The snow and ice had at last given way to birdsong this Sunday, and our monthly theme of Emergence blossomed one last time from a past theme of Perseverance with a service delayed from February due to the ice.  Several members offered reflections on people whose perseverance in the past has enabled the emergence of our world today.

Bob Boldt, via video, shared his first-hand experience covering Martin Luther King, Jr.  He urged us to look beyond the familiar and comfortable quotations to the intense and complex obstacles King faced and his radical, liberating vision, which still remains challenging today.

Patt Behler spoke about Fannie Farmer, who came from a Unitarian family and persisted through childhood illness and disability to revolutionize cooking with the aim of promoting knowledge and health.

Lisa Sanning shared the story of Recy Taylor, a black woman raped by white men in the days before the Civil Rights movement.  In the face of threats, she refused to remain silent, and although her fight for justice was frustrated, she still paved the way for future social change.

And finally, Katherine Connor looked back to an earlier Civil Rights movement, and the story of Mary White Ovington.  A Unitarian born in 1865, Ovington was white, but she was inspired by black leaders of her day and her own Abolitionist heritage and became a key figure in the founding of the NAACP.

As we reflect on their stories, what principles and visions do our times call us to persist toward?  What will emerge from our efforts?  We may never know, but we can keep working and watching with faith in the creative energy at the heart of our world.

Next week begins our monthly theme for May: "Creativity."

Our May newsletter and calendar are now available to view or download:
Newsletter
Calendar
Paper copies are also available at the Fellowship, in the wall box near the coat rack.

Next Sunday, May 6th, 2018:

Adult Forum - 9:15 am
"Are we the first advanced civilization?," Stephen Carew
The last ice age ended around 11,700 years ago.  I believe there were advanced civilizations that were destroyed when the water from melting glaciers flooded them.  Maybe there is some truth to Plato's story about the Atlantian civilization that was destroyed by a flood or from the many flood stories of numerous cultures.

Service and Religious Education - 10:30 am
Message: "The Soul of Creativity," Rev. Mike Adamek
Creativity is an openness to whatever provokes reflection, reinterpretation, and results in working a valuable synthesis.  It is all around us and in us and keeps today from being yesterday all over again. Connecting to the process almost always begins with an opening of ourselves.
If you have a joy or concern that you would like to have read during the Service, please submit it by noon on Friday through our website: http://uufjc.org/joys--concerns.html

Plus Children's RE --- "Creativity and Problem Solving"

UUFJC News and Events this week:

Our annual pledge drive is still in progress.  Thank you to everyone who supports UUFJC with their pledges, and thank you to those who submit their estimates of giving; it's a tremendous help to us in planning for the year ahead.  For pledge forms, Fair Share giving suggestions, and more information, contact our Treasurer, Bob Antweiler.

It’s just over a month now until our annual Rummage Sale, coming Saturday, June 2nd.  Please be looking for items to donate; thanks to you we always plenty to offer!  This year we’re requesting no adult clothing, please; children’s clothing is welcome and appreciated.  If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help with the sale, please contact Bob Antweiler and Lisa Sanning.

This Saturday, May 5th, the Hola Amigos Spanish Speakers group meets in our building from 1:30 to 4 pm.  Contact Patt Behler.

Community Events this week:

Monday, April 30th at 7 pm in their Art Gallery, Missouri River Regional Library hosts readings with poet Walter Bargen.  Missouri’s first poet laureate will read from his latest works and discuss the role of poetry in contemporary life. His books will be available for sale and signing.  Contact Madeline Matson.

This Friday, May 4th at 7 pm in their Art Gallery, MRRL presents their monthly First Friday Film.  For film selection and more information, contact Madeline Matson.

This week, Capitol City Cinema presents "The Death of Stalin" (Thursday through Sunday).  For showtimes, more events, and more information, visit capitolcitycinema.org.

For yoga and even more events, see our online calendars:

Service Committee
Religious Education
Building Use (other)
Social Action
Community Events

Have a great week!

