General Church News
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024
Featured this week
Coming up Sunday
Announcements
What’s happening soon?
Joys and sorrows
More activities
Featured this Week
Election concerns increase attendance, spark strategy brainstorming
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 this past 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.
Board of Trustees will meet tomorrow evening, Nov. 21
Our Board of Trustees will hold its regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 21. Per church bylaws, church members are welcome to attend and observe board meetings.
The board agenda and related documents are available on the password-protected Board Information page. For an overview of our church governance system, see the Governance Overview page.
Mission/Vision cottage meetings will resume in January
More than 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.
Check us out on the UUCC Facebook Group Page
Coming up Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024
9 a.m. – Forum Discussion Group – Lower Level-Forum Room/Library
The Forum Discussion Group is an adult issues-and-answers discussion program that meets from 9 to 10 a.m. each Sunday, September through May.
On Nov. 24, Becky Thompson, Director of the Columbia Housing and Neighborhood Services Department, will speak on the city’s efforts to create safe and affordable housing for Columbians.
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 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
“Bless It All” – All-Ages Harvest Celebration – Rev. Dr. Molly Housh Gordon and DRE Jamila Batchelder
Join us for our annual All-Ages Harvest Celebration service, when we give thanks for the abundance of our earth and respond with blessings for one another.
This year, we will also be holding a child dedication ceremony during this service of celebration. If you’d like to have your baby or young child dedicated or learn more about our child dedication ceremonies, send an email to Rev. Molly.
Online worship links – Zoom • Facebook
Submit Joys and Sorrows by 8:30 a.m. Sunday before worship:
Online Donation or Pledge Payment
Visitors participating in our online worship services are invited to fill out our Visitor Connection Card:
10:30 a.m. – Youth Religious Education – All-Ages Worship Service
Children and their families will join us for worship in the Sanctuary. Please welcome them. Free nursery care for infants to 3-year-olds will be available until 11:45 a.m. Read about our Youth Religious Education program.
11:30 a.m. – Coffee Hour – enjoy beverages and chat in the Greeting Area
Noon – Milestones Circle – Lower Level-Forum Room/Library
The Milestones Circle is an open, drop-in small group for older adults to meet, share thoughts and concerns on a prearranged topic, and receive support and friendship in a UU setting. The Nov. 24 topic will be “Making Choices for Our Living Arrangements as We Age.”
The group meets after the worship service on the fourth Sunday each month. Bring a brown bag lunch for yourself and explore the spirituality in your life! The schedule of meeting topics and materials for meetings are on the Milestones Circle Materials page. For more information, contact the church office at 573-442-5764 or by email, or contact Kathie Bergman at 573-999-3938 or by email.
Noon – Middle School Gaming – Lower Level-Centering Room
Middle school youth gather on the second and fourth Sundays each month to play Dungeons and Dragons.
Announcements
Chalice Circles signups open for 2024-25
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. Materials for Chalice Circle gatherings are posted on the Chalice Circles Materials page.
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!
Rev. Molly requests gifts to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund
Dear UU Churchers,
I am writing you with an invitation to support the community with a donation to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund, as many in Boone County struggle to make it through the lean time of late fall and early winter. We are seeing rent go up all over town, and heating costs will increase as the weather turns cold.
As you know, the Minister’s Discretionary Fund of our church allows me to offer confidential assistance to those struggling in systems that were not set up to help them thrive, and this summer I have been grateful to be able to pay directly for utility bills, groceries, partial rent, and emergency short term housing to keep folks from homelessness in the deadly heat. It is such a sacred honor to be the channel for your material care into our wider community, an honor I take very seriously.
We replenish our Discretionary fund every December at our Christmas Eve service, and by later in the year the fund dwindles just as more need is apparent. So, I’m reaching out to ask for your support. If you have a little extra to spare, I invite you to direct it to those in our community struggling to get by. You can donate to the Discretionary Fund by selecting “Minister’s Discretionary Fund” in the drop down menu of our secure online giving portal, or by sending a check to the church with Discretionary Fund in the memo line.
