the migrants. A collection box is in the west lobby near the food and pet food collections through November. Thanks!

How Do You Research What a Candidate Supports?

• https://www.naacpldf.org/research-candidates-state-local-elections/
• https://www.vote411.org/ballot
• https://www.fec.gov/introduction-campaign-finance/how-to-research-public-records/candidates/
• https://www.usa.gov/voter-research
• https://justfacts.votesmart.org/

Save the Date!

Join us for the MICAH Public meeting to be held Tuesday, October 29 at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 2207 N. 2nd St., Milwaukee.

The theme will be “Building Beloved Community: For Such a Time as This.”

Doors open at 6:00 pm, and the meeting begins at 6:30.

Carpooling may be arranged through Leigh Hoftiezer, Social Justice Chairperson (leigh.hoftiezer@gmail.com)

Social Justice Reminders

• Support Black-Owned businesses: "MKE Black" offers a list of Black-owned businesses you can reference: https://mkeblack.org/

• If you would like to donate directly to Family Promise, the only shelter for homeless people in Ozaukee County, please send your donation to them, with “UCN Member” written in the memo line. This will give UCN credit for the donation. Their address is: Family Promise of Ozaukee County, 136 W. Grand Ave., Port Washington, WI 53074.

• The Social Justice Committee has an OPT-IN email list for anyone who would like to be notified on short notice to provide a physical presence at social justice activities. Please contact Sherryl Andrus, sherryla70@gmail.com, to be added to the list.

SCRIP Presentation

If you missed the zoom presentation about SCRIP, you can watch it here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q3rZ3dXo96XBGI9we5yhWzCZGS3na22O/view?usp=sharing

And here is the printed presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cqepjwzsulkcGfp0cR6flyDO1eX1XWBX/view?usp=sharing

Please Note

If you are discarding furniture to the dumpster area, please do not put it in the dumpster. Please place the furniture either inside the fenced area or on the east side of the fence on the concrete pad. When the dumpster becomes full of furniture, there is no place for regular trash to be stored and must be left outside the dumpster itself. This gives those four-legged critters an invitation to rip open the plastic bags and spread trash everywhere. Thank you for your support.

Covid Tests

Every U.S. household is eligible to order 4 free at-home tests. Go to covidtest.gov.

Game Night

Well, Game Afternoon, really. Save the date: Nov 16!
Fun and free for all ages. More details to come.

Grief Group

The Good Grief support group meets every other week on Wednesday at 10:00 am in the Emerson Room. If you’ve experienced a loss and are in need of informal support, this may be a good resource for you. All are welcome. Future dates will be October 23, November 6 and 20, and December 4. Contact Judy DeLillo at 720-935-0851 or judelillo2@gmail.com with any questions.

Events at UCN

• "Qi Gong and Tai Chi" will resume be held on most Saturdays at 11 am in the Fellowship Hall. Call Diane at 307-763-0903 for dates and details. First class is free for UCN members.
• The next Wis. Singer Songwriter Concert will be held November 9. Go to wsss.org for details.
• Al-Anon meetings, offering recovery for families and friends of alcoholics and drug addicts, are held every Tuesday morning at 8:30 am in the Fellowship Hall and online.
  

Thank you for supporting the groups that use our facilities.

Calendar through November 3

Meetings are held via Zoom, unless stated.

• Sunday, Oct. 20, 10:00 am: OWL Class - Reeb
• Monday, Oct. 21, 7:30 pm: Comm Tech/Social Media Team (Carissa Mooren)
• Wednesday, Oct. 23, 10:00 am: Good Grief Group - Emerson (Judy DeLillo)
• Sunday, Oct. 27, 10:00 am: OWL Class - Reeb
• Sunday, Oct. 27, 11:15 am: Trunk or Treat (Jessy Knox)
• Saturday, Nov. 2, 9:00 am: FSL Setup - Fellowship Hall
• Sunday, Nov. 3, 11:30 am: First Sunday Lunch - Fellowship Hall
• Sunday, Nov. 3, 11:30 am: New to UU Class - Emerson (Dan Lusk)

The monthly calendar for UCN events, not including rentals, can be seen on our website at: https://ucnorth.org/calendar/

Please remember to contact Lyn, info@ucnorth.org, to reserve rooms for your meetings, rehearsals, ceremonies, etc. To hold an event or ceremony at UCN, contact Lyn for date availability, facilities use forms, and answers to your questions.

All church committee meetings are open; visitors are welcome. Contact the committee chair (listed on the calendar above) for details or to receive the zoom info for a meeting. For information on classes and groups that meet at UCN, as well as future meeting and event dates, please see the website, www.ucnorth.org, or call the office, 262-375-3890.

Service and UUA Information

• Service Assistants are needed for Sunday Services. Please contact Julie Konik (julie.konik@gmail.com) if you can help.

• The Sunday Services Zoom Team is looking "for a few good zoom hosts." Please contact Gerry Schmitz or Dan Lusk if interested.
  

• Sunday Announcements: The Sunday Services Committee encourages individuals and committees to make announcements via the attached form (below). Giving this form to the Sunday Service Assistant before the service can streamline our announcements and make the service more engaging. If you have any questions, please contact Sunday Service Committee Chair, Julie Konik, at Julie.Konik@gmail.com or 920-750-4385.

