Through the efforts of our Sanctuary Team, starting in April UUCC is helping sponsor a migrant family seeking asylum in the U.S. after fleeing violence in Honduras. Edler arrived first with his older daughter Gaby. Now his wife Yadira and younger daughter Alejandra have made it to the U.S. and the family has been reunited.
They have located an apartment near Gaby’s school and close to others who are helping support them. This involves setting up an entire household for four people from scratch. If you have any household items you would be able to donate to help them establish their new home, please go to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050e4eafa72da6fa7-house to indicate how you can help.
Beginning in June, Rev. Molly’s Community Office Hours will be held at Kaldi’s Coffee downtown on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (instead of Tuesdays).
Rev. Molly is also always happy to meet by appointment with members, visitors, newcomers and community partners. Regular office hours at church are 1-4 p.m. Tuesdays, but appointments can be scheduled on other days and at other times, including evenings and weekends.
Please do reach out if you’d like to chat about life, find your place in the church, process something difficult, find a listening ear, or discuss a project together!
You can schedule an appointment with Rev. Molly here.
Your Music Search Team has been hard at work this winter and spring. We have met some wonderful folks, sung together, and had some great conversations… but unfortunately we have not yet found our new Music Director.
After carefully preparing a job description using feedback from congregational conversations and the choir, we listed our position in February and were pleased to hear from some excellent applicants. In late March we conducted first-round interviews with a number of applicants and in April conducted several second-round interviews. However, for various personal reasons, in the end our most qualified applicants chose not to pursue work with our congregation.
So, we will be continuing our search. We believe that it is worthwhile to take the time to find a mutually enthusiastic fit, and we look forward to sharing our love of this congregation with a new batch of interested parties in the coming weeks.
Your Music Search Team,
Rev. Molly Housh Gordon, Kara Braudis, Pack Matthews,
Jamie Meadows, Neil Minturn and Jeanne Murphy
I am very pleased that we had a healthy turnout for our congregational meeting in May during which we passed our budget for next year, elected three new Board members, and participated in a productive workshop with Simon Oswald Architects (SOA), the architects for our future church renovations. Their objective was to gather information from members of the congregation through a “dotmocracy” activity that would help to prioritize the needs of the church. SOA felt that they gathered some very valuable information and they will continue to work with the Building Needs Task Force throughout the summer months and will eventually return to do another presentation at a congregational meeting in the fall.
It is important to keep a couple of things in mind. First, there is no final decision as yet regarding either a master plan or the aesthetic design. SOA will continue to work with us and gather information, and the congregation will have an opportunity next fall to review their recommendations for a master plan.
Second, we must each realize that none of us will get everything we want in this project. However, one of SOA’s strengths is helping us prioritize where we can get the most desired changes while making the best use of inevitably limited resources for our renovation project.
Your Board of Trustees is committed to strengthening the communication with the congregation as we progress with this project. Toward that end the board has decided to increase the size of the Building Needs Task Force to help with communication, including the development of visual charts to show where we are in all stages of the process. It really is an exciting time for our congregation, and I look forward to seeing the progress in the coming year.
Meanwhile, I will be moving from Board President to Past President and passing the baton to Mindy McPherson as of July 1. We are very fortunate to have Mindy as our President next year, and I look forward to working with her as we launch our capital campaign and work toward a master plan for our desired renovations.
Thanks to all for helping to make my time as President so rewarding.
Social Action Discourse: If you haven’t already done so, check out Kathie Bergman’s heartfelt report from the front lines of the refugee crisis in El Paso on the Social Action Discourse page. Caya Tanski and Wiley Miller also have essays posted here. Do you have a story to tell? Consider submitting an essay for this page. Contact Caya or Fred Young for details.
July 15 “Deadline” for Faith To Action nominations: The Social Action Team encourages you to submit your FTA nominations by July 15 for the 2019-2020 church year. You can still submit after this date, but priority will be given to applications received by July 15. You can find the information and application here.
Visioning the future: Most members of this congregation are involved as individuals in activities that might be called “social action.” What can we do as a church to project our values into the larger community and to inspire individual members of our congregation to be involved? The Social Action Team is currently exploring ideas for tangible projects that will engage our membership in meaningful social action. Ideas to date can be grouped into the general categories of caring for the homeless population and anti-racism. Projects can focus on deepening our congregation (e.g., seminars, workshops, training) or on impacting the larger community (e.g., Loaves and Fishes, tutoring).
Interested in being a part of this discussion? Join us at our next meeting at 12:30 p.m. June 2.
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
I have a love letter to my church for all the assistance you provided at the church garage sale. Thank you to the folks who asked me what they could help out with, to those who agreed to help when I asked ahead of time (and to those who wanted to help, but had other obligations), and to the folks who showed up on short notice when I started panicking about hauling off all of the left-overs, and of course to my Chalice Circle members who agreed to help with this large undertaking!
Thanks also to all the people who donated stuff and to folks who helped spread the word! (I know it sounds like a Oscar Award speech or something.)
I was so touched by the help you all gave! Together we helped people downsize and get rid of extra belongings, we helped people to reuse material, and we provided lots of free stuff for those who could not afford it and to various charities.
Additionally we raised $1,500 for the church. My heartfelt appreciation!
As a Sanctuary Team and as a Sanctuary Congregation, we currently do not have anyone living within our walls seeking sanctuary. However, our commitment to befriend and support migrants who are fleeing violence and untenable life circumstances in their home countries remains very strong. As many of you know, out of that commitment UUCC joined Kristine Smith and her family in April to help sponsor (host) Honduran asylum seeker Edler and his family.
Recently Rev. Dottie Mathews accompanied Edler to a visit with the family’s immigration attorney and gained valuable information about the next steps and how the family can be supported legally and otherwise over the coming months.
The asylum process is a very lengthy and expensive journey. Attorney fees and other related costs will be thousands of dollars, so we will be holding periodic fundraisers. Please mark your calendars for our next after-church lunch fundraiser featuring Honduran food and tamales on Aug. 11. You will have a chance to meet both the asylum seekers and the host family and learn more about the situation in Honduras and in our own country regarding immigrants and refugees.
For more information or to get involved, please email either one of the Sanctuary Team co-chairs, Rev. Dottie Mathews or Allie Gassmann.
About six months ago our internet address changed from https://uuchurch.net to https://uucomo.org. At that time we began redirecting staff and program emails ending in uuchurch.net to correponding addresses ending in uucomo.org. Because of a problem with spam emails, we recently canceled email redirection, with the result that emails sent to uuchurch.net addresses will not be received, and you may not receive a bounce message. If you recently sent a message to which you did not receive a reply, please resend it to the corresponding uucomo.org address.
Also, please update your email program’s address book to change all uuchurch.net email addresses to end in uucomo.org. Otherwise, auto-complete may result in your sending a message that won’t be received.
In addition to the email change, we also recently modified website redirection. In the past, if you went to https://uuchurch.net, you would automatically be redirected to the home page at https://uucomo.org. Now, instead, if you go to https://uuchurch.net, you will see a page advising that the address has changed and providing a link that will take you to the current home page. Please update your browser’s bookmarks/favorites list to the new correct address.
Our minister, the Rev. Molly Housh Gordon, warned congregants on Friday, May 10 that It appears email scammers are targeting our church and other Unitarian Universalist churches across the country. The scam involves using the names of staff members or church leaders with a Gmail address. The first email usually asks for urgent help, and if you reply, the scammer tends to ask for a gift card donation for a charitable cause.
The UUA’s MidAmerica Region has also issued a warning that UU churches have reported their members are receiving these scam emails and that at least one person has lost money to these scams. This scam is also targeting other religious denominations. Read more.
Rev. Molly asked our members and friends to remember that any emails from her will come from her email address ending “@uucomo.org” or through our email list showing an address of “Rev. Molly Housh Gordon via All.” She added, “If you are suspicious about any email from me at any time, please start a new email to me and ask about it. And I will NEVER email you asking for gift cards!”
Our members and friends also should be aware that UUCC only accepts online payments through this website on the Donations and Pledge Payments pages of this website and does not request gift card donations.
The UUA reports it has seen an increase in “phishing” attempts of all kinds. Phishing is a form of “social engineering” whereby a hacker with bad intentions sends an email (or text or phone call) pretending to be someone the recipient trusts and asks the recipient to take an action which can have adverse effects. Sometimes, they request money. Other times, they invite the recipient to click a link or open an attachment that can trigger malicious code.
A good rule of thumb with emails you’re not expecting is to:
Reach out to the sender through another channel such as a separate email, telephone call, or smartphone text message, and
Not click on a link (or send money, gift cards, etc.) without getting verification from a trusted source.
Is there a secular text that has shaped your thinking? A book, a poem or a lyric that is rich with meaning for your life? This summer’s lay-led preaching series will engage the secular sacred texts of our congregation, and we’d love to hear from you!
Available lay preaching dates are June 30, July 21, Aug. 4 and Aug. 18. Email our Worship Associates to claim a date! You’ll receive support from the Worship Associates in creating a well-crafted and meaningful service for our congregation. Prospective preachers are encouraged to attend the Secular Sacred Text Workshop that will be offered as a summer Adult RE class.
Spring has arrived, and spring worship services nourish us week after week. But fall is just around the corner, and with it… a new church year and a new set of Faith-to-Action (FTA) collections!
Accordingly, your Social Action Team has opened on-line nominations for FTA recipients for the 2019-20 church year – click the button below to go to the nomination form:
The team requests that nominations be submitted by July 15. Nominations submitted later may be considered if there is not a full set of recipients, but nominations submitted by July 15 will receive priority.
This is your chance to nominate an organization that reflects your UU values and brings good to our community.
Because the Annual Congregational Meeting is scheduled on May 5 when the Social Action Team would usually meet, the May meeting of the team has been moved to 3:30 p.m. Saturday April 27. After that, the next regular meeting will be at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, June 2. All are welcome at the team’s meetings.
On the fourth Sunday each month, the Green Sanctuary Team is sponsoring monthly walks to explore the beauty of local woods and creeks (Gans Creek, Three Creeks, and Mark Twain National Forest). Participating on March 24, 2019 were Kathie Bergman, Gerti Motivali, Roy Wheeler and Peter Holmes.
The next “Walk on the Wild Side” will take place on April 28. Meet at the church at 1:30 p.m. to shrug off your civilized self for a time and enjoy the peace of wild things. The walks are suitable for reasonably fit 10- to 70-year-olds. Children are very welcome. There will be plenty of stops along the way. For more information, email Peter Holmes.
Our Social Action Team encourages everyone to consider supporting the Community Bail Fund established by Race Matters, Friends. The group completed its first bail-out recently. Read more about the Bail Fund.
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.
The Social Action Team (SAT) has a variety of UUCC T-shirts available.
Allie Gassmann is one of the SAT members selling the shirts.
From left, Allie Gassmann, Caya Tanski and Fred Young modeled some of the shirts available.
Showing off their UUCC T-shirts, from left, were Caya Tanski, Sarah Wolcott, Allie Gassman, Desi Long, Joan Mudrick, Steve Mudrick and Andrew Twaddle.
Alan Arnold was a satisfied T-shirt customer.
Steve Mudrick modeled the front of his new T-shirt.
The Faith Voices of Columbia Moral Agenda 2019 was unveiled at a press conference on Feb. 4, 2019 and presented to the Columbia City Council the same evening. Read about the press conference and see a photo in The Columbia Missourian. Our minister, the Rev. Molly Housh Gordon, was one of the spokespersons for Faith Voices of Columbia.
We invite all church members and all friends who have an interest in social justice issues to join our Social Action Team to help us shape and strengthen our work.
There are five important aspects of UUCC Social Justice Work
Direct Service (e.g., Loaves and Fishes, Room at the Inn).
Fundraising (e.g., through Faith-to-Action offerings, fundraisers such as the Honduras Trivia Night, sales of artisan crafts, and more, to support social justice work).
Education (learning about systems of injustice, our role in them, and how to effect systemic change).
Advocacy and witness (e.g., work with Race Matters Friends, showing up at City Council, Solidarity Network events, working with Missouri Faith Voices, the Sanctuary Team, letters to congressional representatives, work with MADP, the Center Project, etc.)
Community building and deep connection (to sustain ourselves in the work, but also to create the world we want to see).
Besides joining the SAT itself, we encourage participation in any of our subcommittees or other teams such as the Sanctuary Team, the Missouri Faith Voices work, or the Green Sanctuary team. Together we create the change we want to see while being who we want to be in the world. We welcome your comments, suggestions – and of course action items.
The Social Action Team reviewed the applications for the twice-monthly Faith-to-Action Sunday service collections for the 2018-2019 church year. All of the applicants were determined to be aligned with the mission and vision of our church. Fortunately, we were able to accept all of these worthy applicants. Many thanks to the individuals who took the time to fill out applications for these organizations; your efforts will literally “pay off” for the deserving organizations that have been selected.
Here are those organizations, listed in no particular order:
Race Matters Friends
Humanity for Children
Hickman High School Amnesty International
Minority Men’s Network
Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
Centro para el Desarrollo Político, Educativo y Cultural (Puerto Rico grassroots recovery and development initiative)
First Chance for Children
Tiger Council of the Blind
Literacy Action Corps
Voluntary Action Center
City of Refuge
Centro Latino de Salud
UUCC Honduras Ministry
Welcome Home, Inc.
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
No More Deaths
Children’s Grove Kindness Libraries
The Center Project
In addition, members of the team feel strongly that the Rural Crisis Center and the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture should be considered for Faith-to-Action collections.
We are not suggesting this as the final, definitive list of Faith-to-Action recipients. Other organizations, such as the Festival of Sharing, or situational relief efforts that require a timely response, may be selected at the discretion of the minister. We intend to post information about each of these organizations, ideally in the week preceding each of their respective Sunday collections.
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There is plenty more “action” among Social Action Team members that is not covered here. I recently volunteered to direct communications concerning social action that our church is actively involved with and/or that individual members are passionate about and involved with. I am now starting the process of determining how best to accomplish that, via the SAT Facebook page, the UUCC Facebook page, the UUCC website, the monthly newsletter, the weekly news email, order of service announcement inserts, church bulletin board postings… did I miss anything?
I welcome your comments, suggestions – and of course action items – by email.
UUCC members and friends donated to and walked in the successful 2018 CROPwalk to raise funds for hunger relief in Columbia, the United States and the world. The Church World Service event took place at Stephens Lake Park on Sept. 23.
At last count more than $18,000 had been raised. One-fourth of the money will stay in Columbia and go to various food pantries, St. Francis House and the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture.
Thanks to all who donated and participated!
– Allie Gassmann, Social Action Team
Among UUCC CROPwalkers were, from left, Leila, Allie and Walter
Gassmann, Peter Holmes, Sibylle Hoeschele and Wiley Miller.
I am very pleased to introduce to you our next Church Administrator, Suzanne Clark.
Suzanne has recently returned to Columbia after a number of years residing near family in Rochester, NY. She spent the last 15 years working at Temple B’rith Kodesh, a Reform synagogue in Rochester, where she performed administrative duties as assistant executive director. Congregational life and the rewards of working with a community were main motivators for her in applying for the position with us. She is looking forward to meeting everyone and adjusting to a new working environment.
Suzanne will start Monday, Sept. 17, and work with retiring Administrator Kathie Bergman for the next two weeks learning the ropes. Kathie’s official retirement date is Sept. 30, although we are very grateful that she will remain available to Suzanne for a time for any questions that may come up.
Save the date for Sept. 30 after church to celebrate Kathie’s long and wonderful tenure, and get excited to welcome Suzanne warmly among us!
I am very pleased to introduce to you our new Intern Minister, Alexis, who will be working with us part-time for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 church years as a part of her formation as a Unitarian Universalist minister!
I am so excited for us to become a teaching congregation – I know that Alexis and we, the congregation, will learn so much from one another. Alexis will be here on Sunday for our Water Ceremony Ingathering to begin to meet you, and she will begin her work with us the following week. Please join me in giving her a warm UUCC welcome!
Alexis is a candidate with the Unitarian Universalist Association. She is starting her first year of part-time supervised ministry with us and her second year of seminary as a long-distance student at Phillips Theological Seminary, a progressive Disciples of Christ seminary in Tulsa, Okla. She lives in Jefferson City with her husband and their 10-year-old son.
Alexis has experience facilitating worship and small group ministry as a lay leader at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Jefferson City, speaks regularly at the Unitarian Church in Quincy, Ill., and is very grateful for the opportunity to learn from and serve this congregation.
Her introduction to Unitarian Universalism took place more than 10 years ago when she was invited to provide Religious Education for children and youth at the Quincy Unitarian Church while studying to become an English teacher. She knew she was in the right place after reading “Love is the spirit of this church….”
Alexis is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association, the Unitarian Universalist Membership Association of Membership Professionals, and attended Midwest Leadership School in 2016.
See you in Church!
Rev. Molly
[Note: Alexis’ last name is not published because of a privacy concern specific to her.]
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.
The mission of the Member Connect Program is to assist UUCC members and friends in finding their place in our church community through deeper connection, service, and spiritual exploration. To do this a team of connectors is available to have a conversation with every member of the church who is interested. These conversations will give members a chance to reflect on their spiritual journey, their connection with the church, and their level of involvement in church life.
If you would like to participate in a meeting with a connector or would like to volunteer to be a connector, email Peter Holmes or Rosie Geiser.
Rev. Molly lit the new chalice on Jan. 28 from a flame passed from the chalice made by Naoma Powell.
Our observance of the 67th anniversary of our church’s founding at worship services on Jan. 28, 2018 included dedication of a beautiful new metal chalice purchased and given to the church by a member couple.
