Newsletter 3/12/26

March 15 – Neal Jones: ‘What Love Is and Isn’t’

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  March 15 – Neal Jones: ‘What Love Is and Isn’t’ All religions promote love, but what exactly is love? Let’s examine what real love looks like, as opposed to four of its impostors.Rev. Dr. Neal Jones is a clinical psychologist for the Pisgah Institute in Asheville, though he lives in Columbia, S.C. He earned his B.A. in political science from Wake Forest University, his Master of Divinity degree from Southeastern Seminary and his doctorate in psychology from Baylor University. He has served as the minister of five congregations in the Carolinas, Texas, and Pennsylvania. He has also served as chair of the national Board of Trustees of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. He presently serves on the national Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association.   Services can be viewed live at 3:10 p.m., and later for replays, by visiting our website. Information on upcoming services can also be found on our Facebook page. March 22 – Rev. Pat Jobe: ‘Rumi’s Field One More Time’After explaining all in his March 8 sermon, the Rev. says he’s willing to swing at that pitch again. Karen Abrams claimed to still be confused after the March 8 effort. Here we go again. On March 22, we’ll go back to Rumi’s field out beyond ideas of right-doing and wrongdoing, a place where even the phrase “each other” has no meaning. Of course, it is confusing, since our dualistic view of reality requires us to see things in terms not only of right and wrong, but up and down, cold and hot, opposing poles around every corner. The Queen of Hearts may have believed as many as seven impossible things before breakfast, but the rest of us have a more earth-bound, practical, level-headed series of tasks at hand. Rumi and the Rev. may just be driving us to distraction and that’s a hard row to hoe.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. I am grateful to all of you for your patience and understanding at so many levels. Shannon Ruder came and was so glad to have attended the March 8 service. Bruce Henderson threw down the gauntlet and then followed up with great questions during the talkback. Ray Smith was his usual engaging self as he worked to talk me through a few million years of evolution. Or was that billions of years? The old comic strip B.C. shows two cave persons sitting back to back with a rock between them. One says, “You know, the sun is going to explode in a billion years and we’ll all be wiped out.” The second leaps to his feet and exclaims “WHAT?” The first guy repeats his prediction. The second guy, greatly relieved, returns to rest against the rock and says, “Oh, I thought you said a million.” This congregation is so active outside Sunday afternoons. From Movie Tuesdays to Chalice Circles to FeedNC, we are headed in many directions and do much good. All this activity and service and social involvement has little to do with duality or a more holistic approach to ideas about right-doing or wrongdoing. Mostly we are having a wonderful time and that, dear friends, may be the nicest thing anybody ever says about anybody.  Share the Plate The board has voted that we will Share the Plate once a quarter and we’re open to suggestions for a recipient of our second Sunday in June offering. UU Justice NC, which keeps us aware of where the government is making important decisions, received our March 8 offering. We fell a little short of the hoped-for amount. Please let Linda Heydenburg know if you weren’t able to give and would like to.  Top of the morning to you from Heart of the Carolinas UU Animal Ministry — it’s almost St. Patrick’s Day. Luna would like to celebrate with you in her new fenced-in area that you helped build this Saturday! Join us for lunch after the build! Save the date: March 21 will be our last build this month. We will take a few weeks off in early April while one of our team members recovers from a procedure.                                  Auction News Only 58 days until the auction! The Board has approved a “hippie” theme entitled “Peace, Love and Bid!” If you feel the vibe, come dressed in your best hippie attire. It will add to the fun! Auction item forms are coming in and we have so many exciting items for the silent and live auctions. How about bidding on: a sermon of your choice by Pat Jobe; a murder mystery dinner with the Walls; lunch with Pat Jobe; a billiards excursion; a boat cruise on Lake Norman; homemade applesauce from N.C. mountain apples; new puzzles or games, and the list goes on. Keep those donation forms coming! Mark those calendars and don’t forget to invite family and friends: May 9 at Bailey’s Glen Clubhouse in Cornelius beginning at 6 p.m. You won’t want to miss out on all the fun! Contact Pat or Doug Wall with questions. Everyone is welcome to join the weekly Friday Action Hour, a virtual gathering of justice-seeking friends where we take action together and nurture our spirits for the work ahead.  It’s an opportunity to live our values. Information, phone numbers, suggested scripts for all actions are spelled out in the Action Hour document.  Join us this Friday morning at 11 via this Zoom link. If Friday doesn’t work for you, please take a moment to look over the Action Hour document here.  It is updated every week to describe small actions you can take to support Unitarian values through action.   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.                                          Rev. Pat Jobe UU Lake Norman Minister 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 Bruce Henderson at news@uulakenorman.org. The deadline for each week’s newsletter is midnight Wednesday. Lake Norman UU Fellowship P O Box 991, Davidson 28036   www.uulakenorman.orgCopyright © 2026 UU Fellowship of Lake Norman, All rights reserved.