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The Chimes University Presbyterian Church is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and is a Stephen Ministry Congregation Vol. XXXI No. 10 Web Edition October 2012 OCTOBER OCTOBER OCTOBER OCTOBER Our Church Family 2 Attention Parents: Submit Church School Registration Form 2 How to Submit Articles for the Bulletin and The Chimes 2 October 7 Events at UPC: STOP HUNGER NOW Event Peacemaking Offering Received 3 PYC: October Calendar 3 We Celebrate New Members 4 October 21: Church Directory Photo Shoot—Register Now 4 Invitation for Presbyterian Women: Join a PW Circle 4 October Choir Fun! 5 Adult Fun and Fellowship: Show Tickets Still Available 6 Ongoing Tuesday Evening Service: Deep and Wide 6 Tuesday Evening Adult Education Opportunity: Reformation and Spiritual DNA Class 6 Adult Christian Education: Classes for Term 1 Continue New Classes Start October 21 7 Presbyterian Campus Ministry 8 Local Outreach News 8 Global Outreach News 9 Sabbatical Report: Anna Pinckney Straight, Associate Pastor 10 10 10 10-11 11 11 11 Session Digest 11 11 11 11 Volunteer Opportunities: Church Office Help Needed 12 12 12 12 November 25: Advent Crafts Festival and Alternative Gifts Market—Volunteers Needed 12 12 12 12 Dear Friends, If I were to choose a favorite season of the year, I would undoubtedly choose autumn. With its cooler temperatures and its brilliant colors, autumn always seems such a welcome gift. Perhaps because I spent my childhood in Florida, where we never had fall colors, I love this bravura season. But as an adult, I also owe the choice to the vitality of the church in these autumn days—the full classrooms and sanctuary, the return of the students into our life, the choirs filling our Sundays with song. Even the one aspect of autumn life in the church that many pastors like least—the arrival of stewardship season—gets me excited. I cherish opportunities to be in conversation about an understanding of life shaped by biblical stewardship. When we look at God’s magnificent creation in all its glory in the fall, when we consider the manifold gifts God has bestowed on all of us, when we have an opportunity to measure rightly the richness with which we have been blessed, how can we do less than respond with grateful hearts? This year, I add to such gratitude an enthusiasm about our upcoming campaign for the sake of generations yet to come. This extraordinary opportunity to remember gratefully the past, to celebrate the present with thankful hearts, and to help secure the future will give us time to consider prayerfully and joyfully how much this church’s life intertwines with our own lives and how the community’s life enriches and fortifies us all. I’ve shared before a Jewish prayer, which includes a wonderful line, “We are encompassed by questions to which we can only respond with awe.” In these days, I offer that line as a gift to you, as a focus for your prayers. During these next two months, when stewardship is in the air, I invite you to consider what those questions are for you. Here are a few suggestions, just to get you started: To whom do I owe my life? By what grace have I been allotted the innate talents given to me? How much grace is does it take to yield a gracious sufficiency? How much gratitude is enough? Mention “stewardship season” to many people, even many pastors, I suspect, and their first thoughts will be of church budgets and church pledges. That’s not completely off base, to be sure, because we do speak of such matters in this season of the year, and they are important. But this year, I invite you to think first of the questions to which you can only respond in awe, for indeed awe lays the foundation for gratitude, and gratitude prompts a thoughtful and generous use of all the gifts entrusted to us. That, in a nutshell, is what stewardship is, and what our lives are meant to demonstrate. Grace and Peace, Robert E. Dunham Don’t Forget to Join UPC on Facebook! Visit http://www.facebook.com/upcch and click “Like.” Don’t miss out. Join today!
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Chimes October2012

Mar 30, 2016

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The October edition of The Chimes, UPC's monthly newsletter, includes program updates, events coming up in October, the Sabbatical Report for Anna Pinckney Straight and more!
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Page 1: Chimes October2012

The Chimes

U n i v e r s i t y P r e s b y t e r i a n C h u r c h i s a f f i l i a t e d w i t h t h e P r e s b y t e r i a n C h u r c h ( U . S . A . ) a n d i s a S t e p h e n M i n i s t r y C o n g r e g a t i o n

Vol. XXXI No. 10 Web Edition October 2012

OCTOBEROCTOBEROCTOBEROCTOBER

Our Church Family 2222

Attention Parents: Submit Church

School Registration Form 2222

How to Submit Articles for the

Bulletin and The Chimes 2222

October 7 Events at UPC:

STOP HUNGER NOW Event

Peacemaking Offering Received

3333

PYC: October Calendar 3333

We Celebrate New Members 4444

October 21: Church Directory

Photo Shoot—Register Now 4444

Invitation for Presbyterian

Women: Join a PW Circle 4444

October Choir Fun! 5555

Adult Fun and Fellowship:

Show Tickets Still Available 6666

Ongoing Tuesday Evening

Service: Deep and Wide 6666

Tuesday Evening Adult Education

Opportunity: Reformation and

Spiritual DNA Class

6666

Adult Christian Education:

