The Network … a Publication of

University Presbyterian Church

December2016

In the animated holiday program, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, one of the main

objections the Grinch has with the people of Whoville’s celebration of Christmas is all the

noise they make. All their gadgets, toys, musical decorations, loud tooting instruments

make a cacophony of sound. Holding his hands over his ears, the Grinch complains of all

the “noise, noise, noise, noise, noise!”

Sometimes Christmas can feel like that in our culture. The holiday commercial jingles

on TV that play over and over again until they get stuck in our heads, the tinny sounding

holiday music blaring throughout stores while we shop, the radio stations that play 24 hours

of really bad holiday tunes can all begin to grate on our nerves. In the midst of all this

cacophony, it can be a challenge to find peace, meaning, or to discern God’s presence.

This Advent, UPC is striving to offer an antidote to all the noise—both the audible

noise that can be distracting as well as the psychic noise in our hearts and minds that stem

from our pain, our stress, our anxiety.

During the four weeks of Advent, our worship services will include elements designed

to offer quiet, contemplative space for us to discern signs of God’s presence among us.

Each Sunday’s service will begin with a short contemplative song. This will be followed by a

period of 3 minutes of silence. Yes! Utter silence for 3 minutes! During this silence people

are welcome to pray, to meditate, or to simply sit and be still. How often to we get to do that!

We are reminded that “remaining in silence in God’s presence, open to the Spirit, is already

prayer.”

Worshippers will also be given a special bookmark with a meditative message to take

home to help them find a quiet center in the midst of what can be a stressful season.

Another opportunity to find the quiet center this Advent is our First Friday Taize service

on December 2.

Wishing you God’s shalom (peace) this holiday season!

Tracy

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WORSHIP COLUMN ~ December 2016

Fri., December 2 Taizé ~

5:30 pm University Presbyterian Church welcomes Christians from all traditions

to unite in a special contemplative worship experience as we seek spiritual

strength for the living of our days.

December 4 2nd Sunday of Advent

9:00 am Worship Service w/Communion

10:00 am Education Hour

11:00 am Worship Service w/Communion

December 11 3rd Sunday of Advent

9:00 am Worship Service

10:00 am Education Hour

11:00 am Worship Service

December 18 4th Sunday of Advent

9:00 am Worship Service

10:00 am Education Hour

11:00 am Worship Service

Sat.. December 24 Christmas Eve

7:00 pm Worship Service

Carols, Candles and Communion

December 25 Nativity of Jesus Christ/Christmas Day

11:00 am Worship Service

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On behalf of the Stewardship Committee we thank everyone who has returned their

pledge cards. If you have not yet done so, please take a bit of time to either mail the

cards in or place them in the offering plate on Sundays. Pledge cards are on the small

tables in the Narthex, just in case you need one.

Plus we would love to have more members become involved with our church and the

many activities and committees that take place within our congregation. Check out

some of the activities listed and think of ways your talents could benefit our members

and friends. We would welcome you and thank you for your time.

Are you interested in learning more about any of these activities?

Please contact Denise in the Church Business Office at 836-7660 for more details.

Church Office volunteer

Ministry Community Committee

Food Pantry

Little Library Committee

Community Soup

Session

Deacons

Fellowship

Worship Committee

Kitchen renovation

Property Committee

Stewardship

Choir

Adult Education

University Students

Youth Education

Church Finance

Personnel

Nominating Committee

Voice Buffalo

Liturgist Readers

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COMMUNITY SOUP FOR THE SOUL

The Fall Community Soup held on Sunday, November 13th

turned out to be a surprising event - for the

guests and planners alike! With only one project proposal submitted for this Soup, the plan was to have a report from

two of our former grant winners to fill out the evening. The soup and dessert makers were lined-up, donations for

bread and salad all set, so plans for Sunday night’s gathering were in place.

Then Friday’s email arrived in Lee Ann Grace’s mailbox. Regrets from our one project proposer, he could not

possibly make the event. Now way too late to cancel, we hoped the guests would be understanding of this awkward

situation. We would set aside the night’s receipts to be used at the next Community Soup event in the Spring.

Sunday night arrives. Tracy is setting up her computer to be used for the reports when she sees a last-minute email

has come in. One of the two former grant winners expected to present has had to cancel!

What are we going to do now? Anxious conversations take place…and inspiration (or desperation) strikes. We will

give the guests the opportunity to suggest a worthy organization they are familiar with to be the recipient of that

night’s grant award. The suggestion must include a short pitch to describe the program’s purpose and worthiness.

Will anyone step forward? We hope to get at least a couple of suggestions to allow the audience to vote on the

winner. Fingers crossed, we hand out paper and pencils to each table and wait.

Dinner is served and enjoyed. The only report for the night, from a previous grant winner, is presented – actually, by

Lee Ann Grace. This presenter is at home recovering from mono! But she has kindly submitted information that could

be presented.

Now we visit the tables to see if any ideas have been written down. Tracy comes back with three suggestions!! We

are thrilled! Oh wait - there are two more! This is great! We may need to do two rounds of voting. Someone comes

over with two more slips of paper. We have seven submissions now! Unbelievable!

So we start to write out the names of the organizations on a flip chart for people to see, when two more hands are

waving with papers in them. We are listing out nine organizations for folks to hear about and vote on. Truly amazing.

As the ninth name is being written, someone hurriedly brings up the final, the tenth submission.

The room is buzzing with excited conversation as folks realize this small group of people have, in a very short time,

come up with 10 worthy organizations they are anxious to promote.

One by one, we hear about each organization with an impromptu, knowledgeable and passionate pitch from an

audience member. Ten great groups to consider.

The first round of voting narrows the selection down to the top three choices. The next round produces the final

winner.

It is Family Promise – providing food, shelter and hope to homeless families. They will receive the night’s grant

money – about $500.00! But another organization, Waste Not, Want Not, is awarded all the leftover bread, salad and

desserts from the evening. That is exactly what they want and know how to use! Ginna Coon makes sure to connect

with their volunteer to have an outlet for the leftovers from our upcoming Christmas Dinner.

Whew! What an inspiring evening. Far from being a failure, this was a demonstration of the wonderful work being

done and supported in our neighborhood and our Western New York community. It was a true Community Soup.

On the next page is a listing of all the organizations that were suggested during the evening event.

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Community Soup – November 13, 2016

Below is the list of potential recipients that were suggested and pitched by audience members at this unusual

Community Soup event. It is a diverse and impressive sampling of the good work being done in our community.

University Heights Collaborative – Tool Library. Specifically, their “University Blooms” project, planting 1000

daffodil bulbs and tulips around the University Heights area. http://ourheights.org/

Buffalo String Works Music Program – Teaching immigrant children to play violin and cello. https://www.buffalostringworks.org/about-us/

Headway of WNY – Organization to assist and support individuals with traumatic brain injuries. http://

www.headwayofwny.org/index.html

Starlight Studio and Gallery – part of Learning Disabilities Assoc. of WNY. Promotes, teaches and displays

artwork created by individuals with learning disabilities. http://www.starlightstudio.org/about

Waste Not, Want Not – Gathers excess food and recycles, redistributes it where needed. https://www.facebook.com/wnwnbuffalo/

Food Not Bombs - Mondays & Saturdays at 1 PM in Lafayette Square, Buffalo Food Not Bombs shares a free vegan meal with anyone who is hungry. https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloFNB/?ref=page_internal

Buffalo City Mission – Provides shelter, food and clothing to homeless individuals. https://

www.buffalocitymission.org/

Camp Peace Prints – part of Sister Karen Klimczak Center – this is a two week day camp to introduce young

people to social justice through engaging programs. http://www.sisterkarencenter.org/camp-peaceprints/