Thank you for your compassionate support!
– Rev. Molly
Sanctuary and Immigrant Justice Team seeks volunteer drivers
Our Guatemalan family continues to work toward independence. Our team of transportation volunteers is put to use only when Lilly has car trouble. The car that the Donaldson family so generously gave to Lilly is no longer dependable. With assistance from the team, she has purchased a more dependable vehicle. More dependable doesn’t mean totally dependable – it is quite used. Over the years that we have been assisting Lilly, our group of volunteers has dwindled considerably.
Although we have drivers for the afternoon, if the need arises we currently do not have enough morning drivers to reliably pick up Lilly and the children at 7:30 a.m. and take them to day care, school or the bus stop, and work by 8:30. If you are available and willing to volunteer to stand by for that morning transportation duty, please email Ruth Milledge.
Columbia Room at the Inn now open year-round
Our community partner Room at the Inn has now opened year-round at its permanent location in the former VFW building on Ashley Street. Read more.
The organizers still rely on volunteer help to keep the shelter staffed and running smoothly. Maybe you want to grab a friend, look at your calendars, and sign up for some shifts together soon? It’s getting coooold, and the need will be great! Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C49AFAA29ABF94-44559659-room#/
What’s happening soon?
Weekly and bi-weekly recurring events
Gentle Yoga with Karen Dwyer – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Gentle Yoga takes place at the church from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Fridays and from 6 to 7:15 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays (except the first Thursday each month). Additional information is available from Karen Dwyer, or contact the church office. There will be no yoga on Nov. 2.
Choir Rehearsals – Wednesday evenings
Choir rehearsals with Music Director Violet Vondar Haar take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday evenings in the Sanctuary at church. All singers are welcome, regardless of experience and vocal part.
Crafting Group – 1 to 3 p.m. Thursdays
The crafting group has resumed in-person meetings and now meets from 1 to 3 p.m. every Thursday in the Greeting Area. The group is recruiting new members and can help with any projects you may have. Beginners are welcome, and there is no hard commitment – come when you can. For more information, email Bonnie Johnson.
Living Earth Study Group – 9 a.m. first and third Saturdays
The Living Earth Study Group meets on first and third Saturdays from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at Show-Me Dharma, 1600 West Broadway. It is facilitated by Peter Holmes, Ph.D. and Jared Belden, M.A. Sign up to attend by email. When warm weather returns next spring, Living Earth Meditation will resume. It is facilitated by Peter Holmes, PhD, and Tricia Straub. Sign up to attend by email. The living earth study group and meditation programs are a joint project of UUCC, the Columbia Friends Meeting and Show-Me Dharma.
Scheduled events coming soon
Board of Trustees – 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21
Our Board of Trustees will hold its regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21. Per church bylaws, church members are welcome to attend and observe board meetings.
Men’s Group – 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 23 – 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.
Milestones Circle – noon Sunday, Nov. 24
The Milestones Circle is an open, drop-in small group for older adults to meet, share thoughts and concerns, and receive support and friendship in a UU setting. The group meets each month on the fourth Sunday after the worship service in the Forum Room/Library on the lower level of the church. Bring a brown bag lunch and help explore the spirituality in your life.
Are you a retiree or thinking of retiring? Transitioning into retirement is a process, and it may be scary at first, so share your concerns in the Milestones Circle. Expect it to take some time to make the transition – getting accustomed to retirement won’t happen overnight. And you may have different emotions during the transition, so don’t be hard on yourself or pressure yourself to feel a certain way immediately. Focus on you and what makes you happy. Retirement is a time to pursue your passions, build new routines and even a new identity. So do the things you love – spend time with family and friends, take up new hobbies and make new friends. Doing what makes you happy is key for a healthy, fulfilling retirement with a sense of purpose.
Milestones materials are available here. For more information, contact volunteer Kathie Bergman at 573-999-3938 or by email.
Men’s Group – 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 30 – 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 link 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.
You can submit joys and sorrows online by clicking this button: