Our worship attendance spiked in the Sundays before and after the Nov. 5 general election, bringing our average attendance for November to 111, a 28% increase from the October average of 87.

We held an initial congregational strategy meeting after worship on Sunday, Nov. 17 to imagine how we can deepen our solidarity in this time. Twenty-one UU churchers attended, connected with one another, and mapped out the resources that we can bring to this moment. An excellent group of four volunteered at that meeting to become a leadership team to move the conversation forward.

On Monday, Nov. 18, all of the UU ministers serving congregations in Missouri gathered in our Greeting Area to discuss how we can work together as UU congregations to further our shared values and justice work in our state. The ministers anticipate building out some sort of justice and advocacy network serving the entire state. The ministers in attendance represented Kansas City, Springfield, Columbia, and St. Louis – all of the places with minister-served UU Churches in Missouri. To our knowledge, such a gathering had never before occurred.

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 with abundant parking in the church lot.

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 food contributions. It will include a brief checklist stating whether the food is gluten-free, vegan, etc., and will ask for all ingredients. You could also print off the ingredient list from your recipe. We will have ingredient list cards available online and at all potlucks and other events where food is shared.

Those with dietary sensitivities thank you in advance, and we look forward to sharing community and yummy dishes with ingredients listed on the first Sunday of each month.

Click the button below for a fillable PDF form to provide the requested information.

Fillable PDF ingredients form

Come to this gathering to connect with fellow LGBTQ humans at UU. This first meeting will focus on getting to know each other, sharing ideas for the group and talking about support and resources. This collective is open to anyone who feels they are a part of the LGBTQ community. Childcare and lunch will be provided. For questions email Heidi Shearer.

Flag samples for agender, aromantic, asexual, bear, bisexual, gay, genderfluid, intersex,
lesbian, nonbinary, pansexual, polysexual, polyamory, genderqueer and transgender prides.

• President Ruth Milledge
• Rev. Dr. Molly Housh Gordon
• Jamila Batchelder, Director of Religious Education
• Violet Vonder Haar, Director of Music Ministry

President’s Perspective – President Ruth Milledge

Dear UUCC,

I love our Mission and Vision Statement. Whenever I approach the front of our church, my spirit is touched by the words I see there: “In the spirit of courageous love, we forge a community of radical welcome and deep connection that moves us together to heal the world.” Eleven years ago, these words let me know that I had found my spiritual home. However, as Jeremy Milarsky wrote in his President’s message in the December 2016 Searchlight, “If the mission of our community is more than words on a window, every decision we make should be in support of it.”

As much as the statement speaks to me, our congregation, like all congregations, changes. These times that our congregation finds itself in are not exactly like any other time. We must have a Mission Statement that reflects the present congregation in the present time. We definitely want you and your ideas to be included as we discern what our next Mission Statement will be. There have been a number of cottage meetings at which congregants and friends shared their thoughts. Another round will be held after the first of next year.

If you haven’t participated in a cottage meeting, please consider being involved in one. It is my hope that, with the engagement of many of you, the result will be a new Mission Statement that touches the spirits of all of us.

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Rev. Dr. Molly Housh Gordon

Well, November has really been a long year, hasn’t it?

The thing I know most profoundly in this moment is that solidarity is the only way toward the world we dream about, and it always was. The other thing I know is that practicing solidarity requires deep spiritual grounding in a world full of injustices. We need to be in touch with this life’s beauty as well as its brutality if we are to be good partners and stewards in growing beloved community.

And that is why it is more important than ever that we care for each other’s spirits – and our own. We are in the Love business long haul, and that means tending to our hearts so that they can stay open and tender and whole.

This month in worship we’ll explore a number of ways to care for the spirit, from spiritual practices to creativity and play to pastoral care principles for the lay person.

I wonder if you could make a commitment for your daily or weekly life as well. What is one way that you could tend to the well-being of your spirit this month? A five-minute meditation break over lunch? A ritual of lighting candles and sharing gratitude at dinner? A song before bed? A weekly phone call with a soul friend? Journaling right after you wake? What other ideas do you have to begin? Or what longtime practices have you nurtured? I’d love to hear about them.

However you practice, I hope to see you in church!

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Jamila Batchelder, Director of Religious Education

As we head into the holidays, we are reflecting on caring for our spirits. Children and parents are in need of a good deal of care for their spirits amid all the holiday hustle and bustle (and stress and chaos!).

When I remember my own childhood, what most nurtured my spirit and kept me grounded, were family traditions, those things we did year after year. Not big grand traditions, but the very small ones, that served as little anchor points in the whirl of activities: Watching a favorite holiday movie; unpacking and setting up the menorah in the window; that night where my mom would finally lose her patience with us bouncing off the walls and send us out with my dad to look at holiday lights in the neighborhood – and he would sing the two Christmas songs he knew in an infinite loop while we drove.

Why did these moments matter so much? Why are they what I look back on most fondly of holiday memories? I think because they gave me such a sense of familiarity and belonging.

The holidays, despite our best efforts of joy-making, are often a time of big emotions and complicated family dynamics. As we try (and sometimes fail) at all the big joyful memories we want to make for our kids, remember that these small memories of family traditions are what might care best for their spirits.

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Violet Vonder Haar, Director of Music Ministry

UUCC Choir is back! All members of our church community are invited to join us on Wednesday evenings at 7 for rehearsals. Whether you’re an experienced singer or just starting out, all voices are welcome, and no prior experience is necessary.

Our inclusive and supportive environment is designed to help you grow as a singer and be part of a wonderful musical community. Come and be a part of something special as we share the joy of music together. I look forward to seeing you there!

Join us on Sunday, Dec. 22 for special music by the UUCC choir.

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Making a legacy donation to UUCC through the Water Bearers Society offers great rewards for the church, the community and you.

Your donation isn’t just a fleeting act but a long-term commitment to growth and transformation that helps the church flourish and our congregation thrive. Much like planting a tree and watching it grow, your generosity expands the church’s support for new programs and services for those in need. Over time, you will witness positive changes in individuals and families, see renewed faith in the people around you, and experience a stronger bond in the community through your generosity. Legacy giving also provides assurance that your spirit lives on through the gift you have bestowed upon the church in your last will and testament.

Your donation is an investment in the future for our community. It is a testament to the enduring power of charitable giving and the strength of a united congregation. Your compassion and care ensure the church (like a tree), stands tall and strong for generations to come while providing a legacy of hope, faith and love. Please contact the Water Bearers Society and consider an offering in your estate or in your future financial planning. For further information or to learn how to share your intent to make a legacy gift, please visit the Planned Giving page on our website.

Faith-to-Action

The Faith-to-Action recipient for December is Caring Hearts and Hands of Columbia. CHHC is a charitable organization that provides an alternative in Columbia and central Missouri for end-of-life care for those who choose not to or are unable to remain in their own home or a care facility until they die. CHHC provides a comfortable home where the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the dying person and their family are met with compassion, love and respect, 24/7. These services are provided at no cost and thus the organization relies on fundraising and volunteer help.

You will hear more about this worthy organization during Sunday worship service collections. Please donate as you are able.

Recent Faith-to-Action collection results:

• July: $862.06 for Mobility Worldwide
• August: $1,174.25 for No More Deaths
• September: $1,325.27 for the Honduras Ministry Team.
• October: $1382.27 for the Sanctuary and Immigrant Justice Team.

2025 Honduras Service Trip News

The Honduras Ministry Team has had a busy few months raising funds for our service trip to Honduras over Spring Break 2025. Thank you for all the generous contributions!

As of the writing of this article, Hurricane Sara just passed through the north coast of Honduras, including the river valley where UUCC service trips have gone in past 15 years and where we will be going in March 2025. The main bridge that leads from La Ceiba into the valley has collapsed, the main road has been completely washed out in places, and people have lost roofs and houses. The Honduras Ministry Team will stay tuned as we learn more about what is needed now and in the months to come.

