Concord UU Calendar - All Church Events

An open African Drumming Circle for all ability levels.

Come dance the Maypole, celebrate the gods of summer and usher in the growing season. We'll gather in the Grove behind the church if the weather is good, and inside (complete with Maypole) if it's raining too hard to be outside.

Ritual is followed by a pot-luck social hour, to which you are invited to bring a snack or drink to share.

Come to our festive annual fundraiser featuring annuals, vegetables, perennials, blueberry bushes, bakery & brunch items, yard sale items and LOTS of books. Irish music by Southwind. Event is on rain or shine.

Annual Plant and Yard Sale in on Saturday, May 18. (Please note that the sale has been moved back by two weeks.) This is one of three major fund raising events of the year. To make it a success we need your donations, but we also need your help. Please look at your calendar to see if you can help us with one of these tasks:

* Help to dig up and pot perennials early in May – can you also look in your garage or basement for any extra 8 – 10” pots that we can use to transplant the perennials;

* We need people who will sort through donations and price them on Thursday, May 16, from noon to 5:00 and again on Friday, May 17, from noon – 5:00. Starting at 5:00, we’ll move the donations into Fellowship Hall to be ready for the next morning.

* We’ll be serving brunch items. Can you bake an item to donate?

* On Saturday, May 18, we’ll need people to help us as cashiers. We’ll also need a crew who can move what remains after the sale into the parlor. To sign up for any of these tasks, go to www.concorduu.org/volunteer.php

Staff and Finance Committee members will present the 2013-14 proposed program budget. The proposed budget is published in the Annual Report. Get all your questions answered at the Budget Forum so you are prepared to vote at Annual Meeting on May 19.

UUFOR is collecting diapers for the refugee families with whom they work. When you donate a bag or box of diapers, you’ll get a handmade card, decorated by one of our Grades 1 & 2 Religious Education students, to give to your mother, letting her know that a donation was made in her honor.

The Annual Meeting of the Church will be held in Fellowship Hall immediately following the regular church services to consider and act upon the following articles:
ARTICLE 1 To view a presentation by the Prudential Committee on upcoming changes in
governance structure.
ARTICLE 2 To receive and accept the minutes of the 2012 Annual Meeting, and the Special
Meetings of July 22, 2012 and Sept. 30, 2012.
ARTICLE 3 To amend previous votes of July 22, 2012, and September 30, 2012 as follows (bold
italics are additions to the previous votes.)
July 22 vote: “to authorize the withdrawal from the endowment of up to $500,000 to pay
loan principle, and interest, and other project expenses over the next ten years for building
improvements.”
Sept. 30 vote: “To authorize additional withdrawals of up to $300,000 from the endowment to pay
loan principle, and interest, and other project expenses over the next ten years.”
ARTICLE 4 To receive and act upon the report of the Nominating Committee and elect Officers
of the Society.
ARTICLE 5 To authorize an additional withdrawal from the endowment to cover a potential
budget deficit in fiscal year 2012‐13 due to a shortfall in pledges, the amount to be determined
shortly before Annual Meeting. At the time of Warrant publication, it was unclear if an additional
withdrawal will be necessary. If it is not, the Article will be eliminated at Annual Meeting.
ARTICLE 5 To adopt a budget for the 2013‐2014 church year.
ARTICLE 6 To receive and accept the reports of the Minister, Prudential Committee, staff,
committees and church‐affiliated groups.
ARTICLE 7 To act upon such additional business as may appropriately be brought before the
meeting.

Please send your articles for our monthly newsletter to parishnotes@concorduu.org. If you are planning church event, please remember to schedule the event with the office, and request a room if you need one (www.concorduu.org/thyme or email office@concorduu.org) before submitting your article for the newsletter.

This is open to all.

Free to all. Please arrive after 6:45 pm, find on-street parking on Broadway and settle into a comfortable chair for the film which starts promptly at 7 pm.

Co-sponsored by Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service NE, Unitarian Universalist Church of Concord, NH UCC Peace with Justice Advocates, Temple Beth Jacob, American Friends Service Commitee NH and NH Peace Action. For more info contact: LR Berger 496-1056

Please join us for the Dances of Universal Peace @ Concord UU, held the third Sundays of each month from 7 - 9 PM. This starts our third year of monthly dance circles and the circle is growing!

The practice of the Dances of Universal Peace cultivates harmony in body, mind and spirit. This community practice includes focus on breath, listening, feeling, seeing and silence. An atmosphere of heart centered peace and harmony is created. The Dances of Universal Peace are led by Sarah-Elizabeth Whitcomb and Jenaabi Finlay with musical support of guitar, harp, flute, recorder and drum. The Chapel will be open a half hour prior to the start of the dance. All are welcome to join us as leaders and musicians connect and create space together.

Come, come, whoever you are! Bring yourself, an open heart and a friend to the dance circle! For more information please contact Sarah-Elizabeth Whitcomb at 365-0852 or sarah_elizabeth@me.com or Rev. Michael Leuchtenberger at michael@concorduu.org or 410-4830.

