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.

Oct 18: Animal Blessing, Rev. Erik David Carlson

Please see the PDF below for more details about the service, which will be held in the Fellowship Hall.

Rev. Erik David Carlson (he, him, his) is a life-long UU who has held leadership positions at every level of our Association, including the Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Central Midwest District (now MidAmerica) and the UUA Board of Trustees. Rev. Carlson has served 17 of the last 20 years in UU congregations.

Oct 25: Halloween/Samhain, Rev. Erik David Carlson

Rev. Erik David Carlson (he, him, his) is a life-long UU who has held leadership positions at every level of our Association, including the Church of the Larger Fellowship, the Central Midwest District (now MidAmerica) and the UUA Board of Trustees. Rev. Carlson has served 17 of the last 20 years in UU congregations.

This Sunday's Order of Service:

Here's Rev. Sarah Oelberg's sermon, "Is Democracy Dead," from October 11: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cPjLYOpaJp3Jq-ioiX2hxxefJ1VHMart/view?usp=sharing

If you receive an email pretending to be from Rev. Erik, please ignore it and mark that address as spam. Rev. Erik's email address is simply: RevErik@ucnorth.org.

Also, Callie's email address is music@ucnorth.org. Someone is sending spoofing emails pretending to be her.

Ask the Minister - Responses X

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 and others that have been submitted since in our newsletters and regular mailings. If you have other questions you’d like me to consider, please write me at reverik@ucnorth.org.

Photo of Xena Carlson

Question: What are your thoughts/feelings on the interconnectedness between humans and animals?

Response: The short answer to this question is that you should come to church this Sunday, October 18th, for our special Animal Blessing service to find out!

The longer answer, however, is deeply embedded in my Unitarian Universalist upbringing when the 7th of the 1985 version of the UU Principles and Purposes statement was plastered all over my religious education classrooms. Covenanting to affirm and promote “respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part” is a beautiful way of thinking about our connection to, and dependence upon, nature and all it encompasses.

Primarily, it is the “of which we are a part” section that really matters, as so often other religions (especially in the global West) take pains to distinguish between human beings and animals. UUs know the opposite to be true: human beings are animals. And despite religious claims to the contrary and many centuries’ worth of scientific theory which tries to find some appreciable difference between us and other creatures, none so far has borne fruit. Other animals use language, other animals craft and use tools, other animals have social organizations and hierarchies, other animals create art and engage in recreation and so on. No, where both science and religion have tried to define human beings as separate or distinct, Unitarian Universalism has long held that we are of the Earth and that all Creation must be considered sacred, including its non-human inhabitants.

This has myriad implications for Unitarian Universalists and the way we try to interact with the world, from ethical eating practices to conservation efforts to the protection of endangered species, etc. We are also more likely than most to have pets, engaging with other species as companions and family members as we continue along life’s long and twisting path. Sometimes we can feel more acutely for the loss of a pet than a parent, and celebrate a new animal companion more than a graduation or birthday.

Finally, as we will explore more about on Sunday, the compassion individuals and societies show towards animals - be them wild game, food stock, beasts of burden or companions - is a direct indication of how much compassion these individuals and societies exhibit to other human beings. Learning how to care for animals can help us learn how to care for other people, and animals can even help us care for ourselves.

Again, please join us this Sunday at 10am as we honor the animals we love and of which we are a part at our annual Animal Ministry Animal Blessing service.

And tell your cat I said “Pspspsps…”

Yours in Faith,

Rev. Erik

At this summer's new Board retreat, we discussed the overlap of many UCN committees and the pull that can place on our small membership and active volunteers. One of the outcomes is for us to be more purposeful in reaching out/reaching across to share our time/gifts/skills with related church efforts. Below, please find a brief survey for members to complete and return. Printed copies will be available at the Sunday service.

Please return to:

Julie - juliezumach@gmail.com

Katie - egan.bruhy@gmail.com

Judy - judelillo2@gmail.com

Dear RE Community,

Do you have a gnome to loan? We are enthusiastically preparing for Trunk or Treat and are in need of gnomes! If you have a garden gnome to loan, could you bring it to church on Sunday (any Sunday by October 25)? It will be returned to you after our Trunk or Treat event on Sunday Oct 25th (11:15am-1pm).