Please email Allie Gassmann if you would like to get involved.

Thanks for feeding our food barrel

Thanks to those who put food items in our barrel near the elevator over the past few months. In November 1,114 pounds went to the Food Bank Market. Please, everyone, continue to contribute food for those in our community who need help. Please also note there is a bucket next to the barrel for cash donations. Thanks!

Loaves and Fishes update

Loaves and Fishes is still going strong. Some of us were worried about filling all the volunteer slots for UUCC’s Nov. 17 meal at Loaves and Fishes. Two of our mainstays, Gregg and Diane Suhler, were out of town. Happily, UUCC members and friends stepped up, and filled all the slots. Here are the people who either donated food, or their time to serve and clean up, or both:

Elizabeth Bishop
MaryBeth Buffaloe
Robert Buffaloe
Ene Kaja Chippendale
Ted Curtis
Karen Dwyer
Laura Foley
Pat Fowler
Michelle Goodwin
Amy Gutel
Todd Iveson
Connie Johnmeyer
Christopher Murrell
Victor Myers
Kathleen Nettleton
Rebecca Scott
Winifred Scott
Margaret Tyler
Sarah Wolcott
Christie Yant
Julie Youmans
Fred Young
Darren*
Michelle*
* Un-housed as of Nov. 17

Thank you for your service!

Note that our next third Sunday turn to provide the Loaves and Fishes meal will be Sunday, Dec. 15.

UUCC maintains a fund to reimburse members and friends for the cost of their donated food. Anyone who is hesitant to participate in the food donation because of the cost of the food can submit a voucher and a receipt for reimbursement. We now have a dropdown item on the website donation page so you can donate directly to this fund. At present, your donations are the only mechanism to replenish this fund. If you would like to support the Loaves and Fishes meals, but are unable to prepare food or be a server, you can donate to the reimbursement fund.

The Sanctuary and Immigrant Justice Team (SIJT) had its November meeting shortly after the election. We as a team, we as a church, and the asylum-seeking families we are sponsoring and supporting are processing what the election results mean for us.

Our team was formed almost eight years ago in response to an administration that was threatening to deport any and all migrants, including those who were here with immigration proceedings in process. We are in this situation again now. This time we are more prepared. We are already officially a Sanctuary Church as of UUCC members’ vote in April 2017. The shower across from the kitchen was built shortly thereafter to be able to host people who are in fear of deportation in spite of being in the legal immigration process.

Other faith leaders have already been in touch, wanting to revive our partnerships from the past to make sure we can be there for each other and for some of the most existentially threatened people under the new administration.

If you would be interested in joining us, please get in touch! The next SIJT meeting will be at 1:30 p.m. Dec 8 via Zoom. Contact either co-chair for information.

Allie Gassmann – email
Dave Gibbons – email
Co-Chairs

On Sunday, Jan. 26, the Membership Team will host the first “Getting to Know UU Newcomer Retreat” from 4 to 7 p.m. The retreat is aimed at those who are interested in becoming a member as well as current members and friends who are looking for a way to engage with others in the church. We will get to know Unitarian Universalism, answer questions and begin to build community. There will be a dinner at 6 p.m. Childcare will be available with advance notice. Be on the lookout for more details in the near future.

Please contact the Membership Team with questions or comments. Does your name tag need updates or has it gone missing? Email the team and include your pronouns.

We invite you to be a greeter. It’s a great way to meet people. Sign up to greet here.

Almost 50 members and friends participated in a number of cottage meetings in October and November to obtain feedback about UUCC’s mission, vision, and purpose. The Mission/Vision Task Force is now taking a break until January when more cottage meetings will be scheduled.

The meetings consist of six to eight people, led by a trained facilitator, reflecting on several questions about the life of the church and your life. There will be meetings at the church, in UU Churchers’ homes and on Zoom, so choose the one most accessible to you. Your collective feedback will be reported to the board and the congregation in May and will inform an update to our mission statement as a congregation. Be on the lookout for the schedule of meetings in January.

Our congregation last adopted Mission and Vision statements more than a decade ago, in May of 2013, after a large-scale listening campaign. Since then our Mission and Vision statements have served us well and guided us through a decade of work together, but also the world has changed dramatically.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email the Mission and Vision Team.

Chalice Circles Signups for 2024-2025

The time has come once again to sign up for new and continuing 2024-25 UUCC Chalice Circles. You can use the button link above, or the button links that appear on the Home page and Chalice Circles page.

Chalice Circles are a small-group ministry of the church designed to build community, foster connections between members, and provide opportunities to share your heart in a safe, brave space.

Groups of no more than 10 members are led by fellow UU volunteers and topics are planned to complement the monthly themes of the church year. A Chalice Circle commitment is for one cycle of nine sessions, though some circles may elect to continue in some form over the summer. Groups will meet once or twice per month for an hour or two from September 2024 to May 2025.

If you have questions, you are welcome to email the Chalice Circles leadership team that consists of the Rev. Dr. Molly Housh Gordon, Gretchen Maune, and Crystal Paddock Buffaloe, or call or text Crystal at 573-289-9705 (please leave a message!)

We look forward to a fun, connected, meaningful year ahead!

Our congregation last adopted Mission and Vision statements more than a decade ago, in May of 2013, after a large-scale listening campaign. Since then our Mission and Vision statements have served us well and guided us through a decade of work together, but also the world has changed dramatically!

Last year our Board of Trustees decided that the time had come to re-visit our Mission and Vision statements through another large-scale process of congregational discussion and discernment. The board recruited and charged a Mission and Vision Task Force to help lead this process. Members are Taylor Gill, Holly Daily, Gretchen Maune and Rebecca Graves, with the support of Rev. Molly.

This is a process that will take all of our input in order to truly reflect the direction of our congregation. We want to learn about your hopes and dreams for our world, for our community, and for our congregation.

To accomplish this, we are planning a series of small group “cottage meetings” this fall and winter, some one-to-one conversations as desired, and a survey to finish the process in the spring. There will be lots of different ways to engage, and we need your help making this effort a success!

After a robust process of as many conversations as possible with members, friends, visitors, stakeholders, and community partners, we will be sharing what we learn with the board and congregation. The board will then develop an edited or brand new Mission and Vision statements, gather further feedback, and eventually bring the Mission and Vision statements before the congregation for a vote.

Possibly more important than the end product of this process are the conversations, thoughts and ideas that will connect us more deeply to one another along the way. We ask everyone affiliated with the congregation to engage with this process to help launch us into the next era of our congregation.

We also invite your volunteerism! We need hosts and facilitators for in-home meetings and facilitators for meetings on Zoom and at church. Contact us by email to volunteer to host, facilitate, or both, and let us know if you have any questions.

Thanks!
Taylor Gill, Holly Daily, Gretchen Maune, Rebecca Graves and Rev. Molly

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 simply means that the justice work I do is done with the support of — and as an expression of — UUCC’s dedication to help heal the world.

For several years, my primary volunteer effort was working with congregations (like ours) that were/are sponsoring asylum seekers through the UUSC’s Congregational Accompaniment Program for Asylum Seekers (CAPAS). Recently, I have had the opportunity to offer the learnings and experiences I gained through CAPAS to help support internal refugees within this country. By that, I mean our trans and queer siblings who are fleeing domestic locations in which they are not able to live their lives in safety and where access to their needed gender-affirming care is being threatened or outright denied.

In response to the nearly 600 anti-trans legislative bills that have been introduced nationwide in the last year, the Pink Haven Coalition was formed as a collaboration between national trans organizers and people of faith (very significantly the UUA and the UU Service Committee). There are many groups and individuals across the country who are building networks to welcome trans folx with offers of housing, transportation assistance, financial support and a variety of other acts of solidarity. This is good and faithful — and NECESSARY — work.