Classes for Term 1 Continue

New Classes Start October 21

7777

Presbyterian Campus Ministry 8888

Local Outreach News 8888

Global Outreach News 9999

Sabbatical Report: Anna Pinckney

Straight, Associate Pastor 10101010----11111111

Session Digest 11111111

Volunteer Opportunities:

Church Office Help Needed 12121212

November 25: Advent Crafts

Festival and Alternative Gifts

Market—Volunteers Needed

12121212

Dear Friends,

If I were to choose a favorite season of the year, I would undoubtedly choose autumn. With its cooler temperatures and its brilliant colors, autumn always seems such a welcome gift. Perhaps because I spent my childhood in Florida, where we never had fall colors, I love this bravura season. But as an adult, I also owe the choice to the vitality of the church in these autumn days—the full classrooms and sanctuary, the return of the students into our life, the choirs filling our Sundays with song.

Even the one aspect of autumn life in the church that many pastors like least—the arrival of stewardship season—gets me excited. I cherish opportunities to be in conversation about an understanding of life shaped by biblical stewardship. When we look at God’s magnificent creation in all its glory in the fall, when we consider the manifold gifts God has bestowed on all of us, when we have an opportunity to measure rightly the richness with which we have been blessed, how can we do less than respond with grateful hearts?

This year, I add to such gratitude an enthusiasm about our upcoming campaign for the sake of generations yet to come. This extraordinary opportunity to remember gratefully the past, to celebrate the present with thankful hearts, and to help secure the future will give us time to consider prayerfully and joyfully how much this church’s life intertwines with our own lives and how the community’s life enriches and fortifies us all.

I’ve shared before a Jewish prayer, which includes a wonderful line, “We are encompassed by questions to which we can only respond with awe.” In these days, I offer that line as a gift to you, as a focus for your prayers. During these next two months, when stewardship is in the air, I invite you to consider what those questions are for you. Here are a few suggestions, just to get you started: To whom do I owe my life? By what grace have I been allotted the innate talents given to me? How much grace is does it take to yield a gracious sufficiency? How much gratitude is enough?

Mention “stewardship season” to many people, even many pastors, I suspect, and their first thoughts will be of church budgets and church pledges. That’s not completely off base, to be sure, because we do speak of such matters in this season of the year, and they are important. But this year, I invite you to think first of the questions to which you can only respond in awe, for indeed awe lays the foundation for gratitude, and gratitude prompts a thoughtful and generous use of all the gifts entrusted to us. That, in a nutshell, is what stewardship is, and what our lives are meant to demonstrate.

Grace and Peace,

Robert E. Dunham

Don’t Forget to Join UPC on Facebook!

Visit http://www.facebook.com/upcch and click “Like.” Don’t miss out. Join today!

Page 2: Chimes October2012

Our Church Family

Page 2

The Chimes Volume XXXI, No. 10 October 2012

The UPC congregation and its pastors take seriously the call to pray and be present with those who are in need, so we encourage you, a friend or a family member to let us know if you have scheduled surgery or have been admitted to the hospital. During the week, please call the church office at (919) 929-2102, and over the weekend, please call one of the pastors. Thank you.

“Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord,” James 5:14.

Due to privacy concerns and HIPAA laws, there are no notifications or lists at any local hospitals or clinics which would in-form the church if you are hospitalized, receiving treatment or undergoing surgery.

The Ch imes i s a publ i ca t ion of Univers i ty Presbyter ian Church

The Chimes is published monthly. Deadline for submission of articles is the 15th of each month for the following month’s edition

(with a few exceptions to accommodate holiday schedules). Please include your name and telephone number. The newsletter is

posted on the church’s Website (www.upcch.org). Send article submissions and inquiries to Newsletter Editor, University

Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 509, Chapel Hill, NC 27514-0509, or e-mail to [email protected]. The office may be reached by

telephone at (919) 929-2102, by fax at (919) 929-7669 or by email at [email protected]. Visit the UPC Website for more

information (www.upcch.org).

** Deadline for the November issue is noon on October 15, 2012.

University Presbyterian Church Staff: Robert E. Dunham, Pastor; Anna Pinckney Straight, Associate Pastor; John Rogers,

Assoc. Pastor for Campus Ministry; Heather Ferguson, Staff Associate for Education; Kim McNeill, Staff Assoc. for Youth and

Congregational Life; Thomas Brown, Minister of Music; Beth Auman Visser, Youth and Children's Choir Dir.; Mitzi Lesher

Thomas, Associate in Ministry; Phyllis Koehnline, Associate in Ministry; Ellen Parker, Dir., UPPS; Jeanette Schmidt, Office

Manager; Cristen Mugford, Financial Administrator; Karen Fisher, Director of Membership; Jennifer Potts, Publications

Coordinator; Dennis Dallke, Property Mgr.; Rob Kurtz, Sexton.

