General Church News
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Featured this week
Coming up Sunday
Announcements
What’s happening soon?
Joys and sorrows
More activities
Featured this Week
Donations needed for ordination of George Grimm-Howell
From Rev. Molly Housh Gordon
I am writing because we are getting ready to celebrate our very first ordination in June as we co-ordain our beloved intern minister George Grimm-Howell to the UU ministry alongside the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis! This is an important and ancient ritual, a privilege and responsibility of congregations in our tradition, a beautiful celebration of and for George, and a celebration of our own work as a teaching congregation!
Please mark Saturday, June 8 at 2 p.m. on your calendars! The ordination ceremony will be held in St. Louis at the First Unitarian Church, George’s home congregation, with 
participation from our staff, intern committee, and board. It will also be live-streamed. We will be arranging a car-pool from the church, departing at 11:30 a.m., and we will also be live-streaming the ordination in our sanctuary for those who cannot or prefer not to travel.
One obligation and opportunity for the ordaining congregations is financial support of the ordination ceremony, gift, and reception, and I wanted to give you the opportunity to chip in to celebrate George! We are raising money for the Haney Fund for Ministerial Formation to support the ordination. If you’d like to contribute, choose Haney Fund in the drop down menu at https://uucomo.org/give/ or mail a check with “ordination” in the memo line! Any money raised beyond what is needed for the ordination will replenish the Haney fund to support future interns and ministers in formation!
The images at right are the front and back of an invitation to the ordination – gold on a black background with a lovely picture of George and containing the details I have shared here. Click the images to enlarge them.
Looking forward to celebrating with you!
Rev. Molly
2024-2025 Faith-to-Action nominations now being accepted
The UUCC Social Action Team is now accepting nominations for the Faith-to-Action collection recipients for September 2024 through August 2025. The team is requesting that nominations be submitted by July 1, 2024. If a full set of nominations has not been received by that time, the team will continue to consider nominations that come in later, but nominations made by July 1 will be given priority.
Any member of UUCC may submit a nomination.
Selection Criteria: Nominees may be local, regional, national, or international organizations, programs, or agencies that align with our church mission and vision. Preference will be given to local or regional efforts wherein members of the congregation have an ongoing working relationship. Three months are initially reserved for nominees that have not been FTA recipients within the past three years. These months will be released for other nominees after July 1 if there are no “new” nominees. Note also that, at this time, the Social Action Team intends to contribute directly to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, so no nomination of the UUSC is needed.
Nominations can be made online here or on paper – Word • PDF. The paper form contains instructions for submission and can also be obtained from the Church Administrator. There is also a button near the top of the home page that will take you to the online nomination form.
Check us out on the UUCC Facebook Group Page
Coming up Sunday, April 28, 2024
9 a.m. – Forum Discussion Group – Lower Level-Forum Room/Library
Dianna O’Brien will present on “Theaters Reflect Us: Changes in Society, Economy and Technology.” Read about Forum.
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
“A Just Transition” – Rev. Molly Housh Gordon
The climate and everything around us is changing. How do we ensure that the sea changes in our public life move us toward, rather than away, from a more just society?
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
Children will head to their classes after the ritual of stones and water. 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 – Greeting Area
If there is no coffee made, please feel free to make some and clean up after. Join the Hospitality Team by emailing Church Administrator April Rodeghero, or sign up here for a Sunday.
Noon – YRUU – Lower Level-YRUU Room
Members of our YRUU high school youth group will gather for their regular weekly meeting.
Noon – Milestones Circle – Lower Level-Centering Room
Older adulthood is a time to take stock of one’s journey and to affirm that which is of most importance. It can be a rich time in the lives of adults – a time when we are often open to new learning and discovery, a time of deepening friendships and relationships, a time of theological reflection as we explore questions of meaning and purpose. 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. We meet after the worship service on the 4th Sunday each month at noon in the Centering Room in the lower level of the church. Bring a brown bag lunch and help explore the spirituality in your life! For more information, contact volunteer Kathie Bergman at 573-999-3938 or by email.
Announcements
Help with immigrant transportation needed
As many of you know, UUCC is sponsoring a Guatemalan woman who is seeking asylum and her two children. We may need to help with their transportation to and from work and school in the mornings and afternoons while her car undergoes repairs. If you can help with this effort, should the need arise, contact Ruth Milledge by email or talk/text 573-268-9591.
Rev. Molly to lead UUA General Assembly Sunday Service in June
accompanied the UUA announcement
UUA President Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt has announced that Rev. Molly will lead the Sunday Service at General Assembly 2024, on Sunday, June 23 at noon Central Daylight Time.