You can read more about the Pink Haven Coalition at PinkHaven.org and in the profile of the PHC highlighted in the Spring/Summer2024 issue of the UU World. If you are moved to donate to support this crucially important justice work, you will find a donation link on the PinkHaven.org webpage.

As I do this work, I am grateful to carry with me YOUR commitment to help create a world that offers dignity and respect to all. If you would like to know more about the work of the Pink Haven Coalition, please send me an email.

In peace and gratitude,
Rev. Dottie

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 sale you can search for our church to designate it as the recipient. You’ll see several UU churches listed – select the one labeled “Unitarian Universalist Church.”

Thanks to Larry Lile and Church Administrator April Rodeghero for their work setting up this new giving option.

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 our first sanctuary.  Those founders had a vision to support our church well into a future they only envisioned. You can join this long line of givers by acknowledging your planned gift and water the roots they laid down for future generations of our beloved congregation.

If you have given thought to the financial legacy you want to leave behind, we invite you to consider UUCC as part of that legacy. The Water Bearers Society is a new way our congregation gratefully recognizes those who have committed resources to our long-term mission.

To understand more about UUCC’s Planned Giving Program, go to https://uucomo.org/plannedgiving/.  There you will also find an electronic Intent to Give form to make your commitment known to our team so we can include you in the Water Bearers Society.  You can also contact us by email for more information.

In Service of your Generosity,
Rosie Geiser, Planned Giving Work Group

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.

Steve Mudrick
Social Action Team

The menu system on our website has been simplified and reorganized to make it more friendly for those viewing the site on their smartphones. The number of items on each menu tab has been reduced, leaving only the most important.

Also, most tabs now have a “More…” option. If you select “More…”, you will see links to all pages in that category.

If you can’t find something through the menu system, don’t forget our site’s excellent search feature. The search dialog appears at the upper right corner of the screen on all pages of the site.

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 right shows a first aid kit, AED, Skills Cards, and an Opioid Crisis Kit. These are all located just inside the doors to the Sanctuary on your right when you enter. They are placed high on the wall to prevent children from playing with them.

Expect to hear more in the future about safety plans and drills. We want everyone to know what to do in case of an emergency.

Also, we want to know if you are certified in CPR, AED or First Aid with any organization, even if you didn’t attend our training. If so, please email Church Administrator April Rodeghero and let her know about any current certifications you have.

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 rent space in the church will have a code to unlock exterior doors using a keypad in order to enter the building at other times. As a backup, April has an app on her smartphone that can lock and unlock doors remotely as needed when other methods do not work.

All those who now have a key to the exterior doors are asked to turn in their keys and begin using the keypad codes that will be provided to them. Keys should be turned in to April in person or labeled with your name or group and put in April’s mailbox.

It is important to turn in exterior door keys because each time a key is used, it overrides the system and causes the automatic locks to reset. This results in the doors being locked or unlocked at unscheduled times. Thus, if you are the last person to leave the church and the exterior doors are not locked, be aware that:

• The doors will lock at the scheduled time.
• A key should not be used to lock the doors because that will interrupt the schedule.

Those who have keys to interior doors in the church may keep those keys, but they are asked to inform April that they have such keys.

Questions about this new system should be emailed to April.

Our church sponsored one of the markers on the African American Heritage Trail in north-central Columbia. The marker commemorates the historic Douglass High School football field, four blocks west of Douglass High School.

A dedication ceremony was held on Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at the marker location at the corner of Oak Street and Unity Drive. UUCC Board of Trustees member and Social Action Team Chair Fred Young represented the church, and several other church members were present. Also attending were various city and county dignitaries, Sharp End Heritage Committee members, Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors, and alumni of the Douglass Bulldogs from the late 1950s.

In the slideshow below, click the right or left arrows to see other photos.

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 the UUSC has started a fund to support congregations as they welcome asylum-seekers into their communities and named it Dottie’s honor. The Dottie Mathews Congregation Action Fund will provide startup money to congregations who decide to take a leap of faith into immigrant justice work.