The late Naoma Powell made the chalice we had been using since 2006 after the congregation’s previous chalice broke, and it was always intended to be temporary. Naoma’s chalice served us long and well, but was showing signs of wear. To protect this beloved artifact, it is being officially “retired” from active duty but will always have a place in our sanctuary and will still be used for special occasions.
The new chalice is larger and will be easier to see from all parts of the sanctuary, in keeping with the needs of our growing congregation. It was dedicated with Naoma’s own January 2006 words of dedication of the chalice now being retired:
Though chalice changes, the flame burns bright. Not holder, not cup but flame that offers light. Flame that lights the darkness. Flame, in its burning, illumines night. Flame, its double halo, bringing light to shadow, warmth to shade. Flame, re-igniting Constant.
Meet the Chalice Artist
Ryan Schmidt
Our new chalice that was dedicated at the Jan. 28 worship services was crafted by Ryan Schmidt, a metal artist based in Cumberland Gap, Tenn.
Ryan owned and managed a motorcycle repair shop in Kansas City before moving to Tennessee in 2015. Shortly after moving he met a neighbor, William Brock, a traditional blacksmith who taught Ryan the art of blacksmithing. Ryan’s passion is creating custom-made functional objects, ornamental ironwork, sculptures, and furniture. He is a member of several professional blacksmithing groups.
When Ryan is not creating art at his shop, Mitty’s Metal Art (https://www.mittysmetalart.com/), he likes to get out and explore the surrounding Appalachian region on his Harley or mountain bike. Ryan is not a UU but is familiar with our denomination through friends.
2. Sign in using your normal Amazon username and password.
3. Next you will see a screen with a box on the right asking you to “Select a charity.”
4. In the bottom of that box, where it says “Or pick your own charitable organization,” type “Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbia” in the box and click the “Search” button.
5. Next you will see a screen showing our church with the location listed as “Columbia MO,” and there may be other churches listed. Click the “Select” button next to our church’s name.
6. Finally, you will see another screen with a checkbox to indicate that you understand that you must always start at https://smile.amazon.com to support our church. After clicking the checkbox, you can click the “Start Shopping” button which will take you to the main Amazon screen.
A tutorial covering the above steps and including screenshots is available in a printable PDF.
In the future, always start your Amazon shopping at https://smile.amazon.com so that your purchases will benefit UUCC. You will find all the same Amazon products and prices there as regular Amazon.
Tip: If you have set up a bookmark or favorite for Amazon, be sure to change it to the new address.
Finally, don’t forget that you can also donate to UUCC when you do grocery shopping at Schnucks – read more.
UUCC was given an award recognizing our social action work and Rev. Molly’s exemplary leadership in social action – particularly our sanctuary work – at the annual dinner of Mid-Missouri Peaceworks on Saturday evening, Nov. 11, at the Missouri United Methodist Church.
Allie Gassman of our Social Action Team accepted the award on behalf of our church.
Allie said, “It was a great honor to be able to accept the award on behalf of our church – especially in the presence of all the seasoned activists in the room.”
The framed award certificate, shown in the photo below, is on display on the credenza in our Greeting Area.
Please welcome our new Sunday Morning Assistant, April Rodeghero, who began her work with us in October.
April is mother to a seven-year-old and to one-year-old twins. She has worked with MU Adventure Club, Missouri Afterschool Network and the Columbia Housing Authority. Now she works as a postpartum doula, supporting parents in their new roles. She has attended UUCC occasionally in the past year or so.
April will welcome your friendship and your help in the church kitchen – especially on potluck days for setup and cleanup! Please let’s show April our radical welcoming spirit!
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. Five of our young people lined up to carry our UUCC banner in the banner parade at the UUA General Assembly. See them in action in the video below.
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.
Our Social Action Team sponsors a food collection year-round for the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri.
Donations of canned meats and fish, stews, peanut butter and powdered milk are especially appreciated, but other non-perishable food items are welcome.
Help us to help individuals in need! If you wish to have a receipt for a tax deduction, talk to Suzanne Clark, church administrator.
Hover over the “Programs” menu and select “Schnucks Fundraising” from the drop-down menu.
Click on “eScrip” in number 2 under “How It Works.”
Fill in the form to become registered.
When you come to the choice of charities under “Select your school or nonprofit,” find “Unitarian Universalist-Columbia, Mo” in the drop-down list and click on the box to mark a check.
Then click Update.
That is all! Just keep your user name and password for the Schnuck’s website in case you wish to return to it. UUCC will get a little bonus every time you shop at Schnuck’s and show your My Schnucks card at the checkout.
Our