Christmas Eve Service - Dec. 24, 2013

The video below is abridged, but includes about 80% of the service.

Christmas Cantata 2013

On December 15, 2013, the CUCC choir performed the Christmas Cantata "God's Son is Born, A Christmas Cantata" published in 1964 by Peggy Hoffmann. The most recent previous performance of this work at CUCC was in 1999. Peggy and Arnold joined the United Church of Raleigh around 1950, and Arnold served as choir director while Peggy was the organist. Their children Rosemary and Ted were present for the performance on Dec. 15, 2013. The notes written by Rosemary for the occasion are available below, as well as the program for the cantata.

The recording below is edited to remove long silences between selections while choir members were repositioning themselves between selections.

God's Son is Born, A Christmas Cantata (34 minute mp3 audio)

Christmas Pageant 2013

The 2013 Christmas pageant was presented on December 8 by a cast of about 30, mostly children. The Christmas pageant is a long-standing tradition at CUCC, and the director for the production again this year was Anne Bailey Zschau. The production for this season ran about 31 minutes long, and is shown here in its entirety.

Welcoming in Advent 2013

On Sunday December 1, 2013, the Deacons sponsored a "Welcoming in Advent" program at 5 PM in the fellowship Hall. The program was designed and led by Vandy Bradow. Presenters included Steve Halsted, Joy Alford, and David Sigmon. Music was provided by Amy Jensen, Doug Barrick, Geri Bowen, and Mike Schafale.

The audio program available below is slightly edited. Portions of the program which produced no audio have been omitted (for example, the making of the communal wreath, and the procession down the hallway from the fellowship hall to the sanctuary). The edited version below runs for about 36 minutes.

Welcoming in Advent 2013 (36 minute mp3)

Bob Hazel

Bob Hazel, NC Wildlife Commission
News and Observer , June 9, 1959
Click photo for enlarged view

Bob Hazel (1922-2013) joined the United Church of Raleigh, forerunner of Community UCC, in 1953 and remained a member for 60 years until his death in 2013. Bob's memorial service was held at CUCC on November 24, 2013. The complete service, shown in the video below, is slightly over an hour long and features a moving eulogy presented by Bob's son Dennis.

A detailed obituary for Bob Hazel is available online at the Montlawn Memorial Park website.

Bob Hazel obituary

Origins of the phrase "Nurturing spiritual growth and working for social justice"

edited by Lavon Page using information provided by Edith Sylla, Marty Lamb, and Jane Smith

The phrase “Nurturing spiritual growth and working for social justice” has been widely used on church publications for many years. Some recall this slogan having been added to the church bulletin and website during the tenure of Rev. Carol Ripley-Moffitt as Interim Pastor (2000-2002). But others remember the phrase itself having originated while Rev. Cally Rogers-Witte was pastor, perhaps around 1990. This article provides an overview to the context out of which this phrase may have arisen. Most of this information was researched by Edith Sylla, church historian.

People Clips - 2013

Welcoming Sunday was September 9, 2013. Members were invited to say a few words "on camera" about why they are drawn to CUCC or what they like about the church. Here is the result of that invitation ... [Note: there are lots of videos on this page. Sometimes your web browser may not load all of them properly. If the "play" button does not respond in a video, try reloading the page.]

Send-Off to Church Camp

Youth Group is off to church camp

Send-off on June 30, 2013

Marge Eckels Memorial

Marjorie Mills Robinson Eckels died June 5, 2013, at age 91. She died peacefully at home in the loving care of her daughters Marilyn and Christine. Marjorie was born in Hartford, CT, where she grew up the cherished only child of William and Violet Robinson. She attended U of Conn where she met her husband and life partner Arthur Raymond Eckels. They were married for over 50 years. Marjorie completed a Master of Social Work degree at the U of Chicago. Between 1949 and 1953, Art and Marjorie's four children were born, Alan in Mt. Carmel, CT, and Peter, Marilyn, and Christine in Raleigh, NC, where Art taught at NC State. The family moved to Burlington, VT, where they lived for five wonderful years in a countryside home with a spectacular view of Lake Champlain. Following their move back to Raleigh for Art's professorship at NC State, Marjorie worked for years in her chosen field of social work. Despite busy lives working and raising four children, Marjorie and Art opened their home to minority students and students from other countries. In their retirement years, they welcomed the Angar family, friends from Afghanistan, into their home. Marjorie also maintained a close relationship with her Aunt Margaret of Manchester, CT, her father's youngest sister.

Marge Eckels and Cy King - March 17, 2013

The Sunday Forum on March 17, 2013, featured a dialog between Marge Eckels and Cy King on their many years of participation in social action initiatives at CUCC. The moderator is Sue Cottle, and the event was filmed by Lavon Page at the request of the Social Justice Ministry.

This video is also available on YouTube.

Duke Energy Rate Hike Press Conference

On February 4, 2013, Pastor Steve Halsted of Community UCC participated in a press conference regarding Duke Energy’s request that the N.C. Utilities Commission approve a considerable rate increase. AARP, NC NAACP, NC Justice Center and more talk about why proposed rate hikes for Duke and Progress Energy would harm North Carolina. This video may also be viewed at YouTube.

Santi Matthews - Honoring her on her birthday

On January 20, 2013, the youth of CUCC honored Santi Matthews for her dedicated service as Youth Leader for many years. The occasion was Santi’s 50th birthday, and after the service a reception was held in Santi’s honor in the fellowship hall.

This video is also available on YouTube.

Rev. Curtis Gatewood - NC NAACP

On January 20, 2013, Rev. Curtis Gatewood of the North Carolina NAACP was invited to speak in conjunction with the MLK Holiday celebrations of that weekend. Rev. Gatewood is the coordinator for the HKonJ initiative, an economic justice campaign sponsored by the NAACP. Rev. Gatewood’s sermon is 28 minutes long and was filmed by Lavon Page in the CUCC sanctuary.

This video is also available on YouTube.

Geri Bowen - Children's Message

This children's message, on January 20, 2013, was given by Geri Bowen during the 10:30 worship service in commemoration of the Martin Luther King holiday.

This video is also available on Youtube.

A Conversation with Cy King

On January 8, 2013, Lavon Page sat down with Cy King in Cy’s apartment, and Cy talked for two hours about his memories of the period from the late 1940s until 1970 in Raleigh’s United Church, the forerunner of Community UCC. The dialog has been edited, and split into three segments totaling about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

A Conversation with Cy King - January 8, 2013 (Part 1 - 29 minutes)

A Conversation with Cy King - January 8, 2013 (Part 2 - 23 minutes)

A Conversation with Cy King - January 8, 2013 (Part 3 - 19 minutes)