How to Submi t Ar t ic les for The Bul le t in’s

Announcements Or for The Ch imes

Please submit articles for the monthly newsletter (The Chimes) or announcements for the worship bulletin’s (Weekly Announcements) to

our Publications Coordinator, Jennifer Potts. Email her at [email protected] or call (919) 929-2102, extension 113.

Visit our Website: www.upcch.org

Attention Parents Don’t forget to submit a 2012-2013 Church School Registration Form. The form is available on the UPC Website (www.upcch.org). Click the “Education” tab and then “Church School - Children/Youth” from the left-hand side of the page. From there, you can download the Church School Registration Form. Instructions for submitting the form can be found at the bottom of the second page. Thanks!

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Volume XXXI, No. 10 October 2012 The Chimes

Presbyter ian Youth Connec t ion in Oc tober

PYC October Calendar PYC is held on Sundays from 6-8 p.m. and begins in the Fellowship Hall unless otherwise noted.

Sunday, October 7 - Hunger Dinner: What does hunger look like in Orange County and beyond? Youth will ex-perience dinner as the people of this town and the world do. Some may enjoy a full steak dinner; some only rice; perhaps one will have nothing. We’ll discuss the feelings associated with our meals and what we can do to help ease hunger in our community.

Sunday, October 14 - Can’t we all just get along? In Ephesians 4:11, we are called to different ways of proclaim-ing the Gospel. Can we each take on a role from this verse, proclaim the gospel without tearing one another down and run a positive “campaign” to spread the Gospel? Also, the ASP deposit due.

Sunday, October 21 - McKee Farm Corn Maze! Meet in the church parking lot after 11:00 a.m. worship. We’ll enjoy lunch at the maze and get lost. Pick up is at 3 p.m. back in the UPC parking lot. Bring $10 each.

Friday, October 26 - Sunday, October 28: MS Retreat at Camp Don Lee: Forms and fees due by Sunday, Sep-tember 30. Cost is $150.

Sunday, October 28 - Sex, sexuality, the church and you! High School Youth Only Night in the Youth Center.

Join Presbyterian Youth Connection (PYC) for our October programs! All 6th-12th graders are encouraged to be a part of PYC every Sunday from 6 - 8 p.m. in the Fellow-ship Hall and Youth Center. Bring $5 to help with the cost of dinner.

Contact Kim McNeill, Staff Associate for Youth and Congregational Life, at [email protected] with any questions. You can also check the PYC section of the Website (www.upcch.org) under the Education tab for scheduling updates and information. We hope to see your youth this month at PYC!

We invite parents and youth to follow our Twitter page @upcpyc. Go to https://twitter.com/upcpyc to stay up-to-date on everything happening with PYC this fall!

STOP HUNGER NOW Children and Youth Helping Children and Youth: The Chil-dren and Youth Ministry Committee will hold our fourth STOP HUNGER NOW event at UPC on Sunday, October 7 from 9:30 - 10:45 a.m.

This organization offers churches, schools and other groups the opportunity to purchase and package 10,000 meals that are sent internationally to people in need. We have chosen STOP HUNGER NOW as the recipi-ent of our Church School offer-ings because it is an opportunity for our whole congregation to work together, and it is a tangi-ble way for children to see what impact their offerings may bring. Please plan to join in this hands-on service experience!

Peacemaking Of fer ing Rece ived October 7 is World Communion Sun-day, when we celebrate our ties to broth-ers and sisters worldwide. On this day, we collect the Peacemaking Offering. Seventy-five percent is used for our de-nomination’s work in anti-bullying, en-couraging respectful and civil dialogue, antiviolence, support-ing human rights and working to end human trafficking.

This year UPC’s Outreach Committee designated the 25 per-cent we receive to support the work of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, helping refugees fleeing war and violence in the Middle East. Nuhad Tomeh, one of the PC(USA) Mission co-workers we help support, sees this work first-hand as he helps local churches cope with refugees fleeing the war in Iraq, and this year, the massive influx of refugees from the civil war in Syria. We encourage you to give generously. Thank you for your continued support!

Events at UPC: Sunday, October 7

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Volume XXXI, No. 10 October 2012 The Chimes

At its September 9 called meeting, the Session welcomed the following new members into the life of University Church:

We Celebra te New Members

Francis Kamara – Francis is a native of Sierra Leone and united with us by reaffirmation of his faith. He came to the United States from Jamaica several years ago and has been a regular visitor with us since 2009. He is a certified nursing assistant by training. Francis and his wife Flora were married in March; in late August he became a permanent resident of the United States.

Alicia Nance – Alicia also came to the church by reaffirmation of her faith. A native of Michigan, she did her undergraduate work at Wake Forest, and received her master’s degree from UNC. Two years ago, she and her husband, Paul Clayton, moved back to the area from the San Francisco Bay area. They live in Hillsborough. Alicia is a volun-

teer at the cardiac rehab program at the UNC Wellness Cen-ter; she is also a certified therapeutic horse-riding instructor. She and Paul have three children: Rebecca, who graduated from Wake Forest last year, Libby, a senior at Davidson, and Jack, a junior at Durham Academy.