This Sunday, for Earth Day, we were joined by guests from Citizens Climate Lobby.  Many of us seek to support "the interdependent web" of life on Earth in our own ways.  As concerned and active citizens, what can we bring into being?  Citizens Climate Lobby and other civic organizations allow people to come together, enabling the emergence of personal and political power and confidence.  While individual decisions like recycling and energy efficiency are important, the call of the Earth asks more of us; we can join our voices together to push for greater changes that help care for the web of life --- and for ourselves and our neighbors and our places in it.

Next Sunday, April 29th:

Adult Forum - 9:15 am
"Martin Luther King, Jr," Bob Boldt
Bob Boldt shares firsthand experience with the lauded civil rights leader.

Service and Religious Education - 10:30 am
Message: “Those Who Went Before – And Persevered”
(Rescheduled from February due to weather)
Any time of year is a good time for reflecting on History and to learn more about our foremothers and forefathers, many of whom faced adversities.  Our UUFJC Worship Committee will share vital and inspiring information about some of the notable persons from the past, including how, through their perseverance, they contributed toward shaping and molding the world we live in today.
If you have a joy or concern that you would like to have read during the Service, please submit it by noon on Friday through our website: http://uufjc.org/joys--concerns.html

Plus Children's RE --- "Emergence into Wholeness - Celebrating Diversity"

Potluck Lunch after service --- please bring a favorite dish!

UUFJC News and Events this week:

Our annual pledge drive has begun!  Thank you to everyone who supports UUFJC with their pledges, and thank you to those who submit their estimates of giving; it's a tremendous help to us in planning for the year ahead.  For pledge forms, Fair Share giving suggestions, and more information, contact our Treasurer, Bob Antweiler.

Monday, April 23rd, Faith Voices for Jefferson City holds its monthly assembly at 6:30 pm at Quinn Chapel AME Church.  Attendees will receive an update on CLEAN MO and Raise Up MO initiatives and plans for “Healing Racial Wounds” workshops, discuss the structure of this chapter, learn about leadership opportunities, and receive a presentation on the Voter Engagement and Education Campaign.  For more information, contact Katherine Connor.

The local Transgender Support Group meets at our building this Thursday, April 26th at 7 pm.  Contact Liberty Sitzes: [email protected]

This Friday, April 27th is our monthly Salvation Army meal.  Please contact Jim Babb if you would like to help provide or serve food for those in need.  Serving begins at 5 pm; please arrive early to help prepare.

Later Friday evening at 6 pm, Citizens for Peace present their monthly peace-building documentary film at our building.  Contact Betty Cooper.

As a correction to last week’s announcements, the Soul Matters Small Group did not meet yesterday; they are meeting next Sunday, April 29th from 2:30 to 4:30.  If you would like to get involved with the Soul Matters small group, please contact Jim Davis.

Community Events this week:

This Friday, April 27th starting at 4:30 pm in their Art Gallery, Missouri River Regional Library hosts an Art Exhibit Reception: "A Murder of Crows."  The library is participating in the city Art Crawl. Meet artists James, Jan, Josh and Jake Crow from 6:30-8:30, and enjoy some light refreshments.  Contact Madeline Matson.

This week, Capitol City Cinema presents "A Fantastic Woman" (Thursday through Sunday).  For showtimes, more events, and more information, visit capitolcitycinema.org.

For yoga and even more events, see our online calendars:

Service Committee
Religious Education
Building Use (other)
Social Action
Community Events

Have a great week!

Sunday morning, Rev. Nancy TannerThies continued our month of reflections on Emergence with thoughts about dusk and dawn.  Each is a moment of pause and transition, and together they remind us that we can emerge into light and we can emerge into darkness.  Like the caterpillar's transition to the chrysalis, like the hero's journey in the underworld (made famous by Joseph Campbell), Rev. Nancy encouraged us to see emergence into darkness as an opportunity, to trust ourselves and the universe with the challenge and learn what it can teach us.  Reemerging into the light can bring its own challenges; sharing our gifts requires its own kind of vulnerability.  But if we can accept the darkness and the light, accept our fears without being ruled by them, we can gain the freedom to live our lives fully.

