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.

Nov. 24: “Harvest of Hope,” Rev. Sarah Oelberg

When times are hard, which they are in many ways now, we can always turn to hope, and try to live with the products of the harvests we gather even in the bad years.

Sarah Oelberg has been a special education teacher, has written special ed. curriculum for our U.S. Office of Education, was a faculty member at Yeshiva University in New York and at NYU, and trained special ed. teachers in Iowa. She followed her heart as the first in her six-generation Unitarian family to become a UU minister. After serving churches in Nebraska and Minnesota, she retired in 2001. She and husband Gerald raised four children and have six grand- and four great-grandchildren.

At the end of today’s service, the fire alarm will be pulled. There will be no need to exit the church. After an announcement, and the sounding of the alarm, everyone is invited downstairs for coffee, goodies, and good conversation.

December 1: “Work,” Sermon IV in the Year-Long series “The five Smooth Stones of Religious Liberalism,” Rev. Scott W. Alexander

Scott writes: On this Sunday, I continue my 2024-25 UCN sermon series based on the work of 20th Century UU theologian the Rev. Dr. James Luther Adams. In this sermon we will explore our Unitarian Universalist obligation to roll up our sleeves and make this world a better, more just and compassionate place for all…and look back at our UU history for inspiration.

We Welcome Our New Members

• Ruth Scalf, Milwaukee

Please help them feel welcome.

Here's the link for Rev. Scott's sermon, "Give," from Nov. 17: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oVNmTYMxDGX6lZxKgB72R3zv71zLf83X/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=109072791973067277249&rtpof=true&sd=true

RE Christmas Tree

We are looking for a Christmas Tree for the children to decorate. If you can lend us one, please contact Katie Egan-Bruhy or Jessy Knox 414-840-5377.

Notes

This week the K - 2nd grade group will continue to focus on our role in the interdependent web of life. Playing helps animals (including humans) learn and practice skills, develop social bonds, and relieve stress. Participants experience the joy of play in a session that demonstrates the well-being that results from maintaining a spiritual orientation of joy. The Faith in Action activity extends this learning by introducing the importance of animal enrichment. Participants are empowered to take action by donating toys they have made to a local animal welfare organization.

The 3rd to 6th graders will learn about the Wampanoag, the Native Americans with whom the Pilgrims had their first Thanksgiving and enjoy a Thanksgiving-themed craft.

The Our Whole Lives (OWL) teen group will be discussing Sexual Orientation, Workshop 9 of the Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education.

Enrollment in the K-2nd and 3rd-6th grade classes remains open and ongoing. Enrollment in the OWL program is closed.

For questions about our Religious Education programming and upcoming events, please contact Jessy Knox, Religious Education and Family Programming Coordinator. Jessy can be contacted at refpc@ucnorth.org or at 414-840-5377. She has office hours Wednesdays 10 am-3 pm, is preparing for classes Saturdays 10 am-1 pm (some of this time will be remote), and is present on Sundays from 8:30 am-12:30 pm.

Holiday Store: Sunday, December 8th

We are going to host our holiday store for the children again, this year on December 8th .
We will be offering them an opportunity to purchase gifts for the family with a food pantry donation.
Please bring “gifts” you are no longer using that the children may want to give their family members: coffee table books, puzzles, jewelry, candles, stuffed animals, games, and knick-knacks. A “gift box” will be in the fellowship hall beginning November 17th . Elves will be needed on December 8th to help the children find that perfect gift and to wrap. Please contact Rosa Gomez at rosam1977@att.net or call/text 414-628-1051.

Tour America’s Black Holocaust Museum with UCN

America’s Black Holocaust Museum is a one-of-a-kind historical and memorial museum about the Black Holocaust in America. History museums study, exhibit, and interpret history. Memorial museums explain and commemorate past events of mass suffering.

Adults and middle school (and older) students are invited to join the Social Justice Committee (SJC) on a guided tour of America’s Black Holocaust Museum, 401 W North Ave., Milwaukee, on Saturday, November 23. We have scheduled a museum docent (griot) to conduct a guided tour of the museum, beginning at 11:00 a.m. It will last 45 minutes to an hour. The cost is $10 per person. Several UCN members have already signed up! Even if your name isn't on the list of attendees already, you are welcome to join us. Meet us at the museum by 10:45 or at UCN by 10:15 to carpool there. Students attending without a parent or legal guardian must provide a signed permission slip.

More information about the museum may be found here: https://www.abhmuseum.org/

Interfaith Luncheon

The Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee will hold its 54th Annual Luncheon on Thursday, December 5, 2024, at 12:00 Noon, at Marquette University's Alumni Memorial Union. Our keynote speaker will be award-winning photographer John Noltner, who uses portraits and personal stories to bridge divides and encourage dialogue around important issues. He is a founder of A Peace of My Mind. He will be debuting a presentation that he is creating for the Interfaith Conference.

