Sunday morning, Rev. Nancy TannerThies continued exploring our monthly theme of "Embodiment," which she defined as bringing things into a tangible or visible form.  What do we want to make real, and how do we do it?  Rev. Nancy suggested three A's: Alive, Aware, and Adept.  Being Alive means starting from our own embodiment, our existence in our bodies and in the world; if we ignore the embodied in favor of the transcendent or draw false distinctions between mind and body, we can lose touch with what we feel and what we can do.  Being Aware is a process both embodied and intellectual; a disciplined noticing of our reality from the inside out, rather than avoiding what we don't want to notice, can help us decide where to focus and guard against ingrained snap judgments.  And being Adept means not just seeking the safe, comfortable path of least resistance, but building the skills to act in the world.

Next Sunday, June 25th:

Adult Forum - 9:15 am
"What Was Your First Question?" Betty Cooper
An article by Courtney E. Martin helps us focus on this month's Soul Matters theme: Embodiment.

Service and Religious Education - 10:30 am
Message: "What Do We Personify?" Alexis Engelbrecht
Inspired by a Russian folktale in which a character learns the consequences of agreeing to take a walk with Misery, let's explore what we choose to embody in our everyday lives. To what do we devote our energies? What masks do we wear  - what qualities to we live out - throughout the day and why?
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:

Our national parent organization, the Unitarian Universalist Association, is holding a presidential election as well as voting on some other issues, and our Fellowship has the right to vote.  For more information, contact Katherine Connor.

This Thursday, June 22nd at 7 pm, the local Transgender Support Group meets in our building.  Contact [email protected].

This Friday, June 23rd is our monthly Salvation Army work day.  Serving begins at 5 pm; please arrive early to help prepared.  Contact Jim and Joanna Babb if you can help provide or serve food for those in need.

Community Events this week:

This week, Capitol City Cinema presents "A Quiet Passion" (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, Rev. Mike Adamek continued exploring our Soul Matters theme for the month, "Embodiment," with the question, "what does it mean to embody a creedless faith?"  What does it mean to take the ideas and spiritualities we hold inside us as UUs and translate them into something concrete in the world?  We are unlike some other religions in our lack of unifying creed --- we value curiosity and questions, we see people not as fallen beings but beings of sacred dignity, and we trust individual reason and experience over received orthodoxy.  But even with such different beliefs to embody, we still have much in common with other faiths: we can still hold our beliefs to the test of how they impact our behavior and the world, and we can still come together in community for the perspective and support to help us embody our faith in our lives.

Next Sunday, June 18th:

Newsletter Submissions Due.
Please submit your items for the July newsletter and print calendar to Laura Gilkey by e-mail ([email protected]) or in writing.  (Note: the newsletter editor is going out of town a few days later, so there is no wiggle room on the deadline this month!)

Adult Forum - 9:15 am
"Homelessness," Patt Behler

Service and Religious Education - 10:30 am
Message: "Making it Real," Rev. Nancy TannerThies
Using the categories "Alive, Aware and Adept," we will explore what it means to be what we say we believe.
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:

Our national organization, the Unitarian Universalist Association, is holding a presidential election as well as voting on some other issues, and our Fellowship has the right to vote.  For more information, contact our president, Katherine Connor.

Monday, June 12th is our monthly Lecture Series.  This month, our own Don Love will be talking about how to achieve Bias-Free Policing.  Contact Carol Bontempo or Frank Rycyk for more information.

This Saturday, June 17th at 2 pm, there will be a baby shower for Angela Wells held at our building.  For more information, Contact Elizabeth Prenger.

Community Events this week:

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

This Thursday, June 15th at 7 pm in their Art Gallery, MRRL presents "Music at the Library: Heart of Missouri Sweet Adelines."  Winner of many awards, this spirited group of women sing a cappella music. They use the blend of their voices, energy, enthusiasm and passion to create exciting music which includes traditional barbershop and show tunes to modern popular music.  Contact Madeline Matson.

This week, Capitol City Cinema presents "A Quiet Passion" (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 enjoyed the green of the season with a service at McClung Park and began exploring our Soul Matters theme for June: Embodiment.  Jim Davis gave a message about change.  Change is a constant of life, but Jim drew a distinction between our experiences of the finite and the infinite.  We live our lives in the finite, and it's easy to get preoccupied with its details and changes, but the infinite is also there for us.  For Jim, "the infinite" needs no other name; it refers to what is lasting and boundless, always complete yet always ready to accept something new.  He told us he had felt its presence in moments of human connection and connection with nature --- and that embodying the principles of Unitarian Universalism reminds him to look beyond the changing distractions of the moment and reconnect with the infinite.

Next Sunday, June 11th:

Adult Forum - 9:15 am
"Mind-Body and Health," Laura Gilkey
We will view and discuss a Democracy Now! appearance by Dr. Gabor Mate, who argues that the mind and body are not separate, with broad implications for healthcare.

Service and Religious Education - 10:30 am
Message: "What Would a UU Do?: Embodying a Creedless Religion," Rev. Mike Adamek
How do we, each and every one of us, embody this way of life called Unitarian Universalism?  You can not avoid the issue if you say you are spiritual not religious. Fine, how do we act each day based on the spirit or the mind or the self that only we can access?   You may not say the question is specious because there is no one private belief that could keep everyone in or drive anyone out of a congregation.  We all know that there are words and actions that may bind or loose a group of pilgrims traveling together.  I have some observations I would like to share.
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:

Saturday was our annual Rummage Sale.  Many thanks to organizers Bob Antweiler and Lisa Sanning, as well as to everyone who helped, donated, or shopped!

The UUA is holding a presidential election as well as voting on other issues, and our Fellowship has the right to vote.  For more information, contact us or see our president, Katherine Connor.

This Thursday, June 8th at 7 pm, the local Transgender Support Group meets in our building.  Contact [email protected].

Coming Monday, June 12th at 7 pm, is our monthly Lecture Series.  This month, our own Don Love will be talking about how to achieve Bias-Free Policing.  Contact Carol Bontempo or Frank Rycyk for more information.

Community Events this week:

This Thursday, June 8th at 7 pm in their Art Gallery, Missouri River Regional Library presents: "Memories From the Big Muddy."  In 2005, Meredith Ludwig and Kate Gorman traveled to 20 different river towns, collecting more than 70 hours of oral history from residents who had lived and/or worked along the Missouri River.  Ludwig had become fascinated with the rich history of these small communities and a way of life that the rivers seemed to dictate.  She’ll share stories of the people she met and how they inspired the musical “Gumbo Bottoms,” a collaboration with musician and composer Cathy Barton.  Contact Madeline Matson.

This week, Capitol City Cinema presents "Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary" (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!

McClung Park is located off Chestnut Street.  From the Fellowship, turn left onto Southwest Blvd, then left onto Stadium Blvd.  After 1.4 miles, at the traffic circle, take the first exit onto Leslie Blvd.  Turn left onto Chestnut Street, then right onto McClung Park Drive to reach the park.  We will be in the outdoor pavilion.

Don't forget our annual Rummage Sale, coming this Saturday!  Details below.

Sunday morning was our annual business meeting.  Our Fellowship is growing, which brings both joy and new challenges.  We approved a budget for the year that includes investments in our future, and we began the work of considering a behavioral covenant for our Fellowship.

The annual meeting also marks the transition from the previous Board of Directors to the incoming board elected in March.  Many thanks to outgoing board members Alexis Engelbrecht and Judi Jecmen, and thanks to the continuing and incoming board members:
President: Katherine Connor
Vice President: Jim Davis
Treasurer: Bob Antweiler
Secretary: Lisa Sanning
Director of Religious Education: José Villafañe

Not only at business meetings and in official offices, but throughout the year in many ways, our Fellowship depends on the participation, effort, and support of our members and friends.  Many thanks to everyone who has worked to make our Fellowship thrive!  To help us continue going forward, a time and talent survey was distributed at today's service, offering opportunities to volunteer in various ways.  If you did not get a chance to fill out the survey, contact us for an electronic version.

Next Sunday, June 4th:

Service at McClung Park, outdoor pavilion.
We'll be having our services at the park this week to allow for cleanup after our Rummage Sale.  For more information, see the map and directions above.

Adult Forum - 9:15 am
"Do We Need the Filibuster?" Frank Rycyk
John Yoo and Sal Prakash argue that "Democracy is too important to permit winks, nods and obstruction to be the order of the day."

Service and Religious Education - 10:30 am
Message: "Living with Change," Jim Davis
Technology, today, brings on changes in our lives almost daily, it seems.  What is the best way to respond to change?  Unexpected, unwanted, unintended change, can sometimes leave us with a sense of loss, feeling confused and perhaps a little disoriented.  Nostalgia and regret are common responses to such experiences, but they are not solutions.  Jim Davis will share some stories and illustrations, and then present his own perspective on how Unitarian Universalism is a religion particularly suited for living in an ever-changing world.
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!

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

UUFJC News and Events this week:

The June newsletter and print calendar are ready.  Paper copies are available by the entrance and electronic copies are available to view or download: Newsletter, Calendar.

Our annual Rummage Sale is coming this Saturday, June 3rd, and we are now accepting donations!  This year we’re asking for no adult clothing, please; children’s clothing is appreciated.  If you need items picked up or need access to the building to drop items off, contact Bob Antweiler.  For more information on donating, helping, or shopping, contact Bob Antweiler or Lisa Sanning.

Next Sunday, June 4th, the UUFJC Board meets back in our building at 1:30 pm.  All are welcome to attend the board meeting.  Contact Katherine Connor.

Community Events this week:

This Friday, June 2nd at 7 pm in their Art Gallery, Missouri River Regional Library presents their First Friday Film.  For film selection and more information, contact Madeline Matson.

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 continued exploring our monthly theme of "Healing."  Our world is full of woundedness --- dislocation, rootlessness, and hopelessness.  To become healers, we must first acknowledge our own woundedness.  By considering the traumas that have shaped us and what we've learned from them for good or ill, we can learn about ourselves and our own path to healing.  Our wounds cannot teach us how others feel, but they can teach us compassion --- each person's wounds are unique, but every person's woundedness is part of a shared human condition.  The idea is not to cure our wounds, but to let them become places where we are open to sacredness and new vision.

Next Sunday, May 28th:

Adult Forum - 9:15 am
"Poetry," Laura Gilkey (standing in for Bob Boldt)
You are invited to share your favorite poem! All kinds of poems are welcome. We especially like to hear your own original poems. This is always a popular,  fun event so please plan to attend (even if you don't read).

Service and Religious Education - 10:30 am
Message: UUFJC Annual Business Meeting
We will be approving our annual budget and voting on a bylaw change to update our regional affiliation, as well as considering a Behavioral Covenant.  If you can’t attend but want your vote to be counted, please contact the administrator for a proxy voting form ([email protected]).
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 are planning to hold our annual Rummage Sale on Saturday, June 3rd, less then two weeks away.  Please be looking around for gently-used items to donate --- although this year we’re asking for no adult clothing, please (children’s clothing is welcome and appreciated).  If you're interested in helping, please contact Bob Antweiler or Lisa Sanning.  If you can help with cleanup after the sale, please contact Nancy Ellis-Ordway

Monday, May 22nd, Faith Voices for Jefferson City holds its monthly assembly at 6:30 pm at Quinn Chapel AME Church.  Contact Katherine Connor for more information.

This Thursday, May 25th at 7 pm, the local Transgender Support Group meets in our building.  Contact [email protected].

This Friday, May 26th is our monthly Salvation Army meal.  If you can help prepare or serve food for those in need, please see Jim and Joanna Babb.  Serving begins at 5 pm; please arrive early to help prepare.

Community Events this week:

Patt Behler is taking sign-ups and donations for Relay for Life luminaria.

This Tuesday, May 23rd at 7 pm in their Art Gallery, Missouri River Regional Library presents: "Is Your End-of-life Planning What It Should Be?"  Join in the discussion with an elder law attorney and representatives from Hospice, home care and eldercare.  Information will be presented about the basics of end-of-life planning from family dynamics, knowing how and when to share your wishes and important legal questions that you may want to address.  Contact Madeline Matson.

This week, Capitol City Cinema presents "The Dinner" (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, answering a call from Black Lives of UU, our service was a White Supremacy Teach-In.  As UUs, one of our highest values is the inherent worth and dignity of all people, and so white UUs may bristle at hearing the word "white supremacy" applied to them, but even our own faith is not immune to the racism of our society and culture, as revealed by a recent controversy about fairness in hiring by the UUA and the resignation of UUA President Peter Morales.  When we think of "white supremacy" we think of extreme hate, but there is a spectrum of ways to be complicit in racism, such as unconsciously thinking of whiteness and white culture as the norm, isolating ourselves from encounters with people of color, and trying to address racism by saving or fixing people of color.  True progress calls on us to be willing to face our discomfort and live in it, ever aware of both our beauty and our capacity to do great harm.

Next Sunday, May 21st:

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

Adult Forum - 9:15 am
"The Myth of the Trigger Happy Cop, Part 2," Frank Rycyk
Special guest Chief Gary Hill with the Lincoln University Police Department will present the law-enforcement point of view.  Hill recently served with the Cole County Sheriff's Department.

Service and Religious Education - 10:30 am
Message: “Sacred Wound – Healing Ourselves So We Can Help Heal the World,” Rev. Nancy TannerThies
We each enter a community, this Fellowship wounded.  Our individual wounds are a part of who we are and they shape our unique vision of the world.  Our wounds, although unique, don't set us apart from each other.  They are one of our common bonds.  They are a piece of our common heritage.  We all have stories of pain and heroism. We all define ourselves by the violations to our soul, the impact on our bodies, or by betrayals that have wounded our hearts. Our wounds are unique, but that we are wounded is not.  It is because of our wounds, rather than in spite of them that we each enter this community as whole beings.  It is because of our wounds that we have the potential to help others and this world become whole.
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 are planning to hold our annual Rummage Sale on Saturday, June 3rd.  Please begin looking around for gently-used items to donate --- although this year we’re asking for no adult clothing, please.  If you're interested in helping, please contact Bob Antweiler or Lisa Sanning.

Also re: the Rummage Sale, Nancy Ellis-Ordway is looking for people to help with clean-up after the sale.  She would like for our leftover items to go to The Butterfly House which sells gently used items to benefit hospice.  The Salvation Army will still be taking the large items, such as furniture and children's clothing because The Butterfly House doesn't sell that type of thing.  Please contact Nancy if you would like to be involved in this effort.

We are still in our Annual Pledge Drive.  See our Treasurer, Bob Antweiler, for pledge forms and more information.  Suggested Fair Share donation guidelines are also available on the table in the back.

Our annual business meeting is coming later this month, on May 28th.  For more information see the May Newsletter.

Community Events this week:

Monday, May 15th at 7 pm in their Art Gallery, Missouri River Regional Library presents: "Native Plants for Pollinators."  Dr. Nadia Navarrete-Tindall, native plants extension specialist from Lincoln University, will provide an introduction to native pollinators and their habitat requirements followed by a list of native plants that can provide forage, nectar and/or cover for native pollinators. Host-plants for native butterflies will be included.  Contact Madeline Matson.

This week, Capitol City Cinema presents "The Dinner" (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, Rev. Mike began exploring our Soul Matters theme for May: "Healing."  We can clearly see pain as a sign that change is needed, but often the change we want is a "cure" --- something that will simply make the pain go away without remaking us.  But Rev. Mike asked us to look beyond "cure" into "healing" --- the sometimes-painful move toward wholeness.  "Healing" is always possible, he said, even when the "cures" we crave are impossible or counterproductive.  He offered these signposts: honesty to face the need for change, clearly and heartfully seeing our own pain and that of others, and opening ourselves to the mystery and the journey --- because healing can't be forced but must be welcomed.  Finally, he asked us to embrace kindness where we find it and to give it when we can along our healing journeys.

Next Sunday, May 14th:

Adult Forum - 9:15 am
"The Artist's Way," Kurt Groner
A seminar based on the book by Julia Cameron.

Service and Religious Education - 10:30 am
Message: "White Supremacy Teach-In," Katherine Connor and Sharon Morgan
Using materials provided by the Black Lives of UU, Katherine Connor and Sharon Morgan will lead this important service that will provide information regarding changes taking place within the Unitarian Universalist Association and the awakening and new practices that UU congregations are being encouraged take in order to truly be inclusive and live out our values. Join us as we join hundreds of UU churches across the country in a willingness to go deeper and do better, because "our faith takes racism seriously, especially within our own walls" (http://www.blacklivesuu.com/teach-in-resources/).
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 are planning to hold our annual Rummage Sale on Saturday, June 3rd.  Please begin looking around for gently-used items to donate --- although this year we’re asking for no adult clothing, please (kids' clothing is welcome and appreciated).  If you're interested in helping, please contact Bob Antweiler or Lisa Sanning.

We are still in our Annual Pledge Drive.  See our Treasurer, Bob Antweiler, for pledge forms and more information.  Suggested Fair Share donation guidelines are also available on the table in the back of the sanctuary.

Monday, May 8th at 7 pm is the monthly UUFJC Lecture Series.  This month’s topic: "Being Muslim in the US," with speakers Ahsen Kayani and Nasruddeen Al-Awwaal.  This lecture presented in cooperation with Capital Area Interfaith Alliance.  Contact Carol Bontempo or Frank Rycyk.

This Thursday, May 11th at 7 pm, the local Transgender Support Group meets in our building.  Contact [email protected].

This Friday, May 12th at 7 pm is the regular time for the Reader's Eye Film Group to meet in our building.  The group is currently searching for a new organizer.  Contact Cinthy Wilcox for meeting status and more information.

Our annual business meeting is coming later this month, on May 28th.  For more information see the May Newsletter.

Community Events this week:

This Tuesday, May 9th 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 "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (Thursday only) and "Frantz" (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!

(Note, this week's update was delayed due to our web host's maintenance.  Thank you for your patience!)

Sunday morning, Alexis finished our month on "Transformation" with a message on "The Art of Being Uncomfortable."  From yoga poses to new roles, many situations we encounter are uncomfortable, but Alexis asked us to see discomfort not as a signal to back away, but as a signal to go deeper into a needed transformation.  Indeed sometimes it's hard to hear the call of transformation because we're too comfortable --- as a This American Life piece on the Dunning-Kruger effect reminded us --- and so we need to let ourselves be called into discomfort and transformation.  We need to be willing to listen to disagreement and re-think our positions.  And as various teachers including Pema Chödrön remind us, the goal is not to get rid of discomfort as quickly as we can but to pay attention to it and learn about ourselves.

Next Sunday we will begin our Soul Matters theme for May: "Healing."

Next Sunday, May 7th:

Adult Forum - 9:15 am
"The Warbling Seashell," Laura Gilkey
We will view and discuss an episode of the anime series "Mushishi."  A tragedy in a fishing village leaves a lasting rift.  With another disaster looming, the community must come together to heal.  (The video is available only in Japanese with English subtitles.  You can preview it on Crunchyroll or read a transcript.)

Service and Religious Education - 10:30 am
Message: "Healing: When All We Want Is A Cure," Rev. Mike Adamek
Stop the pain. End the confusion.  I want to see the solution now.  Healing seldom comes in a flash.  Pain always returns.  All I want, really all I want is to obtain the resolution I want as soon as possible. Yes, I said I want three times in the last sentence.  We always wish for a cure.  A path forward opens more often when we learn to welcome healing into our lives.
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:

The May Newsletter and Print Calendar are ready.  Paper copies are available by the entrance and electronic copies are available here: newsletter, calendar.  See the newsletter for information about our Annual Business Meeting coming up next month.

We are planning to hold our annual Rummage Sale on Saturday, June 3rd.  Please begin looking around for gently-used items to donate.  If you're interested in helping, please contact Bob Antweiler or Lisa Sanning.

We are still in our Annual Pledge Drive.  See our Treasurer, Bob Antweiler, for pledge forms and more information.  Suggested Fair Share donation guidelines are also available on the table in the back.

The Worship Service Committee meets next Sunday, May 7th at 1:45 pm.  See Alexis.

Coming Monday, May 8th at 7 pm is the monthly UUFJC Lecture Series.  This month’s topic: "Being Muslim in the US," with speakers Ahsen Kayani and Nasruddeen Al-Awwaal.  This lecture presented in cooperation with Capital Area Interfaith Alliance.  Contact Carol Bontempo or Frank Rycyk.

Community Events this week:

This Friday, May 5th, Missouri River Regional Library presents their First Friday Film.  For film selection and more information, contact Madeline Matson.

This week, Capitol City Cinema presents "Frantz" (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!