Keep updated, “like” our facebook page: facebook.com/DUP-ConcordUU.

This on-going Adult Enrichment group meets every week on Tuesday evenings for one hour of meditation including a reading. Come, sit, listen, and meditate with us.

This Adult Enrichment program is led by Beck Anamin, and meets Thursdays, weekly. Yoga is a multipurpose tool for improving a lifetime: the essence of Yoga is nonphysical inner development. To varying degrees for each individual, Yoga brings inner quiet, peace of mind, character strength, and spirituality. We each relate to it and its many physical and inner benefits in ways that suit our individual needs and personalities.

This Mindful Yoga program cultivates the abstract benefits. It encourages a quiet, mindful awareness while doing a full range of classical postures. Postures improve health through strengthening, purifying, and toning of the body, as well as of the nerve, and energy systems. Improved health, self-confidence, and a feeling of well-being, foster the inner results. Although the postures are a valuable tool, their improvement of the body is a byproduct, not the goal of Yoga practice.

Appropriate for a range of students, the approach is sufficiently safe, gentle, and even-paced for new students, while providing depth, variation, and practice options for experienced students.

Adult Enrichment offering

Did you know that that our Community Plate, which is passed during each Sunday service, collects an average of $500 each week during the regular church year? That's more than $2000 each month that goes to important projects outside of our church's operating expenses. In addition to collection money, the CSC is involved in Community Outreach projects, collecting food, helping children at the Boys and Girls Club choose and wrap holiday gifts for their parents, buying turkeys for baskets, participating in the Crop Walk and many others.The Community Service Committee (CSC) would love to have you on board, whether it's for one event or the entire year. We also need requests from the congregation for our plate donations (forms available in theoffice.) We should be proud that our church donates to community projects, which include healthy meals for children and adults, community gardens, women rights, peace actions, food banks, summer day camp tuition, animal welfare, environmental programs, hospice and so much more.

You can participate in our work, whether or not you are on the committee or can attend monthly meetings. Here are some of the areas where the CSC needs help:

Collect and deliver food
Souper Bowl Sunday
Wrap gifts at the Girls and Boys club
Take meeting notes
Talk with church members about requesting funds from our Community Plate
Help write a mission statement

You can be any age (think poster making, collecting cans of food, dressing up as a can of food). To learn more, contact Deb Bruss by email: deborahbruss@mac.com. If you don't have email, leave a message at 856-7529.

If you have not opted for email delivery, pick up your Parish Notes newsletter today. Those not picked up will be mailed the following week. To switch to email delivery so you get the news sooner while saving paper and money, send an email to office@concorduu.org.

Bring a Skill~ Learn a Skill ~ Teach a Skill! Come enjoy the company of friends during our four hour festival of fiber fun. Drop in when you can or stay for all four hours, whatever suits you. Knitters, weavers, crochet artists, macramé aficionados, and all beginners are welcome! Bring a friend, your own supplies, and extra yarns you would like to use and share. Tea and coffee will be provided; bring a lunch or snack to share if you plan to stay for a while. Also, I will be showing a video about improvisational weaving and together we will launch our church’s Community Handwoven Banner. (Adults and young adults only for this first session, please.) If there is enough enthusiasm, we will make plans to do it again!

This is open to all.

(10:30-3)

This warm-up will be for members of the church choir who also sing in the Concord Chorale--not for full church choir group.

If you are interested in meeting others, finding out more about our church and exploring your own religious past, we invite you to join us for our next Exploring Membership class. The two sessions will be held on April 14 and April 28 after the church service. These sessions will be an opportunity for you to learn more about this church and how we practice our faith, and allow you to make connections with members and non-members alike.

You may register for this class at the Membership Table or by calling the church office or emailing John Tobin at jtobinjr@comcast.net. Lunch will be provided and we can arrange child care if you let us know in advance.

Ready to Join? The next opportunity to formally join the church will be on Sunday, May (5th or 12th) during the church service. For more information or to sign up contact membership@concorduu.org.

This is one of three major fund raising events of the year. Please note that the sale has been moved back by two weeks. To make it a success we need your donations, but we also need your help. Please look at your calendar to see if you can help us with one of these tasks:

* Help to dig up and pot perennials early in May – can you also look in your garage or basement for any extra 8 – 10” pots that we can use to transplant the perennials;

* We need people who will sort through donations and price them on Thursday, May 16, from noon to 5:00 and again on Friday, May 17, from noon – 5:00. Starting at 5:00, we’ll move the donations into Fellowship Hall to be ready for the next morning.

* We’ll be serving brunch items. Can you bake an item to donate?

* On Saturday, May 18, we’ll need people to help us as cashiers. We’ll also need a crew who can move what remains after the sale into the parlor.

