General Church News

Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024

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

Featured this Week

33 volunteers still needed for Loaves & Fishes this Sunday, Sept. 15

We still need 33 volunteers for our monthly third Sunday turn to serve the Loaves and Fishes evening meal this Sunday, Sept. 15, as follows:

4 volunteers to bring 20 servings of a meat item (ham, chicken, beef, pork, etc.)
5 volunteers to bring 20 servings of a rice or potato dish
6 volunteers to bring 20 servings of a vegetable (broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, etc.)
6 volunteers to bring 20 servings of cornbread
6 volunteers to bring 2 pies, 20 servings of cake, or 40 cookies
6 adult volunteers to set up, serve and clean up from 4 to 6:15 p.m.

Please sign up by clicking this button:

Sept. 15 Loaves & Fishes Signup

Please submit receipts for all food items, and some or all of your expenses may be reimbursed by the church. Email the Church Administrator to obtain the church’s sales tax exemption certificate to use when purchasing food for Loaves and Fishes. Both the volunteers providing food and those who will serve and clean up are asked to be at the Ashley Street Center,1509 Ashley St. (view map) between 4 and 4:15 p.m. The meal will be served at 4:30 p.m. Cleanup is expected to be complete by about 6:15 p.m.

For more information, email Fred Young or Gregg Suhler.

Chalice Circles signups now 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 hope you are well as we endure the final hot days of summer and begin turning toward the fall. 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 summer. We are seeing rent go up all over town, and utility costs are sky high as everyone tries to keep cool.

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 the dog days of summer the fund begins to grow lean… right 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

Beware – don’t go to our old website address!

Several years ago we changed our website address to https://uucomo.org. Every effort was made at that time to delete all references to the old address from the website, but we occasionally find one that was overlooked. We abandoned the old address about one year after changing to the new one.

One of our members recently found a link to the old website address, uuchurch.net, in a calendar entry. This resulted in the discovery that the old address was re-registered by someone operating what could be a malicious website that might attempt to download malware to your computer or smartphone. If you should happen to click on a link that goes to the old address, you should immediately close your browser and have your anti-malware application run a scan.

Check us out on the UUCC Facebook Group Page

Coming up Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024

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

The Forum Discussion Group started a new church year in September after a summer hiatus. On Sept. 15, Gregg Bush will present on his campaign running for the Missouri House of Representatives District 50 in November. Gregg is a member of UUCC and is the spouse of Iyesatu Kamara-Bush, the 2023-24 UUCC President. Gregg was a nurse at University Hospital who resigned to comply with MU’s regulation prohibiting employees from running for partisan office.

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

“Giving Love Flesh” – Rev. Dr. Molly Housh Gordon

UUs proclaim that “love is at the center” of our tradition, but it matters how we love, and it matters that our love be made tangible in the life of our community. How can we turn love into growing networks of real, embodied care?

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

After attending the first portion of the worship service, the children will gather together in one all-ages group to learn about the new UU statement of seven values. Free nursery care for infants to 3-year-olds will be available until 11:45 a.m. Read about our Youth Religious Education program.

4 to 6:15 p.m. – Loaves and Fishes Dinner – Ashley Street Center

Our Social Action Team organizes volunteers to provide the evening meal at the Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen on the third Sunday each month. Click the button below to sign up to prepare food for this meal and/or to help set up, serve, and clean up.

Sept. 15 Loaves & Fishes Signup

For more information, email Fred Young or Gregg Suhler.

Announcements

Sept. 14 R.E. training canceled; help requested

Posted on September 12, 2024

Due to the health issue of a family member, DRE Jamila Batchelder has canceled the religious education training session for volunteers that had been scheduled at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14. The training will either be rescheduled or presented online at a later date.

In the meantime, Jamila says there are three things congregants can do that will be a huge help:

If you are thinking about volunteering, please email Jamila. Volunteering is usually a five-Sunday commitment during the course of the whole 2024-2025 year, though you can certainly volunteer more (or less!). Volunteers can be teachers who lead the lesson (with all materials prepared in advance by Jamila), or aides who support the teacher in classroom management.
Please sign up for the Sundays you would like to volunteer here. It makes it exponentially easier for Jamila if you sign up well in advance. Jamila has not finished all the signup sheets yet, so if you are interested, email Jamila and she will get you the dates for volunteering very soon).
This upcoming Sunday, Sept. 15, all of the children will gather as one group to go over our new UU values statement. Jamila could really use a few more aides assisting her on Sunday.

