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.

Aug. 4: “Lughnasa: Celebrating Earth’s Abundance,” Dana Lusk

Come one and all to celebrate Lughnasa in this intergenerational service! This fire festival is the first of the three harvest celebrations in the Wheel of the Year. Lughnasa is a Cross Quarter fire festival honoring life, bounty, harvest, and death; the complete cycle of life. The grain is harvested followed by feasts and dancing dedicated to the Earth Mother and her bountiful gifts.

Dana Lusk is a retired nurse educator and a US Army Veteran. She served for 11 years in the Army and served during Desert Storm. She was a nurse educator for the Denver and Milwaukee VA Hospitals, while serving joint faculty positions at Regis University/Denver, University of Colorado, and Marquette University. Her portrait was on display at the Veteran’s Museum in Milwaukee during their women veterans' “I Am Not Invisible” campaign.

Aug. 11: “The Political Mind: The Psychology and Neuroscience Behind our Deep Divisions,”
Philip Chard

We will examine stark differences in perspectives, beliefs and brain functioning between liberals, conservatives and moderates. Neuroscientific and psychological research has revealed the sources behind our divisions, with some surprising findings. Do we acquire our political beliefs from our social environment or are they hardwired into the brain? Can these beliefs change? If so, how does this happen? How big a role does social media play? We will address these and other pressing questions affecting our polarized political environment.

After 32 years as President and CEO, Philip Chard recently retired from Empathia, Inc., a behavioral services firm providing health, safety and productivity solutions for over 400 organizations across North America. He remains a practicing psychotherapist who, for over 34 years, wrote an award-winning weekly column in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel titled "Out of My Mind,” now published in the Shepherd Express. Philip is author of The Healing Earth, which won the Midwest Publishers Award, and Nature’s Ways. Previously he was Director of Behavioral Science Education at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, where he was an associate professor and received the Outstanding Faculty Award.

Rev. Alexander's Summer Schedule and Availability

Dear Members and Friends of UCN,

This summer, I will be spending time both at my home in the Adirondacks of New York, and my home in Sheboygan, and traveling to the West Coast to visit family.

The good news is that the Worship Committee and I have planned a full summer schedule of excellent and interesting Sunday services…every Sunday at 10 AM there will be a meaningful service “at the barn” you will not want to miss! I will be attending UCN meetings as appropriate and needed, and will remain available to you (at least by phone or zoom) in case of pastoral emergencies or other needs. The best way to reach me in case of need is to call or text my cell phone 772-359-0602, which I check regularly.

May these summer months treat all of us gently and well, and please don’t forget to include UCN in your summer weekend plans!

Our Whole Lives (OWL)

The RE committee is hoping to offer the Our Whole Lives (OWL) curriculum (https://www.uua.org/re/owl) to our middle and high school students this coming year. We currently have five (5) certified teachers available to work with the students and six (6) students currently signed up. We are hoping to enroll a cohort of eight (8) or more students from UCN, other churches, and friends and family members of congregants.

OWL curriculum has been developed by the UUA and UCC with the goal of helping participants make informed and responsible decisions about their relationships, health and behavior. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. It provides not only facts about anatomy and human development, but helps participants to clarify their values, build interpersonal skills and understand the social, emotional and spiritual aspects of sexuality.

The classes will be offered three Sundays a month (with breaks in December, Easter and Spring Break) concurrent with service. Please discuss with your family and let us know if you would like to participate. Please also share with your extended family and friends who may be interested. As Jessy, Religious Education Family Programming Coordinator is off for the month, please let Katie Egan-Bruhy (egan.bruhy@gmail.com), know by August 5th if you have students who like to participate. We will be making a decision as to whether we can offer the program later that week.

Request for RE Teachers and Assistants

This coming school year for RE we are going from one class to three classes! Our classes will be
K-3, 4th-6th, and 7th-9th (OWL - Our Whole Lives). With the addition of these classes, we are in need of a few more RE teachers and assistants for each grade level. RE teachers and assistants typically teach about once a month with a curriculum that is already established by the UUA. Please consider joining our growing RE program at UCN. You'll learn as much from them as they do from you. If you are interested, please contact Katie Egan-Bruhy (RE Committee Chair) egan.bruhy@gmail.com during Jessy's July vacation.

On behalf of the Social Justice Committee, I would like to encourage all members interested in the upcoming elections to check the Capitol Times to see if there will be presentations from the candidates currently running in their district. They have a good listing of political events.

I am aware of the following:

• One is being held in Sheboygan County; email Leigh Hoftiezer for details.
• Washington County is hosting a Video conference with Vice President Harris.
• The vice president will also be present at a video event in Milwaukee. Check out the Washington County Democrats website for details.

I sincerely thank you for being engaged in this important election.

Deborah Fugenschuh

djfugenschuh@gmail.com

262-339-9940

Save the Date

September 8, 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary

ADVOCATING FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE: A Non-partisan relationship building approach.

The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) is the oldest faith-based (Quaker) non-partisan lobby organization on Capitol Hill with 135 advocacy teams in 47 states. Founded in 1943, it is highly respected by members of Congress and their staff for its consistent reliability working together over many years. Learn how the local Milwaukee FCNL Advocacy Team reaches out to offices of WI Senators and Representatives and how the relationships we build influence our members of Congress regarding legislation on important issues of peace, justice and environmental stewardship. The specific topic for 2024 is targeting a budget requirement that bloats the military budget by about $23 billion dollars.

Peace Learning Center is the Share the Plate recipient for July and August

For more than 20 years the Peace Learning Center, located in Milwaukee, has shared the seeds of conflict resolution techniques and healthy communication skills with MPS students and other community groups. Children come to PLC to experience and practice peace building tools, to foster community in their classroom, to enhance communication among peers and to practice how to de-escalate conflict in healthy ways when it arises at school, in their neighborhoods, and at home.

Peace Learning center will receive half of the cash and checks from the offering plates during July and August. When donating by check, please write Share The Plate (or STP) on the memo line. As always, thank you for your continued support of the many programs STP has sponsored.

Classes Offered

Philip Chard, our speaker on August 11, will be leading some classes on realistic optimism at the North Shore School for Seniors on Tuesdays, Oct. 22- Nov. 12.

The cost is $40.

nss4s.org or (414) 292-0960

819 E. Silver Spring Dr., Milwaukee, Wi 53217-5233

Visitors

The following people visited our church recently:

• Carol Chase, Mequon
• Karen Reimer, Cedarburg

Thanks for visiting us. We hope that you come back soon!

Events at UCN

• "Qi Gong and Tai Chi" will resume in September 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.
• 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 August 18

Meetings are held via Zoom, unless stated.

• Sunday, Aug. 4, 11:15 am: STP Presentation: Feast of Crispian
• Monday, Aug. 5, 7:00 pm: Building Committee (Brian Bunzel)
• Wednesday, Aug. 7: UUs Out to Lunch (Brenda Berg)
• Thursday, Aug. 8, 6:30 pm: Sunday Services (Julie Konik)
• Saturday, Aug. 10, 9:30 am: Hike at Doctor's Park (Jessy Knox)
• Monday, Aug. 12, 7:00 pm: RE Committee (Katie Egan Bruhy)
• Mon-Wed, Aug. 12-14: Voting + setup & cleanup - lower level
• Thursday, Aug. 15, 11:30 am: UU Ladies' Lunch - Crave Restaurant (Brenda Berg)

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: If you would like to have an announcement read at the service, please prepare it using the Spoken Announcement Guidelines, and send it to Joy Schroeder (peacenow@charter.net) or Julie Konik (julie.konik@gmail.com) or that Sunday's Service Assistant by the FRIDAY BEFORE the service, and they will relay it to the worship assistant.

• 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/
• 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.

• 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.

• UCN is now able to accept donations via PayPal.

• Food Barrel: 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.
  

• 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.
  
  

• 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.

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.

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 USA
Phone: 262-375-3890
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnitarianChurchNorth/