Co-Presidents’ Message

Channing Channel

Channing Unitarian Universalist Church—Edmond

November 2017

Inside this issue:

100 Questions &

Answers

7

Adult Forum 4

Calendar 5

Channing Groups 6

Community

Outreach

4

Game Night 7

Joys & Concerns 6

President’s Corner 1

Speaker’s Schedule 2

Not so Regular Info

Meet Julie Conrady 2

Service Auction 3

A h, the feel of fall with briskness and

coolness in the air and hopefully we

will have some color in the leaves. Our

church year has gotten off to a good start. We had great fun at our

Annual Service Auction with Mick Howard as our energetic auc-

tioneer. Thanks, Mick, for a job well done. We took in about $4500.

Thanks to everyone for putting the auction together and for provid-

ing donations, offering parties and other services. And special thanks

to all of you who made purchases. We also made a good start on

providing the shrubs for our new landscaped front yard. Be sure to

check that new area that Bob Zemke and his crew have worked on

for the past few months.

Our mortgage reduction drive has ended with about $4000 given.

Thanks to all of those donors. This will allow a significant reduction

in our monthly interest payments.

We invite all to take part in the Crop Walk in Mitch Park on Sun-

day, November 5 and also to attend the Peace Festival, an annual

event, on Saturday, November 11 at the Civic Center in downtown

OKC. We join in with other civic oriented organizations and there

will be some interesting items which you can purchase for the holi-

days.

We encourage you to check out

the other activities that are of-

fered at Channing. We have a

book group that meets monthly

to discuss books of interest, a

stitchers group for needlework-

ers, and a CUUPs chapter

(Covenant of Unitiarian-

Universalist Pagans) which

meets on the Sabbats. If you

are a singer we invite you to

join our Choir. You are wel-

come to start an interest group

of your own. We also suggest

that you check out our Sunday

Forum, at 9:45 am in which

many topics are discussed. And

we do have a Children’s Reli-

gious program which meets

Sundays at 9:45 am.

See you at Church!

November 5th: Rev. Anna Holloway—Creature vs Person:

Humanity's identity crisis. Many of our basic attributes are de-

rived from our nature as creatures, and others are based in expec-

tations from our cultures. How do those two sources intersect

and how do we manage them?

November 12th: Rev. Julie Conrady—Lost—Our UU princi-

ples challenge us to live out our values - even in the most difficult

of circumstances. Using lessons from the wisdom traditions, we

will explore the Inherit Worth and Dignity of all of us, and ex-

plore how we can deepen our connection as a community.

November 19th: Rev. Jim Eller—Who the Heck Are We?

Devil or Angel or…?

The nature of human nature is a central religious question. Are

we simply some kind of accident or are we agents of God? Are

we more devil than angel or are we agents of some sort of high

beings in a cosmic war? Join us for this exploration of anthropol-

ogy.

November 26th: Rev. Donna Compton—Original Human-

ness

We have Irenaeus and St. Augustine to thank for the doctrine of

‘Original Sin,’ one of the most loathsome concepts developed in

church history. Among its most destructive effects were horren-

dous, ever-deepening, accusations against ‘woman,’ who was seen

as the originator of the fall of humanity. Matthew Fox, originally

a Dominican priest, was expelled from his order for daring to re-

frame his Creation Theology in terms of Original Blessing. Per-

haps we are somewhere in between? What does our genetic

makeup lend to this discussion? Let’s talk.

The Channing Channel is the

monthly newsletter of

Channing Church, a UU

Congregation in Edmond, OK

2800 W 15th Street, Edmond

324 NW 164th Street, OKC

Newsletter Editor:

Eva Mahoney

Newsletter deadline is the 25th

of preceding month

Email: wnyokie@cox.net

Church Officers 2017-2018:

Co-Presidents: Betty Rasmussen &

Pam Dizikes

President Elect: Harriette Porter

Secretary: David Pasto

Co-Treasurers: Kay Lentz & Liz Duncan

Trustees:

Lisa Griggs

Gene Douglas

Debbie Allen

Our Mission Statement Through individual efforts and by en-

couraging collaboration throughout our

community, Channing Church provides

opportunities for individuals and groups

to achieve their fullest potentials. In

addition, Channing offers a loving, ac-

cepting and supporting place for all

those seeking truth and meaning in their

lives.

Our Vision Statement Warmth and caring fuel our commitment

to all who seek an intellectual and open

spiritual and religious home

Channing Unitarian

Universalist Church

Sundays—11:am -12:30 pm

Channinguuc.org

Speakers for November Theme—The Nature of Human Nature

Liturgist: Sharon Lancaster

Meet Rev Julie Conrady New to our roster of speakers is Rev. Julie Conrady. She is

the Affiliated Community Minister of

First Unitarian Church in Oklahoma

City and a full time hospital chaplain at

OU Medical Center and the Children's

Hospital. She was recently ordained at

1UC after going through the UUA's

Ministerial Fellowshipping process. Rev.