Elaine and Joe Nanney (Jack and Grace) – The Nanneys come to us by transfer of their membership from an area church. Elaine is a graduate of Wake Forest University and of UNC Law School; she works with Joe, who is also a UNC Law School graduate, in his com-mercial liti-gation prac-tice in Ra-leigh. Joe was born and raised in the First Presbyterian Church in Rockingham. Jack is a junior at Carrboro High School, where he plays basketball; he is also a member of the Presbyterian Youth Connection and the youth choir, as is his sister Grace, who is an eighth grader at Culbreth Middle School.

Church Dir ec tory Photo Shoot : Oc tober 21

Calling all families and individuals whose photos are not in the church directory, the Membership Committee will be taking photos from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. on Sun-day, October 21 in the Fellowship Hall.

Please visit the registration link (www.mysignup.com/upcphoto) to

reserve your photo time. We will welcome drop-ins, too! Look for addi-tional details in the Weekly E-News and Sunday worship bulletin. We hope to see you there!

Inv i ta t ion for Al l P r esbyter ian Women

As we are enjoying the cooler nights of fall, our thoughts are back to seeing friends we have missed during the summer months.

What better way to have fellowship, coffee and Bible study than to join a Presbyterian Women (PW) Circle? Our Circles meet at various times the first week of each month, starting in October.

Please contact Cass Swon at [email protected], Myrah Scott at [email protected] or Betty Hutton at [email protected] for more information.

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Volume XXXI, No. 10 October 2012 The Chimes

Page 5

On October 28, the Junior Choir is invited to wear their costumes to rehearsal.

Following rehearsal, the choir will eat together at church and then carpool to

Mardi Gras Bowling Center for some Halloween Bowling!

The Children’s Choir is

invited to wear their

Halloween costumes to

rehearsal on October 28!

October choir fun!October choir fun!October choir fun!October choir fun!

The Junior Choir will

sing in worship on

October 21 at 11 a.m.

Contact Beth Auman Visser for more information

about the Youth, Junior and Children’s Choirs

at [email protected] or (919) 929-2102

The Children’s

Choir will

sing in worship

on October 14

at 11 a.m.

The Youth Choir will sing in worship on

October 7 at 11 a.m. and on October 14 at 8:30 a.m.

Page 6: Chimes October2012

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Volume XXXI, No. 10 October 2012 The Chimes

Adult Fun and Fellowship: This Fall

Adult Fun and Fellowship will be attending (by bus) the matinee performances of “War Horse” on Saturday, October 6, and “Jersey Boys” on Saturday, November 10, at DPAC.

At this time, we have several tickets still available for both shows. “War Horse” features life-size puppets of phenomenal inventiveness and is the winner of five 2011 Tony Awards. “Jersey Boys” is an award-winning musical about rock and roll.

If you would like to attend either of these performances with our group or to obtain additional information, please contact Bob Patton at (919) 942-3506 or [email protected].

Deep and Wide: A Weekly Service of Renewal

Tuesday Evenings, 6:30 - 7:15 p.m.

Deep and Wide is a weekly gathering held on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 - 7:15 p.m. in the

Sanctuary and other sacred spaces in the church. These services include centering prayer, lectio

divina, music, silence and monthly communion. There will also be time for sharing concerns

and joys and renewing the deep and wide presence of God in our midst. If you participated in Deep and Wide in the past, we

would love to have you join in again. If you heard about Deep and Wide, but were not able to attend, consider joining us. This

is a wonderful time for all to reconnect with the holy and simply be in the presence of God with few distractions and to be

open to the Holy Spirit and the stirring of the soul. For more information contact Heather Ferguson at [email protected].

The Reformation and Our Faith Through the Ages:

How Does Your “Spiritual DNA” Affect Your Faith Today?

Tuesdays, October 2 – November 6, 7:30 - 9:00 p.m., Vance Barron Hall

(*Note the change in schedule)

Some of our ancestors may have been Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, Baptists or

Presbyterians. What has made each of those traditions unique, and how have their beliefs affected

the ways that we experience our faith? When we look at the Protestant Reformation era, we have

to look beyond simply the theological and church polity arguments. We have to realize that, like a

fish swimming in a pond, the Protestant Reformation was shaped by forces other than theology and church polity. Those same

social forces brought about the transition from the Medieval Period to that of Early Modern Europe.

When we have a new baby in the family, we look to see what his or her physical characteristics are like. We

carefully examine her or his eyes, nose, hands and feet—all in order to see whether those same physical char-

acteristics can be seen in the parents, grandparents, uncles or aunts. We are looking for how his or her ances-

tors’ physical DNA mysteriously has been conveyed to a new generation. In a similar manner, we are products

of our spiritual ancestors.

In an effort to discover our spiritual DNA, we will be using the book, The Reformation for Armchair Theologians.

Copies are available in the church office for $12. The class will meet weekly on Tuesday nights from October

2 to November 6 from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. Bill and Mickey dePrater, retired PCUSA ministers in New Hope Pres-

bytery, will teach the class in Vance Barron Hall. Please contact Heather Ferguson for more information at

[email protected].