Online registration is anticipated to begin next week, so please go to our website to purchase tickets or table sponsorships. www.interfaithconference.org

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.

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!

The UCN Fund for Social Justice Deadline Approaches!

Are you a UCN member who is familiar with an organization in the Greater Milwaukee Area that is involved in social justice work that benefits the community? Would you like to see them receive hundreds of dollars from our church to support their mission? Now is the time to fill out a nomination form for the UCN Fund for Social Justice. The firm deadline is January 15. A link to the nomination form is included with this article. You can also find it on the UCN website under Serve/Social Justice/Our Social Justice Efforts/UCN Fund for Social Justice. You can also pick up a nomination form in the west lobby.

Disbursements will be made in areas of human services and will be consistent with UCN's vision and mission, and the mission of the UUSC, as outlined in the “Structure and Responsibilities of the Social Justice Committee.”

Disbursements, generally, will be made to 501c3 charitable organizations in the Greater Milwaukee Area, although the Social Justice Committee may wish to support efforts that may not be organized as a 501c3.The Social Justice Committee may seek guidance from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation on the integrity of potential recipients.

Contact Leigh Hoftiezer should you have any questions.

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.

Message from the Security Committee

Please be aware that there will be a partial fire drill on Sunday November 24, 2024, right after Sunday services. The fire alarm will be pulled but there will be no need to exit the church at that time. After an announcement, and the sounding of the alarm, everyone is invited downstairs for coffee, goodies, and good conversation.

Poul Sandersen, Security Committee chair

Northliner Deadlines

The week of Thanksgiving, the Northliner will be published on Wednesday, Nov. 27. Please have articles to the office by noon on Tuesday, Nov. 26.

Holiday Store: Sunday, December 8th

We are going to host our holiday store for the children again, this year on December 8th .
We will be offering them an opportunity to purchase gifts for family with a food pantry donation.
Please bring “gifts” you are no longer using that the children may want to give their family members: coffee table books, puzzles, jewelry, candles, stuffed animals, games, and knick-knacks. A “gift box” will be in the fellowship hall beginning November 17th . Elves will be needed on December 8th to help the children find that perfect gift and to wrap. Please contact Rosa Gomez at rosam1977@att.net or call/text 414-628-1051.

Endowment Fund
Our Endowment Fund provides for long-term support of UCN programs and facilities. You are encouraged to think of the Endowment Fund when you consider making a gift in honor or memory of an individual, celebration of a graduation, wedding, anniversary, or special birthday. This is a great way to support the church while recognizing a significant event in someone’s life. Endowment gifts are acknowledged with a note sent to the person/group in whose name the gift was made. Brochures with more information on the endowment fund, along with envelopes, can be found in the lobby pamphlet rack.

• Recently a donation was made by George Scliffet and Sherryl Andrus in memory of Sandra Alexander.

Thank you!

Share your Talents in the All Soul's Cafe

One of the many great traditions we enjoy at UCN is the welcoming of the new year with an
all-church talent show. Everyone is invited to participate in this community event on January 5, 2025, taking the place of the regular service at 10:00 am. We need singers, dancers, poets, mimes, or whatever you're inspired to do within a 5-minute or less performance. All ages are welcome, but you have to sign up by Sunday, December 22 to be included in the show!

Get in touch with Linda Sandersen at Lsandersen@wi.rr.com with any questions or to sign up.

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

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. Upcoming dates are November 20, and December 4 and 18. 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 23. 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. During voting, meetings are held in the Sanctuary, upper level.
  

Thank you for supporting the groups that use our facilities.

Calendar through December 8

Meetings are held via Zoom, unless stated.

• Sunday, Nov. 24, 10:00 am: OWL Class - James Reeb (Jessy Knox)
• Sunday, Nov. 24, during the service: Fire Drill
• Thursday & Friday, Nov. 28/29: Office closed for the holiday
• Saturday, Nov. 30: FSL setup - Fellowship Hall
• Sunday, December 1, 11:30 am: First Sunday Lunch
• Tuesday, December 3, 7:00 pm: Membership (Dan Lusk)
• Wednesday, December 4, 10:00 am: Good Grief Group - Emerson (Judy DeLillo)
• Wednesday, December 4: UUs Out to Lunch (Brenda Berg)
• Saturday, December 7, 9am--3pm: Building Work Day (Brian Bunzel)
• Sunday, December 8: RE Holiday Store (Katie Egan-Bruhy)
• Sunday, December 8, 10:00 am: OWL Class - James Reeb (Jessy Knox)
• Sunday, December 8, 11:30 am: Social Justice - Library (Leigh Hoftiezer)

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 .
• GA is June 18-22 in Baltimore. See the schedule at https://www.uua.org/ga/program/schedule
• 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.

• You can find copies of the Leadership List, Member Directory, Annual Report and Annual Financial Report in the library.

• 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. Narcan (Naloxone) nasal spray, to reverse an opioid overdose, is also available there. 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/