

The Northliner
July 21, 2023
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.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/93364454692?pwd=U29yanFGZTUvOXAvcWM0UWQ1UFU0QT09
Meeting ID: 933 6445 4692
Password: 13800
The service begins 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.
July 23: “Transgender Kids: The New Battleground,” Christine Smith
Attacks on transgender kids have become more common recently. This sermon will use evidence-based research to discuss the experiences of transgender kids and explore the motivations behind these attacks.
Christine Smith completed a PhD in Social Psychology with a graduate concentration in Women’s Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Chris currently is a Professor of Psychology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality at the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. She has been an activist her whole life, focusing on gender, race, and sexuality.
July 30: "More Than 'Thou Shalt Not'” Rev. Tony Larsen
Tony's sermon will look at ethics not so much from a "negative" perspective (what thou shalt not do), as from a positive one (what is good to do, even if it's not "owed").
* Connections
Karl Buckholz just let us know about the death of his wife, Karen Robison. She was a long-time member of UCN , from 1976 until 2009. Karen was active in the church and president of the Board of Trustees in 2002. She died April 22, 2023 in a home she loved at Eskaton Village Carmichael in Carmichael, California. Our condolences to Karl and their family.
* RE News
Soil to Sanctuary Harvest Festival
Join us on Sunday, October 1st at 11 am for our Soil to Sanctuary Harvest Festival. Shop local venders and artists as we fall into autumn and prepare for the holiday season. Choose from crafts, trinkets, homemade treats and farm fresh produce and foods. This will be a fun event for all featuring live entertainment and activities for the kids.
Are you a farmer or a crafter? Do you grow fruits and veggies at home? Have a favorite recipe that everyone loves? Become a vender. Click here for our vender application. The deadline to apply is September 20th.
A New Date for Summer Survival Camp
We took the summer out of our Survival Camp, as the date for camp has changed. Camp will be on Saturday, September 23rd. Our own Todd Zumach and Brian Bunzel will be our leaders, sharing their skills and training. Crafts, games, and other activities will be led by our RE teachers and volunteers.
Have you ever watched the tv show Survivor and wondered if you could make it? Here’s your chance to find out. Explore the trails, find out what plants are safe to eat and how to build a shelter. Develop situational awareness, build a fire, and learn to navigate the outdoors. Participants will make a survival kit that includes a compass, water filtration device and other items to explore the outdoors and stay safe. The camp is for kids and families. Click here to register.
RE Reminders
- RE classes will resume this fall. Please join us on Sunday, August 27th at 11am for the RE Open House. Learn about changes and new programs offered.
- Our Whole Lives, OWL, is launching this fall. Before a child can be registered to attend OWL, at least one parent must attend a mandatory OWL Parent Session. This session will be held at noon on Sunday, August 27th as part of the RE Open House. Please click here to register. Contact Emily Bunzel, OWL Subcommittee Chair, or DRE@UCNorth.org with any questions.
A Note from our DRE
I hope everyone has a blessed and joyful summer. I am out of the office until August and will respond to calls and emails upon my return. I look forward to seeing everyone in Sunday service and in RE when classes resume this fall.
Blessings,
LaToya
* Social and Racial Justice
Amazing Faiths
Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee invites you to register for the next Amazing Faiths Dinner Dialogue on Wednesday, July 26 at 6-9PM at the Islamic Society of Milwaukee
CLICK HERE OR ON THE IMAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND/OR TO REGISTER
A Letter from David Liners, Exec. Dir. of WISDOM:
We are organizing a five-week training series that will begin at the end of August as a way of preparation for the work that lies ahead of us this fall and in 2024. In our sessions, you will learn the basics of relational organizing and the principles to build relationships within your community. Our session is based on the popular workshop we held in 2021 and 2022, which attracted over hundreds of participants.
We are excited to roll out our program starting on August 29th. The five-session program will reflect the lessons learnt while also highlighting the fact that this effort is intended to create and guide an ongoing system of local leadership development. Each session is 90 minutes long held over five weeks every Tuesday. The topics include:
- Week 1: Attitudes and Disciplines
- Week 2: One-on-One's
- Week 3: Issues and Actions
- Week 4: Effective Meetings
- Week 5: Team Building
Registration is now open for this FREE workshop! The link below will register you for all the sessions and we recommend you attend all because each session will build off one another!
For any questions, please contact WISDOM's Digital Organizer Amanda Ali at aali@wisdomwisconsin.org. We hope you join us!
Best regards,
David Liners and the WISDOM Training Team
The "We All Belong" Campaign from MICAH (Milwaukee Inner-city Congregations Allied for Hope
"We All Belong" is our campaign to protect democracy, reject "christian" Nationalism, and build the Beloved Community.
- We seek to protect our democracy so that all Americans have equal access to justice, opportunity and representation.
- We reject "christian" Nationalism which merges Christian and American identities and distorts the Gospel of Jesus and the principles of equality that guide our nation.
- We seek to build what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called the Beloved Community, where diversity is celebrated and everyone is valued and respected.