Julie lives in Midwest City with her

spouse Josh Flores and their child Stark,

along with two black cats and a happy

dog

Service Auction 2017 Highlights

Our delightful Auctioneer,

Mick Howard

MaryLee Welch hit it

big when she scored a

prime parking space!

5 Edmond CROP Hunger Walk, Mitch Park. Register 1pm, Walk 2pm.

Other Events in Edmond 4 Jingle Bell Bazaar, Lord of Life Lutheran Church

9 Armstrong Auditorium, Piano Duo with Christopher O’Riley from Over the Top and Pablo Ziegler, the Latin Grammy-winning pianist and composer of modern tangos.

9-10 The Wizard of Oz at Upstage Theater Blackbox Venue 844 W Danforth.

11 15th Annual Holiday Bazaar at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.

16 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Upstage Theater Black-box Venue.

17-18 Kaleidoscope Dance Co. Fall Concert, UCO Mitchell Hall.

Nov. 17-Jan 7 Edmond Outdoor Ice Skating Rink

18 8th Annual Santa Market Downtown Community Center

23 Edmond Turkey Trot 5k run/1mi wobble, Downtown, Broad-way North of 2nd.

25 Small Business Saturday, Down-town Edmond

28 Armstrong Auditorium, Ray Chen, Violin, Journey Across Europe

Other Events in OKC 4 Sundance Short Film Festival, Paramount Cinema, 701 W Sheridan.

5 OKC Phil Discovery Series – “Animal Abound”

7-12 Rent, the 20th Anniversary Tour.

8-11 Mistletoe Market, Cox Con-vention Center

Nov10-Jan 28 Devon Ice Rink at Myriad Botanical Garden

16 Celebrate Statehood Day, Gay-lord-Pickens Museum

18 OKC Phil Classics – Yossi Arn-heim flute

18 OKC Broadway Street. Turn on the Lights

22 Greens Market at the Myriad Gar-dens

22 Willie Nelson and Family at the Jones Assembly, 901 W. Sheridan

Nov 24-Dec 31 Free Holiday Wa-ter Taxi Rides on the Bricktown Ca-nal

24 Pop-up Shops at Midtown OKC

24-26 and weekends in Dec. Lifeshare Winterfest and Snow Tubing at the Bricktown Ballpark

26 and Sundays in Dec. OG&E Free Admission to the Crystal Bridge

29-Dec 24 Lyric Theater’s A Christmas Carol, Lyric Theater in the Plaza District, 1725 NW 16th.

Dr. Harriette Porter

November Goodies November 5th : Pot Luck

November 12th: Linda Gray

November 19th: Sharon Lancaster

November 26th: Open

Channing Ladies Food Group & Social Hour—October 10th at Jo’s Famous Pizza

Pictured: Harriette Porter, Valli Rallis, Betty Rasmussen,

Pam Dizikes, Kay Lentz, Mary Lee Welch, Eva Mahoney,

Lucy Almitra. and Dorothy Driver.

Community Outreach with Harriette Porter

Adult Forum For Nov 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th—Topic is TBA

(Consult the current issue of Channing Happenings)

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30

November 2017

CC Deadline

Board Meeting

GAME NIGHT 6:30 pm

Co-Op Pick up 4-7pm

Speaker: Julie

Conrady

Book Group—2pm @ the home of

Katherine Williams

Stitchers—1:30 at Dee’s

Speaker: Anna

Holloway

For a more current look at

what is happening, see the

church

Calendar here…

https://

www.brownbearsw.com/cal/

cuuc_calendar

Speaker:

Donna Compton

Ladies Lunch—11:30—S&D Burg-

er Joint

Eva Mahoney’s BD

November Birthdays

5th—Eva Mahoney

7th—Andrea Newsom

13—Polly Gambel

Pot Luck

RE /Forum:

RE/Forum:

Andrea Newsom’s BD

Dana Spears’ BD

Choir Practice 7:30

Choir Practice 7:30

Choir Practice 7:30

RE/Forum:

RE/Forum:

Speaker:

Jim Eller

Choir Practice 7:30

Polly Gsmbel’s Bd

Ladies Lunch— Tuesday Nov.14, 11:30 AM

S&D Burger Joint – 14020 N. May, Quail

Springs area, On May just North of Memori-

al . Check out the menu HERE

The Stitchers Group will meet Saturday,

November 11th at 1:30 at the home of Dee

Welch. November is the month to bring a

boy’s coat to the meeting. We will donate

them to the Hope Center, as our outreach pro-

ject.

Book Group— The next meeting will be Novem-ber 28th, 2:00pm, at Katherine Williams' home. We will discuss Killers of the Flower Moon: The

Osage Murders and Birth of the FBI by David Grann.

Choir practice is set for Wednesdays, 7:30pm

starting September 13th.

Channing Groups

Joys & Concerns:

Linda Gray told us her brother

died and she will be going

back for his memorial service

and to help her niece.

Nancy Jefferis advised that

Elouise Bell died on Septem-

ber 30th and the memorial

will be November 6th at 2:00

PM at Church of the Open

Arms.

Wayne Leslie thanked those

who attended the Fall Clean-

Up.

Julie Conrady's grandmother

died recently.

