Newsletter 9/17/26
Sept. 20 – Rev. Pat Jobe: ‘Three Powerful Words’
 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 Sept. 20 – Rev. Pat Jobe: ‘Three Powerful Words’ We think we know the three most powerful words, but maybe they are not “I love you.” Maybe they’re “That’s all, folks,” or “Come on down.” From a little girl who broke her mother’s favorite vase comes a memory that may give us a different point of view 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. Sept. 27 – Rev. Ken Fuquay: ‘What’s it all About, Alfie?’ A story can do what an argument often cannot. It can capture the imagination, illuminate hidden truths, and invite us to see ourselves differently. Across the centuries, great teachers have used stories to reveal profound realities hidden within ordinary life. Jesus was a master storyteller, and the parable was His chosen medium. This Sunday, we’ll step inside one of His parables, consider its meaning for its first audience, and reflect on how its timeless truth can shape our lives today. A native North Carolinian, Rev. Ken Fuquay has worn many hats over the years, including broadcaster, business owner, pastor, and nonprofit leader. Today, as an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA), he pastors M2M Charlotte, a new church plant in Charlotte, while also serving as CEO of LIFESPAN Services, a nonprofit that supports more than 1,000 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across 23 N.C. counties. Ken and his husband of 42 years make their home in Mount Holly, where they enjoy life with their mini goldendoodle, Abbydail.  We need to send texts or emails or something to get everybody to St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Mooresville on Nov. 15 instead of the Quaker Meeting House at 3 p.m. that day. (More on this below.) Despite our best efforts, somebody will end up at the Quaker Meeting House and wonder where the rest of us are. Here is what might work. Select one person in the Fellowship you don’t know very well and get their phone number. Commit, and I mean deeply, deeply commit, to sending a text AND an email on Saturday, Nov. 14 to remind each of us. I know this won’t work either, but this is a rare opportunity to again fellowship with our next-door neighbors at Kol Tikvah, as well as some Lutherans from Mooresville, and the Islamic community that has been so harassed in recent weeks. It is interfaith and that is UUism at its best. More about this will be communicated in services, newsletters, orders of service and on our website. We will communicate, communicate, communicate about it and STILL somebody will not get the word or forget despite our best efforts. It is an occasion for best efforts.  Your Board met on Monday, Sept. 14. The following items were discussed: Rev. Pat, Rabbi Rebecca Diamond, and several of our members were among the people who attended the Sept. 8 meeting of town commissioners in Mooresville, in support of the mosque to be built on land owned by the Islamic Center of Lake Norman. Pledge statements were sent last week to all members and friends who are still completing their 2026 pledge commitments. Heart of the Carolinas UU Animal Ministry, which builds fences for chained dogs, will be the next recipient of our Share the Plate collection. Our Fellowship will join in a Multi-Faith Service of Unity and Thanksgiving that will be held at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Mooresville on Nov. 15 from 3-4 p.m. Rev. Pat will be among the participating clergy. This will be our Fellowship’s Sunday service that day. Pledge Update As we enter the last quarter of our fiscal year, we have received 86% of our pledges. Our pledge goal is $74,327 and to date we have received $63,756 in pledge payments. Thanks to all who have paid their pledges in full or who are paying them consistently on a monthly basis. If you have any questions or concerns about your commitment, please contact Co-Treasurer Karen Abrams at 843-607-5570, or click here to email her. Thanks for helping make our Fellowship thrive!  This is Leon … how cute is he … and NO you can’t take him home! Over the past several years Heart of the Carolinas UU Animal Ministry has built fences for 27 dogs on this street and each dog was spayed or neutered. Leon makes number 28. HOC is quite proud of this accomplishment!Please accept this invitation to join us this Saturday at 9 a.m. at 312 Grandview Ln., Lincolnton to celebrate creating a safe place for our 28th dog (just on this one street) to run and play. Since HOC began, we have created a safe space for over 446 dogs, helping out 187 families.If you have never been to a fence build, this would be a great time to experience the joy and satisfaction of volunteering with other animal lovers. We provide all the necessary tools and will teach you what to do at a build. All that is needed from you is to show up and be prepared to have a delightful and enriching adventure. We usually go out to lunch after completing a fence build and you are invited to join us.To learn more about HOC, please visit our website, chainfreedogs.org to learn more about the organization and to see some great videos! ________________________________ 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 11:00 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 — click here to email the group.  What social action looks like — Rev. Pat was among the first in line to attend a heated Sept. 8 Mooresville town board meeting on the construction of a new mosque by the Islamic Center of Lake Norman.  At last week’s Action Hour, we recognized the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and the resultant rise of Islamophobia in the nation. That Islamophobia reared its ugly head locally, as an animated local group of Christians have been loudly protesting the construction of an Islamic center in Mooresville. Unitarians and many others spoke at the most recent Mooresville commissioner’s meeting in support of the faith, the mosque, and the rights of all religions in the United States. The next meeting of the UU Justice Hour, this Friday morning, will include a visit by Al Rieder, an attorney with the civil rights and advocacy organization CAIR, whose mission is to protect the civil liberties of American Muslims. UU Justice NC has been offering a three-session training on Resisting Christian Nationalism. For a better understanding of the organized and well-financed movement, sign up for the next series of Tuesday evening Zoom sessions. Contact kaleb@uujusticenc.org or lisa@uujusticenc.org. Or ask Tracy Grimm or George Bame, both of who have attended the training. Information, phone numbers and suggested scripts for all actions are spelled out in the Google doc. 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, which is 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. Thanks! 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 TREASURERThanks 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 reservedOur mailing address is: UU Fellowship of Lake NormanBox 991Davidson, NC 28036Add us to your address book |