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.

SAT announces Faith-to-Action recipients for 2024-25

Based on a review of nominations submitted by UUCC members and friends, our Social Action Team has selected the following 12 Faith-to-Action collection recipients for September 2024 through August 2025:

Boone County Community Bail Fund
Caring Hearts and Hands of Columbia
Children’s Grove Kindness Libraries
CoMo Bike Co-Op
First Chance for Children
Heart of Missouri Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
MICA Project (Migrant and Immigrant Community Action)
Minority Men’s Network Educational Foundation
Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty (MADP)
Pink Haven Coalition
UUCC Honduras Team
UUCC Sanctuary and Immigrant Justice Team

Read descriptions of the organizations. We have two Sundays per month when collections are 100% dedicated to the monthly FTA recipient. Collections on other Sundays are 100% dedicated to the church. Online donors can clearly distinguish between FTA donations and general UUCC support. Amounts collected are announced in our monthly newsletter.

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.

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.

Living Earth Meditation – 9 a.m. Saturdays

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

Junior Youth meeting – 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13

The Junior Youth group will meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13 at the church. All middle schoolers are invited to attend for pizza and games and to brainstorm what activities the group wants to do for the year ahead. RSVP by Wednesday, Sept. 11.

Men’s Group – 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 – 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.

RE Volunteer Training – 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 14

We are gearing up for our new year of religious education at UUCC, and we’re excited for our volunteers to meet, learn, connect, and share our collective wisdom.

Training for R.E. volunteers will take place at church from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 14. Whether you have been teaching for years or are getting involved for the first time, this training is worthwhile to attend. Breakfast and childcare will be provided. RSVP so we know how many to expect.

Book Discussion Group – 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 – online

The Book Discussion Group will meet to discuss books briefly that each has read. For information email Pam Springsteel.

Loaves and Fishes – 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15

Our Social Action Team needs volunteers to prepare servings of various dishes and other volunteers to serve the meal and clean up afterward.

The location of Loaves and Fishes is now the Ashley Street Center, 1509 Ashley St., behind the city power plant (view map). The meal time has also changed to 4:30 p.m.

Both the volunteers providing food and those who will serve and clean up are asked to be at the Ashley Street Center between 4 and 4:15 p.m. Cleanup is expected to be complete by about 6:15 p.m. Please sign up here.

You can also support this effort by making a donation to the church specifying “Loaves and Fishes Fund.” For more information, email Fred Young or Gregg Suhler.

Choir Rehearsals begin – 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18

Music Director Violet Vonder Haar has announced that weekly choir rehearsals at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays will begin on Sept. 18. All singers are welcome, regardless of experience level and vocal part.

UUCC Writer’s Group – 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21

The Writer’s Group meets from 10:30 a.m. to noon on the first and third Saturdays of the month to write and share at the church. For questions email Mary Herde.

Kaleidoscope Pagan gathering – 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21

M’bon the Second Harvest, and the Equinox. Once again, the Earth stands for just a moment in perfect balance, then ,as always, falls to the side, this time into darkness.

Gather with Kaleidoscope at 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21 at the church. We will join in ritual, followed by a finger food (i.e. simple snacks) potluck and friendship. All are welcome, no matter what their personal paths. For information, email Kaleidoscope leaders.

New Member Ingathering – during worship Sunday, Sept. 22

We periodically conduct a New Member Ingathering Ceremony during a worship service. The next ingathering will be held during worship on Sunday, Sept. 22. In this ceremony, new members sign the membership book and are introduced to the congregation. Then the new members and congregation join in the reading of our covenant. New members become eligible to vote on issues decided by the congregation 60 days after joining. Register to participate.

Read more about becoming a member of UUCC. If you have questions, email the Membership Team.

Milestones Circle – after worship Sunday, Sept. 22

The Rev. Dr. Molly Housh Gordon will facilitate the Sept. 22 meeting of the Milestones Circle, 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. The theme of the Sept. 22 meeting will be “maintaining sanity during the current political season.”

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, Sept. 28 – online