Jeremy Duke, 2026-27 President

Greetings,

I went to the Iowa State Fair for the first time in 40 years this summer. When I was growing up in Central Iowa, my parents took my sister and me to the Fair many times. They have continued their yearly trek most years, but

I haven’t been back since. My wife, Kyna, convinced me we should go when we were visiting my hometown of Grinnell, Iowa. I was initially hesitant: The heat! The crowds!

I am glad we went.

The Iowa State Fair is a quintessentially “Iowa” experience that lulled me with old, familiar sights and sounds. Sure, things had changed. However, much of the old familiar remained: FFA kids showing their livestock, a cow made out of butter, fried foods of all types, pride in Iowa culture, farm life, and politics abounding. Also, it was hot and it was crowded!

The experience reminded me that it is valuable to have places to which I can return. I appreciate the feeling of belonging in a space. I especially appreciate that I have found that sense of belonging in the UUCC Sanctuary with all of you.

So, as we move into a new church year, I wish for you to have places to which you can return, where you feel comfortable and safe.

Rev. Dr. Molly Housh Gordon, Minister

Dear UU Churchers,

When we took our kids to The Burren, an eerie limestone landscape in the west of Ireland, our eldest asked us: “Why are we looking at all these old rocks?!” We were there, in part, to encounter the Irish approach to sacred space.

On the government website for The Burren national park, we read: “The Burren is a designated Global Geopark for a reason — its karst landscape is not only geologically significant, but deeply spiritual. Generations have used these landscapes as sacred sites for burial, worship, and community gathering. […] For thousands of years, this land has held a pull — not just for its dramatic landscape, but for something deeper, older, and more spiritual.”

They make the connection explicit, that space and spirit are intertwined. When we root ourselves in a sense of belonging where we are, we can do the same.

Reading about the karst landscape of the Burren rang a bell for me, about something I learned about this place, right here: Karst is a landscape created by the meeting of soluble limestone and water. It is often characterized by barren rocky ground, as in The Burren of Ireland, and… by springs, caves and underwater rivers, as in the Karst landscape of Missouri.

Missouri’s karst landscape, to quote the Irish of The Burren, is not only geologically significant, but deeply spiritual, having been used by generations as sacred sites for burial, worship, and community gathering.

In his poem “How to Be a Poet” Wendell Berry writes:

There are no unsacred places;
there are only sacred places
and desecrated places.

We are surrounded, everywhere on this earth, by space that is made sacred by ancient tradition, by present day intention, and by the mysterious presence of beauty beyond our imagining.

I think I needed to travel to Ireland to see the reverence with which these spaces can be tended. But I did not need to travel at all to find deeply sacred space or to practice rich place-based spirituality.

We can always awaken to wonder.

We can always belong.

We are always on sacred ground.

This year at UUCC, we’re going to remember that space and spirit are intertwined. We are going to feel what it means to love a place and to be nourished by that love. We are going to grow in reverence and roots and spirits awakened to beauty.

You are here.
We are here.
Together on sacred ground.

2026-2027 Thematic Arc

“You are here. We are here.”

Purpose: Re-locating ourselves, in a time of disorientation. Re-rooting ourselves in earth and place.
Theological touchstones: The sacredness of every place and person. The interconnection of all things. Deeper time and clearer attention.

Monthly Themes

• September – toes in the water @ Grindstone Creek
• October – moving under a rustling canopy of leaves @ MKT trail (MLK trailhead)
• November – golden hour in your own backyard @ church prairie
• December – curled up with a book/audiobook @ the library
• January – surrounded by art @ Columbia Art League
• February – delving into history @ the Blind Boone Center
• March – witnessing life return @ Garth nature area
• April – in a riot of blossoms @ the redbud grove in Stephen’s Lake Park
• May – On a blanket under new leaves @ the Big Burr Oak

Jamila Batchelder, Director of Religious Education

The start of the church year is an exciting time for our Religious Education program! We have a lot happening that I am so looking forward to.

Perhaps our most exciting news is that we are hiring a social justice coordinator to support our R.E. program. Social justice has always been at the heart of what it means to be a UU, and centering this work in our R.E. program I hope will instill a life-long passion in our children.

Additionally we will be doing some wonderful curricula in our R.E. classes. Our 6-7th graders will be learning about and attending services in our neighboring faith communities. This is an opportunity to deepen our understanding in our own spiritual journey, but also to create greater connections to our neighbors.

Our younger kids will be learning about those big words that define our faith values: Interconnection, equity, transformation, pluralism, and generosity, all grounded in love. We we be learning what it means to live these values in our life.

And of course, none of these great opportunities for our kids are possible without our incredible volunteers. I hope you consider volunteering this year, especially as part of our Service Sunday Team, to support our new Social Justice Coorindator.

Because of our very busy church schedule in September, we will be holding our training for R.E. volunteers on Sunday, Oct. 4. Mark your calendars now, and lets make this a great year in R.E.!