Yesterday morning, Rev. Nancy TannerThies joined us to begin our February theme: Justice and Equity.  Although the idea of Justice can seem bright and clear, a precise definition proves elusive, and what Justice asks of us in practice is open to much debate.  To that end, Rev. Nancy began by working toward a definition of Justice. Everyone present was asked to develop their own definition, which they turned in at the end of the service. A summary of those definitions is attached to this email, provided by Rev. Nancy.

Before reading the list, you might ask yourself: how would you define Justice?  As you read the list, which of our members and friends' ideas ring true to you?  Which do you have reservations about?  After reading what others offered, would you revise the definition you thought of beforehand?

For those who would like to keep up with our neighbors at the UU Church of Columbia, their service from yesterday is available to view online:

UUFJC News and Events this week:

For accessibility and convenience, we have an option to donate to our Fellowship online through PayPal:

Donate to UUFJC
You can also mail donations and pledges to:
UUFJC
Attn: Treasurer
PO Box 1245
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Thank you for being with us and supporting us!


And remember all our ways to stay in touch!  You can visit our website at uufjc.org.  You can also join our open-posting "UUFJC Cafe" Google Group to chat with other members and friends via e-mail and receive additional announcements and reminders (contact the Administrator at [email protected] to join).

Many thanks to Bob Antweiler and the rest of our board for getting our uufjc.org website working again.  And thank you all for bearing with us while the site was down.

An independent Insight Meditation group taught by Joe McCormack meets at our building Thursday nights at 7 pm, when possible.  Zoom may also be available.  For more information, contact Bob Antweiler.

Next Sunday, February 11th, our Multigenerational Book Study meets at 2 pm at our building, construction permitting.  This month’s selection: “The Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger (rescheduled from January, when the book study was canceled due to weather).  Contact Emma Regnier or Betty Cooper.

Later next Sunday, February 11th, the UUFJC Worship Team meets at 4:30 pm at our building (construction permitting).  All are welcome to get involved in creating our Sunday services, in ways big and small (and remember, we're a friendly audience!).  For more information, contact our vice president, Lisa Sanning.

Our building (when available) is reserved by community groups Wednesdays and Saturdays starting at 6 pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 5:30 pm.  If you have access to our building, please allow privacy at these times.

For more events, see our online calendars:

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

Yesterday morning, George Grimm-Howell joined us to wrap up our month of reflections on Liberating Love.

Beyond our own services, the UUA shares words that connect Liberating Love to our beloved principle to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of each person, in this poem by Charles Thomas:

Worthship
Words of worth
rebound, resound,
walls cannot hold
the melody, the song
igniting fires, hearts
in motion, emotion
not alone, evolving
into revolution,
into action
for each one in the world
feeling alone,
unknown, reaching
to the root,
the radical source
Love.


For those who would like to keep up with our neighbors at the UU Church of Columbia, their service from yesterday is available to view online:

UUFJC News and Events this week:

For accessibility and convenience, we have an option to donate to our Fellowship online through PayPal:

Donate to UUFJC
You can also mail donations and pledges to:
UUFJC
Attn: Treasurer
PO Box 1245
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Thank you for being with us and supporting us!


And remember all our ways to stay in touch!  You can visit our website at uufjc.org.  You can also join our open-posting "UUFJC Cafe" Google Group to chat with other members and friends via e-mail and receive additional announcements and reminders (contact the Administrator at [email protected] to join).

Our February newsletter is still in the works.  We will send digital copies to this mailing list as soon as it is ready.
This Thursday, February 1st at 7 pm, we are invited to join our neighbors at First UU of Springfield for their monthly “Date with Death Club” via Zoom.  These are standalone sessions exploring our shared mortality.  More information about the program can be found at https://datewithdeathclub.com.  Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87033373838

An independent Insight Meditation group taught by Joe McCormack meets at our building Thursday nights at 7 pm, when possible.  Zoom may also be available.  For more information, contact Bob Antweiler.

Our building (when available) is reserved by community groups Wednesdays and Saturdays starting at 6 pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 5:30 pm.  If you have access to our building, please allow privacy at these times.

Community Events this week:

This Friday, February 2nd at 7 pm in their Art Gallery, Missouri River Regional Library presents this month's First Friday Film: "Sweetwater."  Based on true events, this film portrays the journey of Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, who made history as the first Black player to sign an NBA contract. At a time when segregation divided sports, his appointment broke barriers and forever changed the game of basketball.  Contact Madeline Matson.  For more library events, visit MRRL.org.

For more events, see our online calendars:

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

Yesterday morning, our services were canceled due to the extreme cold weather conditions.  Coming during our month of reflections on Liberating Love, this can remind us that love means caring for our well-being: our own, and that of the people we enter into bonds with and work together with for collective liberation.  Indeed many workers for liberation have also been pioneering thinkers about the need for self-care.  You can't draw from an empty well, and you can't end oppression by oppressing yourself.

We look forward to when we can come together again.  Until then, please stay safe and warm!

For those who would like to keep up with our neighbors at the UU Church of Columbia, their service from yesterday is available to view online:

UUFJC News and Events this week:

For accessibility and convenience, we have an option to donate to our Fellowship online through PayPal:

Donate to UUFJC
You can also mail donations and pledges to:
UUFJC
Attn: Treasurer
PO Box 1245
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Thank you for being with us and supporting us!


And remember all our ways to stay in touch!  You can visit our website at uufjc.org.  You can also join our open-posting "UUFJC Cafe" Google Group to chat with other members and friends via e-mail and receive additional announcements and reminders (contact the Administrator at [email protected] to join).

An independent Insight Meditation group taught by Joe McCormack meets at our building Thursday nights at 7 pm, when possible.  Zoom may also be available.  For more information, contact Bob Antweiler.

Our building (when available) is reserved by community groups Wednesdays and Saturdays starting at 6 pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 5:30 pm.  If you have access to our building, please allow privacy at these times.

Community Events this week:

This Tuesday, January 16th at 6:30 pm in their Art Gallery, Missouri River Regional Library presents: "What’s Causing Back-to-Back Droughts and Floods?"  Dr. Zack Leasor is the new Missouri State Climatologist, and he will be discussing the extreme weather conditions we are seeing and what we might expect in the future. He holds an undergraduate degree in meteorology from Western Kentucky University, and graduate degrees from Ohio State University, where he was a postdoctoral researcher, funded by the National Science Foundation. He also developed and taught a new course on drought as a climate hazard. This program is co-sponsored with Citizens Climate Action.  Contact Madeline Matson.  For more library events, visit MRRL.org.

This Thursday, January 18th at 6:30 pm in their Art Gallery, MRRL hosts the latest installment of the LU-MRRL Lecture Series: "Dealing with Intrusive Thoughts."  Have you been struggling with intrusive thoughts seemingly coming out of nowhere? They can range from disturbing images to irrational ideas, leaving you searching for hidden meanings, questioning the root cause, and affecting your mental well-being.  Approximately 90 percent of individuals experience unwanted thoughts regularly, but it is the content of these thoughts that is unsettling. Intrusive thoughts often stem from your subconscious mind communicating, similar to dreams. Acceptance and effective coping strategies are essential to confronting intrusive thoughts.  Dr. Charles Hinton, lecturer in psychology, will discuss how to manage the psychological strain intrusive thoughts can cause. They don’t have to go away. However, they should not be in control.  Contact Madeline Matson.  For more library events, visit MRRL.org.

For more events, see our online calendars:

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

Yesterday morning, we began our January theme of "Liberating Love" with a message from our wider UU community via video, delivered by Rev. Krista Taves and titled "The Vulnerability of Needing Each Other."  The source summarizes: "As UUs, we know intellectually that we need each other. Emotionally, that can be harder. It’s often easier to offer help than to ask for it. And yet, we need to need each other."