Capen Garden Walk – The University Heights local garden walk and the Christine Brooks Memorial Fund -The

purpose of this monetary award is to encourage gardeners, both experienced and new, to beautify our

University Heights neighborhood and participate in the Samuel P. Capen Garden Walk. http://ourheights.org/

gardenwalk/

Family Promise of WNY – Providing shelter to families with children through communities of faith. Support

includes social work services for job hunting, finding housing and any other needs. http://www.fpwny.org/

About_Us.html

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Our Annual Christmas Dinner

will take place on Sunday,

December 18th following

the 11 am worship service. Held

in Reid Hall we welcome

members and family and friends

to join us as we join in a catered

dinner from Danny’s Restaurant.

Good food, great friends and

memories that will last.

Tickets are on sale now

and are as follows:

$12. per adult

$8. young adult; grades 9-12

$4 children; 4 years to 8th grade

Free for children 3 and younger

Call or stop in the office or contact

Cindy Hickey for tickets.

Merry Christmas and a

Happy and Joyous New Year!

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Alternative Gift Giving

This year’s alternative gift giving is for the

Mothers Clubs of Haiti.

Mothers Clubs of Haiti is a non-profit 501©(3) charitable organization which

provides microcredit loans to rural Haitian and African people, primarily women.

Mothers Clubs loan funds are raised in the United States and are provided to Mothers Clubs members as an opportunity to make a profit and improve their

lives.

Each mothers club offers its members:

Access to small self-employment loans with no collateral required and a

reasonable rate of interest.

Group support for personal empowerment.

Literacy, health, and nutrition education.

Since 1991, thought the generosity of supporters, Mothers Clubs has made

loans to over 10,000 members.

Mothers Club members use their loans to start businesses in order to develop a

sustainable source of revenue and improve their lives.

Please contact Janet Mazzaroppi for additional information or stop into the

office for pamphlet information.

Your special contribution in honor of someone will be very welcomed.

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December 2016 Birthdays

6 Jim Moran

9 Bob Dewitz

9 Dannish Patel

12 Eric Moodie

15 Bonnie Dahl

16 Untae Kim

19 Elizabeth Ball

20 John Maddock

22 Donald Holzman

31 Tiffany Whitefield

Our Youth

26 Arjun Singh

28 Ajay Singh

30 Abigail Wadkins-Daub

INTERCOLLEGIATE— INTERGENERATIONAL BIBLE STUDY

WEDNESDAY, December 7th and 14th

Light Meal at 5:00 pm

Holzwarth Room - Middle level (ML) of the Church

Bring a guest!

All are WELCOME!

Study led by Rev. Stuart Buisch

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Linen Pantry

The Threads of Hope Linen Pantry is a Mission of St, Peter's Episcopal

Church. We receive gently used donated items and distribute them to families referred to us by various agencies and churches. We provide these individuals with bedding, towels and small kitchen items as they set-up their apartment so they can begin a new life for themselves.

All items are given away free of charge to our clients.

Needs: Your linens and kitchen items (new or gently used) Sheets, blankets, bedspreads, quilts, bath towels, washcloths, hand towels, curtains, drapes, kitchen towels, dishcloths, potholders, dishes, lamps, small appliances, glasses, silverware, serving bowls, pots and pans. Monetary donations are always welcomed. Do you know someone who is downsizing, going into an independent living facility or just changing their color scheme? If so, remember Threads of Hope can recycle to the less fortunate what you need to eliminate. Your donations are tax deductable. Hours & Location First and third Saturday 10-noon. Second and fourth Wednesday 10-noon. 205 Longmeadow Road, Eggertsville, NY 14226. 832-9764 If you know anyone who may need this service, please contact our church office – 836-7660. Anyone needing housing items needs a referral from a referring agency (UPC) and we can fill out the referral and give it to a client.