• Reserving the Projector: If you will need the projector for a given date, please remember to sign the “Projector Reservation Signup List” on the clipboard on the table outside the office in the north lobby.
• UU Women's Connection offers retreats, newsletters and resources for women: https://www.uuwomensconnection.org/. Fall retreat: October 18-20 at a new location near West Bend.
• You are encouraged to subscribe to MidAmerica Region's newsletter, News page. More information at uua.org/midamerica .
• The UU 2024-25 Common Read is Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families (Skinner House, 2023). The Common Read builds community in our congregations and our movement by giving diverse people a shared platform for reflection and a shared focus for action. Authentic Selves invites us to explore the nature of living authentically and the ways connections among us help us thrive. Visit uua.org/read for more information.

General Information

• Becoming a Member of UCN is very easy. Simply make a pledge of record, sign our Membership Book, and provide contact information for our records. We also provide New to UU and UCN Classes in the Spring and Fall. It is not necessary to attend the classes, however they are very informative, providing information about Unitarian Universalism and our church (its history and how it operates). For more information, you can contact Dan Lusk (262-234-9406).

• Rev. Scott will never ask you to buy a gift card for him. Please don't fall for these scams.

• Our photo directory of members and pledging friends is sent out a few times each year. If you would prefer a printed color copy, we can print them for $5. Just tell Lyn if you want one.

• Adopt A Room is still looking for people to get involved. See the display board in the north lobby to sign up, or contact Judy DeLillo at judelillo2@gmail.com for more information. We are requesting that members submit photo files for consideration to be printed on photo paper and included in our display in the west lobby. Please, send photo files with good exposure and focus to photos@ucnorth.org with identification of the event and people/children depicted.

• Caring Circle: a group of people who may be willing to bring meals, help with transportation, make visits, pick up groceries, etc. for members and friends of UCN in temporary need. Sign up at church or virtually: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A44ACA82BA75-caring

• First Aid Kits are located near the elevators on each level. Each kit is in a white box and mounted on the wall. AED Machines are near the first aid kits. If you have any questions, please contact Brian Bunzel, Building Committee Chair, at (262) 573-0045 or brianbuzel@yahoo.com.

• Are you or someone you know in need of help with basic food supplies? The Family Sharing food pantry is here when you need us. Our Mobile Pantry travels to locations in northern and southern Ozaukee. We also offer in-person shopping and deliver groceries to senior living complexes. Call us for more information. 262-377-0634 x125.

Monthly Fellowship Gatherings

• UUsOutToLunch meets on the first Wednesday of every month at noon, and sometimes at suppertime during daylight savings time. Couples, singles, men & women are all welcome, long-term commitment or not. Each month, a different member of the group takes the responsibility of choosing a restaurant at which to meet and eat, and emails the rest of the group with the particulars as to what and where, requesting yay or nay from the emailed recipient, so that reservations can be made if required. Join us! Email brendaberg@spectrum.net

• First Sunday Lunch: Join us after the service in the Fellowship Hall for lunch and fellowship on the first Sunday of the month, November through June.
  

• Update: UU Ladies' Lunch meets on the third Thursday of every month at 11:30 at Crave Restaurant, on Port Washington Road in Mequon.
  

Fundraising and Donations

• UCN is now able to accept donations via PayPal.

• Food Barrels: Don’t forget to grab a food item out of your pantry for the food barrel as you leave for church. Donations go to the Ozaukee Food Alliance. We are also accepting donations for pet food and small containers of litter. These donations go to the Humane Society of Ozaukee County's Pet Pantry, serving individuals who need help feeding their pets.
  

• Scrip Fundraiser: Scrip Cards are still a great way to support UCN. Use cards for carryout or online purchase with ScripNow!. There are 3 ways to buy or reload your cards: ScripNow! (Pay online, use online or in person), PrestoPay (buy or reload cards) or at UCN. If you have a special request or questions about Scrip, contact Mark Muellenbach. To sign up, use the code for UCN: 1F3EE5A9248LL. And use the QR code above for easy enrollment.

• If you order from Quill.com and tell them UCN recommended them, UCN will earn a $50 gift card.

Please submit articles for the Northliner to info@ucnorth.org. To keep the Northliner from becoming cumbersome, you are encouraged to keep these articles short, and to run them only twice. The deadline for submitting articles is every Thursday at noon. Items submitted later might not be proofed for errors or published.

Please contact Todd Zumach (zumacht@gmail.com) or Carissa Mooren (live4him56@gmail.com) to submit articles for our website.

Minister, Rev. Scott Alexander: cell phone (preferred): 772-359-0602. Office phone: 262-375-4748. Email: UURevScott@gmail.com . Rev. Scott will generally be in the pulpit the first three Sundays of the month and in his office the first two weeks of the month.

Jessy Knox, RE Coordinator

Jessy can be contacted at refpc@ucnorth.org or at 414-840-5377.

Wednesdays 10 am-3 pm: Office hours

Saturdays 10 am-1 pm: RE Prep (some of this time will be remote)

Sundays 8:30 am-12:30 pm: RE Sunday Time

UCN Office Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 9 am to 2:30 pm. Contact Lyn at 262-375-3890 or info@ucnorth.org. The office is closed for holidays and bad weather. Please do not reply to the Northliner; we do not receive messages sent to lyngust@mailgun.smore.com, but if you are having trouble receiving the Northliner, please add that address to your contact list.

Links

• Information on our Share the Plate Recipient

For more information about UCN, see our website www.ucnorth.org or call the office at

262-375-3890.

Email: info@ucnorth.org
Website: www.ucnorth.org
Location: 13800 N. Port Washington Road, Mequon, WI, 53097
Phone: 262-375-3890
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/UnitarianChurchNorthMequonWI/