Besides the Service, this Sunday at a Glance

• Adult RE: Louisa May Alcott – Transcendentalism
• Sign up for the First U Thanksgiving Gathering
• Buy a pie from the Women’s Alliance
• The November Birthday Bash is this week!
• Order a Poinsettia for Christmas Eve Vespers
• Donate Gift Cards (or funds) for Children at Coleridge-Taylor
• Don’t Forget the Big Blue Basket!

Carols for a Cause – a Benefit Concert for CLCM: Tuesday, December 2
Start the holidays at this family-friendly event that benefits Central Louisville Community Ministries. Join the River Cities Concert Band for festive music and a sing-along.  Location: First Unitarian Church  Time: 7-8pm.
Cost: $20 suggested donation, more if you can, less if you can’t.
Refreshments will be for sale, and even Santa may stop by!

Volunteer for Vespers Service – December 24
We are planning our evening service and we need volunteers to help us.  In particular, refreshment providers, choir singers (practice on Thursdays at 7pm), reception hosts, and service aides.  Let us know if you would be able to help with this church tradition! Email us at Connections Ministry. Thanks!

What I Always Wanted to Know
(New to UU) sessions will be held for four Sundays starting Sunday in January 11.  These hour-long programs starting at 9:45am explore UU principles, history, and practices.  We invite those who want to know more about Unitarian Universalism to attend these adult education sessions.  They are engaging, informative, fun, and include snacks. Childcare is available. See the link in the Midweek Update or email the Connections Ministry.

Room in the Inn Louisville
First Unitarian volunteers will once again have the opportunity to participate in the Room in the Inn (RITI) Louisville winter shelter program, January-February 2026. What’s New This Year?  This winter, RITI Louisville is expanding to a second overnight shelter, offering life-saving relief from frigid nights on the streets for unhoused neighbors amid a shortage of permanent shelter beds. There will be a women’s (and children) shelter at Christ Church Cathedral, and a men’s shelter at Grace Immanuel United Church of Christ, doubling the program’s capacity, providing approximately 1,000 overnight stays for 30-50 guests. The program is supported by volunteers from at least 17 congregations and organizations.

We Have a Very Good Problem in Children’s Religious Exploration!
There are so many new wonderful little ones joining us every week that we really need help in the classroom to keep everyone safe – in the Raccoon Room age 4-7 and the Fox Den: grade 3 & up.  Assistants do not have to plan anything, just sign up and show up that Sunday about 20 minutes early to get the plan. Here is the sign-up sheet. Find a Sunday and sign up now! Thank you!!

Women’s Alliance to Provide Grants
Women’s Alliance is accepting applications for grants. The grants will be for $250 to $500 and are intended to assist organizations that benefit women and families. Internal grant applications for projects within First Unitarian will also be accepted. Applications must be received by November 30 and the grants will be awarded in early 2026. The grant application may be downloaded and a completed copy of the application should be forwarded to the office no later than November 30, 2025.

4th Annual First U Auction Christmas Sing Along Party  $35
Sunday December 7 from 4-8pm – The party is hosted by one of our members. The house will be fully decorated for the holidays. Hearty appetizers, desserts, wine, beer, mixers etc will be served. Group singing will be Karaoke style with the words displayed on the TV screen. No one cares if you can sing but you must be able to scale a few stairs to get in the front door. We have room for 10 merry people. Pay $35 a person at the door. The party is a First U Auction event. Please contact the office if you are interested. Guaranteed to be a good time!

Faith & Science- second installment of The “& Science” Forums
During Faith & Science, we will celebrate community heroes & learn from an expert panel discussing the key intersections of faith & science. Ms. Elmer Lucille Allen (Artist and first African-American chemist at Brown-Forman) will also receive an “& Science” Trailblazer Award. See the Midweek Update for the full list of speakers.

• Thursday, December 11 at St. Stephen Baptist Church (1018 South 15^th Street, Louisville, KY 40210)
• Reception: 5:15 pm with panel discussion at 6:00 pm  Please RSVP.

About the Forum Series
The Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute is hosting a new quarterly health forum called “& Science.” The second installment of the series will focus on Faith & Science, featuring leaders from different faith traditions. The “& Science” series provides a community forum for conversations at the intersection of health, the environment & science. Future events will focus on history, art & science.

Security Cameras in Use
First Unitarian Church utilizes security cameras to support our efforts to maintain a safe and secure facility for our congregants, staff, and guests. No video is permanently recorded unless it relates to the safety and security of the church and its inhabitants. No audio is recorded. If you see any situation that is cause for concern, please reach out to the building supervisor.

Social Justice
There’s a wide range of areas where you can connect, help, support or join in – long or short term or even just once! It might be donating something, attending a meeting or protest, volunteering in many ways, or learning more. Scroll on past information about upcoming Sunday services to check it out or click here (but you’ll still want to know about upcoming services!)

Join Us for Thanksgiving – Thursday, November 27

If you would like to attend, click here to sign up or
please leave a message with the church office that includes

• your name, and the number of people in your party
• what you plan to bring
• if you are bringing children, and their ages (so we can have a few toys and what-not)
• if you are not in a position to bring a dish — that’s okay – everybody is welcome.

Information to Share: Please list your name/s as you’d like it to appear in the Vespers bulletin as the “from” person. List the name of the person you’re dedicating it to. Specify if this is in honor of or in memory of the person. It’s acceptable to be in honor of a group also. Contact Barbara in the office if you are uncertain. This will be listed in the Vespers Bulletin – so please write legibly.

Online until December 4. Fill in the links and pay online.

• Respond to the “Poinsettia email” you will receive soon
• Email the Office to place an order or ask a question.
• Click here to pay for your poinsettia online
• Ordering online is a two-step process. Don’t forget to give the information AND pay either online or by sending a check by mail or in person.

In person November 16, 23, or 30
See someone from Worship Ministry after church this Sunday to complete an order form. Then pay online or by check.

By phone 
Call the office anytime and talk to Barbara. If she’s not there, leave your name and email address and/or phone number with an Office Volunteer. No answer? Leave a message on Voice mail with your name, email address and phone number and that you want to order a poinsettia. The voice mail is delivered directly to Barbara’s email. She’ll email you or return your call when she is in the office. (Email usually gives a faster response.)

Payment: $15 each

• Check: Turn in check to offering or office. Make check payable to First Unitarian $15 per poinsettia. Write flower donation in memo line.
• Online Click here tp go directly to the poinsettia payment option. Or go to the church website, click “give” (near top right). Click the blue donate box to go directly to the poinsettia payment. Click blue donate box, then select “Flowers/Poinsettia” $15.
• Use whatever method you prefer using normally, but designate that it’s for “poinsettia donation.”

Questions? Contact Barbara Creasy

Per the school’s request, we are collecting gift cards to be given to the Family
Resource Center coordinator at Coleridge-Taylor. The Family Resource Center will distribute the gift cards to families, which they can use to purchase food and gifts for their children. Any gift cards in any amount will be gratefully received and utilized; however, $50. VISA gift cards are most versatile and can be used anywhere.
(*If you can’t give $50, any donation is appreciated as multiple gifts all add up. Mary can combine multiple smaller donations to get gift cards.)

If you would like to donate a gift card, please contact the office. We can pick up your gift card from you, or you may also:

• drop off your gift card at church— in the office if there’s a volunteer, or slip through the blue door if closed (place it in an envelope or a folded paper “envelope” with your name on it if dropping it off)
• make a donation for a gift card on the church website, or
• write a check for the gift cards, payable to First Unitarian Church, and be sure to write Coleridge-Taylor on the memo line.

Mary will also be at a table after church on Sunday, December 7 to collect gift cards or monetary donations, but you can give them to her when you see her other times as well.. Contact the office with any questions, and thank you so much for your generosity!

For the zoom link, Click here. The Meeting ID is 4508929882 if you can’t attend in person.  You will not need a password. Contact the volunteer desk if you have trouble getting online.

The Nursery: Tadpoles will be open for babies and pre-k  from 9:30am-12:15pm on Sundays. Registration Forms. are required for each child, including those in the nursery.

Linette Lowe is the Executive Director of Central Louisville Community Ministries, which helps stabilize our neighbors in crisis, and is currently the President of the Association of Community Ministries. She completed her MDiv at LPTS in 2022 and is a UU candidate for ordination. She lives outside of Bloomfield, KY, with husband Jay, son Jaymeson, loyal dog Lucy, 10 hens, and a herd of cats. Baking and eating breads of all kinds is one of her most-loved spiritual practices.