The Northliner

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. If UCN closes due to weather or building issues, the closing will be reflected on our website, on our office voice mail, and, if possible, through a special email.

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/93364454692?pwd=U29yanFGZTUvOXAvcWM0UWQ1UFU0QT09
Meeting ID: 933 6445 4692
Password: 13800

This link can also be found on our website: www.ucnorth.org.

Services begin 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.

August 30: "Towers and Tongues," Rev. Tony Larsen

Learn the origin of the Tower of Babel story (and find out a few things Sunday School teachers never told you about God's fear of human beings). Learn a bit about linguistics too, from our linguistics-loving emeritus minister, Tony Larsen.

Tony Larsen was our minister here at Unitarian Church North for 4 years (2019-2023), having served before that at Olympia Brown UU in Racine for 40+ years. He was raised Catholic, and studied to be a Catholic priest for 10 years before being ordained to the Unitarian Universalist ministry. He received his B.A. in philosophy from Maryknoll College in 1971, his M.A. in theology from Maryknoll School of Theology in 1973, and his D.Min from Meadville/Lombard Theological School in 1975.

Sept 6: "The Way We Work, The Way We Play," Rev. Sarah Oelberg

We Americans have set aside a day to celebrate and advocate for improvements in the way we work, but that day has become more a time to forget work and have some fun. Is there a real difference between what we call work and what we think is play?

Sarah Oelberg has been a special education teacher, has written special ed. curriculum for our U.S. Office of Education, was a faculty member at Yeshiva University in New York and at NYU, and trained special ed. teachers in Iowa. She followed her heart as the first in her six-generation Unitarian family to become a UU minister. After serving churches in Nebraska and Minnesota, she retired in 2001, and now she frequently speaks at UCN. She and husband Gerald raised four children and have six grand- and four great-grandchildren.

This Sunday's Order of Service:

Responses III

Because of time constraints, many of the excellent questions submitted during service on August 2nd were left unanswered. Over the next several months, I will be responding to those we didn’t get to in our newsletters and regular mailings.

If you have other questions you’d like me to consider, please write me at reverik@ucnorth.org.

Yours in Faith,

Rev. Erik David Carlson

Question: Who was Jesus?

Response: This is the million dollar question, isn’t it? Most of the last 2,000 years of western history has in some way focused on this question, sparking divisions amongst Christians and between Christians and other faiths.

The simple answer is that we really don’t know. Myriad theories purport to have reached a conclusion about who the man we call Jesus of Nazareth actually was, but there is virtually no consensus among historians. The process of canonization in the centuries after Jesus’ death filtered and removed many timely reports of his personhood, often with the goal of establishing a unified teaching for the church. In this process we lost, perhaps forever, many potential clues as to who Jesus was and how he interacted with the world.

Contemporary religious scholar Dr. Reza Aslan makes some very interesting claims in his book Zealot, pointing to specific episodes in the synoptic gospels as evidence of Jesus as a radical, anti-imperialist agitator. Attacking the tax collectors in the temple (Luke 19) and admonishing those around him to return to “Ceaser what is Ceaser’s,” (Matt. 22:21) constitutes disobedience to the established economic and political order, an order under which working-class Jews and others were oppressed by their Roman occupiers.

Further complicating our historical understanding of the person of Jesus is his evolution from “rabbi” to “prophet” to “divine entity” to “co-eternal with God the Creator” in orthodox Christian theology. The co-eternal concept is one that our Unitarian ancestors roundly rejected (see my article about Nicaea in last week’s newsletter).

But simply taking the stories we have at face value, there are some things I believe we as contemporary Unitarian Universalists might acknowledge and explore regarding Jesus the person.

First of all, his name was not Jesus. In fact, if you were standing right next to him and yelled, “Hey, Jesus!” he wouldn’t have known you were speaking to him. Jesus is the Latin version of his real name, Joshua or Yeshewa and he most certainly would have been addressed as “Rabbi” or “teacher” - not Jesus.

