Volume 4, Issue 12, December 1, 2012

DECEMBER 2

"Facing Life after Prison"
Group Discussion

We will be discussing Brent Alston's presentation on November 25th about his life after being released from the Orange County Correctional Center. The issues he has faced are also concomitant to those raised in the book The New Jim Crow and Mandy Carter's talk about the continued racial divide in our country. We plan to have more meetings focusing on actions we can take to alleviate these problems.  

IFC Food Pantry

We will be collecting food and sundry items this Sunday for IFC. See the List of Items.The economic recession has resulted in a loss of donations to this important social service agency, and it relies on organizations like ours to help its clients. Please contribute generously.

DECEMBER 8

Deepening Circles
2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Will will meet at Ralph and Eva's house. Ralph and Eva's address is 6609 Huntingridge Road in Chapel Hill off of NC 54/Raleigh Road.  Ralph's phone number is 919-493-8441 should you need directions. Randy Best will be driving and can pick up people if needed. Please contact him if you need a ride.

The group has been formed to create more intimate, personal relationships. The meetings are taking place once a mouth outside our usual meeting times, focus on a given topic, and allow everyone to speak. The purpose is to be able to listen to each other and share experiences, not to discuss or debate. Participants gain insight into other group members and increase common understanding. We encourage you to attend.

Questions? rsbest@fastmail.fm

DECEMBER 9

"The Racial Divide in America and The New Jim Crow"
Group Discussion led by Mandy Carter

Mandy will lead the discussion on race relations and the war on drugs as a system of racial control comparable to slavery and Jim Crow. Ms. Carter was our speaker on October 7th and reviewed the current status of race in America. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as a part of the "1,000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005." She has been on the boards of prominent social justice and political organizations, a featured speaker at national civil rights events, and has received a number of honors from groups such as the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Boston Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, and the LGBT Center of Raleigh. Recently she was in Pittsburgh for the inaugural of the Bayard Rustin Festival and attended the screening of Brother Outsider-The Life of Bayard Rustin at the August Wilson Center for African-American Culture.

 

DECEMBER 16
Winter Solstice
Randy Best, Ethical Leader

The Winter Solstice is the time when the sun appears at noon at its lowest altitude above the horizon. It is the shortest day of the year for any place outside of the tropics. In the Northern Hemisphere the sun is at its southernmost point in the sky, which usually occurs on December 21 to 22 each year. Worldwide interpretation of the event varies from culture to culture, but most Northern Hemisphere cultures hold a celebration in recognition of rebirth involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations. In ancient times, the Winter Solstice was immensely important, because communities were not certain of living through the winter and had to prepare during the previous nine months.

The mythology and ritual originating with the Winter Solstice is as diverse as the cultures in which they arose, centering on gods they worshipped. The Sami people of Fennoscandia believed Beiwe was the sun goddess of fertility and sanity, and on their Winter Solstice they sacrificed white female animals and placed colorful ribbons around the meat pieces and butter on doorsteps to draw her spirit to their homes. The Roman Kingdom held a festival called Brumalia for a month in honor of Bacchus, which ended on December 25th when the Romans observed the solstice. The Inca's Festival of the Sun was in honor of the sun god Inti, and human sacrifice was required. It marked the winter solstice and a new year in the Andes. One ceremony performed by the Inca priests was tying of the sun to prevent it from escaping. They knew well the sun's disappearance would be the end of survival. Today, the way each group celebrates includes replicating ancient practices, festivals imbued with symbolic representations, presenting art and theater that embody rebirth and renewal, and gatherings that focus on the scientific aspects of the solstice.

Our members celebrate the Winter Solstice in acknowledgement of the earth's renewed fertility as spring approaches and in grateful thanks to all that we have and can share with others. Come join us to commemorate this astronomical phenomenon.

DECEMBER 23 - NO MEETING

DECEMBER 27

IFC Cook and Serve

Our scheduled cook and serve project is held on the fourth Thursday each month from 4:00 to 7:15 p.m. We do not cook the in November and December due to the holidays. We will next cook on January 25, 2013, UNLESS there is a special request from the shelter. Any questions? Please contact Amy Piersma, amypiersma@yahoo.com.

 

DECEMBER 30

"2013 Program Planning"
Group Discussion

In January 2012, the Program Committee broke with the society's tradition of alternating Platforms and Group Discussion on Sundays and instituted an ethical theme each month using film, books, Skype, speakers, and group discussions to present issues involved. The reception to this new format has been highly positive and the committee plans to continue it in 2013. We ask members, friends and visitors to come together this Sunday to discuss reactions to this year's programs and offer ideas and suggestions for the upcoming one. Your input is vitally important to the committee. We need to know which aspects of these programs held the most meaning for you and ideas and suggestions about expanding program selections for 2013.

FUNDING

We urgently need your help to continue daily support services for those who live in our community. Here are two important ways you can help us in December.

$100,000 Stewards Fund Match

Trustees of The Stewards Fund have issued an all-or-nothing challenge to Inter-Faith Council friends to raise $100,000 in new, lapsed or increased donations by December 31. We are only halfway there, and we are behind last year's fundraising totals for the same time period. The $100,000 matching gift is central to IFC's ability to help homeless and local low-income people.

$25 Holiday Meal Coupons

Local hunger has increased. IFC needs you, our friends, congregations and businesses to purchase more holiday meal coupons for Christmas and Hanukkah holidays coming up. A 25 dollar donation feeds an entire family. Contact Chris Moran, Executive Director, 919.929.6380 ext. 26; cell 919.417.5230; www.ifcweb.org.

VOLUNTEERING

IFC needs volunteers to pack canned items and distribute holiday meals for Christmas to those in need. Jan Broughton will be packing Thursday, December 13th, and distributing Thursday afternoon, December 20th. She is encouraging our members to join in.  Contact Kristin, 919-929-6380, x41; servicesdirector@ifcmailbox.org if you're able to help. Details below.

"We need a group of 5 or so for about 2 1/2 hours to pack the canned items. Ideally this would happen the 13th of December, late afternoon or evening, but may need to shift a day depending on what is good for the most.

"We also could also use some hands to help distribute the holiday meals. The days for distribution are Weds 12/19, Thurs 12/20 and Fri 12/21. There are two shifts: 9:45-1 and 1-4:15, and we can use 3-5 people per shift. OK for families to bring children over 8 or so (depends on the child, 3 hours is too long for some)."