Christmas Eve Service - 5 PM, December 24, 2012

Featuring John Robertson, Amy Jensen, Tim Jensen, Mike Schafale, and Kelsey Bennett along with the CUCC congregation and choir directed by Anne Moorman-Smith, with Doug Barrick on organ and piano

Use this player to play all the tracks below:

Prelude (Part 1) - Away in a Manger (Mike and Kelsey)
Prelude (Part 2) - Away in a Manger (Amy and Doug)
Prelude (Part 3) - Mike and Kelsey
Prelude (Part 4) - O Little Town of Bethlehem (John and Amy)
Prelude (Part 5) - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Mike and Kelsey)
Angels from the Realms of Glory
Lo How a Rose Eer Blooming
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
O Come All Ye Faithful
Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella (Tim, Amy, and Doug)
Excerpt from Christmas in the Southwest (Choir)
Solo
All is Well (Choir)
Silent Night (Candlelight Finale)

Music from 10:30 Worship on Dec. 23, 2012

Go to your blog list View blog Lavon Page CUCC Archive · Post Music from 10:30 Worship on Dec. 23, 2012 Update Revert to draft Preview Close ComposeHTML Link Recorded in the CUCC sanctuary.

Use this player to play all the tracks below:

Prelude (Mike and Kelsey) - Come Thy Fount
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (Hymn)
Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (Julia, Tim, and Mike)
Be Near the Dear Children
Lo How a Rose E’re Blooming (Julia, Tim, and Mike)
O Little Town of Bethlehem (Hymn)
Offertory (Mike and Kelsey)
We are Lighting the Path of Love
In the Bleak Midwinter (Julia, Tim, and Mike)
Joy to the World (Closing Hymn)

Sermon on Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol” - Pastor Steve Halsted

Post settings Labels music Published on 12/23/12, 7:13 PM Eastern Daylight Time Permalink Location Options

Christmas in the Southwest - 10:30 Worship, Dec. 16, 2012

Christmas in the Southwest -- CUCC Choir, Anne Moorman-Smith, Doug Barrick

Additional Music from 10:30 Worship on Dec. 16, 2012
Use this player to play all the tracks below:

Introit
Prelude -- Joy to the World (Amy Jensen and Doug Barrick)
Hymn -- My Soul Gives Glory to my God
Response to lighting of Advent Candles -- We Are Lighting a Path of Joy
Hymn -- Born in the Night, Mary’s Child
Be Near the Dear Children (following children’s message)
Offertory -- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Amy and Doug)
Hymn -- Angels We Have Heard on High

Christmas Pageant 2012

The Pageants and Skits portion of the archive houses numerous Christmas pageants, as well as some other skits and productions held in the church over the years.

Informal Singing at Christmas Party - December 8, 2012

Go to your blog list View blog Lavon Page CUCC Archive · Post Informal Singing at Christmas Party - December 8, 2012 Update Revert to draft Preview Close ComposeHTML Link

The congregation held its annual adult Christmas party on December 8. The event took place in the Fellowship Hall, with a host of desserts along with coffee, hot cider, and spirits. Following the food, fun, and felloship, the group turned toward the piano and joined Doug Barrick (piano) in singing of Christmas carols (with enthusiasm).

Use this player to play all the tracks below:

Angels We Have Heard on High
Deck the Halls
Away in a Manger
The First Noell
Silver Bells
Hark the Herald
Jingle Bells
Up on the Rooftop
Joy to the World
Silent Night
Let There Be Peace on Earth Post settings Labels music Published on 12/8/12, 6:55 PM Eastern Daylight Time Permalink Location Options

CUCC Stories and Envisioning Our Future (2011-2012)

CUCC took the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Pastor Steve Halsted’s service among us to look back at our past and envision our future.

Looking back:  In the fall of 2011 CUCC held a series of events hearing stories of how we had been “working for social justice.”  In October 2011, Cy King presented a summary of CUCC’s social justice heritage. The CUCC Stories Pilgrimage was a self-guided walking tour of our property with signs and photographs featuring the people, artwork, and events which had embodied our calling to work for social justice. At the Novemberfest dinner, the table decorations included trivia about CUCC’s justice past.

In Lent 2012 we turned toward the other half of our unofficial motto, “nurturing spiritual growth.” Throughout  Lent  we gathered in small groups for Telling and Listening to Stories; using prompting questions about our faith experiences, we learned about each of our faith journeys.  A Lenten Spiritual Practices Calendar was written by members of the congregation for each of us to use at home.  Each day offers a spiritual practice from CUCC’s past and present.  While some the events mentioned in the calendar were specific to 2012, the daily practices are usable any Lenten season.