Second, he was not born in Bethlehem, rather, according to his moniker we know he was of and from Nazareth. The census referred to in the New Testament that places his birth in Bethlehem is in fact literary license to help fulfill the prophetic prediction that the coming Christ would be born there and would be a direct descendant of King David. Censuses as described in the New Testament did not happen. (It was common for Romans to have their citizens and subjects register with authorities for purposes of taxation, but never had swaths of people leave their homes and their jobs to register across the country.) Everyone reading the original gospels would have known this to have been fiction, but accepted the mythology necessary to locate Jesus in the messianic line.

Finally, there is very little attributed to Jesus that scholars agree he actually might have said, and most quotes are either fabricated or were not first uttered by Jesus. What scholars do largely accept are the few references that were clearly counter-cultural and demonstrated his spiritual and political break from the Roman occupiers and their native collaborators, such as "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" (John 8:7) and “whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (Matt. 5:32) Again, the only reason most scholars believe that Jesus said these things is because they directly conflict with prevailing laws and wisdom, which allowed for both public executions and divorce at the time of Jesus’ ministry.

In conclusion, we don’t know who Jesus was, but like any number of faith traditions and the people who make them up, we get to choose which of the stories resonate with us. I like to imagine Jesus as a social organizer, railing against the oppression to which he and his family of faith were subject and who dared to speak his own truth despite the dire consequences of doing so. Regardless of questions of his divinity, his example as a leader who chose faith and justice over his own safety is something that all UUs might appreciate.

🌿 Become a Nature Detective!

Get ready for a wild food adventure! On Sunday, we’ll hit the trails and become nature detectives, searching for plants that people can eat or use as medicine.

Along the way, we’ll discover some of the plants that were important to Native peoples and early settlers.

Then comes the best part—we’ll get to taste some local harvests and goodies! 😋

Bring your curiosity, your sense of adventure, and your best explorer eyes. Who knows what treasures we’ll find growing along the trail?

Let’s explore, discover, and taste what nature has to offer! 🌱🍓

A Reminder

Jessy will not ask you for a directory, gift cards, bank information, or people's contact info. Scammers are trying to get our information. If you get a request, please forward it to info@ucnorth.org.

Now Hiring: Childcare & Nursery Assistant - Sunday Mornings

Unitarian Church North (UCN) • Mequon, Wisconsin

Unitarian Church North is looking for a caring and dependable Childcare & Nursery Assistant to help provide nurturing care for children during Sunday services and occasional special events.

What You’ll Do

• Care for children 3 months to 4 years old in our nursery.
• Create a safe, nurturing, and engaging environment for children during Sunday services and special activities.
• Enjoy age-appropriate play and activities with children while supervising their safety.
• Assist infants and toddlers with restroom use, hygiene, and diaper changes.
• Provide support in school-age children’s classes when needed.
  
  

We’re Looking For Someone Who Is:

• 21 years old or older and will clear a background check
• Dependable and responsible
• Warm, patient, and attentive with young children
• Comfortable caring for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers
• Able to create a welcoming and inclusive environment
• Enthusiastic about play, conversation, and connecting with children
  
  

Schedule & Flexibility

The position is approximately 2.5 hours (9:30AM to 11:30AM/12:00PM) on Sunday mornings.

Scheduling can be arranged for weekly service or two (2) to three (3) Sundays per month, providing

flexibility for the right person. Additional hours may be requested for special events, with flexibility

afforded in scheduling.

Interested?

Please submit a letter of interest including a statement of qualifications and three references from

previous childcare positions to info@ucnorth.org.

Nonviolent Peaceforce has been selected as the next Share the Plate recipient.
This organization envisions a worldwide culture of peace in which conflicts between and within communities and countries are managed through nonviolent means. The ambitious mission of this organization is to protect civilians in violent conflicts by providing unarmed strategies, building peace side-by-side with local communities, and advocating for the wider adoption of these approaches to protect human lives and dignity. This is particularly critical given the increase in violent conflict across the globe.

Nonviolent Peaceforce has an international reach, with US headquarters in Minneapolis. They are currently working on programs and advocacy in 15 countries. Examples of their range of actions include consulting with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, training over 70 community-based organizations in the US in nonviolent protection strategies and providing ballistic vests and helmets for frontline humanitarians in Ukraine.

Constructive Conversations: Connecting across Religious Differences

Join us for a fun, interactive event to engage in conversation about religious perspectives at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin on Saturday, August 29, 2026, from 2-4pm!

Come explore the lived religious experiences of your fellow community members in structured, constructive conversation! In this fun, interactive workshop hosted by the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin and the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, Urban Rural Action will introduce the ABCs of Constructive Conversation and then facilitate paired discussions on different religious perspectives. You’re guaranteed to sharpen your active listening skills by learning something new about the rich religious backgrounds in your community. A vegetarian lunch will be prepared for all participants by volunteers from the Sikh community starting at 2:00pm. The workshop will begin at 2:30pm. REGISTER AT THIS LINK

Please note that upon entering the Temple you will need to remove your shoes and wear a head covering. You may bring your own head covering, or the Temple will provide you with one.

You will receive a calendar invitation after registering for the event.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Parry Singh at 414-554-6339.

We depend upon your generosity to sustain our programs. Please donate.

Pet Walk Ozaukee, September 12, 2026

UCN’s Animal Ministry has set up a team for Pet Walk Ozaukee 2026, benefitting the Wisconsin Humane Society. Please join us on Saturday, September 12, at Rotary Park in Mequon. The “festival” opens at 9:00 am with a bunch of activities and ends at 11:00 am. Team members need to assemble at 9:50 am for the walk. Note: No animal companion is required.

As the WHS explains: “This walk is a way to honor and celebrate the animals who have impacted our lives while helping WHS serve more than 65,000 animals and people this year alone.”

Interested in witnessing to the UU tradition of supporting animal welfare while sharing the fun of walking together? Enter “Pet Walk Ozaukee 2026” into your favorite browser and follow the relevant links. Choose “Join a Team” and enter “Unitarian Church North Animal Ministry.” The donation for the Pet Walk is $30.00 for adults. If you are unable to make the walk, please consider a donation to the team. Contact Helena (h.pycior@gmail.com) or Julie (Julie.Konik@gmail.com).

Social Justice Reminders

• 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, the only shelter for homeless people in Ozaukee County, 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 Leigh Hoftiezer, leigh.hoftiezer@gmail.com, to be added to the list.
• UCN’s Share the Plate (STP) program supports organizations that help those in need in our community and across the world. You are welcome to nominate a recipient for a 2-month collection. The complete list of past STP recipients and their websites can be found at UCNorth.org, under Serve/Share the Plate/View Past Donations Spreadsheet.

Leadership Board Meeting

The next leadership board meeting will be held on Thursday, Sept. 3 at 6:30 pm via Zoom. The meetings are open to all members, and members are encouraged to share their thoughts or issues at the Open Forum portion of each meeting. Contact the president for the zoom link.

New to UU Classes

Have you been visiting UCN North for a while and find yourself wanting to learn more about Unitarian Universalism, are curious about how to become a member, or learn about ways to get more involved in the church? If so, please plan on attending our New to UU meetings, a two-part series on October the 4th and October the 18th at 11:30 am in the Emerson room. A sign-up sheet can be found just outside the sanctuary on the table in the main (north) lobby.

Events at UCN

• The next Wisconsin Singer Songwriter Series concert will be held Saturday, September 19. UCN members are offered a discount on tickets. Go to wsss.org for details.

• Chair Yoga is held Tuesdays at 10 am, often at UCN’s Clara Barton Room. Contact Anna at Shaktiwaves@ameritech.net for more details.

• Al-Anon meetings, offering recovery for families and friends of alcoholics and drug addicts, are held every Tuesday morning at 8:30 am in the Fellowship Hall and online. On voting days, meetings are held in the Sanctuary, upper level.
  

Thank you for supporting the groups that use our facilities.

Community Events

Peter Mayer Concert in Germantown: Saturday, September 26 at Lutheran Church of the Living Christ, W156N10660 Pilgrim Road, Germantown, WI. Doors open at 6:00, with refreshments available. Concert begins at 6:30. Tickets: $25. Click this link to purchase tickets ahead of time: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/peter-mayer-concert-3

**You are also invited to bring a donation of diapers, wipes, or feminine hygiene products for our partnership with Casa Guadalupe

Calendar through September 13

Meetings are held via Zoom, unless a room/location is noted.

• Wednesday, Sept. 2: UUs Out to Lunch (Ann Buchel)

• Thursday, Sept. 3: 6:30 pm: Leadership Board (Judy DeLillo)

• Monday, Sept. 7: Family Promise Meal (Pat and Cindy Kotecki)

• Saturday, Sept. 12, 9:00 am: Building Work Day (Brian Bunzel, Jim DeLillo)

• Saturday, Sept. 12, 9am-1pm: Pet Walk at Rotary Park, Mequon

• Sunday, Sept. 13, 11:30 am: Social Justice - Emerson (Julie Konik)

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.

Use this convenient QR code to donate!

The link to the giving page, for the less tech savvy, is: https://ucnorth.breezechms.com/give/online

Service and UUA Information

• Service Assistants are needed for Sunday Services. Please contact Sunday Service Committee Chair, CJ Winter (cjwinter01@outlook.com), or Dan Lusk (sundayservices@ucnorth.org) if you can help.

• The Sunday Services Zoom Team is looking "for a few good zoom hosts." Please contact Gerry Schmitz or Dan Lusk if interested.

• Spoken Announcements: Since each Sunday service is limited to an hour, spoken announcements will ideally be few in number and concise. The minister or Service Assistant (SA) will usually deliver the announcements. The text of a spoken announcement should be sent by email to UCN’s Sunday Services Committee (sundayservices@ucnorth.org) no later than noon on the Thursday preceding the service. The final decision on all spoken announcements resides with the SA, who will consider the anticipated length of a service and may abbreviate some spoken announcements. Please see the website for more details on spoken announcements.

• UU Women's Connection offers retreats, newsletters and resources for women: https://www.uuwomensconnection.org/. Click this link for info about retreats:

  https://www.uuwomensconnection.org/retreats. The October retreat will be at Cedar Valley Retreat Center near West Bend, Wisconsin.

• You can subscribe to MidAmerica Region's newsletter at News page. More information at uua.org/midamerica .
• The UUA's Common Read for the 2026-2027 year is Love at the Center: Unitarian Universalist Theologies, a collection of essays published last year and edited by our Association's President, the Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt.
• UU Ministry for Earth's has chosen: Radically Reframing Climate Change: A Guide to Saving Ourselves, by Will Hackman, as their Community Read, starting in September.

General Information

• Our ministers and leaders will never ask you to buy a gift card for them. Please don't fall for these scams. And if someone asks you for a copy of the member directory, please refer them to info@ucnorth.org, as they might not be who they claim to be.

• 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 Cecile Duhnke at cecileduhnke@gmail.com or Tannie Bemis at bemis.tannie@gmail.com.

• Our photo directory of members and pledging friends is sent out a few times each year. If you would prefer a printed color copy, we can print them for $5. Just tell Lyn if you want one.
  If you would like a printed black and white copy of the directory or the Leadership List, Lyn has them available in the office.

• You can find copies of the Annual Report and Annual Financial Report in the library.

• The Lay Pastoral Care Team at Unitarian Church North is gathering potential volunteers for what we call Caring Circle: 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. We will be keeping a paper sign-up sheet at church, or you can sign up by emailing the care team at care@ucnorth.org. Putting your name on the list does not commit you to helping when asked. Thank you!