To sign up for any of these tasks, go to www.concorduu.org/volunteer.php

“Generous Living,” Lyn Betz, Intern Minister
Is it more blessed to give than to receive? How much giving is enough? Who is deserving of our generosity, and how do we know? Come explore what it means to live a generous life.

New Members Ceremony

A Meal for Everyone is a chance to say thank you to the homeless volunteers who helped to paint all of the beams in our church. We have a great team of multigenerational helpers who are prepared to cook and serve lunch. We are looking for two more elementary age children and two more adults to help out with this project. Many thanks to Rob Fielding for serving as the master chef!

All women in the church are encouraged and invited to attend this luncheon. We meet once a year to distribute money to agencies who primarily help women and children. This Assn has been meeting since 1837 and needs your ideas and presence as we review the needs in our community.

“Spiritual Humility,” Rev. Michael Leuchtenberger

As we strive for spiritual maturity that enables us to reach out of our embeddedness toward a larger perspective we need to maintain our spiritual humility grounded in the awareness of our own frailty, grounded in awe, and grounded in doubt.

Laughter Yoga combines unconditional laughter with yogic breathing. We do not rely on humor, jokes or comedy. Laughter starts as a group exercise and soon turns into real and contagious laughter. There are numerous physiological and psychological benefits, including getting rid of stress and feeling more centered.
We will start at 12:15, about one half hour after the service gets out. If the service is shorter than usual, we may start about noon. We’ll announce the starting time during coffee hour. Anyone, any age, can do it. If mobility is an issue, you can sit in a chair.

Based in part on ideas from the book “Turning Memories into Memoirs: a handbook for writing lifestories” by Denis Ledoux, this Adult Enrichment offering is a workshop for learning the skills you need to write your memoirs to preserve your family’s culture and history and leave a legacy of your beliefs and life principles. We will discuss where to start, memory aids, choosing your themes, storytelling, editing and compiling. We will each compose a short sample.
Leader: Suzanne Rude (realvermonter@comcast.net)

Inocente is the inspirational account of a young woman’s determination to thrive despite being homeless. It is an uplifting film about the hopes and dreams of a young woman and her quest to claim her own life and dreams through art.

Opening remarks for this event will be delivered by 2012 NH Teacher of the Year, Heidi Welch, of Hillsboro, NH, who will share her personal journey from homelessness.

Please join us for refreshments, conversation and viewing of this inspirational, award-winning documentary!

This is a free event, but,... Donations will be accepted at the door to support the work of the CCEH and the Concord Homeless Resource Center

For more information, seat reservation, directions, comments, please contact: Courtney Fontone @ cfontone@fellowshiphousing.org

We will be at the Community Center on Jennings Drive to help elementary age kids make a craft and a card for Mother's Day. This is always a lot of fun and is a project that works well with older UU kids helping out. You can sign up at www.concorduu.org/volunteer.php

Laughter Yoga is a great way to bring joy to your life, breathe more deeply, get some exercise, relax and maybe even lower your blood pressure.

Laughter is often the best medicine. Come see for yourself at Laughter Yoga. Anyone, any age can do it.

Come for a Button Up home energy savings workshop. From energy saving light bulbs, to D-I-Y air sealing, to 50% rebates for energy efficiency upgrades, Andy Duncan (Energy Trainings Manager at Lakes Region Community College and member of the UU Church) will be discussing the many ways to save energy dollars and reduce your home's carbon footprint. Reducing energy waste in your house is one of the most important ways you can make a difference for the planet!

Enjoy free refreshments before the workshop.

Preregistration encouraged at: www.uu-button-up.eventbrite.com The event is free and open to all. Sponsored by Liberty Utilities natural gas who will donate $10 to the church for every natural gas customer who attends.

Please join us at the outFITters store, 20 South Main Street in Concord, to sort donations of clothing and home goods. The store sells these gently used items to raise funds to support transitional housing for families who have been homeless. This will serve as a pilot for an on-going project that will get underway in the fall.

“Rise of the Sacred Feminine,” Lyn Betz & Margaret Fletcher & Shawn Forrey
Come honor your mother and your foremothers as Margaret Fletcher and Lyn Betz lead a service on the growing inclusion of women and female imagery in mainstream religious rituals and representations of the divine.

“This I Believe,” Rev. Michael Leuchtenberger
We are an inclusive church where we support each other on our own, and our shared, spiritual journeys. We celebrate and value diversity of religious beliefs. Engage with this diversity as fellow congregants share their credos and reflect on their spiritual paths.

“Unlocking Leadership,” Rev. Michael Leuchtenberger
Leadership is about empowering others. Leadership is about unlocking the potential we see in the world. Yet as Lao Tzu noticed many years ago: “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”

If you've ever wondered how the church manages our finances, here's your chance to learn. Jack Wakelin, Custodian of Trust Funds and Chair of the Finance Committee, will give an overview of our budget process, financial transparency, and endowment oversight. This presentation is especially important for board members, committee chairs and other church leaders. All are welcome.