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Volume XXXI, No. 10 October 2012 The Chimes

Page 7

Common Religious Themes of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Short Stories: American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne pro-duced excellent short stories in which he offered moral tales that lend themselves to much discussion. Hawthorne’s stories make imaginative sense of America’s distinctive moral experi-ence. This class will use short stores as a springboard for lively and spirited sessions relating to contemporary Christian life.

Facilitators: A variety of Members Location: Terrace Room

The First Paul: Reclaiming the Radical Visionary Behind the Church’s Conservative Icon: The focus of our study and discussion will be on Paul’s life using the works of Marcus Borg and John Crossan. Paul, as we know, is second only to Jesus in importance in the birth of Christianity and the author of many books of the New Testament. Paul continues to be a controversial figure in the church. Borg and Crossan argue that there are “Three Pauls” in the New Testament: The Radical Paul (Pauline letters); The Conservative Paul (the disputed letters); and The Reactionary Paul (inauthentic letters). Paul was a remarkable disciple of Christ, faithful to the message of Jesus. Please join us as we learn more of the Apostle Paul.

Facilitator: Randy Kabrick Location: Garden Room

The Blessing of the Skinned Knee: Raising Children to be Resilient: Reflections on raising children in a world where entitlement and competition abound have struck a chord with thousands of readers. In a culture whose values are often at odds with the ones parents wish to uphold and instill, “The Blessing of a Skinned Knee” points the way to raising self–reliant, compassionate and ethical children.

Facilitators: Variety of Members Location: Stephen Ministry Room

Presbyterian 101: For Searchers, Seekers, New members and those Looking for a Refresher in the Faith: Are you a visitor to UPC and want to learn more about this community of faith? Are you new to the Presbyterian denomination and want to deepen your connection and involvement in the life of the church? Are you a long-time member of UPC and/or the PC (USA) and want a refresher in who we are and what we are doing in the world? Then, this class is for you!

Facilitator: Anna Pinckney-Straight Location: Room 228

Connection, Conversation and Coffee: Exploring Faith in Films and the Written Word: The rise and expansion of the Mormon faith constitutes a unique chapter in the study of world religions. Not only did this tradition emerge in the mod-ern era and on the North American continent, but it has ex-panded quickly throughout the world as a lay movement, that is, without a distinctive class of clergy leaders. The very vigor of the movement has contributed to its controversial nature, and its financial and numerical strength have also been a source of much speculation and investigation. We will spend several Sundays exploring the Mormon faith.

Facilitators: Variety of Members Location: Vance Barron Hall

Feasting on the Word: This class provides reflections, activi-ties and conversations that help a congregation encounter each other and God through the rhythm of the Revised Common Lectionary. Each class will focus on the lectionary text of that particular Sunday. Whether you attend the 8:30 or 11:00 a.m. worship service, this class is sure to enhance your understand-ing of the scripture in new and exciting ways.

Facilitators: Variety of Members Location: Education Office

Adul t Chr is t ian Educa t ion

New Elective Classes for Adults to Begin Sunday, October 21

Spiritual Themes of Accidental Birds of the Carolinas in Word and Song

October 7: Marjorie Hudson leads discussion on two stories: Accidental Birds of the Carolinas and New World Testament.

October 14: Susan Ketchin wraps up by weaving traditional and original songs into the themes of Accidental Birds of the Caro-linas, including original songs, inspired by the natural music all around us, “Angels Unawares” and “Call and Response,” and traditional songs, “Motherless Child” and others.

Facilitators: Marjorie Hudson and Susan Ketchin Location: Terrace Room

Discovering Our Pilgrim Path

Facilitator: Brett Webb-Mitchell Location: Garden Room

Feasting on the Word

Facilitators: A Variety of Leaders Location: Education Office

Faith Roots: Growing while Parenting a Confirmand: Part 1

Facilitator: Carolyn Schwartz Location: Stephen Ministry Room

Faithful Civility in this Election Season

Facilitators: A Variety of Members Location: Vance Barron Hall

Elective Classes for Term 1 Continue Through Sunday, October 14

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The Chimes Volume XXXI, No. 10 October 2012

Page 8

It has been a full start of the year for us at PCM. We are grateful both for our returning students, as well as for the many new students who have found their way to 110 Henderson Street. Between Thursday night pro-grams and a fun trip to Montreat in September, we have had ample oppor-tunity to begin forming another PCM family.

Our theme at Montreat this year was “Who do you say that I am,” playing off of what we say about Jesus' identity, as well as “Who do we say we are?” It was a great chance to get to know our students more than just a, “... hey there... where are you from... what is your major…” kind of conver-sation. It also gave us the chance to set a tone of Christological study and claiming who we are as a Christian ministry on campus at UNC. It is always

a joy—even though it means some really late nights—to be a part of the work God is doing with our students. Thank you for welcoming them back! Please be in prayer for one of our students, Sienna Shute. Sienna has been diagnosed with lymphoma and is being treated at Duke Medical Center in Durham. Sienna is a senior from the Pinehurst area, and our students are rally-ing around her and Sienna's family to support her during this cancer battle.