• 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. Narcan (Naloxone) nasal spray, to reverse an opioid overdose, is also available there. If you have any questions, please contact Brian Bunzel at (262) 573-0045 or brianbuzel@yahoo.com or Jim DeLillo at jimdelillo2@gmail.com

• Are you or someone you know in need of help with basic food supplies? "The Family Sharing Food Pantry is there when you need them. Their Mobile Pantry travels throughout Ozaukee County. They also offer in-person shopping and deliver groceries to senior living complexes. Call for more information: 262-377-0634 x125.

Monthly Fellowship Gatherings

• UU’s Out to Lunch: Did you know that there is a UU’s Out to Lunch group? We go out to lunch on the first Wednesday of each month. Everyone takes a turn choosing the time and place for lunch. Great food – Great conversation! If you are interested in joining us, contact Ann Buchel at awbuchel@gmail.com or 262-470-6355.

• 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.
  

• Update: UU Ladies' Lunch meets on the third Thursday of every month at 11:30 at Crave Restaurant, on Port Washington Road in Mequon. Contact Brenda Berg brendaberg@spectrum.net with questions.
  

Fundraising and Donations

• UCN is able to accept donations via PayPal.

• Food Barrels for pets and people: Don’t forget to grab a food item out of your pantry for the food bin as you leave for church. Donations go to the Ozaukee Food Alliance. We are also accepting donations of pet food and small containers of cat litter, for people needing help caring for their pets. The pet food donations should be placed in the separate bin marked “pet food.” Beginning in November, the pet food donations will be going to the Ozaukee Food Alliance.

• RaiseRight Fundraiser (formerly known as Scrip): Gift Cards are a great way to support UCN. For tutorials on using RaiseRight click the link: https://www.raiseright.com/resources/participant/. There are 3 ways to purchase and reload gift cards: (eGift, Reload and Physical). eGift and Reload options are available for use in seconds. For physical cards, select the “ship to home" option; shipping fees will be incurred by the purchaser. If you have questions about RaiseRight please view https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q3rZ3dXo96XBGI9we5yhWzCZGS3na22O/view? or contact Mark Muellenbach. To help set up the RaiseRight app on your phone, watch this video How to Earn Faster with Online Payment Setup (Mobile App) | RaiseRight

• If you order from Quill.com and tell them UCN recommended them, UCN will earn a $50 gift card.

Please submit articles for the Northliner to info@ucnorth.org. To keep the Northliner from becoming cumbersome, you are encouraged to keep these articles short, and to run 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 submit articles for our website to webdesigner@ucnorth.org.

Rev. Erik David Carlson

Rev. Erik's email is RevErik@ucnorth.org

You can also reach him at his cell phone: 262-748-4302

Jessy Knox, Religious Exploration and Family Programming Coordinator

Jessy can be contacted at refpc@ucnorth.org or 414-840-5377.

Office Hours: Wednesdays 10 am-3 pm.

Saturdays 10 am-1 pm: RE Prep (some of this time will be remote)

Sundays 8:30 am-12:30 pm: RE Sunday Time

Callie Thurow, Music Coordinator

Callie's email is music@ucnorth.org.

Callie will use the Library as her office. Her office hours are Wednesdays, 9:30-11:30 am.

Lyn Gust, Office Administrator

Contact Lyn at 262-375-3890 or info@ucnorth.org.

Office Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 9 am to 2 pm. The office is closed for holidays and bad weather.

Please do not reply to the Northliner, as we do not receive messages sent to lyngust@mailgun.smore.com, only to info@ucnorth.org . But, if you are having trouble receiving the Northliner, please add this address to your contact list: lyngust@mailgun.smore.com .

Links

• Information on our Share the Plate Recipient

For more information about UCN, see our website www.ucnorth.org or call the office at

262-375-3890.

Email: info@ucnorth.org
Website: www.ucnorth.org
Location: 13800 N. Port Washington Road, Mequon, WI, 53097
Phone: 262-375-3890
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/UnitarianChurchNorthMequonWI/