Happy Holidays! Here's hoping your Christmas has been joyful, and that warmth and gladness follow you into the new year!

Next Sunday, January 1st:

Adult Forum - 9:15 am
"Does Reading Fiction Enhance Social Skills?" Frank Rycyk
A new study suggests that reading fictional works may exercise a part of the brain involved in empathy and imagination.

Service and Religious Education - 10:30 am
"Fire Communion" - Multigenerational
You’re invited to a special multigenerational service as we join other Unitarian Universalist congregations in the ritual of Fire Communion (members and friends are invited to write phrases that represent the year behind them and bring the paper forward to burn it – what people write will not be shared).  We’ll bring in the New Year with special readings, reflections, and music for all ages.
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

UUFJC News and Events this week:

The January newsletter and print calendar have been delayed due to the holidays and will be available next Sunday, January 1st.

We need volunteers willing to offer rides to and from Sunday services to members who need them; two of our usual drivers have had conflicting circumstances come up.  If you can help, please contact Bob Antweiler.

Our bread recipe books are still available for a $15 suggested minimum donation with proceeds benefiting the Fellowship.  See Alexis.

Monday, December 26th at 6:30 pm, Faith Voices for Jefferson City holds its monthly assembly at Quinn Chapel AME Church.  Contact Katherine Connor.

This Friday, December 30th at 7 pm is the Last Friday Documentary Film.  For film selection and more information contact Cinthy Wilcox.

Community Events this week:

This Tuesday, December 27th, Missouri River Regional Library hosts "Nonfiction at Noon" in the Library Annex.  Discussion title: "Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis" by J.D. Vance. The author is a former marine and Yale Law School grad who examines the struggles of America’s white working class through his own story of growing up poor in Appalachia.  Contact Madeline Matson.

This Thursday, December 29th at 7 pm in their Art Gallery, MRRL presents "Crime Scene: A Dramatic Reading from 'Nasty Cutter'."  This performance will feature author Tim O’Mara and local actors Jack Renner and Tom Renner. Copies of O’Mara’s latest book in the Raymond Donne series will be available for sale and signing after the program.  Contact Madeline Matson.

This week, Capitol City Cinema presents "Eight Days a Week" (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday).  For showtimes 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!

Our services Sunday were canceled due to the weather and slippery roads.  We hope everyone is safe and warm.

Here's hoping you enjoy the holiday season and take care of yourselves through your holiday preparations!

Next Sunday, December 25th:

Adult Forum - Canceled for the holiday

Service and Religious Education - 10:30 am
"Christmas at UUFJC"
An informal, participatory service as we gather with friends for the holiday.  Contact Katherine Connor for details.
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 --- Volunteers Needed!

UUFJC News and Events this week:

We need volunteers willing to offer rides to and from Sunday services to members who need them; two of our usual drivers have had conflicting circumstances come up.  If you can help, please contact Bob Antweiler.

Our bread recipe books are still available for a $15 suggested minimum donation with proceeds benefiting the Fellowship.  Contact Alexis.

The Transgender Support Group meets this Thursday, December 22nd at 7 pm.

This Friday, December 23rd is our monthly Salvation Army meal.  Contact Bob Antweiler if you can help prepare or serve food for those in need.  Serving begins at 5 pm; please arrive by 4:30 to help prepare.

Community Events this week:

This week, Capitol City Cinema presents "Love Actually" (Thursday only) and "Elf" (Friday only).  For showtimes 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 and Happy Holidays!

Our services are canceled today due to the weather.

Please stay safe and warm!

Sunday morning, we continued exploring this month's Soul Matters theme of "Story" with a "This Unitarian Universalist Life" service filled with special readings and music, plus reflections from three of our members:

Joanna Babb shared her lifelong aspiration to be a writer, and she shared how, even if she hasn't made the bestseller list yet, telling stories and listening to stories has connected her to others, to those she meets and those she loves.

Alexis shared the story of the play "Rhinoceros" by Eugène Ionesco, a story about the dangers of letting strange and destructive events become normalized.  Alexis pointed out how some stories become timeless: their fascinating specifics capture larger universals, and we can use them to think about our own lives in a new way.

Laura Gilkey, a fanfiction writer, shared how important writing and re-writing stories is in her own life.  She shared a particular story that she had taken in a new direction, with acceptance of life's tragedies but also enduring beauty and faith.  She also shared the importance of the UU principles' call to a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning," the importance of having the freedom and responsibility to write and re-write the stories that mean the most to us and to be "the authors of our own faith."

What about you?  What stories in your life do you need to write or re-write?

Next Sunday, December 18th:

Newsletter Submissions Due.
Please submit items for the January newsletter and print calendar to Laura Gilkey by e-mail or in writing.

Adult Forum - 9:15 am
"Robots, not trade behind many job losses," Frank Rycyk
"Automation, in the form of robotics, appears to outweigh 'free trade' in causing job displacements."

Service and Religious Education - 10:30 am
Message: "The Old, Old Story," Rev. Nancy TannerThies
We will consider the ancient stories that frame our celebration of Christmas and explore what difference they might make for us 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 --- Volunteers Needed!

UUFJC News and Events this week:

Winter is here, and that raises the possibility of our services being cancelled due to weather.  If that happens, the decision will be posted on our Yahoo! Group e-mail listserv by 8:35AM. To sign up for the listserv, please contact Richard Parsons.  (Note: Yahoo will send you a verification email which MUST be replied to.)  Contact Alexis if you would prefer to be notified with a phone call.

We need volunteers willing to offer rides to and from Sunday services to members who need them; two of our usual drivers have had conflicting circumstances come up.  If you can help, please contact Bob Antweiler.

Next time you're at the Fellowship, take a look at the bulletin boards in the back of the sanctuary!  Judi Jecmen and Alexis have been working to fill them with information on upcoming events at the Fellowship and in the community, so thank you to Judi and Alexis!

Tomorrow, Monday, December 12th at 7 pm is our monthly UUFJC Lecture Series.  This month, Dr. Debra Greene will speak on “Lincoln University, the Founders' Stories.”  Contact Carol Bontempo or Frank Rycyk.

Next Sunday, December 18th at 4 pm is the monthly Laughter Yoga session.  Free and open to all.  Contact Jan Harcourt.

Our bread recipe books are still available for a $15 suggested minimum donation with proceeds benefiting the Fellowship.  See Alexis.

Community Events this week:

This Tuesday, December 13th at 4 pm, Citizens for Peace meet at Missouri River Regional Library, upstairs in the Storyhour Room.  Contact Betty Cooper.

This week, Capitol City Cinema presents "Eight Days a Week" (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday).  For showtimes 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, we began to explore our December Soul Matters theme: "Story."

First, the Adult Forum discussed a TED talk by Chimamanda Adichie about the "danger of a single story" --- that if we let one story become the only story about any person or place, we fail to see their full humanity.

In Rev. Mike's sermon, on the other hand, he pointed out that UUs are often criticized for our refusal to commit to a single story.  We are warned that this leaves us shallow and rootless; for example, how can we authentically celebrate Christmas without committing the the story of the birth of Jesus?  Rev. Mike argued that this rootlessness can be a part of our experience, yes, but like those on any religious path, we can grow beyond it.  Indeed the Christmas tradition itself is as eclectic as any UU, taking its date and many of its symbols from pagan sources.  Rev. Mike concluded by encouraging us as UUs to be proud of our many authentic ways to celebrate the holiday season.

This Week's Question for Reflection: What stories did your “elders” pass down to you? Have you cared for them and passed them on as those elders hoped?

Next Sunday, December 11th:

Adult Forum - 9:15 am
"Stories: Our Lives are Made by them," Betty Cooper
UUs have no “ascribed stories”; Rev. Gretchen Haley seeks to change that by offering 10 stories.  We explore some of “her chosen stories.”

Service and Religious Education - 10:30 am
Message: "This Unitarian Universalist Life: Stories"
Join us in an exploration of this month’s theme of “story” through reflections prepared by members, plus readings and music.
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 --- Volunteers Needed!

UUFJC News and Events this week:

Many thanks to all the chefs, volunteers, and attendees who made our annual Chili Supper last Saturday possible.  Thanks especially to Bob Antweiler for his work organizing the event.  Here's to having good times together and supporting our Fellowship!

We need volunteers willing to offer rides to and from Sunday services to members who need them; another one of our usual drivers has had a conflicting circumstance come up.  If you can help, please contact Bob Antweiler.

Sharon Morgan has arranged the bread recipes people submitted last year into a collection, which is now available for a $15 suggested minimum donation with proceeds benefiting the Fellowship.  See Alexis.

The Transgender Support Group meets this Thursday, December 8th at 7 pm.

This Friday, December 9th at 7 pm is the monthly Reader’s Eye Film.  Contact Cinthy Wilcox.

And coming  Monday, December 12th is the monthly UUFJC Lecture series.  This month, Dr. Debra Greene will speak on “Lincoln University, the Founders' Stories.”  Contact Carol Bontempo or Frank Rycyk.

Survey Update: Thank you to those who responded to the worship service surveys. We will take your feedback into consideration. I have found that we could have worded the questions in a better way to get the type of feedback we were looking for, so we'll develop other ways to gather information regarding our worship experiences.

Community Events this week:

This Tuesday, December 6th at 7 pm in their Art Gallery, Missouri River Regional Library presents: "Blogging from the Blogger’s Perspective."  A sneak peek into how blogging affects the life of an actual blogger. Creator and writer of Intentergy (www.intentergy.com), Melanie A. Peters will discuss her adventures in starting, maintaining, and growing with her blog. Learn about the daily, weekly, and monthly challenges and benefits of being a blogger.  Contact Madeline Matson or visit mrrl.org.

One of our youth members, Camryn, will be performing in "A Charlie Brown's Christmas"
as Lucy.  The show is at Stained Glass Theatre, with the following dates remaining in the run: December 8th, 9th, 10th, 16th, 17th, and 18th.  Contact Kim Connor for more information.

Next Sunday, December 11th at 2 pm in their Art Gallery, MRRL hosts a Local Authors Showcase.  Come meet and talk with local authors about their work. Their books will be available for purchase—just in time for the holidays.

This week, Capitol City Cinema presents "White Christmas" (Thursday only) and "The Handmaiden" (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday).  For showtimes 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!