12/21/2014 This morning, Rev. Nancy reminded us how people have always understood this season in story.  Today in the US, many point to one particular story of the reason for this season (and many more define ourselves in part by how we view that story).  However, there is a rich, diverse history throughout the world…

12/14/2014 At our service this morning, Rev. Mike and Patt Behler got us into the holiday spirit, singing lots of Christmas Carols.  Some of them were childish and some were overtly Christian, but it was an opportunity to reconnect with the holidays’ childhood sense of fun, and perhaps to reconnect too with some of the…

12/7/2014 This morning, Kathlene Woodruff of the local YMCA addressed our Fellowship about the work of her organization, particularly their Respite Care events, which provide a safe, supervised place for foster children and give their foster parents some needed time for themselves.  Although “YMCA” stands for “Young Men’s Christian Association,” through its long history the…

12/1/2014 Sunday morning, Courtney Waters, Teen Librarian of Missouri River Regional Library, visited us to talk about Banned Books.  Thankfully we don’t live in a country where books are banned nationwide, and even the local bannings that remove books from schools and libraries are not very commonly enacted (although they are very commonly proposed).  So…

11/23/2014 This morning, Katherine Connor led a special service and our own Alexis Engelbrecht-Villafañe delivered a message based on the quote, familiar from Theodore Parker down to Martin Luther King: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” A glimpse of such a majestic arc can comfort us in times…

11/23/2014 This morning, Katherine Connor led a special service and our own Alexis Engelbrecht-Villafañe delivered a message based on the quote, familiar from Theodore Parker down to Martin Luther King: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” A glimpse of such a majestic arc can comfort us in times…

11/16/2014 Today, Rev. Mike Adamek brought us a message about the ways we relate to the past, history, and tradition. He argued that there is a crucial difference between Memory that engages the complexity of the past to inform a living present, and Nostalgia that flattens the past into simplistic images and imposes those images…

11/3/2014 We had a great turnout Sunday morning for our Adult Forum, where we discussed issues and races in the coming election. Maybe we were a little too much “of like mind,” but we still found we had a lot to teach each other, and I’m glad everyone enjoyed coming together to help each other…

10/26/2014 This morning, Bob Boldt led our Adult Forum in reflections on the Day of the Dead. The observance calls on us not only to remember those who have gone before us and the loved ones we’ve lost, but to get beyond our fears and our impulses to pretend it away and remember death as…

10/19/2014 Today, we were reminded of our UU commitment to flexibility and open-mindedness — our speaker canceled at the last minute. However, our own Katherine Connor graciously stepped up and read us a sermon by Rev. Jane Rzepka, a crash course in UU history. Modern UUs draw on diverse traditions that taught the unity of…

10/12/2014 Today, UUFJC hosted Rev. John Bennett and Rev. WT Edmonson for a dialogue on racial justice. They spoke about their backgrounds — one grew up in an all-white “sundown town,” the other watched white neighbors abandon the local school after integration — and about experiences that shaped their commitment to social justice. They reminded…

10/5/2014 Today, Rev. Mike brought us a message whose title tells the story: “Tough-Minded Optimists are Needed Now.” Our stereotype of optimists is of naive Pollyannas who always look on the bright side, but Rev. Mike argued that a truer picture is of optimists as problem solvers — it’s not that they see nothing wrong,…

9/28/2014 This week, Tom Durkin was here from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office to talk about Missouri’s Sunshine Law and the importance of providing open access to public proceedings to secure citizens’ rights and build their trust.  The law applies to public bodies, but represents a standard of good practice for private organizations as well. …

9/21/2014 Today, Rev. Mike brought us a message about the increasing militarization of police forces throughout the US, both in tactics and in equipment.  The results can be frightening for the health of our communities and for our civil rights, as we have recently learned once again from the events in Ferguson, Missouri.  However, pitting…

9/15/2014 This Sunday, educator Lorie Steele spoke to our Fellowship about Montessori Education, which Wikipedia describes as “an educational approach developed by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori and characterized by an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological, physical, and social development.”  Lorie’s description of the mixed-age environment…

9/7/2014 This Sunday was our annual Water Communion.  With the summer travel season wrapping up, we gathered our members and friends back to our Fellowship home bearing water from many moments and places, and we brought the water together on our altar to mark another year in our Fellowship’s journey together. This week, our Fellowship…

8/25/2014 Our members continued to watch events unfold in Ferguson, Missouri last week, and in our service Sunday we remembered that beyond looking at the events there and the wider patterns of racism and politics they represent, we must look to our own community.  Kevin Rome, President of Lincoln University, addressed the Fellowship and was…