Jessica Sapalio, Dottie’s successor as CAPAS coordinator, made the announcement. Here are Jessica’s remarks:

I know that many of you are aware of the incredible dedication and many years of her life that Dottie has given to immigrant justice work and to designing the nationwide CAPAS program. Through her vision and the partnerships that she has built at many congregations and with many organizations, hundreds of asylum-seekers and families who were separated at the border have been met with welcome and solidarity in an otherwise dehumanizing process.

I first met Dottie when my congregation became interested in hosting a CAPAS program. New to immigrant justice work, we were so grateful for Dottie’s knowledge, guidance, and grace in helping us establish a local program to offer solidarity to asylum seekers, which is very similar to the amazing program that you run here under Dave and Allie’s leadership. In January of this year, I had the great honor of getting to try to follow in Dottie’s footsteps by becoming the CAPAS coordinator at UUSC to carry on the incredible program that she created. My daily mantra has become “What would Dottie do?”

In the meantime, I have become a huge fan of your congregation, often watching services remotely, so I was excited to accompany Rosie and Dottie here today, but I’m also here because the UUSC would like to officially honor the incredible contribution that Dottie has had to the immigrant justice field. Dottie, would you please come up?

Dottie is a true justice warrior who has changed the lives of so many involved in this program. In recognition of this, UUSC has started a fund to support congregations as they welcome asylum-seekers into their communities and named it in her honor. The Dottie Mathews Congregation Action Fund will provide start up money to congregations who decide to take a leap of faith into immigrant justice work.

We have also put together a book of messages from many CAPAS congregations, including yours, and partners throughout the country who wanted to express their gratitude.

I wanted to thank you all for having me today, for those of you who helped work on the surprise, and to Rev. Molly, who I am so sad to have missed. I wanted to send special love and thanks to Rosie who through her love has supported Dottie through this journey and therefore all of us, to all of you and your congregation for your commitment to supporting asylum seekers.

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.

There are Common Milkweeds that support traveling Monarchs, Baptisia that bloom with blue flowers above silver-leaved mounds, tall slender-stalked Grayhead Coneflowers, and bunches of fragrant Slender Mountain Mint. There are prairie grasses: Big Blue Stem with its turkey-track seed heads, dense clumps of Switch Grass that form airy panicles of seed, Indian Grass with golden plumes, bright orange-flowered Butterfly Weed, colonies of Ashy Sunflowers, Compass plants that point North and South, Obedient Plant, Rattlesnake Master, Goldenrod, Gum Plant, Blue Sage, Willow-leaved Sunflowers, and multiple species of Asters and Eupatoriums.

This meadow is the result of a human-driven transformation, part accidental and part intentional. When our UU forbears arrived and put up the building in 1969, the current meadow space was home to a woodland community. Then, in 1998 as we put on an addition, a big “bulldozer-oops” occurred, clearing a chunk of woods from the flat area and on down the hillside. We responded with attempts to help the land heal by nurturing a native, shrubby, woods-edge/hedgerow-type community on the hillside, with a native prairie plant community on the flat area that we now call our “meadow”.

Scientists use the words “disturbance” and “succession” in describing the transformation of ecosystems over time. In this particular instance, and so many others, we humans were careless disturbers. But disturbance in ecosystems is not always a bad thing. It can also be regenerative. Now, we are trying to work with natural succession and to steward the land toward health and abundance. We are attempting to partner with diverse life forms, all of whom we will never completely know, but whose basic roles and presence we can at least try to appreciate and support. We aspire to minimize our disturbance and to practice respectful nurturance of a healthy ecological community. Sometimes that requires active labor on our part, but it also asks of us an unhurried presence and an open mind toward recognizing and understanding all that this other-than-human community brings to us. There have certainly been many blunders along the way, but it is our hope that as we observe and learn from direct experience, and listen to naturalists and scientists, we are becoming more attuned to this plant community and are growing in solidarity with it.

