Circle
Suppers
Circle
Suppers are groups of approximately eight people, who each bring part of a
sit-down dinner to a home that is hosting the supper. Circle Suppers meet
monthly on a Saturday evening at 6 30 PM. One of the suppers is available to
host families with children who are able to play or watch a video in a separate
room. In the fall there is a large gathering, usually a barbecue, and at
Christmas there is a Christmas party, in place of the regular monthly
dinner.
Contact:
To become part of a
Circle Supper, where you will have a chance to meet new people each month,
contact coordinator Judy Smith (892-6126 or email lacakelady@bellsouth.net).
Chalice
Circles
"When
a person has been deeply heard," observed Carl Rogers, "there is a
moistness in his or her eyes. It's as though the person were saying, Thank
God, somebody heard me. Someone knows what it's like to be me.' In such
moments I have had the fantasy of a prisoner in a dungeon, tapping out day after
day a Morse code message, Does anybody hear me? Is anybody there?' And
finally one day the person hears some faint tappings which spell out, Yes.
And he or she is released from loneliness and has become a human being again.
Every two
weeks, through out our region, groups up to ten or twelve people meet to share
what is going on in their lives. It is not a discussion group, it is not
therapy, and it is a support group. It is a place you can speak and truly
be heard. No one will interrupt you. No one will judge you, or
correct you, or "straighten you out". You will be heard and
accepted, for who you are.
Contact:
If you would enjoy one of these small sharing circles contact Meg Jurisich
643-3897
Book Club
Book Club
meets once a month on a Sunday evening at 6:30 PM. This is a sit-down dinner,
where we serve salmon and wine or soft drinks for $5. We ask you to bring a dish
to accompany the salmon––a salad, starch, vegetable, or dessert. Book Club
is held in either the sanctuary or the garden. It's a lively evening, and we
usually discuss a novel. Books are picked several months in advance to allow
plenty of time for reading.
The
group is often large, between 20 and 30 people, so it's imperative to follow the
rule of only one person speaking at a time. We're always amazed by the differing
opinions about a book, and by the insights of some of our readers, opening up
vistas we wouldn't otherwise have spotted.
Contact:
If you'd like to be involved in book club, contact coordinator Kada Harris
(626-9800), who calls a few days in advance each month to ascertain the exact
number who will be eating salmon.
See
"Events" Page for dates and titles.
Garden
Club
Information
coming soon.
Music
Program
Our choir sings on alternative Sundays, and also practices before the service
each week. If you enjoy singing with a group of people.
Contact:
Carolyn Finnell
(626-8317), or simply show up for choir practice at 9:30 AM one Sunday.
We have
several talented musician that play guitar, drums, flutes and other
instruments. Some of them write their own songs. If you play or sing
and would enjoy playing in our services we would love to hear what you do.
Contact:
David Ord at 882-0096 or email yorkmin@mac.com
Movie Club
Movie Club is a chance to get together and watch a movie worth discussing. It's
accompanied by dinner, for $5, and always leads to a lively conversation. Some
of the movies we've watched are Chocolat and the Strait Story. Times and
locations change and are listed on the Events page of the website.
Contact:
David Ord at 882-0096 or email yorkmin@mac.com
NSUU Writers'
Circle
We have openings in the NSUU Writers' Circle, a chalice circle group meeting in
Lacombe on the second and fourth Monday mornings of each month. Members of the
group share their original poetry, prose, and essays, getting and giving
feedback. The NSUU Writers look to the early 20th century advice of writer
Dorothea Brande: “You have to find … acquaintances … who, for some
mysterious reason, leave you full of energy, feed you with ideas, or, more
obscurely still, have the effect of filling you with self-confidence and the
eagerness to write.”
Contact:
To be part of the Writers' Circle, contact Meg Jurisich
(643-3897) who will put you in touch with facilitator Elaine deSmith.
Group Social Events
Groups get together on an ad hoc basis for various social occasions such as art
openings in Covington, music and a picnic at The Landing each month on a Friday
evening at 6 PM from spring through fall, a picnic at Jazz in the Vines at
Pontchartrain Vineyards fortnightly from spring through fall, and other venues.
If you like doing fun things, watch for announcements in our weekly UU Updates,
which are sent out by email.
If you're not yet on our email list, you can
request the Updates by emailing yorkmin@mac.com.
Our Whole Lives
In no area of our lives are we more vulnerable to hurt than in our sexuality.
Though we live in a liberated era, for millions sexuality is a source of
alienation instead of a wellspring of fulfillment. The face of whatever
god we truly worship is seen in the style of our sexual behavior. A god
who delights in pleasure, and encourages us to discover a healthy eroticism as a
dimension of spirituality, has too long been denied by religion, which so often
sunders body and spirit.
The way we express our sexuality is a window into our souls, and through a
healthy development of our sexuality we can experience some of the most magical
and mystical moments life has to offer. Unitarian Universalists seek to
heal this wounded aspect of our humanity, and Our Whole Lives is our response to
our society’s crying need for a wholesome approach to human sexuality.
Contact: Terry
Van Burnt by phone at (985)626-8317 or email: terbearvb@charter.net
Our Partner Church
Unitarians and Universalists were not
always part of the same association, and the two streams of thought only
officially came together after centuries as two separate traditions that shared
many common goals. The present-day Unitarian Universalist Association was
formed in 1961.
From its inception in Europe at the time of the Reformation, Unitarianism
stressed freedom of individual thought and tolerance of different viewpoints.
Universalism emphasized acceptance of and respect for all humans, regardless of
class, creed, or color. These great traditions continue today among the
North Shore’s Unitarian Universalists, where on a Sunday morning you can see
people of Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, New Age, and secular humanist
persuasions seated side by side, engaging in thought-provoking dialogue and
experiencing heartfelt community.
Transylvania was the first country in the world to declare an edict of religious
tolerance, in the reign of Unitarian King John Sigismund, in the 1500s.
Unitarian congregations continue to be a major force in Romanian life, and our
community is partnered with the Unitarians in the village of Urmos.
We continue to maintain
close contact with our partner church in Urmos. Groups have visited,
including our minister and his son, and the minister and his wife have visited
us. Each year we take up a special offering to send to help them financially, as
well as sending a large Christmas package of useful items for all members of the
congregation.