8/10/2014 This morning, our own Don Love brought us a message about his experience in Unitarian Universalist Religious Education in the 1950s.  Some of the lessons have stayed with him to this day, like a lesson about the story of the Blind Men and the Elephant.  A story from another culture highlighted a universal truth:…

8/3/2014 Dear UUFJC Members and Friends, This morning, Rev. Nancy brought our attention to the “Verdant, Chaotic Green” of the Summer season and recalled the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, who called us to be truly alive to the wonder of the world around us. Part of being alive to that wonder is being mindful…

8/31/2014 At our service this morning, Seth Bauman of the Missouri Juvenile Justice Association addressed the Fellowship on the ways our juvenile justice system disproportionately impacts youth of color.  People are doing good work, moving the system toward a focus on restoration and rehabilitation, but progress is needed at every stage of the process, from…

7/27/2014 Today, our own Betty Cooper traced for us the idea of justice, from Plato’s justice in ancient Greece to today’s movement toward Restorative Justice.  How can we acknowledge harms done and obligations owed while moving both victim and offender toward wholeness in a healed community? UUFJC News and Events this week: The August Newsletter…

7/20/2014 Today, Rev. Mike brought us a message about Jeremiah, who is remembered as a major Hebrew prophet despite being unpopular in his own day.  He told the people of Judea just what they didn’t want to hear — about how they failed the most vulnerable among them, about whether their political strategies were workable.…

7/14/2014 Yesterday, both our Forum led by Bob Boldt and our Sunday message by Don Love focused on the German philosopher Hannah Arendt.  Arendt is most famous for the idea of “The Banality of Evil,” developed in response to the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann.  Eichmann argued (truly or not) that he was…

7/6/2014 Today, Rev. Nancy brought us a message for Independence Day weekend, when we celebrate America as a land of liberty and justice.  Nancy asked which comes first, the liberty or the justice, and concluded that they are always intertwined.  To truly follow them in their conjoined spiral dance, we must look beyond liberty and…

6/23/2014 Yesterday, our own Jim Davis brought us a message about the fascinating history of University City, Missouri (a suburb of St. Louis) and its founder, Edward Gardner Lewis (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Gardner_Lewis).  Lewis published a magazine for women and founded the American Woman’s League, as well as an Art Academy, People’s University, and a mail-order People’s Bank.…

6/15/2014 Today, we had a potluck celebration to say goodbye to the Ordway family, who have been a part of our Fellowship community for many years and now are moving away.  We wish them the best in their new home and new work, and we look forward to the times when they can come back…

6/9/2014 Yesterday, Michael Lester visited us from The NEEED Project to talk about Heart of Missouri Gardens and their general mission to find local solutions for “Nutrition, Energy, Environment and Economic Development.”  The organization is working on providing fresh, wholesome food for local charities — the Senior Center is already getting a taste — and even fighting Global Warming,…

6/1/2014 Usually I take this space to recap the message from service, but this week I wanted to talk about the Adult Forum we had this morning.  Bob Boldt led us and some guests in a forum focused on poetry.  Several of us brought poems to read aloud, from the universal spiritual themes of Khalil…

5/26/2014 Yesterday we held our service at Memorial Park pavilion to enjoy the beautiful weather and delicious food, including cookout fare from some of our grillmaster members.  In such leisurely surroundings, Rev. Mike brought us a message about the paradox of action and contemplation; we feel like we have to do one or the other…

5/19/2014 Yesterday our members came together to live out the 5th Unitarian Principle (the one about democratic process etc.) with our Annual Business Meeting.  We adopted resolutions supporting marijuana decriminalization and a constitutional amendment to reclaim elections from corporate money.  We also elected a new slate of officers, so say hello to your 2014-2015 Board…

5/4/2014 May is upon us, and despite some frost earlier in the week, today we could feel the weather wandering toward Summer.  ‘Tis the season for lawn and garden dreams, which Rev. Nancy used in her message this morning as a view into into our dreams and plans in general.  We need, she said, to…

4/28/2014 Yesterday, Rev. Cliff Cain visited us again with reflections on Holocaust Remembrance Day.  We must never forget the horror of the Nazi genocide against Jews, Gypsies, and others, and we mustn’t forget the enabling role of the church and academia in the atrocities.  However, these traditions can also give us the tools to respond…

4/14/2014 Yesterday, on the eve of Passover, Jason Bright came to speak to us about the Jewish holiday and about the ritual Seder meal.  He said that Passover celebrates not just the historical Exodus of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, but the more universal exodus of the soul from the slavery of restrained consciousness…

4/6/2014 After three months of terrible luck with the weather, we finally got to hear Rev. Nancy’s voice in the message again this morning.  She returned with thoughts about Solitude and Community.  Being alone doesn’t guarantee solitude, and being together doesn’t guarantee community; even when alone, we can find plenty to fill our minds and…

