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  June 21 – Jane Pope: ‘The Legacy of Fathers’On Father’s Day, Jane Pope will invite us to look at the immense role that fathers play in shaping their children’s lives, for good or for ill. She will relate how her own father’s experiences – from watching mules fly (true story!) to moving cross-country many times with an entire church community – made him into the loving, wise parent she wishes everyone could have.Jane Pope is a retired newspaper editor and has been a member of this Fellowship since August 2024.   Services can be viewed live at 3:10 p.m., 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. June 28 – Carol Okuda and Rev. Pat Jobe: ‘Many Faces of Mental Health’Career psychologist Dr. Carol Armstrong (Okuda) won a preacher hat at the auction and she and our minister will offer a dialogue message on the many faces of mental health.  An emphasis will be brought regarding how mental health is health, and how it can be misunderstood, set aside as not being “a real problem,” or stigmatized in a culture that sometimes believes we only need help if we have a broken leg. 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. Having lived with six different people who had mental health diagnoses, it’s pretty clear that this is real stuff. Many people fail to understand the subtleties, the nuances of living with a mental health challenge.  Carol Armstrong Okuda, a long-time part of our community, brings the perspective of someone with a huge heart for the work of therapy, a scientifically-minded awareness of neurological bases of behavior, and the creative prowess to see experiences from different angles.  Like all of us at UU, she and I together encourage a holistically-minded healthy life. Doctor’s note:  Few of us have not been touched by some mental health challenges personally or in our families.  We are all doing the best we can to get through this thing called life in the healthiest way possible.  With compassionate understanding of ourselves, our challenges and those of others, maybe we can work to help each other along these paths.   As June 28 will begin our month off and we will not see each other during July except for fence building or FeedNC or maybe in the grocery store, let’s take a deep breath of what an amazing collection we are. You might wonder a little about the one sitting near you, but you have to admit it’s pretty special that you’re among us. Groucho Marx, who was often not a very nice man, once said, “I would never belong to any organization that would have me for a member.” It’s a funny line, but we have the opposite dynamic in force. Since you are as wonderful as you are, you clearly belong with us. Pamel Englebert affirmed us when she said that all of us are the most wonderful thing in her life. That’s high praise and we earned it because we are who we are and we do what we do with kindness, compassion, empathy and generosity. As Jim Price likes to say, “It’s who we are.” New members Andi and Ray Smith, Stephanie Andreasen, and Marsha and Jeff Hurd were recognized last Sunday. Not pictured are new members Shannon Ruder, Ben and Jill Crews, and Babs Vitale. Welcome to all! New nametags We are in the process of getting permanent name tags for all members and friends who contribute to our Fellowship. These will have the chalice image and your name on them.  If you have a UU name tag from somewhere else and don’t need one, let Linda Heydenburg know. Postcard campaign The Unitarians of Laker Norman have committed to participating in this year’s Reclaim Our Vote postcard-writing campaign. Volunteers will be provided with postcards, addresses and a script telling you just what to write. We can even provide postcard stamps. The addresses provided will be for voters of color in Mecklenburg County, a group that has seen plenty of discouragement about getting to the polls. This is an easy way to become involved in ensuring a fair election this fall. Participation will be coordinated by Tracy Grimm, so let her know how many addresses you’ll need. Everyone is welcome to also 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 and suggested scripts for all actions are spelled out in the 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 click on the Google Doc, which is updated every week to describe small actions you can take to support Unitarian values through action. Sign up for our Friday Action Hour weekly email by clicking here.                                                        A New Choir? Do you love to sing?  Would you like to be part of a new choir for the Fellowship? We are trying to get a choir organized and would like to see who is interested.  Some ideas already discussed: The choir would probably sing during one service a month. Rehearsals would be either before or after services. It would probably begin after the summer break. Does anyone have any experience in singing or directing choirs? Contact Doug Wall if you are interested (click here to email him) and let him know your vocal range (soprano, alto, etc.). Please join the Heart of the Carolinas UU Animal Ministry’s Green Team this Saturday and build Asta a fenced-in area so he can be off the chain that confines him. You do not need any experience! We will teach you what to do and even provide you the tools. Plus, we always have snacks or fruit and water just for you! We frequently go out to eat after a fence build — it’s so much fun to be with other like-minded people. Please plan to join us! We’ll start at 9 a.m. this Saturday.  The address is 440 Car Farm Rd., Lincolnton. Second Chance Auction There are a few spots left on events that were offered at the auction, in case you missed them!  If you would like to buy a spot, contact Pat Wall (click here to email) and she will let the sponsors know and you can pay Linda Heydenburg at church or send a check. The openings: 1 spot for billiards and lunch with Jeff Blum – $60 1 spot for birdhouse painting with Agnes Fiore on July 17 – $20 Many spots for the Lazy 5 Ranch trip with Claudia and Alan Perkinson — ride through the exotic animal farm, feed the animals and enjoy a picnic lunch afterwards – $30 Many spots available for the Total Wine & More wine class in Cornelius – 6 p.m. on Sept. 23 – $25 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 Membership@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.