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…

12/16/2013 Yesterday our own Don Love brought us a message based on the Ware Lecture by Karen Armstrong at the 2011 UUA General Conference, followed by a very lively discussion.  Armstrong identifies Ancient Greek civic theatre — in particular, the famous plays of Sophocles, Euripides, and others — as a kind of religion, a communal ritual in…

12/9/2013 This past week, the world mourned the loss and celebrated the life of Nelson Mandela, the anti-Apartheid leader and first democratically-elected president of South Africa, who became a hero and an inspiration to many people of every race throughout the world.  In media reports, again and again I heard praise for how, after Apartheid…

12/2/2013 Yesterday was a fun service to start getting us all into the spirit of the holiday season.  Rev. Mike shared a story about family Christmas traditions and foods with the whole congregation, young and old, and we followed it up with a delicious potluck meal.  Some of us later decamped to the Forum Room…

11/25/2013 The weather at last has taken a sharp turn for the wintry, and the Holiday Season is upon us!  This Thursday brings the American ritual of Thanksgiving, and while it’s worth thinking twice about all those Pilgrims-and-Indians images, it is always worth the deceptively challenging and vulnerable work of embracing gratitude, as Rev. Nancy reminded us…

11/18/2013 Yesterday we were visited by Prof. Cliff Cain of Westminster College, who described what he saw as the three greatest challenges facing religion in the 21st century: Religious Diversity, the interaction of Religion and Science, and Environmental Issues.  For the second week in a row we gave a warm welcome to a Christian speaker…

11/11/2013 Yesterday we had as our guest Father George Kramer, giving us his thoughts on the accession of Pope Francis and the hopeful developments he represents for the Catholic church.  All of us have our reasons to attend Unitarian Services instead of Catholic Mass on Sunday mornings, but seeing the enthusiasm and laughter Father George…

11/4/2013 November already!  Halloween candy is on clearance, and some of us are already Christmas shopping; where does the time go?  Speaking of time, did everyone get their clocks set back?  We had a very good turnout yesterday; maybe people were waking up “earlier”? Rev. Mike brought us a message about Trust and the Common…

10/21/2013 At Yesterday’s Multigenerational service, the RE class brought us a wonderful story in shadow puppets.  Turnout was rather light — and I’d be the last one to say that with any kind of blame; I’m not used to being around children myself and I admit I find it challenging.  However, at the same time,…

10/29/2013 (Sorry this week’s post is a day late!) This past Sunday was UUFJC’s third annual Day of the Dead Observance, and again Bob Boldt and Ruth Neudahl set up a beautiful altar in the Mexican tradition, devoted especially to the legacy of Frida Kahlo and showcasing an amazing piece of fiber art by Joanna…

10/14/2013 Yesterday, several of our members shared their experience of the recent UUA General Assembly in Louisville, Kentucky.  I know that out here in rural Missouri, it can be easy for a UU to feel isolated, so I was glad some of our members were able to experience just how many and varied we are…

10/7/2013 Yesterday, Rev. Mike brought us a message challenging the duality of strengths and weaknesses, virtue and vice; as a key quotation put it, “Evil is not the privation of good, but the perversion of good.”  As he pointed out, sometimes we’re at our worst when using our strengths to the fullest in heedless, self-deluded…

9/30/2013 Our message at yesterday’s service was on food, from our own Ethical Eating group.  I missed it while helping with RE (aides needed October 6th and 27th, contact Amy Regnier), but ethical eating is a topic that touches us all.  As I’ve grown away from my Christian roots, I can feel some tension around…

9/23/2013 At service yesterday our own Amy Hoffman brought us a reminder of how far the “interconnected web of all existence” stretches with stories and images from her visit to the northeast, where The Puffin Project is working to repopulate Atlantic Puffins and other shorebirds.  The pictures of the unique wildlife reminded me of the…