Newsletter 10/1/26
Oct. 4 – Rev. Pat Jobe: ‘Circles Within Circles’
 Sunday Service, 3 P.M.: FRIENDS MEETING HOUSE 625 SOUTH ST., DAVIDSON Please visit our events calendar for more information. Mail: P.O. Box 991 Davidson, NC 28036 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THE END OF THE NEWSLETTER Oct. 4 – Rev. Pat Jobe: ‘Circles Within Circles’ We all know how this works. Among the best of us there is a limit to how much we can care and for whom. We have those we consider are sometimes “on the other side.” Whether it is in politics or religion or business or family life, there always feels to be another side, an outer circle, people who define us, sometimes tragically, by whom we are not. But we need to look again. There’ll be a story of how death brought some friends together and helped us redefine those “on the other side.” There will be a death and a hurricane The Rev. Pat Jobe joined our Fellowship on Aug. 1, 2020. He is married to his lovely spouse Gabe and is an enthusiastic supporter of UU Lake Norman, FeedNC, Heart of the Carolinas UU Animal Ministry, the Barefoot Ministry, and all work done by UUs in our area.  Services can be viewed live at 3:10 p.m. Sundays, and later for replays, by clicking here to reach them on our website. Information on upcoming services can also be found on our Facebook page. Oct. 11 – Rev. Pat Jobe: ‘Single-minded Devotion, Laser-like Focus’ How is it possible to be single-minded in our various endeavors? How do we use laser-like focus on tasks when the telephone is constantly ringing or other distractions nip at us? What difference would such devotion and focus make in our lives?  There are not many of us in Davidson or in the five counties where our members live. There are a few others. Among our Jewish next-door neighbors, there are kind and generous liberals. At other congregations, including that wonderful bunch who fed us at Inclusion Church behind the Presbyterians in Cornelius, there are kind and generous liberals. When we remember that we are few and far between, we do well to also take a deep breath of that crowd that stands with us. They are our allies and friends. But how in the world do we handle those who believe they are as right as we are and yet hold opposite beliefs, especially about things like politics and eternal damnation? How do we treat them with gentleness and respect for our shared humanity? It is a big challenge. Some of you have heard the amazing story of Kaleb Graves, who works for the UU Justice ministry led by Lisa Garcia-Sampson. His journey from hell-fire preacher to UU leader involved lots of friends who asked him gentle questions. They did not yell at him and point their fingers in righteous fury. Many of you have asked how we move from the awful consequences of our polarized culture? Gentle questions might help. We might try to simply ask for clarification without judgment or condemnation. Again, it is a big challenge.  The Heart of Carolinas UU Animal Ministry’s fence-build for this Saturday, Oct. 3, has been canceled. We will post information on our next build next week. _ _______________________________ Our recent guest speaker, UNC Charlotte Professor Chris Cameron, has invited Fish Stark, executive director of the American Humanist Association and a UU, to speak at UNCC on Saturday, Oct. 3 from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The location on campus is Denny 111 at 9201 University City Blvd. Stark will speak on “Confronting Christian Nationalism.” The talk coincides with the UU Justice Ministry’s upcoming Dogwood Faith Project aimed at the same issue. The event is cosponsored by the Humanists of Piedmont NC. If you plan to attend, please email Chris to RSVP.  A group of Lake Norman UUs and friends enjoyed an informative wine-tasting class at Total Wine & More in Cornelius. It was another great auction event! At last, the time is here to mail your Get Out the Vote postcards! Starting Oct. 5, the Unitarians of Lake Norman will mail 1,000 postcards to voters in Mecklenburg County. Thanks to each of you for all for your efforts. We should also each be considering how we can be involved in this election — every vote matters! Can you help with rides to the polls? Have you educated yourself so that you can encourage NO votes on the ballot initiatives? Review this week’s resources and actions on our Google doc — click here to view it. Join us this Friday morning at 11 by clicking on this Zoom link. If Friday doesn’t work for you, please take a moment to look over the Google doc, updated every week to describe small actions you can take to support Unitarian values. Sign up for our Friday Action Hour weekly email by clicking here. Mooresville Interfaith Thanksgiving ServiceUnitarians of Lake Norman will not meet at the Quaker Meeting House in Davidson on Nov. 15. Instead, we will take part in the Mooresville Interfaith Thanksgiving Service that day from 3-5 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, 164 Fairview Rd. in Mooresville. It’s free to the public but donations of new gloves would be appreciated. For more information, click here to email the organizers.  UU Lake Norman’s Building Fund accepts donations to help ensure our future. For more information, please contact Alan Perkinson. FROM OUR TREASURER Thanks to all who have pledged to keep our Fellowship strong. You can mail your pledge to: UU Lake Norman, P.O. Box 991, Davidson 28036. To set up easy online giving from our website, just click the “Pledge or Donate” tab at the top of the page. Join us? If you are not a member but would like more information on becoming a member, please contact Marjorie Flowers at admin@UULakeNorman.org.  UU Lake Norman Minister Rev. Pat Jobe 2026 Board of Trustees Greg Davis, President Jim Price, Vice President Jim Arnold, Past President Véronique Singerman, Secretary Karen Abrams & Linda Heydenburg, Co-Treasurers Gail Arnold, Trustee at Large We walk diverse paths to find meaning and purpose, but we are united by our belief in the inherent worth and dignity of all, and the obligation to express our faith through acts of justice and compassion. Join us as we create a diverse, spirit-curious, and justice-seeking community. Please send your newsletter items, suggestions or comments to news@uulakenorman.org. The deadline for each week’s newsletter is 5 p.m. Wednesday. Lake Norman UU Fellowship P O Box 991, Davidson 28036 www.uulakenorman.org   Copyright © 2026 UU Fellowship of Lake Norman, All rights reserved. |