3/23/2014 At our service today, our Social Action Committee Chair Sue Gibson and Mickey Belosi shared their concerns about the legal issues of corporate personhood and money as free speech; when corporations are given the same rights as people but have vastly more resources and strictly profit-driven aims, they warp our political playing field.  Sue…

3/16/2014 Well, we were supposed to have a potluck and our annual financial planning meeting after service today, but the Winter that Wouldn’t Die had other plans.  Many of us stayed home, and the brave souls who ventured out seemed to forget about business, although we did have a good potluck (so at least we have…

3/9/2014 It was good to be back today after losing yet another Sunday to the Winter that just won’t end, and it was especially good to come back for another message from Dr. Cliff Cain.  His topic was “Is Religion Good or Bad?”  Any of us of course can think of historical examples on either…

3/2/2014 Our Services this morning are canceled due to inclement weather.  Stay safe and warm, and take extra care if you have to be on the roads. Be alert for cancellations of other coming events this week: UUFJC News and Events this week: We’ve opened our Fellowship building to Keeping it Real, a Narcotics Anonymous…

3/31/2014 Yesterday, we honored Women’s History Month.  With so many amazing historical women, our speakers were challenged to pick and choose, but Jan Harcourt brought us the stories of three women in the sciences — Beatrix Potter’s unsung career as a naturalist, Ada Lovelace becoming arguably the world’s first computer programmer, and Shirley Ann Jackson’s…

2/24/2014 Yesterday we had a good turnout for a Multigenerational service — thanks to Amy Regnier and the kids for a delightful story!  Delightful, but maybe uncomfortable, in a good way.  As the characters learned, the strategies we use to feel comfortable sometimes separate us from others.  We know that there are more important things…

2/17/2014 Yesterday we were happy to welcome Rev. Mike back after his injury, and he brought us a message about learning from our mistakes.  I think it’s true, as we more commonly hear, that we fear mistakes more than we should because they can be good teachers, but as Rev. Mike pointed out, sometimes we…

2/9/2014 Today we marked “Evolution Sunday.”  When we think about Evolution, many of us think of the “war” between science and religion.  Myself, I’m too used to that war, and, being on science’s side for the battles still raging over the teaching of evolution, there’s a certain amount of shellshock — any mention of “science”…

2/2/2014 Our Sunday morning service is canceled today due to icy road conditions.  Everyone, stay safe and drive carefully if you have to be out! UUFJC News and Events: The monthly Laughter Yoga session is scheduled for this afternoon at 4 pm at the Fellowship, free and open to all.  Contact Jan Harcourt for information.…

6/29/2014 Today, Kath Connor led us in an observance of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee’s Justice Sunday.  This year the theme is “Food Sovereignty” — the right of people to participate and have a say in what the food they grow, prepare, and eat.  Food justice touches us all — food is a everything from…

1/26/2014 Today, our own Jim Davis delivered a message about Dr. Martin Luther King, and the Civil Rights movement, reminding us of how hard-won its victories were, and of the role some Unitarians played in that risky and difficult work.  The violence that Dr. King and other Civil Rights workers contended against seems so irrational…

1/19/2014 Today, our own Karen Beahan brought us a message about embracing change.  There’s something in human nature that fears change; the status quo feels safe, even if we know we aren’t happy with things as they are, but Karen encouraged us to practice making changes, even small ones, to develop a friendlier relationship with…

1/12/2014 As suddenly as the weather turned bad last week, it turned lovely this week, we were able to have our first meeting of 2014.  It was great to see everyone again! This morning, Kath Connor and Sharon Morgan shared with us their experiences with Faith Voices for Jefferson City (formerly known as Jefferson City…

1/5/2014 Our services are cancelled today due to the heavy snow and dangerously cold temperatures moving into the area.  Stay inside and warm if you can, and if you must go out, take extra precautions and stay safe! Be alert for cancellations of the events we have scheduled for this week: Guest At Your Table…

12/30/2013 By the next post here it’ll be 2014!  At service yesterday, Katherine led us through letting go of some of the old things and embracing a new beginning with the Fire Communion, as well as the reading “How to Begin” by Rev. Forrest Church; (a PDF version is available through the First Unitarian Church of San…

12/23/2013 Unfortunately, I missed Rev. Nancy’s Solstice Service yesterday due to dicey weather and holiday preparations, but I have been getting into the holiday spirit.  While watching some Christmas videos, as an old Mystery Science Theater fan, I ran into some veterans of its cast in the Rifftrax Christmas Short Film Extravaganza (which is great…