Looking ahead:  In the fall of 2012 we welcomed some of our former clergy, charging them to preach to us from our past and help us imagine where God might be calling us in the future.  You can hear sermons from John Lackey, Collins Kilburn, Cally Rogers-Witte, Dave Barber, and Carol Ripley-Moffitt.

Gearing up for some envisioning, congregants were invited to submit their answers to an All Church Survey with questions ranging the gamut from the details of our life together to what we hope to do in the future.  Taking all we had learned over the preceding year, we gathered for a weekend retreat.  Facilitator Joanne Scaturro led us in relationship building activities where we discovered each other’s social styles and learned how to work with and care for one another. Facilitator Cindy Bizzell helped us discover our hopes and dreams for CUCC’s future.

What’s next:  Council has been using the results of the All Church Survey and All Church Retreat to guide its decisions in the months following.

• Cy King recounts CUCC History
• CUCC Stories Pilgrimage
• Novemberfest trivia
• Lenten Spiritual Practices calendar
• John Lackey
• Collins Kilburn
• Cally Rogers-Witte
• Dave Barber
• Carol Ripley-Moffitt
• Survey summary
• Joanne’s report

Rev. Cally Rogers-Witte at CUCC in October 2012

Rev. Cally Rogers-Witte served as Pastor at CUCC from 1977-1995. She left Raleigh to take the position of Conference Minister for the Southwest Conference of the UCC. She is now retired and spends part of her time at a home in Florida and in the remaining part in western North Carolina. On October 7, 2012, Cally returned to Community UCC to deliver a guest sermon on her remembrances of life at CUCC during the period she served as Pastor.

This video is also available on YouTube.

Carolyn King Memorial Service

A memorial service for Carolyn King was held in the sanctuary at CUCC on October 6, 2012. The estimated crowd in the sanctuary was 250 people, and another 100 packed the overflow area in the fellowship hall to participate in the service via piped-in video. This was perhaps the most heavily attended event ever held on the grounds of Community UCC. Video of the complete service is available here and at YouTube. It is in four parts, and the total time is about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Filmed by Lavon Page.

Part 1 (Youtube version)

Part 2 (Youtube version)

Part 3 (Youtube version)


Part 4  (Youtube version)

Carol Ripley-Moffitt returns to CUCC

Rev. Carol Ripley-Moffitt served as Pastor at Community UCC from 2000-2002. This was a period of transition for the church, in that both the pastor and associate pastor had recently departed. Rev. Ripley-Moffitt, who came to CUCC from an American Baptist background, served very effectively during this transitional period and holds a very special place in the hearts of many CUCC members, even though her time at the church was relatively brief. This return to the pulpit was by invitation of the CUCC Board of Deacons and Occurred on September 30, 2012.

This video is also available on YouTube.

Rev. Dave Barber revisits CUCC

Rev. David Barber served as Pastor at CUCC during the 1990s. At the invitation of the Board of Deacons, Dave returned to CUCC on September 23 to give a guest sermon. Dave and Lynn presently reside in Rapid City SD where Dave has returned to his alternate vocation of meteorology and where Lynn continues her work as a patent lawyer and her true love of birding.

This video was filmed and edited by Carson Roach-Howell. It is also available on YouTube.

John Lackey Returns to Community UCC

John Lackey served as Pastor at Community UCC from 1969 to 1977. These years marked the first years in the new church location at the corner of Dixie Trail and Wade Avenue. Following his tenure at CUCC, Rev. Lackey pastored Church of the Savior in Knowville TN, where he retired in 1993.

His return to Community UCC occurred on September 16, 2012, at invitation of the CUCC Board of Deacons. This video is also available on YouTube.

John Robertson and Vicky Montague

On August 26, 2012, John Robertson teamed up with his violin teacher for the past six years, Vicky Montague, to perform the Pachelbel Canon during 10:30 worship. John is continuing to hone his skills in both the classical and bluegrass areas, and he delights the congregation whenever he performs, whether it’s during worship or during a Christmas party. (A video of John playing in 2009 during worship is also available in this archive.)

