Read the unanimous public statement issued by our Board of Trustees on our commitments in these times. You can also view a video version.
UUCC is restarting and revamping the Disability Justice and Inclusion Team (DJIT), which will meet on the fourth Sunday each month. The July meeting will be in person in the Lower Level-Centering Room and via Zoom from 12:15 to 1:45 p.m. Sunday, July 27. The group will be specifically for people with various types of … Continue reading Disability Justice and Inclusion Team is restarted
Our minister, the Rev. Dr. Molly Housh Gordon, is the 2024 recipient of the Skinner Sermon Award from the Unitarian Universalist Association for her Oct. 20, 2024 sermon “How to Have an Enemy,” the UUA has announced. The announcement said the sermon was recognized “…for its powerful clarity, deep power analysis, and unwavering solidarity with … Continue reading Rev. Molly receives 2024 Skinner Sermon Award from UUA
Dear UU folks, Being in the Sanctuary last month, as 10 new folks committed to joining our congregation, felt invigorating! I kept thinking: Ooh, I can’t wait to get to know that person better . . . and that person . . . and that person. This most recent New Member Ingathering took place just … Continue reading New President Kim Wade looks forward to 2025-26
Dear UU Churchers, This summer, I am wishing you long days full of attention to the beauty of this world. This is not an encouragement to ignore its horrors, but rather to respond to them faithfully. Mary Oliver writes elsewhere that beauty makes us ache to be worthy of it. What better way to spend … Continue reading Minister’s July message
Faith-to-Action July recipient The Faith-to-Action recipient for July is Migrant and Immigrant Community Action (MICA). MICA is a group of remarkable immigration lawyers and other support staff who help migrants and immigrants who otherwise can’t afford the legal representation necessary by representing them pro bono or at very reduced cost. Our UUCC Guatemalan family is … Continue reading Social Action Team’s July report
Rev. Molly has announced that we will have another intern minister this coming year. Here is the text of her announcement: I am delighted to share that we will be serving as a teaching congregation once more for the 2025-2026 program year! In September we will be welcoming Monica Clark-Robinson to UUCC to complete the … Continue reading Monica Clark-Robinson will be our new intern minister
Ten new members joined UUCC during a New Member Ingathering Ceremony during worship on June 15, 2025. In alphabetical order, they are: Carmen Clearwater, Katie Guinn, Amy Hoffman, Maha Libdeh, Jeremiah Long, Kristen Long, Tim Madsen, Trana Madsen, Sam Schick, and Carol Snively. Many thanks to Kim Wade for taking the following group photo and … Continue reading Ten new members join UUCC
Finding Our Way Forward Team plans 3 activities in June-July Following up on our February “Empowered Resistance” workshop led by Jen Hofmann of Americans of Conscience, our Finding Our Way Forward (FOWF) Team is planning three activities centering on the book Social Change Now by Deepa Iyer: An online book study that began Sunday, June … Continue reading Social change activities planned in June-July
Summer R.E. requires summer volunteers! We especially need volunteers because Jamila is taking some much needed vacation this summer. If every parent of a child who will be joining us this summer signs up to volunteer one to two times, we should have plenty of volunteers this summer. And here is a little secret: It … Continue reading Summer R.E. volunteers needed
UUCC has new network name – “Unitarian Universalist Wifi.” The password is unchanged and can be found on the password-protected Church Wifi page. You may need to have your device forget the old network names so it does not try to automatically connect to them. If you experience any problems with the wifi, please email … Continue reading New wifi network name
“Sacred Songs in Sacred Spaces” is a weekly round of community song circles at the places we love, co-presented by Compass Inc. and UUCC. The song circles started May 21 and will continue weekly from 7 to 8:15 p.m. at various locations Wednesdays starting May 21 from 7 to 8:15 p.m. They will be led … Continue reading “Sacred Songs in Sacred Places”
With deep gratitude and admiration, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbia honors the late Dr. Dorothy Watson for her generous and compassionate bequest to the church. We celebrate her legacy in our newly formed Water Bearer’s Society, which recognizes those who plan for the future of our congregation with a legacy or estate gift of … Continue reading Planned Giving Work Group lauds Dr. Dorothy Watson
The Sanctuary and Immigrant Justice Team (SIJT) is working on finding ways we can walk alongside our immigrant neighbors and friends. The Team is planning a bigger training event in order to educate all of us on ways we can be helpful and not cause further harm. The SIJT will also start holding some fundraising … Continue reading SIJT plans training event
The 2025 Annual Congregational Meeting was held in the Sanctuary and via Zoom after worship at noon on Sunday, May 18, 2025. Business conducted at the meeting: The proposed 2025-26 operating budget was approved. (To protect the privacy of staff members, the linked version of the budget omits individual payroll details. Upon email request to … Continue reading 2025-26 budget adopted, new board members elected
Members of our Board of Trustees unanimously adopted the following public statement regarding our commitments in these times at their March meeting. The statement was circulated by email to church members and friends on April 29 and was published the same day on the editorial page of The Columbia Missourian. View a video version of … Continue reading Our Board of Trustees issues public statement about our commitments in these times
The UUCC Social Action Team has opened nominations for Faith-to-Action collection recipients for September 2025 through August 2026. The team is requesting that nominations be submitted by July 1, 2025. If a full set of nominations has not been received by that time, the team will continue to consider nominations that come in later, but … Continue reading 2025-26 Faith-to-Action nominations now open
Forty UUs, including six from UUCC, gathered in Jefferson City on Wednesday, April 23, for the first-ever Missouri UU Advocacy Day. The group met at the Jefferson City UU Fellowship for relationship-building, training and lunch. After lunch they went to the Missouri State Capitol to talk with legislators about bodily autonomy, workers’ rights, and how … Continue reading 40 Missouri UUs attended first-ever Advocacy Day in Jeff City
Annual Giving Chair Christine Heath and Rev. Molly report that our stewardship campaign for the 2025-26 fiscal year was extremely successful. The total pledged exceeded the aggressive goal of a 9% increase over current year pledges, allowing us to increase our budget from $327,000 this year to more than $356,000 for the next fiscal year … Continue reading Stewardship campaign was a big success
Looking for a great summer experience? Join us at Bayside UU Family Camp held at Wesley Woods Conference Center on the shores of Geneva Lake in Williams Bay, WI. This year camp will take place July 6-12. This special week includes adult workshops, activities for children, free time for family fun and relaxation, and intergenerational … Continue reading Bayside UU Family Camp July 6-12
Have you met Hamamelis vernalis? …also known as Ozark Witch Hazel? Several of these woody shrubs live on our church grounds, one in front of the building and a few out back. Each year, they are the first of our native plants to bloom, even before spring arrives! On warmer winter days (January-March) they can … Continue reading Grounds Team introduces Hamamelis vernalis
Have you noticed our parking lot and the street filling up quickly on Sunday mornings as our attendance increases? We are able to park in the Shepard Elementary School lot across the street from the church. If you have been attending for some years and are able to, please park there to help welcome newcomers … Continue reading Please park at Shepard school if you can
Potlucks can be challenging and sometimes downright frustrating for those with food sensitivities and allergies. For many, checking a box indicating “gluten-free,” “vegan” or “nondairy” is not enough. For instance, one of our members is gluten-free but also sensitive to arrowroot and sorghum flour. Let’s support each other by completing an ingredient list for our … Continue reading Please provide complete ingredients list for potlucks
By the Rev. Dottie Mathews When Rosie and I moved to Columbia in 2015, we were thoroughly delighted to find this vibrant, committed faith community to join, and it has been my honor to serve as your Affiliated Community Minister for these eight and a half years. For those who may not know, that role … Continue reading Living Our Love for Our Trans and Gender Expansive Siblings
When you sell items on EBay or Facebook, you can now donate some or all of the proceeds to UUCC using the Paypal Giving Fund. You will need to select an option in EBay or Facebook to donate a percentage of sale proceeds to charity. When you do that, at the time you complete a … Continue reading Help UUCC when you sell on EBay or Facebook
The Planned Giving Work Group of the Stewardship Team has been busy this past year and has launched a renewed planned giving program at UUCC. During many past Founder’s Day celebrations, we have shared the story of how our founders hand-carried water to nourish the young trees on the site where they planned to build … Continue reading Water Bearers Society is launched
Thanks to everyone who put non-perishable food items in the barrel at the upstairs elevator doors over the last few months. Joan and I took 90 pounds to the Food Bank Market on Jan. 26. The need continues. Please, everyone, continue to feed our barrel, which helps feed our neighbors, and maybe some of us. … Continue reading Please feed our Food Barrel
Staff and volunteers successfully completed a CPR and AED course with the American Red Cross on Oct. 29, so we are feeling more prepared for any medical emergencies that may come our way. UUCC staff members have been working on creating a visible area for the supplies needed in these life-saving treatments. The photo at … Continue reading First Aid supplies now located in Sanctuary
In the past UUCC used a key system for exterior doors. We have now fully transitioned to an automatic lock system to make our church more secure. Each week, Church Administrator April Rodeghero will update the schedule so the exterior doors will unlock and lock for scheduled activities. Staff members, lay leaders and organizations that … Continue reading Lock system for exterior doors has changed
Dottie’s recognition certificate Click to enlarge During our Oct. 23, 2022 worship service, our Affiliated Community Minister, Rev. Dottie Mathews, was recognized for her past work as coordinator of the Congregational Accompaniment Project for Asylum Seekers (CAPAS), a program of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC). As part of the recognition, it was announced that … Continue reading Rev. Dottie Mathews recognized for immigrant work
By the time you see this article, the backyard meadow at church is likely to have received its maintenance-mowing and may look like a blank space or a poor excuse for lawn. But, I hope you have seen, can imagine, or will see the wonderful plants that are still alive and well beneath the ground. … Continue reading Welcome to our meadow!
The Grounds Team would like to introduce you to some of our trees and invite you to share your love of our trees and woods on the UUCC Facebook page. Shingle Oak – Wood from this oak can be split into thin sheets, which used to be made into shingles. White Oak – These oaks … Continue reading We love our trees!
We are excited to announce that we have launched a new system giving our members and friends the ability to give to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbia by: Text message from your smartphone, or Online This new system has been arranged through the Breeze Church Management System, our new church database. It replaces our … Continue reading Easy text and online donations now available
The UU Life Writers’ Group is pleased to announce the publication of its second anthology, Stories, Just Stories. The stories are mini-memoirs about family, growing up, social activism, romance and pets. A big section of poetry is included. The anthology also contains tributes to those writers no longer with us. Copies are $8 and can … Continue reading UU Life Writers’ Group publishes its second anthology
Sunday, May 3, 2020 was the eighth Sunday of our online worship in compliance with guidelines for social distancing during the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. Rev. Molly Housh Gordon’s homily was titled “A Chance to Dream.” Even as our state rushes to “re-open the economy,” it is clear not only that there is no quick and safe … Continue reading May 3, 2020 podcast – A Chance to Dream
Sunday, April 26, 2020 was the seventh Sunday of our online worship in compliance with guidelines for social distancing during the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. Our service observed the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, and we enjoyed the beauty of spring as members of our Green Sanctuary Team reflected on “Lessons from Nature.” … Continue reading April 26, 2020 podcast – Lessons from Nature
Sunday, April 19, 2020, was the sixth Sunday of our online worship in compliance with guidelines for social distancing during the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. We remembered the beauty of the earth as well as its impermanence by creating a nature mandala with beautiful bits of spring. Rev. Molly’s homily was “Lessons from the Flowers.”
Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020, was the fifth Sunday of our “virtual” online worship in compliance with guidelines for social distancing during the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. Rev. Molly livestreamed the service from her home via Zoom. This podcast features Rev. Molly’s homily, “The Holy or the Broken Hallelujah.” You can also view a video of the … Continue reading April 12, 2020 – Easter – The Holy or the Broken Hallelujah
On Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019, Rev. Molly Housh Gordon preached on “Loving Bravely.” Rev. Molly invites us to explore together how we live through the spiraling dance of love and fear, discern the difference between discomfort and danger, and expand our comfort zones so that we can draw the circles of love and compassion in … Continue reading Oct. 13, 2019 – Loving Bravely
On Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019, our Worship Associates presented a meaningful lay-led service on the topic “Strengthening Our Hearts.” They offer us an opportunity to hear UU Churchers’ testimony about what “Courageous Love” means to them in their lives.
On Sunday, March 8, 2020, Rev. Molly Housh Gordon’s sermon title was “Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There!” Often it is not actually what we do that is most supportive to our loved ones, but rather a quality of our presence. Rev. Molly invites us to explore what it means to be a healing presence … Continue reading March 8, 2020 – Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There!
On Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019, special guest Jeanne Snodgrass, Director of Mizzou’s Hillel Jewish Student Center, preached on “Begin Again in Love.” One way we practice courage is by making amends and beginning again in love. On this Sunday closest to Yom Kippur, Jeanne invites us to learn what wisdom we can all take from … Continue reading Oct. 6, 2019 – Begin Again in Love
On Nov. 17, 2019, “What Do We Seek Here?” was the Rev. Dottie Mathews’ sermon topic. In our Unitarian Universalist faith, there is no precept demanding weekend attendance or any “extra heavenly points” awarded to those who actively participate in Sunday services and in other fellowship opportunities. Rev. Dottie invites us to ponder: Why is … Continue reading Nov. 17, 2019 – What Do We Seek Here?
On Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, Rev. Molly Housh Gordon’s topic was “With Heat and Great Effort.” Listen as she explains that beloved community is not a thing that simply happens – rather, it is created, under heat and with great effort. Rev. Molly invites us to reflect upon what it really means to forge community … Continue reading Nov. 10, 2019 – With Heat and Great Effort
On November 3, 2019, our annual “Remembrance Sunday” on the Sunday closest to All Souls Day, we set aside a time of deep memory, honoring the lives of loved ones now gone. Rev. Molly Housh Gordon explored how community holds memory in a way that none of can do alone.
This summer we are exploring the use of secular works as sacred texts. Listen to the Rev. Molly Housh Gordon’s sermon on July 14, 2019 as she explicates the thesis of the book Pleasure Activism by Adrienne Maree Brown. Brown posits that there is more to this world than the pursuit of mere life, liberty … Continue reading July 14, 2019 – Making Liberation Irresistible
In summer 2019 we are studying secular works as sacred texts. On June 16, 2019, we explored secular texts using the spiritual practices of Lectio Divina and Floralegium – techniques that ancient monks used to study the Bible. Tim Dickerson and Sam Otten applied these techniques to excerpts from two works – Les Misérables by … Continue reading June 16, 2019 – Looking Up to Les Misérables
At worship on May 19, 2019, we were treated to a music extravaganza as we celebrated the service of our Interim Director of Music Ministry, Marques J. Ruff, and our accompanist, Arun Garg. We also celebrated the accomplishments of our high school graduates. We apologize that this is one of the longest podcasts we have … Continue reading May 19, 2019 – Celebration Sunday Podcast
On Sunday, March 24, the Accessibility and Inclusion Ministry (AIM) Team presented the lay-led service, “Living Up to Radical Welcome,” and made a small change in the sanctuary while we were at it. As we’ve heard a number of questions about this change, we thought it was about time we shed some light on it. … Continue reading Fragrance sensitivity? We’ve got you (or at least your chair) covered!
On Sunday, May 12, 2019 we celebrated our annual Flower Communion, a tradition started in 1923 by Czech Unitarian Minister Norbert Chapek. In this podcast, we are pleased to present the reflections of our Director of Religious Education Jamila Batchelder and feature the wonderful music from our service, by permission of the performers. Although the … Continue reading May 12, 2019 – Flower Communion
At worship on Sunday, March 24, the UUCC Accessibility and Inclusion Ministry Team explored the topic of disability. Some disabilities are easily observed, leading to snap judgements about the person’s inherent worth and dignity, to misconceptions and prejudices, and often to discrimination. On the other hand, many disabilities are invisible, leading to accusations that the … Continue reading March 24, 2019 – Living Up to Radical Welcome
