Weekly News Update

General Church News

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026

Featured this week
Coming up Sunday
Announcements
What’s happening soon?
Joys and sorrows
More activities

Featured this Week

FOWF Team “Dinner & Book Club” planned this Friday, Feb. 27

Would you like to spend an evening chatting about mutual aid over a freshly cooked meal of rice and beans?

Please join our Finding Our Way Forward Team at the church this Friday evening, Feb. 27 for dinner and a lively discussion of Dean Spade’s book Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next).

We’ll begin cooking a communal vegan meal of rice and beans (with some extras) at 5:30 p.m. You can come then to help cook or arrive at 6:30 with your appetite and curiosity about the book.

For anyone who would like a digital copy of the book, here are two links to the full text, available free to all with the author’s permission:

Feel free to spread the word and to personally invite others to join us if you like.

RSVPs are appreciated. Please email the FOWF Team at wayforward@uucomo.org to RSVP or ask questions.

FOWF Team members are James Gordon, Dottie Mathews, Lindsey Saunders, Mark Price and Kim Wade.

“Constitutional Observer” training scheduled at UUCC March 1

Would you like to be prepared to protect your neighbors by bearing witness to their rights (and ours) in the case of an ICE encounter? Join us in the Sanctuary at UUCC at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 1 for a “Constitutional Observer” training hosted by UUCC and provided by COMO Neighborhood Watch.

This is an initial training, with opportunities to sign up for more in-depth training in the future. There is an attendance cap of 40 for the first training, and we hope to expand future trainings as needed.

Please register at this dual-end encrypted link so that we can keep track of our numbers. You will receive a reply informing you whether we have a spot for you in this first training or you are on the wait-list for a training in the near future.

Help us build a time capsule to be opened in 2101

Jeanne Murphy and Lisa Fritsche are spearheading a project to build a time capsule to be opened on UUCC’s 150th anniversary in 2101.

Would you like to include a letter to our future congregation about your experiences at UUCC in the 20th and 21st centuries? Please write or type a one-page note on acid-free paper and bring it to church, or email it to timecapsule@uucomo.org and we will print it out for you.

Please get your thoughts to the Time Capsule Team by Sunday, March 29 so it can be included.

Check us out on the UUCC Facebook Group Page

Coming up Sunday, March 1, 2026

For Forum meetings, meditation and worship,
drop-in childcare is provided. No reservation needed.

9 a.m. – Forum Discussion Group – Lower Level-Forum Room/Library

The Forum Discussion Group meets at 9 a.m. most Sundays from September through May except holiday weekends. On March 1 Sarah Catlin, School of Service and Access Arts Director, will discuss the School of Service and its activities. The School of Service was started by the late Naoma Powell, a longtime member of UUCC. The program began in 1971 in Naoma’s home, now has three buildings plus a gallery, and also has six artists in residence.

9 a.m. – Mindfulness Meditation – Fire Circle or Lower Level-Centering Room

Mindfulness Meditation takes place at 9 a.m. every Sunday. Beginners and experienced meditators are welcome. If the outside temperature is 55° F. or higher and weather permits, meditation will take place at the Fire Circle behind the church. Otherwise, meditation will be in the Lower Level-Centering Room. For more information, email Anna Lingo or Susan Pereira.

10:30 a.m. – Worship Service – Sanctuary

“The Revolution Will Feed People” – Rev. Dr. Molly Housh Gordon

One of the lessons we learn from resistance movements from Minneapolis to Chicago to global freedom struggle movements is the power and necessity of persistent acts of care for neighbor. Together, we can rebuild the culture of neighboring that empire and capital have worked so hard to destroy.

Online worship links – Zoom • Facebook

Submit Joys and Sorrows by 8:30 a.m. Sunday before worship:

Joys and Sorrows Submission

Online Donation or Pledge Payment

Visitors participating in our online worship services
are invited to fill out our Visitor Connection Card:

Visitor Connection Card

10:30 a.m. – Youth Religious Education – Service Sunday – Lower Level

After a centering time in the Sanctuary at the beginning of worship, the children will go downstairs for a Service Sunday project. Free nursery care for infants to 3-year-olds will be available until 11:45 a.m. Read about our Youth Religious Education program.

After Worship – Coffee Hour – Greeting Area

Enjoy beverages and conversation in the Greeting Area after worship.

Noon – First Sunday Potluck – Greeting Area and Sanctuary

Please bring a main dish, side dish or dessert if you are able, and please stay if you can’t because there’s always plenty of food to go around. To accommodate those with dietary restrictions, please provide a complete ingredient list for your food contribution and indicate whether it is dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, vegan and/or vegetarian. Go here for a fillable PDF form for your contribution.

Also, please help set up the Sanctuary for the potluck and stay after to help clean up and return the Sanctuary to normal order. Many hands make light work!

Noon – YRUU – Lower Level-YRUU Room

Members of YRUU, our high school youth group, will gather for the regular weekly meeting.

1 p.m. – Mapping Session – Sanctuary

Following up on her “Diverse Economies” workshops the first two Sundays in February, Rev. Jordinn Nelson Long, our visiting research minister, will lead a “Mapping Session” after potluck. A second mapping session will be held after worship on March 15. In her Feb. 8 sermon, Rev. Long said, “…the solutions that count for the real problems of how we will build and live into a resilient, peer-centering community of wide-scale thriving – those solutions are mostly local.”

4 p.m. – Social Action Team – online

Our Social Action Team will hold its regular monthly meeting via Zoom at 4 p.m. instead of the usual 1:30 p.m. time because of conflict with the “Mapping Session” at 1 p.m. All are welcome to participate. For information email the team’s chair, Fred Young.

Announcements

Rev. Molly announces sabbatical – and her first book

Rev. Molly has announced her upcoming sabbatical and her first published book:

I am writing to announce an upcoming sabbatical for summer/fall of 2026, at the end of my 14th year of service to the UU Church of Columbia and before the beginning of my 15th.

Sabbatical is intended to be a time of rejuvenation and re-inspiration for congregation and minister alike, so that we can continue our work together with renewed clarity and energy. UU ministers earn one month of sabbatical per year of service and can accrue up to eight months. A sabbatical may be taken after five years of service.

I plan to take a four-month sabbatical starting in May 2026, but I will be splitting off one month of that time to take in October 2026.

Here’s why…

In Fall 2026, my first picture book will come out from Skinner House Press! Dance Together, Spin Apart is a lyrical exploration of mortality, grounded in particle physics. It gives children and parents a beautiful image of our cosmic reunion with all that is, alongside plenty of wonder and mystery. I have shared the text before from the pulpit, and I am excited for you to see the beautiful art the illustrator has created. We will have a launch party for the book once it’s out, and then I’ll be taking it (briefly) on the road!

In order to allow for a refreshing sabbatical, a good church year start up in 2026, and a small book tour, I will be taking my sabbatical in two parts.

First, I will be away from May 4 to Aug. 3, 2026 for the more traditional sabbatical time – tackling a new writing project and traveling with my family. I will return Aug. 3 to work with leaders and staff to plan and launch the 2026-2027 church year.

Then, I will be away for another 3-4 weeks in October 2026, traveling to UU churches and bookstores around the country to launch my book.

This congregation has already had one very successful experience with sabbatical during my tenure, when we partnered with the late Rev. Dr. CW Dawson, of blessed memory, to lead us through my 2020 sabbatical (delayed to 2021 by Covid-19).

This time around, I am delighted to share that our sabbatical ministry will be led by our amazing Intern Minister, Monica Clark-Robinson, who has agreed to stay on with us through July. We’ll share more details about Monica’s sabbatical ministry this spring.

If you have any questions for me about sabbatical, my plans, or my book, please don’t hesitate to ask! I am grateful to share this ministry with you.

See you in church,
Rev. Molly

Chalice Circles signups still open

Need community? We’ve got you.

Being in community might just be the most important thing we can do right now for ourselves and for each other.