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Welcome to Our New Neighborhood

Little Free Library

Sponsored by University Presbyterian Church

Built and installed by the University Heights Tool Library

How Does This Library Work?

This Little Library offers a way to share good things to read – favorite books from your

childhood or books you would recommend to friends; books that teach, intrigue and engage

you. All of us can help by keeping this collection stocked with good reading material.

Whose Library is This?

It belongs to everybody – neighbors, friends and people we don’t even know yet. Anyone

can use it. That’s why we want to take care of it.

Take a Book. If you see something you would like to read, take it home and enjoy!

Share It. Return it here, or to any Little Library or pass it on to a friend. If you fall in love

with it, keep it and bring another book when you can.

Give Books. Leave notes in them. Be a friend of all libraries by helping any way you can.

Spread the word. Tell your neighbors know about us, bring them a book and let them know

where we are.

Do you have books to donate to the library?

You can put them in the bag in the Narthex or the shelf in the Holzwarth Room.

Children’s books, novels - if it’s a book you like, bring it to share.

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To all our wonderful members and friends….. As I write this message, today is Monday,

November 28th and earlier today, our Donate your Sole box was picked up as it was completely full again. One item that was in the box was a small Anne Klein purse. The courier said that was great and it will be a wonderful item to be placed in their store. Yes the Hearts for the Homeless accepts many items in their Thrift Store. Shoes, boots, slippers, sneakers are just one portion of the items they offer.

From the website... “Our store provides the best value and quality clothing, accessories, shoes, and household items in WNY - all at affordable prices! Many clothing items are available at $2.99 - most children's clothing sells for $1.00! We are meeting a need in an impoverished area of our city where many people do not have transportation to suburban malls.

The Bible underscores our desire to improve the quality of life for people everywhere, and we are committed to energize Buffalo with the Good News of hope in Jesus”.

Located at 890 Tonawanda Street, Buffalo, NY 14207. Hours of Operation Drop Off Donations

Monday - Saturday Monday - Friday Saturday

10:00 am - 5:00 pm 9:00 am - 5:00 pm 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

This store offers so much to the residents in

the neighborhood. And our donations to

DONATE YOUR SOLE are important. So to

everyone who has dropped items in the

collection box a warm thank you for all the

shoes, sneakers, flip-flops, slippers, flats, high

-heels, boots, work shoes and any other items

that have been donated.

Thanks everyone!!!

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The Network Calendar ~ December 2016

Thursday, 12/1 12:00 pm—4:00 pm Food Pantry

Friday, 12/2 5:30 pm Taizé Service

Saturday, 12/3 10:00 am Breakfast with Friends. Contact Kathy H. to RSVP

10:00 am Join us for the Hanging of the Greens

Sunday, 12/4 2nd Sunday of Advent

9:00 am Worship Service with Communion

10:00 am Education Hour with Rev. Tracy

11:00 am Worship Service with Communion

12:00 pm Coffee Hour

Tuesday, 12/6 12:00 pm—4:00 pm Food Pantry

Wed. 12/7 5:00 pm Bible Study with Rev. Stuart Buisch - All are welcome

Thursday, 12/8 12:00 pm—4:00 pm Food Pantry

7:30 pm Choir Practice

Sunday, 12/11 3rd Sunday of Advent

9:00 am Worship Service

9:00 am Deacons Meeting

10:00 am Education Hour

11:00 am Worship Service

12:00 pm Coffee Hour

Lee Ann will be selling jams and jellies after service

1:00 pm Christmas Caroling

Tuesday, 12/13 12:00 pm—4:00 pm Food Pantry

Wednesday, 12/14 5:00 pm Bible Study with Rev. Stuart Buisch~Everyone is welcome

7:00 pm Session Meeting

Thursday, 12/15 12:00 pm—4:00 pm Food Pantry

7:30 pm Choir Practice

Sunday, 12/18 4th Sunday of Advent

9:00 am Worship Service

10:00 am Education Hour with Rev. Tracy

11:00 am Worship Service

12:00 pm All Christmas Dinner—Reid Hall

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Network Calendar ~ December 2016 ~ continued