Rev. Stephen Halsted

Rev. Steve Halsted has been pastor at CUCC since 2002. He came to Raleigh following years of service to UCC churches in New Mexico. This sermon was on August 26, 2012. The title of the sermon is "In God We Live and Move and Have Our Being”. The sermon was given during the 10:30 worship service.

Rev. Halsted grew up in Connecticut, and he continues to maintain strong ties to New England. His wife Marcy has worked in Wake County as a school teacher in public and private schools, and as a librarian for the Cameron Village branch of Wake County Libraries.

Geraldine Bryan - Children's Sermon

Geraldine Bryan is a regular presenter of the children’s sermon on Sunday mornings during 10:30 worship. This one dates from August 26, 2012. She is wildly popular not only with children but with adults. Geraldine has the ability to multitask, i.e. she can deliver a dialog that means one thing to children but something a bit different to adults. And both groups find her immensely entertaining. This children’s sermon is a good example of Geraldine’s skills and wit.

Collins Kilburn returns to CUCC

As the first in a series of sermons by previous pastors at CUCC, Collins Kilburn returned on August 19, 2012 and delivered a message which was a retrospective on the 1960s, the time when Collins was pastor at CUCC.

This video is also available at YouTube.

Carolyn and Cy King Peace and Justice Award

On July 3, 2012, the Church Council voted to establish the Carolyn and Cy King Peace and Justice Award as a repeating event. Subsequently, the award has been given annually by the Social Justice Ministry.

The text of the resolution passed by Council is given here.

Resolution establishing the Carolyn and Cy King Peace and Justice Award

Honorees

2012:  Carolyn and Cyrus King, inaugural winners and award namesakes

2013:  Sandy and Deane Irving; Marjorie Eckels

2014:   Bill Towe; Slater Newman; Peg and Mac Hulslander

2015:  Judy Occhetti-Klohr and Leo Klohr; Rev. Collins Kilburn

2016:  Patrick O'Neal and Mary Rider; Jane Hunt

2017:  Alan and Ruth Reberg; Joan McAllister

Resolutions

All actions taken by the membership of Community UCC on behalf of the entire congregation must be approved at a Congregational Meeting. These occur at least twice each year. This page lists significant actions and resolutions to come from Congregational Meetings during the past several decades.

1981 The Just Peace Resolution was passed at a Congregational Meeting on September 27, 1981. This preceded the Just Peace Church resolution passed at General Synod in 1985. Following passage of this resolution at General Synod, CUCC passed its own version of the Covenant to be a Just Peace Church.

1984 On March 18, 1984 the congregation resolved to support public education in North Carolina.

1989 (The Fifteenth General Synod (1985) also adopted the resolution Calling on UCC Congregations to Covenant as Open and Affirming. By unanimous vote on December 17, 1989, the Congregational Meeting adopted a Resolution on Being an Open and Affirming Congregation. This resolution was revised and expanded and was passed by unanimous vote on January 9, 2011 (see 2011 below).

1993 In 1993 CUCC was honored to receive the Just Peace Award from the Office of Church in Society at the 19th General Synod of the United Church of Christ. Cy King's remarks on accepting that award provide a snapshot of our history and confession of how far we have to go.

2000 The Nineteenth General Synod (1993) adopted the Statement of Christian Conviction of the Proposed Pronouncement Calling the United Church of Christ to be a Multiracial and Multicultural Church. Sparked by CUCC member Robert Parrish, who is visually handicapped, the CUCC membership adopted a resolution that “CUCC would work toward inclusion of the disabled in the work and mission of the church” (November 15, 1998). The congregation convened the Multiracial/Multicultural Committee to examine the UCC statement and make recommendations. On February 6, 2000, the congregation adopted an enhanced Vision Statement and charged the Multiracial-Multicultural Committee to help implement it.

2005 On July 10, 2005 the congregation resolved to become part of the Progressive Churches network. At the same meeting the congregation approved the Iraq STEP Resolution: Sensible Transition to an Enduring Peace.

2007 The congregation resolved on May 20, 2007 to focus on Justice in a Changing Climate.

2010 On November 21, 2010, a congregational resolution asked the Wake County Board of Education to adopt a pupil assignment plan that would provide diversity and excellent educational opportunity to all children.