Next Sunday, April 22nd:

Newsletter Submissions Due.
Please submit your items for the May newsletter and print calendar to Laura Gilkey by e-mail ([email protected]) or in writing.

Adult Forum - 9:15 am
"Cultural Creativity," Betty Cooper
Are You a Cultural Creative?  Results of your test will answer the question.  There is a quiet revolution of values afoot in America—a multifaceted “social uprising of wellness,” requiring our help to keep what has emerged to continue moving forward.

Service and Religious Education - 10:30 am
Earth Day Service, with guests from Citizens' Climate Lobby
If you have a joy or concern that you would like to have read during the Service, please submit it by noon on Friday through our website: http://uufjc.org/joys--concerns.html

Plus Children's RE --- "Emergence of Life in the Story of Evolution - Earth Day"

UUFJC News and Events this week:

Our annual pledge drive has begun!  Thank you to everyone who supports UUFJC with their pledges, and thank you to those who submit their estimates of giving; it's a tremendous help to us in planning for the year ahead.  For pledge forms, Fair Share giving suggestions, and more information, contact our Treasurer, Bob Antweiler.

Monday, April 16th, a local Girl Scout troop meets in our building at 6:30 pm.  Contact Kim Connor.

This Friday and Saturday, April 20th and 21st is the Mid-Missouri Festival of Faiths.  Organized by Capital Area Interfaith Alliance and open to people of all faiths, the Festival is aimed at promoting understanding and appreciation among members of different religions in mid-Missouri.  It will feature speakers from the Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian (Catholic and Protestant) traditions.  The festival begins Friday at 7 pm at First Presbyterian Church with a concert featuring David LaMotte, singer, songwriter, author, and peace activist.  The Saturday session from 9 am to 4:30 pm includes plenaries, workshops, panel discussion and lunch.  Admission is $10 for each day or $15 for both days.  To register, visit midmofestivaloffaiths.org.  For more information, see Frank Rycyk.

Next Sunday, April 22nd, the UUFJC Board meets at 6:30 pm.  All are welcome to attend our board meetings.  A draft agenda is attached to this e-mail.  See our president, Katherine Connor, for more information.

And coming Monday, April 23rd, Faith Voices for Jefferson City holds its monthly assembly at 6:30 pm at Quinn Chapel AME Church.  For more information, see Katherine Connor.

Community Events this week:

Monday, April 16th, at 7 pm in their Art Gallery, Missouri River Regional Library presents: "Montgomery C. Meigs and His Contribution to the U.S. Capitol—and Jefferson City."  Noted local historian Henry Gensky will discuss Montgomery C. Meigs, the father of Arlington National Cemetery and supervisor for construction of the U.S. Capitol as it looks today. He also has a connection to Jefferson City, having designed the Caretaker’s Cottage in the National Cemetery on McCarty Street. This event is cosponsored by the Missouri River Regional Library and the Historic City of Jefferson.  For more information, contact Madeline at 573-634-6064, ext. 250 or Tammy at 573-839-4121.

This week, Capitol City Cinema presents "A Fantastic Woman" (Thursday through Saturday).  For showtimes, more events, and more information, visit capitolcitycinema.org.

For yoga and even more events, see our online calendars:

Service Committee
Religious Education
Building Use (other)
Social Action
Community Events

Have a great week!

Sunday morning, our own Alexis Engelbrecht continued exploring our monthly theme of "Emergence" with reflections on what can emerge when we come together, and how.  When we join together, it's tempting to cling to our own stories and want others to let go of theirs, but to truly let the gifts of togetherness emerge, we have to "un-center" ourselves and truly listen.  This calls for vulnerability, and sometimes pain.  As Alexis led us to find in a collaborative drawing exercise, when we come together, things often don't go how we individually may have planned.  However, like the science of "emergent behavior" in complex systems, when we open ourselves to the full complexity of our engagement with others something new and exciting is created, and we can find our way closer to the just society and beloved community we aspire to.