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

These 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 eight or nine sessions, though some chalice groups may elect to continue in some form over the summer. Groups will meet once or twice a month for one and one-half hours, from September or October 2025 to May 2026.

You can learn more here or go ahead and sign up here!

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!

With Gratitude,
Crystal Buffaloe, Gretchen Maune and Rev. Molly

“Coming Back to Life” programs planned on Saturdays

UUCC members and friends are invited to share their care for the earth and engage in relational and earth mindfulness practices in these sessions that will take place from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturdays beginning Nov. 1.

“Living Earth Dialogos” will take place on first and third Saturdays at Show Me Dharma, 1600 East Broadway. Read more about what is planned.

“The Work that Reconnects” will take place on second and fourth Saturdays at UUCC. Read more about what will be covered.

You can sign up for these programs and ask questions by emailing livingearth1400@gmail.com. The sponsors are UUCC, Show Me Dharma and Columbia Friends Meeting.

What’s happening soon?

Weekly and bi-weekly recurring events

Choir Rehearsals – 7 p.m. Wednesdays

The UUCC Choir rehearses at 7 p.m. Wednesdays in the Sanctuary. If you are interested in joining the choir, click the button below to learn more and to sign up.

Choir Info & Signup

Gentle Yoga with Karen Dwyer – Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays

Gentle Yoga is offered at the church:

- 10 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Fridays
- 6 to 7:15 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays

Additional information is available from Karen Dwyer, or contact the church office.

Crafting Group – 1 p.m. Thursdays

The crafting group meets from 1 to 3 p.m. every Thursday in the Greeting Area from September through May. For more information, email Bonnie Johnson.

Sacred Song Circle with Violet Vonder Haar – 6:30 p.m. Thursdays- To start again this Spring

Join Violet for group singing. No experience or RSVP required. Just come join the group and sing. Sacred Song Circles are held on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. except the first Thursday of each month and on holidays. If you are interested in participating, please sign up here for the weekly email. The Sacred Songs program is co-sponsored by UUCC and Compass Inc. For questions, contact Violet by email.

“Coming Back to Life” – 9 a.m. Saturdays

A collaborative program of UUCC and two other faith groups will offer a “Coming Back to Life” series of programs on Saturday mornings from November through March with a theme of “Empowerment in the Fact of Planetary Suffering.” UUCC members and friends are invited to share their care for the earth and engage in relational and earth mindfulness practices in these sessions that will take place from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturdays beginning Nov. 1.

- “Living Earth Dialogos” will take place on first and third Saturdays at Show Me Dharma, 1600 East Broadway. Read more about what is planned.
- “The Work that Reconnects” will take place on second and fourth Saturdays at UUCC. Read more about what will be covered.

You can sign up for these programs and ask questions by emailing livingearth1400@gmail.com. The sponsors are UUCC, Show Me Dharma and Columbia Friends Meeting.

Scheduled events coming soon

FOWF Team “Dinner & Book Club” – 5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27 to cook, 6:30 p.m. to eat

The Finding Our Way Forward Team plans another “Dinner and Book Club” on Friday evening, Feb. 27. A communal meal will be prepared. Cooking will start at 5:30 p.m. You can come then to help cook or arrive at 6:30 with your appetite and curiosity. The book to be discussed is Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis and the Next by Dean Spade. RSVP and ask questions by email to the FOWF Team. Childcare will be provided if requested.

Men’s Group – 8:30 a.m. Feb. 28 – online

The UUCC Men’s Group meets online via Zoom on the second, fourth, and fifth Saturdays of each month. For more information, contact Wiley Miller at 573-864-8574 or by email.

Joys and sorrows

You can read the Joys and sorrows shared with the congregation by clicking the button below. The page is also accessible from the Members/Friends drop-down menu. The Joys and Sorrows page is password-protected, so you must be logged in as a registered user of our site to see it. If you have not already registered, you can do so here.

Read Joys and Sorrows

You can submit joys and sorrows online by clicking this button:

Submit Joys and Sorrows

More activities

View Online Calendar

View Upcoming Events Page