Volume 4, Issue 7, July 1, 2012

July 1
4th of July Picnic

Everyone is welcome. It's a perfect time to share good food, camaraderie, and the special meaning July 4th has for you. We will eat first and express our thoughts afterwards. Bring something delicious for everyone to taste. As always, Clark Jones will be on board to rev up the sound of music. Volunteers are needed for setup and breakdown, but paper
and plastic mean setup is minimal and cleanup requires a wastepaper basket.

Although independence means different things to different people, July 4th is an important day to express gratitude for the freedoms we have. Our country faces much hardship now: divisive politics, economic decline, social unrest, and fear of the future. But terrible storms have hit this nation before and each time we successfully rebuild the torn fabric. Take a moment on this special day to remember that our Declaration of Independence grounds us in a vision of freedom, justice and equality for all. History proves these roots cannot be destroyed, and the darker periods we suffer are momentary. Let us join together and find ways to overcome.

IFC Food Pantry

We will be collecting food and sundry items this Sunday for IFC. Your contribution should be kept separate from food for the 4th of July picnic and placed in a paper bag deposited to the side of the Greeter table when you arrive. The economic recession has resulted in a loss of donations to this important social service agency, and it relies on organizations like ours to help its clients. Please contribute generously.

July 8 & 15th

The Geography of Bliss, Eric Weiner
Book Discussion
Moderators: Program Committee

We will meet these dates to discuss this book, part foreign affairs discourse, part humor, and part a twisted self-help guide.  Weiner traveled from America to Iceland to India in search of happiness and on occasion found moments of "un-unhappiness." The book is a mixture of travel, psychology, science and humor to explore not what happiness is but where it is. Are people in Switzerland happier because it is the most democratic country in the world? Do citizens of Qatar, awash in petrodollars, find joy in all that cash? Why is Asheville, North Carolina so damn happy? With wit and insight the author answers these and many other questions, offering new ideas for happier destinations and dispositions.

Weiner visited nine foreign countries over the course of a year. He adeptly weaves his own discoveries and academic findings into each page, finding disorientating contradictions in each country. Although he did not spend enough time in each country to believe his conclusions are more than pithy, his insights are well worth exploring in a two-discussion meet up, and we encourage all to attend both.The moderators will provide a guide to review The Geography of Bliss but ask that you come with questions and comments about how this book has affected you.

July 22

"Using Thrift as a Path Towards Healthy People and Healthy Food Systems"
Linda Watson, Head Cook and Researcher, Cook for Good

Linda started the Cook for Good in 2007, beginning with an experiment and moving on to a website and ebooks. She now teaches cooking classes nationwide. Going green is possible for $5 or less a day using mostly organic ingredients. You can afford great food, good for you and for our planet. Her book Wildly Affordable Organic was published in 2011 and is available in local book stores and on-line. This platform will be great fun and extremely important for those who want more information about going organic for little cost. Check out the Cook for Good website.

July 26

IFC Cook and Serve

Our scheduled cook and serve project is this Thursday from 4:00 to 7:15 p.m. Contact Amy Piersma, amypiersma@yahoo.com, to sign up. The food is donated from the community and anyone who is hungry can eat. Our entire membership participates. On the fourth Thursday of each month, January through October, members cook from 4-6 p.m. and serve from 6-7:15 p.m. It's great fun and a worthy endeavor!

July 29

Creating Communities of Hope and Justice
AEU 97th Annual Assembly
Presenters: Randy Best, EHST Leader | Jan Broughton, Vice President

The American Ethical Union is a federation of Ethical Societies, which promotes the growth of the Ethical Culture movement by supporting existing Ethical Societies and fostering new ones. Its 97th Annual Assembly was held June 14-17 in Albany, New York. These assemblies are an important point in the lives of Ethical Culturists, an opportunity to be immersed in what it means to belong to Ethical Culture. During Assembly, like-minded people gather and experience the Movement in a larger context.

In addition to covering policy and administrative issues at its Annual Assembly, the AEU holds workshops centered on a theme. This year these workshops involved strengthening Ethical Societies and providing outreach to prison populations. Topics included lay leadership development, better choices for societal wellbeing, preventing volunteer burnout, building dynamic platform services, and avenues to ameliorate the negative impact the current criminal justice system has on inmates and their families. Randy and Jan will speak about insights they gained from workshops they attended and the AEU's role in membership growth and furthering the mission of Ethical Societies.

 

Deepening Circles

To expand our program offers, EHST will be conducting a small group format called a "Deepening Circle." Some members have expressed interest, but we encourage others to explore this avenue for creating more intimate, personal relationships.

The meetings will take place once a mouth outside our usual meeting times, and focus on a given topic and allow everyone to speak. The purpose is to be able to listen to each other and share experiences, not to discuss or debate. Participants gain insight in to other group members and increase common understanding.

We encourage you to attend. Please contact Randy Best with your questions and if you would like to attend. rsbest@fastmail.fm

 

Taste of Hope. Help families in need through an automatic monthly donation program, an OWASA- Inter-Faith Council for Social Service to help low and moderate-income families when they are unable to pay an OWASA bill.
http://www.owasa.org/customerService/taste-of-hope.aspx

Meals on Wheels. Chapel Hill-Carrboro Meals on Wheels is proud of its Community Service. Their goals have been three-fold: Provide affordable, nutritious and flavorful meals to homebound individuals in our community. They welcome food contributions each month to help with feeding their clients. A dessert once each month is always needed. http://www.chcmow.org/

IFC Holiday Gift Cards.  The Inter-Faith Council for Social Service (IFC) is pleased to offer a wide array of gift cards, including two drawn by HomeStart children. When anyone makes a contribution to the IFC in honor or in memory of a friend, relative or colleague; the IFC will send the designated recipient a gift card selected by the donor stating that their gift will be used to help those in need.  Contacts: John Dorward, 919- 929-6380, ext. 14; Frances Jackson, 919-929-6380, ext.12.

North Carolina Second Chance Alliance. We're calling on the NC General Assembly to establish a study commission to examine the barriers facing those who were formerly incarcerated or have criminal records. We can no longer afford to pour our resources and dollars into a revolving door criminal justice system. For more information and to get involved, contact: Louisa Warren, NC Justice Center. 919-856-2183 or louisa@ncjustice.org.

July 4th Fireworks
Kenan Memorial Stadium
UNC-Chapel Hill

A spectacular display of 6,393 fireworks including Wave Willows, Red & Green Falling Leaves, Silver Whirls and Lemon and Purple Crossettes and the Franklin Street Band rocking the house; and WCHL's legendary Ron Stutts hosting.

Carrboro Craft Market
Saturday, July 14 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m
Southern Rail, Carrboro, NC

Support our local artisans. The Carrboro Craft Market is monthly market featuring locally handmade goods, select vintage, specialty prepared foods and more. We host up to 30 vendors each month, as well as live music, craft demonstrations, a free kids craft project table and a craft project table for grown-ups too! Please join us on the second Saturday of each month.