Hal Yocum told us his daugh-

ter was recently honored by

the OU School of Dentistry

for outstanding clinical work

with less than six years experi-

ence.

Melissa Case is thrilled to

have a new apartment. One

sans mold.

Briana Greenemeyer told us

she continues with immuno-

therapy and the side effects

are bothersome. She is also

getting some help accommo-

dating to her visual limita-

tions.

Dave Pasto's dog Jasper died.

MaryLee Welch thanked the

congregation for the reserved

parking spot she has as a result

of the Service Auction.

Michelle Madison has had her

lumpectomy and has started

radiation.

Dana Spears is out of the hos-

pital and seems to be allergic

to all narcotics which makes

his treatment plan as well as

his life difficult. He also

acknowledges the financial

burden medical care can cause

and asks for anyone who can

to please visit his Gofundme

site: Go Fund Dana, Please

Jana Leslie has had surgery on

her foot and on her back. Lat-

er in October her disc rup-

tured so she had to have an-

other surgery to have it re-

paired. The pain had gotten

worse and after surgery it

should have vanished!

Hal Yocum told us about the

Boy Scouts now accepting

girls. For the most part the

genders will be separated. The

punchline to this story was

that the reason they will not

mingle the boys and girls is

because the girls will take over.

Please keep these people in

your thoughts and send posi-

tive/congratulatory energies or

prayers.

100 QUESTIONS THAT NON-MEMBERS ASK ABOUT UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM—Part XIII BY John Sias

Taking a Position

D oes the church take a

position on public

issues?

Each year at the General As-

sembly of the UUA, the

2,500 delegates vote on three

Why did Rev. Theodore Parker, the most popular preacher in Boston in his time,

write his sermons with a pistol by his side? An abolitionist, he kept a pistol by his

side not to protect himself, but to defend escaped slaves who were traveling the

underground railroad to Canada.

or four resolutions relevant to

current social, economic or en-

vironmental concerns. While

the vote on these resolutions is

not intended to represent eve-

ry church member’s opinion, it

does give a broad view of UU

opinion and serves to urge in-

dividual UUs to educate them-

selves on such matters and be-

come involved at the local lev-

el. Both individual ministers

and lay persons often take a

position as UUs on controver-

sial public policies. Two note-

worthy examples are the Vi-

etnam War and the draft. Even

though we make collective

statements and urge specific

action, it is the individual who

must ultimately decide his or

her position on every issue.

On what public issues has the

church taken a position?

Recent issues include: clean

sources of energy, fossil fuels,

energy conservation, pollution,

abortion, gun control, immi-

gration, hunger, the homeless,

racism, nuclear arms prolifera-

tion, economic justice, and

health care.

How active are UUs on social

issues? While it’s true that

those most vulnerable to injus-

tice in our society — the poor

and the minorities — are not

found in great numbers in the

our ranks, many individual

UUs are at the forefront of so-

cial justice issues. In addition,

most churches regularly give

their institutional support to

many social justice causes. Alt-

hough we could hardly be con-

sidered a religion of the op-

pressed, we cannot be fairly

criticized as George Templeton

Strong said of many 19th cen-

tury Unitarians, most of

them members of New

England’s privileged

class: “They are sensi-

ble, plausible, candid,

subtle and original in

discussing any social

evil or abuse. But some-

how they don’t get at

it!” Today, we do get at

it.

What is a “Welcoming

Congregation?”

The 1989 General As-

sembly developed a pro-

gram for churches that

wished to declare that

they welcome gays, les-

bians, bi-sexuals and

transgendered persons. The

program requires 12-18

months of study before the

members vote. Some 270 UU

congregations have voted

themselves to be a Welcoming

Congregation.

What is the church’s view on

abortion?

As an institution, we are

strongly pro-choice, as are

most individual UUs.

Mark your Calendars

Friday, November 17th 6:30pm-8:30ish

Just bring something to drink & a friend

Pizza provided by Channing UU Church

Click HERE to RSVP

We’re on the web at: channinguuc.org

Church of the Open Mind

Channing UU Church P.O. Box 2382 Edmond, OK 73083-2382

Quote of the Month

Upcoming Channing/UU Events at a Glance

November 2017

11/5 — Forum/RE at 9:45

Speaker: Anna Holloway at 11:am

Soup Sunday

11/8— Choir Practice at 7:30

11/11—Stitchers—1:30 —- at Dee’s

11/12 —Forum/RE—9:45

Speaker: Julie Conrady at 11:am

Board Meeting at 12:45

11/14 —Ladies Lunch —11:30 at S&D Burger Joint

11/15 — Choir Practice at 7:30

11/16 — Co-Op Pick Up 4-7pm

11/17 — Pizza Friday and Game Night 6:30pm

11/19 —Forum/RE—9:45

Speaker: Donna Compton at 11:am

11/22 — Choir Practice at 7:30

11/23—THANKSGIVING

11/25— December Channing Channel Deadline

11/26— Forum/RE—9:45

Speaker: Jim Eller at 11:am

11/28—Book Group—2pm at Katherine’s home

11/29 — Choir Practice at 7:30