Indeed, the connection of Love is a risk, but the work of Liberation is larger than any one of us.  And so, we must face vulnerability --- with both its fears and its opportunities for authenticity and connection --- because we need each other if we are to get free together.

For those who would also like to keep up with our neighbors at the UU Church of Columbia, their service from yesterday is available to view online:

UUFJC News and Events this week:

For accessibility and convenience, we have an option to donate to our Fellowship online through PayPal:

Donate to UUFJC
You can also mail donations and pledges to:
UUFJC
Attn: Treasurer
PO Box 1245
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Thank you for being with us and supporting us!


And remember all our ways to stay in touch!  You can visit our website at uufjc.org.  You can also join our open-posting "UUFJC Cafe" Google Group to chat with other members and friends via e-mail and receive additional announcements and reminders (contact the Administrator at [email protected] to join).

An independent Insight Meditation group taught by Joe McCormack meets at our building Thursday nights at 7 pm, when possible.  Zoom may also be available.  For more information, contact Bob Antweiler.

Next Sunday, January 14th, our Intergenerational Book Study meets at 2 pm at our building, construction permitting.  This month's selection: “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger.  Contact Emma Regnier or Betty Cooper for more information.
Also next Sunday, January 14th, the UUFJC Worship Team meets at 4:30 pm at our building, construction permitting.  All are welcome to get involved in creating our Sunday services, in ways big and small (and remember, we're a friendly audience!). For more information, contact our vice president, Lisa Sanning.


Our building (when available) is reserved by community groups Wednesdays and Saturdays starting at 6 pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 5:30 pm.  If you have access to our building, please allow privacy at these times.

For more events, see our online calendars:

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

Yesterday morning, we wrapped up our month of reflections on Mystery, and wrapped up the year 2023.

One could say that the transition from one year to another is an arbitrary social construct (other cultures have celebrated the start of the year at different times), but still it invites us into the mystery and wonder of endings and beginnings.  On this New Year's Day, I'd like to share these words from Beth Monhollen:

Carry Each Other into the New Year

In this new year, may we leave behind the weight of unfulfilled resolutions, of unrealized dreams, and of unrealistic expectations.

May we unpack the heavy weight of stories that tell us we are unworthy and unlovable.

May we remember that we each carry inside of us a spark of the Divine.

In this new year,

May we carry kindness, gentleness and hope that hold us through even the hardest days and the most daunting risks.

May we carry the weight of memory that reminds us of who we are, and the weight of spirit that reminds us we are still becoming.

May we carry the seed of knowledge that teaches us that improvement and growth aren’t linear and individualistic but are cyclical and communal.

May we carry the wisdom to seek rest and connection, to lean into mutual care.

May we carry the certain belief that when we have patterns of thinking and behaving that harm ourselves and others, we can seek resources that will help us move towards healing.

May we carry the knowledge that happiness and success take many shapes and one of those shapes is purpose.

May we carry purpose lightly, trusting that it changes and evolves and surprises us.

May we carry curiosity, wonder, and the ability to be surprised.

This year, may we carry space for all of our flaws, all of our longings, and all of our love, remembering that the truly daring adventure of life is not to be better-better-best! but to show up wholly, authentically, lovingly as ourselves.

May we carry these prayers and carry each other into the new year.

(from UUA's WorshipWeb)

For those who would also like to keep up with our neighbors at the UU Church of Columbia, their service from yesterday is available to view online:

UUFJC News and Events this week:

For accessibility and convenience, we have an option to donate to our Fellowship online through PayPal:

Donate to UUFJC
You can also mail donations and pledges to:
UUFJC
Attn: Treasurer
PO Box 1245
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Thank you for being with us and supporting us!


And remember all our ways to stay in touch!  You can visit our website at uufjc.org.  You can also join our open-posting "UUFJC Cafe" Google Group to chat with other members and friends via e-mail and receive additional announcements and reminders (contact the Administrator at [email protected] to join).

Many thanks to everyone who helped with our work day at our building this weekend!  We made a lot of progress, but we still have a long way to go.  Please stay tuned for further updates and volunteer opportunities, or contact our president, Rich Burdge, for more information.
This Thursday, January 4th at 7 pm, we are invited to join our neighbors at First UU of Springfield for their monthly “Date with Death Club” via Zoom.  These are standalone sessions exploring our shared mortality.  More information about the program can be found at https://datewithdeathclub.com.  Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87033373838

An independent Insight Meditation group taught by Joe McCormack meets at our building Thursday nights at 7 pm, when possible.  Zoom may also be available.  For more information, contact Bob Antweiler.

Our building (when available) is reserved by community groups Wednesdays and Saturdays starting at 6 pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 5:30 pm.  If you have access to our building, please allow privacy at these times.

For more events, see our online calendars:

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

Yesterday morning, George Grimm-Howell joined us to continue our month of reflections on Mystery.

Beyond our own services, the Christmas holiday is an appropriate time to look at the Christian story from among the Sources of our Living Tradition.  Whether we identify as Christians or not, we can find insight about wonder and mystery, as in these words from "The Invitation" by Teresa Schwartz (abridged below, complete version at link):

We know the story:
an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds.
The glory of the Lord shone around them.
A great light descends
on dark fields,
happy angels and cherubim
sing for joy, play their lutes,
and dance about
to defy the gravity
of earthly cares.

In our happy Christmas narratives,
we can forget
the shepherds were afraid.
We are tempted to reduce the whole of
the Christmas story
to a kinder, gentler God,
somewhat akin to the jolly and portly fellow in the red suit, we wrap our seasonal theology neatly with a red bow.

But what we have here are
terrifying and fascinating
dreams and apparitions.

Enough to make you lay down your work
and follow your vision.

That's what the shepherds did.
They ran from that place in search of the strange, the holy

What star are we waiting for
to lay down our labors
and follow a vision?


Receive the annual invitation,
face the awesome vision,
lay down your labors,
abandon all reason
for now, once again, God is with us,
and we can risk our daytime sensibilities for strange dreams and fearful fascinations.
Run across the muddy, cold fields.


For those who would also like to keep up with our neighbors at the UU Church of Columbia, their service from yesterday is available to view online:

UUFJC News and Events this week:

For accessibility and convenience, we have an option to donate to our Fellowship online through PayPal:

Donate to UUFJC
You can also mail donations and pledges to:
UUFJC
Attn: Treasurer
PO Box 1245
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Thank you for being with us and supporting us!


And remember all our ways to stay in touch!  You can visit our website at uufjc.org.  You can also join our open-posting "UUFJC Cafe" Google Group to chat with other members and friends via e-mail and receive additional announcements and reminders (contact the Administrator at [email protected] to join).

Submissions for our January newsletter were due yesterday.  Please email any last-minute items to Laura Gilkey ASAP ([email protected]).
Our building restoration is making progress!  Many thanks to Kevin Landrum for installing flooring last weekend!

With the flooring done, we are ready to have a work day at the building this Saturday, December 30th, starting at 9 am.  Major tasks will include: generally getting things cleaned up, set up, and organized; going through the items that have been returned from cleaning; trying to get the electronics set back up; and more.  We hope to see as many of you as possible there!  For more information, contact our president, Rich Burdge.


We are still working on updating our Members and Friends Directory.  Our administrator will be contacting people to check for permission and updates, so watch for emails, or send any updates or confirmation to [email protected].


An independent Insight Meditation group taught by Joe McCormack meets at our building Thursday nights at 7 pm, when possible.  Zoom may also be available.  For more information, contact Bob Antweiler.

Our building (when available) is reserved by community groups Wednesdays and Saturdays starting at 6 pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 5:30 pm.  If you have access to our building, please allow privacy at these times.

For more events, see our online calendars:

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

Note: the date has been set for a Saturday Work Day at our building: December 30th starting at 9 am.  We hope to see as many of you as possible, and everyone's help is deeply appreciated!  See "UUFJC News and Events" below.

Yesterday morning, Rev. Nancy TannerThies joined us to continue our month of reflections on Mystery.

Beyond our own services, the UUA shares the words of Gordon McKeeman (an inspiration behind last week's message):

How does one address a mystery?

Cautiously—let us go cautiously, then, to the end of our certainty, to the boundary of all we know, to the rim of uncertainty, to the perimeter of the unknown which surrounds us.

Reverently—let us go with a sense of awe, a feeling of approaching the powerful holy whose lightning slashes the sky, whose persistence splits concrete with green sprouts, whose miracles are present in every place and moment.

Hopefully—out of our need for wholeness in our own lives, the reconciliation of mind and heart, the conjunction of reason and passion, the intersection of the timeless with time.

Quietly—for no words will explain the inarticulate or summon the presence that is always present even in our absence.

But what shall I say?

Anything—any anger, any hope, any fear, any joy, any request, any word that comes from the depth of being addressed to Being itself—or, perhaps, nothing, no complaint, no request, no entreaty, no thanksgiving, no praise, no blame, no pretense of knowing or of not knowing.

Simply be in the intimate presence of mystery, unashamed—unadorned—unafraid.

And at the end say—Amen.


For those who would also like to keep up with our neighbors at the UU Church of Columbia, a brief message from their service from yesterday is available to view online:

UUFJC News and Events this week:

For accessibility and convenience, we have an option to donate to our Fellowship online through PayPal:

Donate to UUFJC
You can also mail donations and pledges to:
UUFJC
Attn: Treasurer
PO Box 1245
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Thank you for being with us and supporting us!


And remember all our ways to stay in touch!  You can visit our website at uufjc.org.  You can also join our open-posting "UUFJC Cafe" Google Group to chat with other members and friends via e-mail and receive additional announcements and reminders (contact the Administrator at [email protected] to join).
Our building restoration is making progress!  Many thanks to Kevin Landrum for installing flooring this weekend!

With the flooring done, we will be ready to have a work day at the building coming Saturday, December 30th, starting at 9 am.  Major tasks will include: generally getting things cleaned up, set up, and organized; going through the items that have been returned from cleaning; trying to get the electronics set back up; and more.  We hope to see as many of you as possible there!  For more information, contact our president, Rich Burdge.


We are still working on updating our Members and Friends Directory.  Our administrator will be contacting people to check for permission and updates, so watch for emails, or send any updates or confirmation to [email protected].


An independent Insight Meditation group taught by Joe McCormack meets at our building Thursday nights at 7 pm, when possible.  Zoom may also be available.  For more information, contact Bob Antweiler.

This Friday, December 22nd would normally be our monthly Salvation Army Meal, but in the past our December meals have not been needed due to an outpouring of support for the holidays.  If you would like to get involved in providing food for those in need, contact Bob Antweiler.

This Saturday, December 23rd, the UUFJC Worship Team meets at 10 am at our building (construction permitting).  To get involved in creating our Sunday services, contact our vice president, Lisa Sanning.


Our building (when available) is reserved by community groups Wednesdays and Saturdays starting at 6 pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 5:30 pm.  If you have access to our building, please allow privacy at these times.

For more events, see our online calendars:

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

Don't forget our RE Book Swap next Sunday (see "Next Sunday" below), and don't forget to watch for a Saturday Work Day at our building!

Yesterday morning, we continued our month of reflections on Mystery with a message from our wider UU community via video.  Rev. Jennifer Innis of the UU Church of Peoria spoke earlier this month about mystery as truth revealed in the dark that we cannot see in the light, as a darkness that sparks our curiosity and draws us into an intimate experience of being on the precipice of the unknown.  Respecting and exploring mystery is one of the things at the heart of our UU faith tradition.  Drawing from Gordon McKeeman, Rev. Innis marveled at how the universe can hold everything --- all our joy and all our pain, all that we know, and more than we can ever know.

For those who would also like to keep up with our neighbors at the UU Church of Columbia, their service from yesterday is available to view online:

UUFJC News and Events this week:

For accessibility and convenience, we have an option to donate to our Fellowship online through PayPal:

Donate to UUFJC
You can also mail donations and pledges to:
UUFJC
Attn: Treasurer
PO Box 1245
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Thank you for being with us and supporting us!


And remember all our ways to stay in touch!  You can visit our website at uufjc.org.  You can also join our open-posting "UUFJC Cafe" Google Group to chat with other members and friends via e-mail and receive additional announcements and reminders (contact the Administrator at [email protected] to join).

The restoration of our building is coming along!  We're not ready to move back just yet, but we hope to have a work day there some Saturday soon.  Volunteers will be much appreciated, and the stars may align on short notice, so please stay tuned!  Contact our president, Rich Burdge, for the latest.


It's time to update our UUFJC Members and Friends Directory.  If you would like to share your contact information with other members and friends, please contact our administrator at [email protected] with the information you would like to share.

An independent Insight Meditation group taught by Joe McCormack meets at our building Thursday nights at 7 pm, when possible.  Zoom may also be available.  For more information, contact Bob Antweiler.

Next Sunday, December 17th, the UUFJC Board meets at 3 pm at our building (construction permitting).  All are welcome to attend our board meetings.  For agenda and more information, contact our president, Rich Burdge.

Our building (when available) is reserved by community groups Wednesdays and Saturdays starting at 6 pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 5:30 pm.  If you have access to our building, please allow privacy at these times.

For more events, see our online calendars:

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

Yesterday morning, Rev. Nancy joined us to begin our reflections on our December theme: Mystery.  The holiday season is devoted to appreciation of awe-inspiring mysteries --- the deepening darkness, the returning light, the spirit of giving --- but its celebration is often built upon frantic to-do lists.  Rev. Nancy explored with us how we might balance "Work and Wonder."

We also have some upcoming events of particular notice:

Sunday, December 17th, the families of our Children's Religious Education program will be holding a Children's Book Swap, and they invite the rest of our members to join them!  If you bring in your pre-loved fiction or non-fiction children's books in good condition (especially those that reinforce UU values!), our RE students may choose to take them home. Any leftover books will be accepted as a donation to UUFJC's RE program! The book swap will take place during RE on the 17th, so please be sure to make your donation before service begins that morning. Also, please keep in mind that our regular RE students currently range from Kindergarten to 2nd grade, but they are very smart, and our RE instructor Samantha uses the 2nd-5th grade lessons. The students enjoy many things including princesses, transformers, science, building, and technology. Thank you!

And the restoration of our building is coming along!  We're not ready to move back just yet, but we hope to have a work day there some Saturday soon.  Volunteers will be much appreciated, and the stars may align on short notice, so please stay tuned!  Contact our president, Rich Burdge, for the latest.

For those who would also like to keep up with our neighbors at the UU Church of Columbia, their service message from yesterday is available to view online:

UUFJC News and Events this week:

For accessibility and convenience, we have an option to donate to our Fellowship online through PayPal:

Donate to UUFJC
You can also mail donations and pledges to:
UUFJC
Attn: Treasurer
PO Box 1245
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Thank you for being with us and supporting us!


And remember all our ways to stay in touch!  You can visit our website at uufjc.org.  You can also join our open-posting "UUFJC Cafe" Google Group to chat with other members and friends via e-mail and receive additional announcements and reminders (contact the Administrator at [email protected] to join).

It's time to update our UUFJC Members and Friends Directory.  If you would like to share your contact information with other members and friends, please contact our administrator at [email protected] with the information you would like to share.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, December 5th, our friends at Jefferson City Interfaith Climate Action will meet at 6:30 pm at Immaculate Conception Church’s Pleus Hall.  Contact Rich Burdge for more information.
This Thursday, December 7th at 7 pm, we are invited to join our neighbors at First UU of Springfield for their monthly “Date with Death Club” via Zoom.  These are standalone sessions exploring our shared mortality.  More information about the program can be found at https://datewithdeathclub.com.  Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87033373838

An independent Insight Meditation group taught by Joe McCormack meets at our building Thursday nights at 7 pm, when possible.  Zoom may also be available.  For more information, contact Bob Antweiler.

Next Sunday, December 10th, our Intergenerational Book Study meets at 2 pm at our building, construction permitting.  This month's selection: “A Canticle for Leibowitz” by Walter M. Miller Jr.  Contact Emma Regnier or Betty Cooper for more information.

Our building (when available) is reserved by community groups Wednesdays and Saturdays starting at 6 pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 5:30 pm.  If you have access to our building, please allow privacy at these times.

Community Events this week:

No community events were submitted for inclusion in this week's email.  If you know if a community event you would like to share in this space, contact our administrator: [email protected].

For more events, see our online calendars:

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

Yesterday morning, we wrapped up our month of reflections on Gratitude with a message from George Grimm-Howell, MDiv.


We are now getting ready to move into our December theme: Mystery.  This transition strikes me as characteristically "UU."  Our faith tradition does not shelter in certainty, but gratefully embraces mysteries: not only "that transcending mystery and wonder" listed in our Six Sources, but also the more immediate mysteries of puzzles, questions, and doubts.  Mystery can be awe-inspiring, it can be fun, it can be an entry into the search for truth, and more often than we sometimes think, it is something to be grateful for.

A couple of other things to note: our service next Sunday will include a special collection to express thanks to our gracious hosts and support their regular activities at our interim location.

And the restoration of our building is coming along!  We're not ready to move back just yet, but we hope to have a work day there some Saturday soon.  Volunteers will be much appreciated, and the stars may align on short notice, so please stay tuned!  Contact our president, Rich Burdge, for the latest.

For those who would also like to keep up with our neighbors at the UU Church of Columbia, their service message from yesterday is available to view online:

UUFJC News and Events this week:

For accessibility and convenience, we have an option to donate to our Fellowship online through PayPal:

Donate to UUFJC
You can also mail donations and pledges to:
UUFJC
Attn: Treasurer
PO Box 1245
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Thank you for being with us and supporting us!


And remember all our ways to stay in touch!  You can visit our website at uufjc.org.  You can also join our open-posting "UUFJC Cafe" Google Group to chat with other members and friends via e-mail and receive additional announcements and reminders (contact the Administrator at [email protected] to join).

It's time to update our UUFJC Members and Friends Directory.  If you would like to share your contact information with other members and friends, please contact our administrator at [email protected] with the information you would like to share.

An independent Insight Meditation group taught by Joe McCormack meets at our building Thursday nights at 7 pm, when possible.  Zoom may also be available.  For more information, contact Bob Antweiler.

Our building (when available) is reserved by community groups Wednesdays and Saturdays starting at 6 pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 5:30 pm.  If you have access to our building, please allow privacy at these times.

Community Events this week:

This Friday, December 1st at 7 pm in their Art Gallery, Missouri River Regional Library presents their monthly First Friday Film: "The Family Stone."  Set in a fictional New England town, the film features a conservative and formal businesswoman who accompanies her boyfriend to his eccentric family's annual holiday celebration. The all-star cast includes Luke Wilson, Diane Keaton, Sara Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulrney and Craig T. Nelson.  Contact Madeline Matson.  For more library events, visit MRRL.org.

For more events, see our online calendars:

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