2011 In 2003, the General Synod adopted a resolution Affirming the Participation and Ministry of Transgender People within the United Church of Christ and Supporting their Civil and Human Rights. The UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns shares the commitment of many in our national church setting to inclusion of transgender persons in the UCC. Local ONA churches were strongly encouraged to include transgender gender identity and expression in their statements. In 2011, CUCC expanded its original ONA resolution to state, in part:

“We invite and welcome into this Body of Christ all persons who seek to follow Jesus. Persons of every gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression are welcome to worship and enter into the full life and ministry of this church. We strive for justice and equality for all of God’s children in our journey of faith.” Full text of the expanded resolution.

2012 On June 24, 2012, the congregational meeting passed a resolution called An Economic Justice Covenant. The effect of the covenant was to create an Economic Justice Task Force. The covenant statement appeared in the July 2012 newsletter.

Cy and Carolyn King Award

On June 17, 2012, the 10:30 worship service featured a presentation of a special award to Cy and Carolyn King honoring their many years of effort on behalf of peace and justice issues. Carolyn was unable to attend for medical reasons, but Cy accepted the award and spoke (with his usual modesty) on their behalf. Part of the ceremony included that the award will be a repeating event at CUCC and will be given in honor of the Kings.

Al Adams

Biography from 2012 Induction Ceremony into Raleigh Hall of Fame

Through a long career in law, public service, and civic leadership, Al Adams has been a powerful advocate for equality and justice, arts and education, and cultural institutions serving the City of Raleigh and the State of North Carolina. Al Adams emerged as a leader at UNC’s School of Law as a member of the NC Law Review, and then as an officer in the U.S. Navy.

As a young attorney, Adams was Secretary of the Wake County Bar, and later a committee chair on the N.C. State Bar Association. During the Civil Rights movement, he advocated for African American attorneys and integration of the Wake County Bar Association. He was a partner in Sanford, Adams, McCullough & Beard, one of the first firms in Raleigh to hire African American and women lawyers. The NC Community Action Association recognized his pro bono work for underrepresented citizens with their prestigious Gloria Williams Award.

Adams served with distinction for five terms in the NC House of Representatives, where his advocacy for education laid the groundwork for North Carolina’s educational achievements in the 1980s and 1990s. He championed increases in funding to the NC Arts Council that supported both major public installations and local grass roots organizations. Adams was consistently rated as one of the most effective legislators, and later, as one of the state’s most influential lobbyists. As a lobbyist, he helped secure funds for the NC Museum of History and other cultural cornerstones of our state.

His civic contributions are no less profound. As first Chairman of the Wake County Public Libraries Board, Adams presided over the merger of white and African American libraries to form today’s Wake County Public Library System. As a founding member and Chair of the Estey Hall Foundation at Shaw University, he helped preserve the nation’s first historic structure built for African American women. He was instrumental in founding the Arts Advocates of NC, the Clarence Lightner Youth Leadership Endowment, and the Martin Luther King Resource Center. He chaired the USS North Carolina Battleship Commission, and served on the boards of the NC Symphony Society, Raleigh City Museum, NC Child Advocacy, Opera Company of North Carolina, Wake Technical Community College Foundation, and the Raleigh Civil Service Commission. He was Wake County Democratic Party Chair, and a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Adams has been a longtime advocate for his alma mater – the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – serving as Chairman of the Board of Visitors and a member of the UNC General Alumni Association.

In recognition of his many contributions, UNC awarded Al Adams its Distinguished Service Medal for outstanding service to the Alumni Association and the University. Other commendations include the Governor’s Award, North Carolina’s highest recognition for meritorious service, NC Child Advocacy’s Tribute of Appreciation, and the Chief Justice Joseph Branch Professionalism Award, the Wake County Bar Association’s highest honor.

Representative Adams’s abilities, passions and sustained commitment have enriched cultural and educational resources, advanced social justice, and made Raleigh a better place to live. His good works will continue to improve the lives of North Carolinians for generations to come.

Lenten Spiritual Practices Calendar (2012)

During Lent in the spring of 2012, a wide variety of church members contributed to a communal Lenten Spiritual Practices Calendar. That calendar has lasting value (since Lent comes every year), and it is archived here both for the purpose of preserving this document and for the purpose of providing a shared Lenten resource of permanent value and continuing usefulness.

Lenten Spiritual Practices Calendar (2012)

(This is a 37-page PDF file and is about 7 megabytes in size, so it will take a few seconds to download.)

Youth Sunday - March 2, 2012

The youth of Community UCC produce the 10:30 worship service once each year. In 2012 this occurred on Sunday, March 25. The video of the youth presentation has been edited down to 30 minutes, but includes all the activities presented by the CUCC youth on that day.