Sunday, October 18th: INTERGENERATIONAL Animal Blessing in Fellowship Hall 🐾🐾

• Nursery: Constance, Gideon & Sophia
• Message for All Ages: "The Tenth Good Thing About Barney," by Judith Viorst, read by Callie & Brooklyn Thurow :)
• All Ages RE: Intergenerational (INTERGEN!!) Do you have a pet that would enjoy attending our Animal Blessing? Please bring them if you’d like. Ask Rev Erik "What's the most unusual animal you've blessed?"
• Playground Adult 11am-12pm: Laura

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.

Mark the date and join us for a Grief Workshop: Grief, Growth, and New Beginnings, sponsored by UCN's Lay Pastoral Care Team. Hosted by Dorothy McElroy, certified grief support coach and end of life transition coach. Saturday, November 7 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm in the sanctuary. Light refreshments will be available. All (adult and teen) members and non-members are welcome. No RSVP is needed.

Now Hiring: Childcare & Nursery Assistant - Sunday Mornings

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.

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.

If you are interested, please submit a letter of interest including a statement of qualifications and three references from previous childcare positions to info@ucnorth.org.

The Adversity of Disability, October 27th

Presenter Brett Grycowski knows firsthand the adversity of living with a disability. Born with two speech disabilities, Apraxia of Speech and Dysarthria, Brett has spent his life navigating a world not built for him. He brings that lived experience directly into the room, weaving personal narrative with pivotal historical moments and community insight to create a talk that's honest, grounded, and hard to forget. Event flyer.

Bad River Film Screening & Discussion Panel, November 12th

At its core, this film is the story of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa's decades-long fight for sovereignty, land, and water, set against a legacy of broken treaties that stretches back generations. Understanding that history isn't separate from the environmental stakes, it's an essential foundation that too many of us never learned about. Event flyer.

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.

Upcoming Event Oct. 20:

Leadership Board Meeting

The next leadership board meeting will be held on Oct. 22 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.

Endowment Fund
Our Endowment Fund provides for long-term support of UCN programs and facilities. You are encouraged to think of the Endowment Fund when you consider making a gift in honor or memory of an individual, celebration of a graduation, wedding, anniversary, or special birthday. This is a great way to support the church while recognizing a significant event in someone’s life. Endowment gifts are acknowledged with a note sent to the person/group in whose name the gift was made. Brochures with more information on the endowment fund, along with envelopes, can be found in the lobby pamphlet rack.

• Recently a donation was made by Carol Pawlak in memory of Chuck Rychner.

Thank you!

Ukulele Lessons

This autumn I'm once again offering free ukulele instructional classes to UCN members only.

The dates are: Oct. 18 and 25, Nov. 15 and 22, Dec. 20. We'll meet in the sanctuary at 11:30 am.

Please respond to me at: Lindasandersen60@gmail.com if you'd like to join us this year.

Please also let me know if you would like that Ukulele Cheat Sheet ($5) and I'll order them.

Let me know by October 1, please, so I can get copies made.

Linda Sandersen

Events at UCN

• Chair Yoga is held Tuesdays at 10 am, in the Clara Barton Room. Contact Anna Rychner at Shaktiwaves@ameritech.net for more details.

• The next Wisconsin Singer Songwriter Series concerts will be held Saturday, Oct. 24. UCN members are offered $15 tickets at the door for all concerts, with identification. Go to wsss.org for 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.

Calendar through November 1

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

• Sunday, Oct. 18, 11:30 am: New to UU Class - Emerson (Cecile Duhnke, Tannie Bemis-Wiegert)

• Sunday, Oct. 18, 11:30 am: Uke Lessons - Sanctuary (Linda Sandersen)

• Monday, Oct. 19, 7:30 pm: Communications (Carissa Mooren, Todd Zumach)

• Tuesday, Oct. 20, 7:00 pm: Finance (Pete Blain)

• Thursday, Oct. 22, 6:30 pm: Leadership Board (Judy DeLillo)

• Sunday, Oct. 25, 11:15 am: Trunk or Treat - back parking lot (Katie Egan-Bruhy)

• Sunday, Oct. 25, 11:30 am: Uke Lessons - Sanctuary (Linda Sandersen)

• Saturday, Oct. 31, 10:00 am: FSL Setup - Fellowship Hall

• Sunday, Nov. 1, 2:00 am: Set your clocks back one hour

• Sunday, Nov. 1, 11:30 am: First Sunday Lunch - Fellowship Hall

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: Thursdays 10 am-2 pm.

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.

Note: 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/