-John Rogers, Staff Associate for Campus Ministry

Message from PCM Student, Logan Smeallie, Junior from Silver Spring, Maryland

“Though I was raised in a primarily Presbyterian family and had always felt well accepted by my home church, I had no inten-tion to join a faith-based group on campus. In my transition into the PCM body, there was no one moment where I knew it was a place for me—but over time, I grew to identify with it, to look forward to it and to rely on it for some sense of fulfill-ment. Despite starting my participation with the group as a freshman in mid-semester, I was fully accepted and encour-aged. And since my initial discovery of the PCM family, I have found that among all my ties at UNC, the friendships and bonds I have gained within PCM are by far the most effortless and fulfilling.”

Local Out r each News: Peer Connec t Enhances Qual i ty of L i fe Friendships go a long way in helping individuals cope on their cancer journey. One source of friendships at Cornucopia Can-cer Support Center is through the Peer Connect program, a free, confidential, one-on-one support program that connects anyone touched by any type of cancer with another person whose experiences are similar.

This program, which started as informal networking years ago, now has 60 participants matched. Our Guides are trained in nationally-recognized communication techniques. Since Cor-nucopia received the grant of $4525.00 from University Pres-byterian Church, we have had guide training and gatherings and completed numerous matches. We still have Guides who are waiting to be matched with those affected by cancer, whether in treatment or a family member or caregiver.

One such pair is Doris Ann, a guide, and Bonnie, a partner. “I have found someone who is on a similar journey,” explained Bonnie. “A lot of people don’t understand what I’m going through, so it’s nice to have someone to talk to who can con-nect with what I’m dealing with every day.”

The partnership is reciprocal, added Doris Ann. “We always know we’re there for each other if we need it. It’s so wonder-ful to make a connection one on one with another person and to set your own rules. We are so fortunate to be living well.”

We hear similar things from other matches, who note the value of feeling connected and supported and of gaining effec-tive coping and communication skills on their journey.

A generous grant from University Presbyterian Church has helped underwrite a portion of our part-time Peer Connect Coordinator’s salary. It also supports our Guide training pro-gram and refresher Guide gatherings. Cornucopia and its par-ticipants are extremely grateful for this program funding.

Peer Connect is available to anyone journeying with any type of cancer. Information is available online at www.cancersupport4u.org, or by calling 919-401-9333. You may also send an email to Rosie Smith, our Peer Connect Co-ordinator, at [email protected].

Olivia Lawrence, Director of Community Relations, Cornucopia Cancer Support Center

Presbyter ian Campus Minis t r y

PCM offers programming for undergraduate, graduate and professional students and welcomes new participants at any time.

Visit www.uncpcm.com or contact John Rogers at [email protected] or 919-929-2102 for more information.

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Volume XXXI, No. 10 October 2012 The Chimes

Page 9

Hurricane season com-mands the attention of all of us in North Carolina, but for many in our con-gregation it also brings to mind the people of Haiti, where we have many long-term partnerships. One of our strongest is that with St. Joseph’s Family, which ministers to former street children, child slaves, and

individuals with disabilities through its three homes in Port au Prince and Jacmel. The family has weathered many challenges since is founding in 1985, and the last year has been one of triumphs, dreams and continuing challenges.

When the earthquake devastated Haiti two years ago, it hit St. Joseph’s very hard. Two of their homes, St. Joseph’s Home for Boys in Port au Prince, and Wings of Hope, the home for dis-abled children and adults in the hills above, were essentially destroyed. Many very difficult months followed, but the secure foundation upon which the family rests was not destroyed, even by this powerful earth-quake. Those of us who have been priviliged to visit there know that the people of St. Joseph’s put their trust in God, pray-ing “Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you. I am ready for all. I accept all. Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures.”

Through the generosity of many donors, including a major contribution from UPC’s McFadden Endowment, St. Joseph’s Home for Boys in Petionville rose from the rubble, reopening this year in a beautiful new building that should withstand any

earthquake. We rejoice with them in this resurrection. Now attention turns to plans to rebuild Wings of Hope. The origi-nal site of Wings posed substantial challenges, as it was perched on the slope of a very steep hill, making construction of a handicapped accessible home extremely challenging. Just a few months ago, St. Joseph’s and its US fundraising arm, Hearts with Haiti, announced a creative and exciting solution. They will relocate Wings to Jacmel, next to their Trinity House. This allows them to build on flat ground, and the re-vised design dropped the projected cost by almost five fold. They are now beginning a fundraising campaign for approxi-mately one million dollars to make this dream a reality.