This will be Alexis' last sermon to the Fellowship for some time, as she is soon embarking on trainings and internships in her path to becoming a UU Minister.  As such, she took a moment to thank the Fellowship, and the gratitude runs both ways.  She will be missed while she's away, but our best wishes for her endeavors go with her.

Next Sunday, April 15th:

Adult Forum - 9:15 am
"Emergence from Debt," Frank Rycyk
A growing number of companies are paying employees to get their financial lives in order, reflecting concern over the impact money problems have on employees' stress and productivity levels.

Service and Religious Education - 10:30 am
Message: "Dawn and Dusk: Emerging into Possibility," Rev. Nancy TannerThies
If you have a joy or concern that you would like to have read during the Service, please submit it by noon on Friday through our website: http://uufjc.org/joys--concerns.html

Plus Children's RE --- "Emergence of Unitarianism - Happy Birthday, Channing!"

UUFJC News and Events this week:

We have new carpet in our sanctuary and hallways.  Final touches will be added later this week.  Many thanks to everyone who helped with the planning and to everyone who donated.

Our annual pledge drive has begun!  Thank you to everyone who supports UUFJC with their pledges, and thank you to those who submit their estimates of giving; it's a tremendous help to us in planning for the year ahead.  For pledge forms, Fair Share giving suggestions, and more information, contact our Treasurer, Bob Antweiler.

Our Members and Friends Directory has been updated.  Electronic copies have been shared with our Google Group; if you are unable to access this, paper or electronic copies are available on request from the administrator ([email protected]).  Inclusion in this list of members and friends' contact information is entirely optional.  If you would like your information added, updated, or removed, please contact the administrator at any time.

Monday, April 9th at 7 pm is the monthly UUFJC Lecture Series.  This month, Capital Area Interfaith Alliance presents a preview of the Mid Missouri Festival of Faiths.  For more about the festival, see our April newsletter or talk to Frank Rycyk.

This Tuesday, April 10th at 7 pm, Moms Demand Action ​for ​Gun Sense ​in ​America meets at our building.  They will be meeting here monthly on second Tuesdays at 7 pm.  Contact Susan Randolph.

This Thursday, April 12th at 7 pm, the American Association of University Women meets at our building in the Forum Room.  Contact Charlotte Parsons.

At the same time, Thursday at 7 pm, the local Transgender Support Group meets at our building in the Sanctuary.  Contact [email protected].

This Saturday, April 14th, the Hola Amigos Spanish Speakers group meets in our building from 1:30 to 4 pm.  Contact Patt Behler.

Community Events this week:

This Tuesday, April 10th at 7 pm in their Art Gallery, Missouri River Regional Library presents: "Trout Fishing in Missouri."  Mark Van Patten will explain how trout fishing came to be one of Missouri’s greatest tourist attractions. A former biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, Van Patten is a nationally known authority on the fly fishing experience. He will discuss the impact of the state’s trout parks, the trout hatcheries, and the impact of the industry on the state’s economy.  Contact Madeline Matson.

This Wednesday, April 11th at 7 pm in their Art Gallery, MRRL screens "Reel Life Cinema: Brick by Chance and Fortune: The Story of Brick in St. Louis."  Filmmaker Bill Streeter chronicles the rich history of St. Louis as both producer and user of a building material that’s as lovely as it is sturdy. Once a major player in the U.S. brick-making industry, St. Louis still boasts countless brick houses, from bungalows to mansions, and this documentary artfully illustrates the diversity and beauty of the city’s striking brick edifices, an often-ignored aspect of the city’s urban landscape.  Contact Madeline Matson.

This week, Capitol City Cinema presents "The Party" (Thursday through Sunday).  For showtimes, more events, and more information, visit capitolcitycinema.org.