For the very important specifics about this event, please click on We All Belong.pdf, below.
Submitted my Lucy Friedrichs on behalf of UCN's Social Justice Committee
* Announcements
Now Hiring!
The Sunday Services Zoom Team is looking "for a few good zoom hosts." The requirements for this position are listed in the above pdf document. Please contact Gerry or Dan if interested.
Water Testing
After the water concerns at UCN, many of you are asking how to get your well water tested. Water Diagnostics Labs LLC is an all-inclusive testing laboratory, with friendly, helpful people. Call (414) 350-1100 or go to waterdiagnostics.net for information. They are located at 8605 W. Freistadt Road, Mequon, WI 53097.
Summer Hiking Dates
- Saturday, August 5, 9-11:30 am. No location yet. Please text or call Julie Cabaniss to say you are coming so we know to wait for you! Julie's phone is 414.617.5157. You can email her too at jdcabaniss@gmail.com.
Morning Meditations
This is a continuing group meditation practice facilitated by Anna Rychner. Learn about your mind and breath’s inner connections and how to rein in your thoughts and feelings to live a more peaceful life. Tuesday mornings, 9:30 in the sanctuary. Donations for UCN welcome.
Events at UCN
- Need a break? Power Qi Gong will be held on Fridays at noon in August. 45 minute classes are held in the Fellowship Hall. Call Diane at 307-763-0903 for details.
- Qi Gong is held most Saturdays at 11 am in the Fellowship Hall. Call Diane at
307-763-0903 for details.
Thank you for supporting the groups that use our facilities.
* Calendar
Calendar through August 6
Meetings are held via Zoom, unless stated.
- Sunday, July 23, 11:30 am: Social Justice (Leigh Hoftiezer)
- Tuesday, July 25, 9:30 am: Meditation (Anna Rychner)
- Saturday, July 29, 9:00 am: Leadership Board Retreat - Fellowship Hall (Ed A.)
- Tuesday, Aug. 1, 9:30 am: Meditation (Anna Rychner)
- Wednesday, Aug. 2: UUs Out to Lunch (Brenda Berg)
- Thursday, Aug. 3, 1:00 pm: Membership (Dan Lusk)
- Thursday, Aug. 3, 7:30 pm: Comm/Tech Social Media Team
- Saturday, Aug. 5, 9:00 am: UCN Hike (Julie Cabaniss)
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.
* Reminders
Worship and UUA Information
Please contact Julie Konik (julie.konik@gmail.com) if you want to help with Worship Services. Worship assistants are especially needed.
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 Worship 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/
- The Common Read for 2023-24 is On Repentance and Repair, by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg. Go to UUA.org/read for more information.
- You are encouraged to subscribe to MidAmerica Region's newsletter: News page.
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).
- 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.
Masks are Optional at UCN. Masks are available in the church lobby. Questions regarding mask policy can be directed to Ed Ahrenhoerster, President, or Leigh Hoftiezer and Jean Woodmansee, re-opening Subcommittee co-chairs. Building questions should be directed to Brian Bunzel, Building Committee chair.
UCN is now able to accept donations via PayPal. Please use the QR code above, or see our website (Donate) for more details, or or click here: give.ucnorth.org/paypal/
Food Barrel: Don’t forget to grab a food item out of your pantry for the food barrel as you leave for church.
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.
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, 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
- Ladies’ Lunch and Levity group: Join us the third Monday of the month at the back room of Mequon Fiddleheads at noon. Come when you are able; everyone is welcome. Contact brendaberg@spectrum.net for info.
UUsOutToLunch meets at noon, and sometimes at suppertime during daylight savings time, on the first Wednesday of every month. 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, October through June.
* Submitting Content for our Publications
Please submit articles for the Northliner to info@ucnorth.org. To keep the Northliner from becoming cumbersome to read, you are encouraged to keep these articles short, and to repeat 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 Adam Schodron (webmaster1@ucnorth.org) to submit articles for our website.
* Contact Information and Links
Director of Religious Education, LaToya Bates:
262-385-3408; dre@ucnorth.com
UCN Office Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 9 am to 2:30 pm. Contact Lyn at 262-375-3890 or info@ucnorth.org. Office is closed for holidays and bad weather.
Links
Information on our Share the Plate Recipient
Minutes from current Leadership Board meetings
- Our pulpit schedule contains a wide range of topics that cover spiritual exploration, various theologies, holidays, social justice, and more. Read descriptions of the upcoming sermons and bios of the speakers.
Mid-America Region offers webinars and other important information: uua.org/midamerica .
For more information about UCN, see our website www.ucnorth.org or call the office at
262-375-3890.
Please check channel 4, 6, 12 or 58, or our website, www.ucnorth.org, for weather closings.
Unitarian Church North
Email: info@ucnorth.org
Website: www.ucnorth.org
Location: 13800 North Port Washington Road, Mequon, WI, USA
Phone: 262-375-3890
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnitarianChurchNorth/