What’s Up at First UU

Thursday January 8, 2025

This Sunday, January 11, Rev Michelle Scott-Huffman will be in the pulpit with the message “The Invitation to Discomfort”.

• 10:00 Religious Education
  • Children (All Ages)
  • Adults (Spirit in Practice, Seekers, or Meditation Group)
• 11:00 Whole Worship – a hybrid, interactive service
• 12:15 Coffee & Fellowship

You can also attend the Sunday service virtually.

Read this week’s Sunday Service Bulletin here! (subject to change. Will be most accurate closer to Sunday)

• Our Silent Art Auction is live! You can bid on the first batch of art here (this is the link from last week), and there are new additions available here! The new deadline for online bidding, to accommodate scheduling, is Thursday Jan 15 by 12pm. There’s some great pieces up for grabs, so get yourself some art!
  
• The 2026 Martin Luther King March will be Monday, January 19. Meet at Brightspeed Ice Park after 7:00 a.m. Step off at 8:30 and go to Gillioz Theater for the Rising Together program. Contact Jerome Jamroch.
  
• Good News! Our Re: program for children and youth is growing and our successful pledge drive allows us to provide paid help for our childcare volunteers on Sunday morning. We are looking for 2 childcare helpers who would work 3 hours each Sunday. If you know someone who might be interested ask them to send a brief resume to
  president@springfielduu.org or contact Bob or Neal directly.
  
• How Can I Keep From Singing? – This is just a heads-up that in the service on January 25th, the First UU Choir will be premiering a new arrangement which combines a much-loved Chopin Etude with the American Folk Song, How Can I Keep From Singing.  Eva will be doing much of the heavy lifting with the etude, while the choral parts are a fairly straightforward rendition of the well-known song.  So, if you were thinking of joining the choir, or just giving it a try for a while, this would be an excellent time to do it because we have multiple rehearsals before we sing it in a service, and guide tracks are provided for every vocal part in case you are not confident with music reading skills. The choir rehearses each Sunday at 9 AM in the sanctuary! 
  
• The Aesthetics Committee has created a Little Library for sharing books – it is located on the shelf in the Channing Room. Feel free to bring books to share or peruse the books for your next great read. 
  
  
• We have an opportunity to help with the issue of Food Scarcity by restoring our raised beds and growing food.  The Environmental Group would like to rebuild our raised beds and have individuals sponsor a box.  We are collecting coins/$ in the KC Chief Jug located in the kitchen.  Please assist us with this project.
  
• UU continues to support Ekklesia, Rev. Michelle’s campus ministry, by providing occasional Sunday evening meals. If you would like to help provide meals, contact Holly G. You could lead a team to prepare and serve, or join a team that someone else is leading. There is a fund to reimburse for food costs. If you cannot help with a meal team but want to support the project, donations to pay for supplies can be designated “Ekklesia Meals”.
  
• First UU pertinent policies can be found at Docs for Distribution.

Our Mission – What is ours to do in the world:

Rooted in love and guided by reason, we are a welcoming Unitarian Universalist community that nurtures personal and spiritual growth and advocates for equity and justice in the world.

Our Vision – Where we’re headed as a congregation:

Love – we envision a world where love is at the center.

Welcome – we celebrate our shared values, acknowledge our differing beliefs, and nurture deep connections.

Growth – we engage our intergenerational community in faith development and lifelong learning with a spirit of curiosity and openness.

Justice – we defend and celebrate the Earth. We challenge assumptions, biases, and privilege. We collaborate with partners to build a more equitable world.