These exciting plans do not mean there are no challenges. As with many organizations in the midst of capital campaigns, St. Joseph’s Family needs to make sure the campaign does not overshadow the need for funds to continue to operate the facilities and pro-grams already in place. Our con-gregation and the Outreach Com-mittee need to keep this in mind as we plan our stewardship. Sec-ond, continuing needs arise. Hurricane Issac, remnants of which are still dropping rain on Chapel Hill as I write, passed over Haiti on its way to the United States. While most of their facilities, including the new building at St. Joseph’s, were un-damaged, the roof of their Petionville guesthouse, which has housed many of us from UPC, was left in disarray, and the rain poured in to do further damage. Your Outreach Commit-tee has already pledged to help in the needed repairs.

Two teams from UPC will visit Haiti in the next nine months. John Rogers will lead a Men’s Trip in late January, where they will visit our partners at the CODEP reforestation and agricul-tural development project in the hills outside Leogane and help build facilties there through the Building Goodness Foun-dation. In March-April the yearly Teacher Workshop trip led by Lisa Lord and Kay Leaman will visit several of our partners. If you want to learn more, contact John Rogers—but be care-ful because Haiti is habit forming!

Mark Peifer, Global Outreach

Global Outreach News: A Par tnersh ip Bui l t on a F i rm Founda t ion

“As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it.” Luke 6: 47-48

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Sabba t ica l Repor t : Anna Pinckney S t ra ight , Assoc ia te Pas tor a t UPC

This summer, a season of sabbatical for me and for my family, was a season of different. Since my Ordination as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the spring of 1997, I haven’t been away from the church (or my office in the church) for more than fourteen days in a row. So, while I was genuinely excited about this summer, I was a little nervous, too. Could I be gone for eighty-four days?

This summer was a summer of wil-derness—glorious, amazing, and sometimes intimi-dating, physical and spiritual wil-derness.

First, Ben, Sarah Allan and I em-barked on a three week car trip. We got our kicks on Route 66, viewed rock carvings hun-dreds of years old, pondered the glory of the Grand Canyon, dipped our toes in the cold Colorado River, were awed by the colors of

Zion, and rode mules through the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon. There were whole days when I didn’t have access to email and my cell phone received no signal. Instead of my brain and heart being exhausted at the end of the day, it was my body (weary from hours of hiking) or my eyes (overwhelmed by trying to take in all of the sights) that sent me to sleep.

Then, having journeyed in the wilderness, it was time to come home, where there was time to read, pray, get to-gether with friends, have supper with my family every evening and ponder the nature of ministry and com-munity and the work to which I am called at UPC.

Chapel Hill was also our launching pad for a myriad of other adventures. We journeyed to the beach with extended family; I officiated at the wedding of young woman who was a teenager when I was her pastor in Pennsylvania; we joined my mother for a couple of days of sailing off of the coast of North Carolina, and Sarah Allan and I went to Wyo-ming to spend a week at Ring Lake Ranch (a spiritual retreat center) where Belden C. Lane was the session leader for the week.

Ring Lake Ranch, as it says on their Website, is a place of “stimulating seminars, thoughtful discussions, and informal interaction among guests and distinguished session leaders provide a unique educational opportunity and a reflective ex-perience for all.” Our week at the Ranch was these things, and more.

Among the books which I read (including the entire Harry Pot-ter series), I was particularly engaged and encouraged by Diana Butler Bass’ new book Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening, as well as Belden C. Lane’s Ravished by Beauty: The Surprising Legacy of Re-formed Spirituality. They are both well worth reading, as well as discussing.

From the psychological appeal of hazardous landscapes to the mythology of peak-and-vale experience in Western symbolic life, from the use of wilderness motifs in the Bible to desert and mountain imagery in the history of spirituality, a craving for the wild splendor of God recurs repeatedly in the recesses of the human soul. When people are drawn geographically to the remote edges of the world, they are carried metaphorically to the edges of themselves as persons, invited to an emptiness as exhilarating as it is frightening. Encountering overwhelming fierceness at the end of all possibilities, they know themselves to be loved in wild and unanticipated grace.

~Belden C. Lane, The Solace of Fierce Landscapes: Exploring Desert and Mountain Spirituality

Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah

Grand Canyon, South Rim

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Other books from my summer reading I think some of you might want to read? The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, by Nicholas Carr and Fresh Air: The Holy Spirit for an Inspired Life, by Jack Levinson.

I did have at least one failure. While I completed almost all of the reading I had set aside for this summer, I did not finish the many projects I had put on my to-do-list: children’s books about communion and baptism and a guide for family wor-ship. One of the things I needed (but didn’t necessarily want) to learn this summer was to be more realistic in my assess-

ments and expectations for myself. I was reminded of the importance of tak-ing time to breathe, watch, pray and to be present in the moment. I also prac-ticed sitting still—quiet enough to hear the wind blowing through the leaves of an aspen tree, patient enough to learn the habits of hummingbirds.

This summer also presented the opportunity to worship differ-ently: locations, congregations, and styles. While we enjoyed

each of these ex-periences, it was powerful to be back in the pews at UPC on Sunday, September 2, and worship with our home congrega-tion: to hear the music, be lifted up by the singing, open our hearts in prayer and inspired by the Word, read and proclaimed.