Tuesday, 12/20 12:00—4:00 pm Food Pantry

Wednesday, 12/21 6:00 pm Ministry to Community Meeting

Thursday, 12/22 12:00 pm ~ 4:00 pm News Neediest Food Distribution

Friday, 12/23 Church Business office is closed

Saturday, 12/24 7:00 pm Christmas Eve Worship Service

All are welcome to join us in celebrating the birth of the Savior

at our traditional Christmas Eve service

The service will include carols, candles and communion

Sunday, 12/25 Christmas Day

11:00 am Worship Service

Monday December 26th to Monday January 2nd - Church Business Office is Closed

Denise is on Holiday…. Happy New Year to all our members and friends

Tuesday, 12/27 12:00 pm—4:00 pm Food Pantry

Thursday, 12/29 12:00 pm—4:00 pm Food Pantry

JANUARY 2017

Sunday, 1/1 1st Sunday after Christmas Day

11:00 am Worship Service with Communion by Intinction

Monday, 1/2 Church Business office is closed

Tuesday, 1/3 8:30 am Business office re-opens

12:00 pm—4:00 pm Food Pantry

Thursday, 1/5 12:00 pm—4:00 pm Food Pantry

7:30 pm Choir Practice

Friday, 1/6 5:30 pm Taizé Service

Saturday, 1/7 10:00 am Breakfast with Friends—Family Tree - contact Kathy H.

Sunday, 1/8 Baptism of the Lord

9:00 am Worship Service

10:00 am Adult & Youth Education Hour

11:00 am Worship Service

12:00 pm Coffee Hour

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University Presbyterian Food Panty

Needs Your HELP!

Are you looking for ways to stay active and help out? Are you a

student who needs volunteer hours? Would you like to meet new

people and help our community?

Volunteer

at the University Presbyterian Church

Food Pantry

Stop by on a Tuesday or Thursday between 12 pm and 4 pm and meet the current

volunteers and maybe some of the clients. See what it’s all about. Agree to work and

meet wonderful individuals who are already helping out.

The 4 ½ hour shifts once a month will be interesting and worthwhile. Should you

want to help more (yes!!!) you are most welcome. PLUS, you will feel good about the

time you spend with us, helping our neighbors. Have a friend or two you would like

to bring with you, that would be wonderful.

We are in need of new individuals to help us with distributing

food to our clients. You will help guide a client through our

"store" to help them choose their groceries.

You assist with helping to stock shelves.

You may be interested in learning to work the check in desk.

Call the Church Office 836-7660 for additional information.

Many Thanks for considering

helping out at our Food Pantry

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Too many of us lead hectic lives.

Our communities are filled with violence and suffering.

Our personal pain and struggles can overwhelm us.

How do we respond? How can we cope?

University Presbyterian Church welcomes Christians from all traditions to unite in a

special contemplative worship experience as we seek spiritual strength for the living of our

days. Based on the style of worship practiced in the Taizé Christian community in France,

these services offered on the First Friday of each month provide an oasis at the end of the

week for all who are weary, troubled, or rushed. Special music from guest musicians,

meditative songs, prayers, candles, and scripture readings allow each of us to find a quiet

place of prayer and spiritual centering.

We invite you to join us on Friday, December 2, 2016 from 5:30 to 6:00 PM.

University Presbyterian Church is located at 3330 Main St., Buffalo (across the street from

UB South Campus) with parking available in the church lot off Niagara Falls Boulevard.

The church is also conveniently accessible using public transportation by taking bus or train

to the University Metro station. Questions can be directed to the church office at 836-7660.

A Taizé Service of Prayer, Music, and Meditation

www.upcbuffalo.org