For yoga and even more events, see our online calendars:

Service Committee
Religious Education
Building Use (other)
Social Action
Community Events

Have a great week

On this Easter Sunday, Rev. Mike Adamek began exploring our April Soul Matters theme: "Emergence," starting with the image of "rolling the stone."  In the biblical accounts of Jesus, "rolling away the stone" was a sign of emergence into eternal life through divine intervention, while in the Greek myth of Sisyphus, "rolling the stone" was an unchanging state of drudging repetition and punishment.  Mike said that for him, neither story fully rang true as neither one was a story of a transforming self.  Each stone was a sign of eternity, while his experience of Emergence was in the sometimes painful, sometimes repetitious, but fertile and beautiful experience of the temporal world.  Change is constant, even when we are unaware of it; cycles of repetition can be as beautiful as seasons or rhymes or musical motifs.  Let us not strain after a single moment of transformation or despair over routine, but tend our soil and watch for growth and emergence.

The season for the soil to show growth and emergence is now upon us, and we also celebrated our annual Flower Communion.  Members and friends brought a variety of flowers together on our chalice table as a symbol of our diverse gifts to our shared community, and everyone left with a different flower than they had brought.

To those who celebrate it: Happy Easter!

And to all of you: Happy Spring!  (Surely ice will stop falling out of the sky soon.)

Next Sunday, April 8th:

Adult Forum - 9:15 am
"Sharing Poetry," Bob Boldt
Bob Boldt facilitates a session on “sharing poetry,” and you are invited to bring a poem, whether yours or another person’s writing.  Poetry is one of the sources of awakening and emergence.  

Service and Religious Education - 10:30 am
Message: "Uniquely Together," Alexis Engelbrecht-Villafañe
A wide variety of beliefs is both the gift and challenge of Unitarian Universalism. Today, we'll explore what can emerge when free minds gather and collaborate within a beloved community. 
All are invited to arrive 5-10 minutes early to take part in an experience very much like but not exactly a drum circle led by Rick Andris. Percussion instruments will be provided. Participation is not required and observers are welcome.
If you have a joy or concern that you would like to have read during the Service, please submit it by noon on Friday through our website: http://uufjc.org/joys--concerns.html

Plus Children's RE --- "Emergence from Slavery into Freedom - Passover"

UUFJC News and Events this week:

Thanks to the generous donations of members and friends, we are replacing the carpet in our sanctuary and hallways.  The old carpet is being removed starting this afternoon, and the new carpet will be installed later this week.  Please plan accordingly if you have activities in our building this week.  Contact Katherine Connor or Bob Antweiler for more details.

Our annual pledge drive has begun!  Thank you to everyone who supports UUFJC with their pledges, and thank you to those who submit their estimates of giving; it's a tremendous help to us in planning for the year ahead.  For pledge forms, Fair Share giving suggestions, and more information, contact our Treasurer, Bob Antweiler.

This Wednesday, April 4th, Faith Voices for Jefferson City will host a 50 Year Commemoration Service to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., marking the anniversary of his assassination.  Observance begins with a 3:30 pm service at Second Baptist Church, followed by a march and rally at the Missouri Supreme Court building, and ending with a moment of silence at 6:01 pm.  RSVP here or contact: Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould (314-368-1246) or Rev. Kimberley Woodruff (913-961-3587).

And coming Monday, April 9th at 7 pm is the monthly UUFJC Lecture Series.  This month, Capital Area Interfaith Alliance members will share highlights of the upcoming Mid Missouri Festival of Faiths (April 20th and 21st).  For more about the festival, see our April newsletter or talk to Frank Rycyk.

Community Events this week:

This Friday, April 6th at 7 pm in their Art Gallery, Missouri River Regional Library presents their First Friday Film.  This month's selection: "Victoria and Abdul."  Judi Dench stars in the true story of the friendship Queen Victoria enjoyed with a young clerk from India during the later years of her rule. He becomes a devoted friend and advisor, a relationship her household and inner circle try to destroy.  Contact Madeline Matson.

This week, Capitol City Cinema presents "The Party" (Thursday through Sunday).  For showtimes, more events, and more information, visit capitolcitycinema.org.

For yoga and even more events, see our online calendars:

Service Committee
Religious Education
Building Use (other)
Social Action
Community Events

Have a great week!