It is the hope of our Grounds Team that those who spend time here will be touched by the presence of this rich multi-species community, and that they will return over and over to be connected with its rich transformative presence.

– Carol Arnold, Grounds Team member

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 can live for more than 300 years and are found throughout Missouri.

Shagbark Hickory – Its wood makes excellent, slow-burning charcoal, its nuts are edible, and its wood is used for many implements. Wildlife from moths to squirrels to bats appreciate shagbarks, too!

Sweet Gum – The star-shaped leaves of sweet gum become even more striking in the autumn, when they turn various shades of gold, red, pink, and purple, often on the same tree – sometimes even on the same leaf!

Ginkgo – A non-native tree, the ginkgo’s combination of resistance to disease, insect-resistant wood, and the ability to form aerial roots and sprouts makes it durable, with some specimens claimed to be more than 2,500 years old.

Explanations are courtesy of the Missouri Department of Conservation at https://mdc.mo.gov and also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginkgo_biloba.

Check out the Grounds Team. Submitted by Patty Daus.

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 previous Paypal portal, which is now inactive.

You can find complete details about the new system at https://uucomo.org/give.

As fewer people are using checks or carrying cash, we wanted to offer a safe, secure and convenient way to easily support our church through giving by text message or online.

As some of our members, friends and visitors are continuing to stream our worship services online, we hope this new system will be more convenient than mailing a check or using our previous Paypal portal.

Our new system will allow you to give using a credit/debit card or bank ACH transfer. The system will ask for your card or bank account information the first time you use it, and you can change that information later. You can use the system to give whenever your choose, and you can also set up automatic recurring gifts.

Our church will pay a small transaction fee to process online payments, but we feel the fee is well worth the convenience. If you choose, you will be able to cover that fee for the church when you make an online gift.

We believe these new tools will allow us to continue to serve you well. We want you to know we greatly appreciate you and your spirit of generosity as you continue to support UUCC and our mission of radical welcome and deep connection that moves us together to heal the world.

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 be ordered by email to Fran Reynolds. Pay on the UUCC donation page by selecting the “Other” option and specifying “Life Writers Anthology” as the purpose of the donation.

March is Women’s History Month. UU Life Writers will be writing stories about women who have been important to them, the church and the community. Everyone is welcome to join us on Zoom. We will meet March 6 and 20 at 10:30 a.m. For more information contact Fran.

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.

If you’ve been to services during the past couple of months, you have likely noticed a section of chairs in the back of the sanctuary topped with yellow pillowcases. This sunny addition was inspired by feedback we’d received from congregants who have fragrance and chemical sensitivities. These individuals had been unable to enjoy services because of the migraines, allergies, and other reactions caused by these products, which many of us don’t think twice about applying. While we can’t control what products each person uses before joining us for worship, we can create a space in which people who live with sensitivities or allergies to those products can, hopefully, be more comfortable and feel more radically welcome.

The AIM Team requests that the fragrance-free seating area be reserved for individuals who are not wearing perfumes or scented products. We thank you for your help with this step towards being more accessible to and inclusive of all members and guests.

– Gretchen Maune, Chair
Accessibility and Inclusion Ministry Team

After a two-year lapse in the availability of UUCC T-shirts, the UUCC Social Action Team now has three designs of T-shirts available for purchase at $20 apiece. The shirts are perfect for rallies and other activities and events. Look for them in the Greeting Area.

Some of the shirts feature the design that first became available in 2017 before the UUA General Assembly. On the front this design includes the official church logo and the church motto. On the back, it features the logo and the following words from our Mission Statement: “Courageous Love, Radical Welcome, Deep Connection – Healing the World.”

The other two designs are specific to the Social Action Team.

You can see the shirts in the photo slideshow below. Click the arrows to see the next or previous photo.

Our YRUU youth carried our church banner in the banner parade at the opening
session of the UUA General Assembly in Kansas City, Mo. on June 20. In the first part
of this short video, they are seen on their first pass through the convention hall.
After the transition, they are seen on their way out of the hall.

The Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly was held this year from June 20 to 24 in Kansas City, Mo. What is GA? It’s part inspiration and spiritual sustenance. It’s an opportunity to mingle with UUs from all over the country and some other countries and engage in issues important to our UU faith. But also, it’s a time to conduct a lot of the business of the association.

This year there were 2,814 registered attendees, including 134 youth. 522 congregations from all 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Mexico were represented by 1,570 delegates, including 199 off-site delegates.

Our voting delegates this year were Rev. Molly, Todd Iveson, Peter Holmes, Gretchen Maune, Connie Ordway, and Steve Scott. About 15 other members of our church also attended all or part of GA, and a number of them served as volunteers performing various tasks to keep the show running, in exchange for which they received free registration for GA. For example, Maria Oropallo and Kathie Bergman staffed an information booth to answer questions from attendees, and Larry Lile assisted with the tech staff that provided audio/video services.

The business of the General Assembly takes place in General Sessions. All registered attendees are welcome at these sessions, but only voting delegates can vote.

At the business sessions there was broad consensus for aggressively challenging the criminalization of migrants, people of color, and indigenous people. Delegates overwhelmingly selected “Undoing Intersectional White Supremacy” as a multiyear Congregational Study/Action Issue.

Delegates also endorsed three Actions of Immediate Witness, which all emphasize the urgency of supporting people of color and indigenous people. The first calls for congregational action to draw attention to predatory medical fees charged to incarcerated people, who are disproportionately people of color; the UUA’s Church of the Larger Fellowship developed the resolution in partnership with its 870 incarcerated members.

A second resolution pledged solidarity with indigenous “water protectors,” who have been fighting the placement of liquid natural gas pipelines near Native American lands and who face federal charges for disrupting construction of the pipelines.

The third resolution demanded immediate action to improve U.S. treatment of asylum seekers and migrant families to keep families together. Among other demands, the resolution advocates the abolition of Immigration Customs Enforcement “and the implementation of a system that understands the causes of migration, provides a non-carceral solution while asylum seekers await a decision on their case, and has a fundamental commitment to keeping families together.”

Delegates also approved a group of bylaw changes to bring the UUA’s governing document up to date with current understandings of gender diversity. A proposal introduced last year to change Unitarian Universalism’s “Second Source” from “words and deeds of prophetic women and men” to “words and deeds of prophetic people” passed easily.

A second bylaws amendment changed all gendered pronouns in the bylaws to the gender-inclusive “they/them/their.”

A third bylaws amendment will allow religious educators who are active members of the Liberal Religious Educators Association to serve as voting delegates at future GAs.

The assembly also approved bylaws changes adding two youth trustees to the 11 at-large trustees on the UUA Board of Trustees; allowing the role of moderator at GA to be filled by more than one person; modifying the length of terms of service on committees; and simplifying the social witness resolutions process.

Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray was selected by delegates as the first elected woman President of the Unitarian Universalist Association at the June 21-25 General Assembly in New Orleans. She had been the lead minister of the UU Congregation of Phoenix, Ariz., where she became well known for her work on behalf of immigrants, since 2008. Read more.

More than 4,000 UUs attended G.A., including some 1,800 delegates from more than 500 UU congregations. UUCC’s delegates were Rev. Molly Housh Gordon, Patty Daus, Tracey Milarsky, Jeanne and Dennis Murphy, and Gena and Steve Scott.

Also attending from UUCC were DRE Jamila Batchelder along with four YRUU members and one 9-year-old. The young people carried our UUCC banner in the banner parade at the opening celebration on June 21.

Our UUCC banner was carried by five of our young people in the banner parade at the Opening Celebration of the UUA General Assembly (G.A.) in New Orleans on June 21, 2017. In this short clip they are seen entering the Great Hall of the New Orleans Convention Center and later proceeding out of the hall.

Read more about the many important actions taken by delegates and the UUA Board of Trustees at G.A.