Thank you. Thank you for the privilege of time this summer. Thank you for the honor of being in ministry with you. I’m looking forward to catching up on how you are doing and hope that you will give me a call.

Peace, Anna Pinckney Straight, Associate Pastor

Sabba t ica l Repor t : Anna Pinckney S t ra ight , cont .

Ring Lake Ranch, Dubois, Wyoming

Sess ion Diges t

At the September meeting of Session, we:

• listened to a devotion and prayer by Lee Ann Buck reflecting on the preschool and how they too are part of the body of Christ and what a powerful force it can be when all those members work together. (1Corinthians 12);

• approved the baptisms of Lucy and Georgia Hill, the daughters of Angela and Gary Hill on September 16, 2012 and the baptisms of James and Henry Moye, the sons of John and Leslie Moye on September 23, 2012;

• received updates from the Capital Needs Task Force and the Capital Campaign and approved a Building Committee, whose members are John Blythe and Rickie Howard (Co-Chairs), Allison Chambers, Jason Dell, Randy Kabrick, Ronnie Mann, Gordon Merklein and Mark Moshier;

• approved serving communion monthly at the Deep and Wide services and the regular communion schedule for 2013;

• received a sabbatical report from Anna Pinckney Straight (and welcomed her back!);

• noted Dennis Dallke’s 20 years of service to UPC as the Property Manager;

• approved a Campus Ministry request to have dinner and a bluegrass concert on the front lawn of the Church on Octo-ber 4, 2012;

• approved a wonderful slate of Church School teachers for the 2012-2013 year; and

• received information from Courtney Edwards on the Ministry Celebration event taking place on November 4, 2012.

~Mary Ellen Olson, Clerk of Session

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Non Profit Org.

Permit No. 78

U.S. Postage Paid

Chapel Hill, NC

University Presbyterian Church

209 East Franklin Street

P.O. Box 509

Chapel Hill, NC 27514

We w e l c o m e a l l f a c u l t y, s t u d e n t s , n ew c o m e r s a n d

v i s i t o r s . October 2012 The Chimes Newsle t te r

University Presbyterian Church is affiliated with The Presbyterian

Church (U.S.A.) and is a Stephen Ministry Congregation. On Sun-

day mornings, worship services are held at 8:30 and 11:00 and

church school for all ages at 9:45 a.m. Children of all ages are wel-

comed and cherished by this congregation. Childcare for infants

through kindergarteners is provided on Sunday mornings by our

paid sitters and parent volunteers.

The sanctuary is wheel-chair accessible. Handicapped parking

spaces are available, and a parking assistant will be available to

help you out of your car. Assistive hearing devices and large-print

bulletins and hymnals are available during worship. Office hours:

Monday—Friday 8:30-4:30. Call (919) 929-2102 for more informa-

tion. Learn more about our programs from the church Website

(www.upcch.org) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/upcch).

Please join us on Sunday, November 25, in the Fellowship Hall for the Annual Advent Crafts Festival and Alternative Gift Market!

Advent Crafts Festival: 9:45 - 11:00 a.m. Alternative Gift Market: 9:45 - 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 - 12:30 p.m.

What is it, and how does it work? The Advent Crafts Festival is planned by the Children and Youth Ministry Committee. Kids of all ages can make fun family crafts in preparation for Advent. We suggest that participants either “dress down” or bring an old t-shirt or smock that can get messy. You might also want to bring a tote bag to store your completed crafts.

Please contact Heather Ferguson at [email protected] or Hollie Hart at [email protected] if you would like to help us plan one of the crafts for the festival, donate supplies or volunteer at one of the craft tables on the day of the festival.

The Alternative Gift Market is organized by the Global Outreach Committee. This market offers an opportunity for folks to purchase a gift in honor of someone such as a family member, friend, coworker, boss, etc. The alternative gift you select – food, medicine, livestock, shelter, development aid, etc.—will be sent overseas or to poverty-stricken areas in the United States by ecumenical nonprofit agencies. At the Market, you will select a gift from a shopping list, pay for it (checks only, please), and get a descriptive insert to put in a free Christmas card that you select and give to the person you are honoring. An alternative gift is a perfect “sustainable and green” gift idea that blesses the donor and the receiver.

If you cannot attend the Alternative Gifts Market, you may make an order at a table that will be set up in the narthex on Sun-day, December 2 or Sunday, December 9. Copies of the shopping lists may be found in the narthex or at www.upcch.org.

Save the date of November 25 for breakfast snack, coffee, crafts, alternative gifts and FUN!

Advent Crafts Festival and Alternative Gifts Market

The Church Of f ice Needs Volunteers ! Open monthly shifts: Second and fourth Wednesdays from 12:30-4:30 p.m. and the third Thursday of the month from 12:30-4:30 p.m. Responsibilities include greeting the public, answering the phone and simple clerical tasks.

If you are available for any of these shifts, or if you’d like to volunteer in the church office as a substitute, please call Shelley Adams at (919) 942-2525. Thanks!