The official announcement said, “A lifelong Unitarian Universalist from Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Rev. Molly Housh Gordon is the minister of the UU Church of Columbia, Missouri, where she is currently suing the state of Missouri for their unconstitutional abortion ban alongside 13 other multi-faith clergy co-plaintiffs. Molly is passionate about red-state UU ministry, community organizing, and mutual aid. In addition to her ministry and organizing work, Molly is a published essayist and poet completing a Doctor of Ministry in Creative Writing and Public Theology. Alongside her wonderful spouse, she is the delighted parent of two very fierce young children and one very chill old dog.”
Rev. Molly said, “I am extremely honored and delighted to share with you that UUA President Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt has invited me to be this year’s General Assembly Sunday Morning Preacher. This is a once-in-a-lifetime honor for UU ministers, and I have gladly accepted her invitation. General Assembly is online-only this year, so I will have the opportunity to showcase our staff members and some of the online worship skills we picked up during COVID. I will be preparing and prerecording the service this spring, and it will then be live-streamed by UU congregations across the country on Sunday, June 23.”
Help UUCC when you sell on EBay or Facebook
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.
Intern Minister to be ordained June 8
First Unitarian Church of St. Louis, 5007 Waterman Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 8 to attend a joint ordination service offered by the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis and the UU Church of Columbia. The service will be at 2 p.m. at First Unitarian in St. Louis and may be attended either in person or online. George is a long-time member of First Unitarian, a former intern minister at UUCC, and currently serves the UU Fellowship of Jefferson City one Sunday a month. More details, including the link to the online service, will be provided in May.
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 – 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays
Our choir rehearses in the Sanctuary from 7 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday. For more information, email Violet Vonder Haar, Director of Music Ministry.
Living Earth Meditation – 9 a.m. Saturdays starting April 6
Facilitated by Peter Holmes, PhD, and Tricia Straub. Meditation to awaken inter-connection with the earth, ourselves and each other. Sign up to attend by email.
Scheduled events coming soon
Men’s Group – 8:30 a.m. April 27 – 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.
Kaleidoscope Pagan Gathering – 6 p.m. April 27, 2024
Kaleidoscope invites you ti join us as we celebrate Beltane, better known to most of you as May Day. We used to weave paper baskets, fill them with dandelions, and hang them on peoples’ doors. Do you remember? Celebrate fertility, and joy, and (at last) fresh greens to eat. Gather with us on Saturday, April 27, at 6 p.m. at the church. We will join in ritual, followed by a potluck and friendship. All are welcome, no matter what their personal paths.
Milestones Circle – noon April 28
Older adulthood is a time to take stock of one’s journey and to affirm that which is of most importance. It can be a rich time in the lives of adults – a time when we are often open to new learning and discovery, a time of deepening friendships and relationships, a time of theological reflection as we explore questions of meaning and purpose. 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. We meet after the worship service on the 4th Sunday each month at noon in the Centering Room in the lower level of the church. Bring a brown bag lunch and help explore the spirituality in your life! For more information, contact volunteer Kathie Bergman at 573-999-3938 or by email.
Annual Congregational Meeting – after worship May 19
The Annual Congregational Meeting will be held after worship on Sunday, May 19. The two items of business always on the agenda for this meeting are election of new members of the Board of Trustees and approval of the next fiscal year’s operating budget. This year there will be at least one more item on the agenda – endorsement of the ordination of our former Intern Minister, George Grimm-Howell.
Ordination of George Grimm-Howell – June 8
Intern Minister George Grimm-Howell, whose internship with us ended Dec. 31, will be ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 8, 2024 at First Unitarian Church of St. Louis, 5007 Waterman Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63108.
The ordination service will be co-hosted by First Unitarian, George’s home church, and UUCC. All UUCC members are invited to attend. The ordination also will be live-streamed for those who cannot attend in person. After ordination, George will at long last become “Rev. George.”
Basics of Estate Planning – after worship on Sunday, June 9
Join our Water Bearer Society after worship on Sunday, June 9 in the Centering Room for “Basics of Estate Planning,” brought to you by our Planned Giving Team and presented by Dean McCullar, CFP, VP and Financial Advisor with Central Investment Advisors, a unit of Central Bank.
As suggested by the title, Dean will discuss the elements of estate planning, and the benefits of putting even the most basic and simple plan in place, sooner than later. And, perhaps answer questions such as: “Do I really NEED a will?”, “What is a ‘health care proxy’?”, and maybe clear up some of the common misconceptions about estate planning.
As you consider your legacy, a planned gift to UUCC helps to water the roots laid down by our founders for future generations. Find out how that is possible with this presentation.
All are welcome to attend. So that we may ensure sufficient seating is available, please let us know you will attend by emailing Kevin McKiernan.
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: