Exploring Belonging

This morning, our Religious Education Team led us in an intergenerational and participatory exploration of our monthly theme, Belonging.  Those present were asked to list words that captured a sense of belonging for them -- things like being safe, being accepted, being one's true self -- and the list we produced had a lot in common with a list the RE students had created earlier, and both had a clear harmony with our UU Principles.  We were then asked to consider the spheres in which we each belong -- from family to organizations to our identities and our world.  What responsibilities do we have to each group?  What does each one give to us?  Where are we stretching ourselves too far?  Where could we engage more?

Next Sunday, October 20th:

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

Adult Forum - 9:15 am
"TEA," Bob Boldt

Service and Religious Education - 10:30 am
Message: 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 --- "Belonging and Not Belonging: the Practice of Finding the Courage to Leave"

Afternoon Small Group - 2 - 4 pm
"This I Believe" Theme: Belonging
Participants will learn from one another by sharing stories from their lives in a variety of ways. We will use the themes from Soul Matters as our starting point. The number of participants can vary. No ongoing commitment is required.
To sign up, please follow this link: https://forms.gle/jQ6xRqD7U8Y6BEns5
Contact Alexis at [email protected].

UUFJC News and Events this week:

Bob Boldt is organizing our annual Day of the Dead altar and observance.  Please bring pictures or mementos of passed loved ones from now until October 31st to be displayed on the altar.  Items may be left in the clear plastic box near the cafe bar and will be returned by November 4th.  Contact Bob for more information.

This Tuesday, October 15th at 6:45 pm, MidAmerica UUA presents a webinar on “Working with Anxiety.”  For more information and events, including recordings of past webinars, check the MidAmerica UUA website: https://www.uua.org/midamerica/events/webinars

This Friday, October 18th is Project Homeless Connect.  UUFJC is supporting this annual event to connect those struggling with homelessness with information and services.
Sign up to volunteer: https://signup.com/go/xgOuiEZ
E-mail: [email protected]
Call: (573) 635-6886
Or contact Patt Behler or Sheila Murphy.
The UUFJC Board meets next Sunday, October 20th, at 6 pm.  All are welcome to attend our board meetings.  Contact our President, Katherine Connor.

Community Events this week:

This Wednesday, October 16th at 7 pm in their Art Gallery, Missouri River Regional Library presents "Reel Life Cinema: Mantra."  This documentary explores the growing musical and social phenomenon of chanting and shares the stories of people from all walks of life and from all over the world who are finding healing and a sense of inner peace by singing mantras together. It shows that chanting can have beneficial effects on the brain and in turn on practitioners’ well-being.  Contact Madeline Matson.  For more library events, visit MRRL.org.

This Friday, October 18th, in the afternoon at Central Bank (111 E Miller St) is a free Suicide Prevention Workshop: What Everyone Needs to Know about Access to Lethal Means.  2 pm to 3:30 pm program with 3:30 - 5 pm allotted for small group discussion, concerns, effectively listening role play and solutions.  Refreshments will be served.  For more information contact: 573-616-1702.  Offered by: The Ash Street Block Club Association, Safer Homes Collaborative, MOMS (Jefferson City Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America), NAACP Jefferson City Chapter, Central Bank, Hy-Vee, Gerbes, Gray Axis, and others.

This Saturday morning, October 19th in their Art Gallery, MRRL offers two presentations on Guns and Safety:

• Be SMART—Five Steps to Keep Children and Teens Safe from Gun Injury and Death
• 9:30-10am
• Kids will be kids. They won’t always make smart decisions about their own safety. Always assume that curious or impulsive kids may find and touch an unsecure gun, even if they’ve been told not to. The Be SMART campaign focuses on education about child gun deaths and responsible gun storage. Moms Demand Action volunteers, Freda McKee and Barbara Reading, will encourage parents to Be SMART and practice five steps to help prevent shootings by children.
• CALM—Conversations on Access to Lethal Means
• 10-11:30am
• Firearms are the most lethal means used in a suicide attempt. The Safer Homes Collaborative presents CALM, a suicide prevention training developed for all audiences. CALM informs participants of the role they can play in preventing suicide by reducing access to lethal means, including firearms, teaches how to identify and talk to someone who may be at risk of suicide, and provides options to encourage safer storage of lethal means as a way to prevent tragedy. Kurt Dudenhoeffer and Joshua Evans will co-present the training, which is not anti-gun but rather anti-suicide.
• Contact Madeline Matson.
• For more library events, visit MRRL.org.

This week, Capitol City Cinema presents "Official Secrets" (Thursday through Sunday) and a special In the Park After Dark showing of "Hocus Pocus" (Saturday only).  For showtimes, more events, and more information, visit capitolcitycinema.org.

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

UUFJC Events
Affiliated Events 
Religious Education
Building Use (other)
Community Events  

Have a great week!