Besides the Service, this Sunday at a Glance

• Adult RE: What is Abolitionism? Collective Liberation 101
• Sign up for the First U Thanksgiving Gathering
• Order a Poinsettia for Christmas Eve Vespers
• Donate Gift Cards (or funds) for Children at Coleridge-Taylor
• Don’t Forget the Big Blue Basket!

Office Closed for Thanksgiving; Church Activities Continue as Usual
The church office is closed Thursday and Friday. Barbara, the office administrator, will be off as well. Feel free to email her at your convenience, but it won’t be read until she returns Monday.

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!

First U Book Club Party: Monday, December 8 at 6 pm.
No book, it’s a holiday party!! Join us in the church library (the room behind the sanctuary) to celebrate the season with some yummy snacks and good conversation about anything and everything. If it’s your first time, no need to bring anything, you’ll be our welcome guest. See you there!

Volunteer Now 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!

Room in the Inn Louisville  (December 3 Zoom Meeting to Learn More)
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. Click here for more information.

House and Grounds – A Place for You
House and Grounds meets the second Saturday of the month in order to save the church a lot of money and to eat donuts.   On our list so far is: repairing sanctuary chairs, replacing several light fixtures with energy sipping LEDs, mulching leaves and replacing caps on the social hall chair legs that are worn out.  You don’t need experience with these things because our ancient crew has tools and centuries of know-how to impart. Our next meeting is Saturday, December 13 at 9 AM.

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.

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 near Culbertson Mansion in downtown New Albany. 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. Contact the office if you are interested. Guaranteed to be a good time!

LSURJ Looking for Canvass Workers $20 per hour
Louisville Showing Up for Racial Justice is hiring working and they’re asking workers for two-hours shifts. This is a part of the LSURJ Crew in the Special Election of District 37 canvassing between now and December 16. Select your own dates and times. Click on the link to get started.

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 Environmental 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 30
See Bev Daly 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 to go directly to the poinsettia payment option.

Questions? Contact Bev Daly or 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 can drop off or mail to the church. 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.

We 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 us when you see us other times as well. Contact the office with any questions, and thank you so much for your generosity!

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.

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.

December’s theme for worship is “Choosing Hope.” Today, we’ll explore stories from other places and times where people in a community or nation have faced oppression and repression and come through them together.

KUUJAN’s All Network Gathering:  “What to do after No Kings?”
Wednesday, December 10 from 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm (EST time)
We are all invited to attend the “No King’s Rallies” over the past year. These are powerful and valuable opportunities to come together and send a message to our current administration.  There have also been some concerns raised about the lack of solution or “next steps” that seem to be offered during these rallies. In this conversation, we’ll engage in some exploring of how we attend rallies like these in ways that to build community and work for real social change. We’ll also explore some of the solutions that are going on in Kentucky in response to the damage that is being done by both the current federal administration and our state legislature. Please join us if you can.  This will be a really important conversation — and your voice matters!  Join the ANG by clicking here.

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 is RITI? RITI Louisville’s community ministry is modeled after a program initially founded in Nashville in 1985 that has been replicated in nearly 40 other locales, including Washington, D.C., Charlotte, N.C., and the Kentucky cities of Bardstown, Bowling Green and Lexington. Nashville today has more than 100 participating congregations that provide temporary overnight shelter during the winter months for individuals experiencing homelessness.

What’s New This Year? More than 20 First U members and friends volunteered for the pilot winter shelter this past winter, contributing to the success of that launch. 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.

RITI Louisville is now an independent 501(c)(3) organization, able to accept charitable donations. Suzanne Meeks of our Congregation is the President of its Board of Directors. Feed Louisville will be providing dinners at both sites Mondays through Fridays, while congregation volunteers will provide the meals on Saturdays and Sundays.

• I’d Like to Learn More about Serving People Without Shelter. There will be a training opportunity on Wednesday, December 3, 12:00-1:30 p.m., on Zoom. We will provide the link when we have it.
• How Can I Help? Suzanne is beginning to put together volunteer teams. We hope to cover 5-8 nights during the winter months of January and February, spread across the two months. We will need three volunteers for each evening shift (4:30-10 p.m.), two for each overnight shift (10:00 p.m. – 5:00 a.m.), and two for each morning shift (4:45 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.). There are opportunities for men and women to volunteer. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the office
• Donation If you want to support RITI Louisville but cannot volunteer, consider making a donation. We are especially looking for mattress donors; each mattress costs $350. But every contribution helps, no matter the size! You can donate HERE.

Strong Paper and Plastic Bags Needed for the Food Pantry
The food pantry volunteers pack bags and bags of groceries to be given out every week and need a lot of bags. If you shop at a store that uses paper bags, could you double-bag and grab a few extra bags and forward them to the food pantry? If you do food pick up or delivery, those strong plastic bags are also needed. As always, we need and appreciate the non-perishable food items donated every week. Place them in the blue basket. As cuts are made to safety nets, the need for food is growing.

La Casita News: La Casita Center works intentionally to build a thriving community based on mutual support and respect built on the vision of connecting people through solidarity, to be one community. Priority needs; ways to give; jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities.

Adult (RE) Contact: Adult Religious Exploration

• All are Welcome: Members, friends, visitors, curious people, and people lost in the building are all welcome.
• Check-in begins at 9:45. Class meets in the Church Library at 10am.

This Sunday – November 30
What Is Abolitionism? – Collective Liberation 101
Having looked at the abolitionist views of Louisa May Alcott (and other Transcendentalists), we are going to consider what it means to be an abolitionist today. We will kick things off with the wisdom of Ijeoma Oluo, author of Be A Revolution, on this question and we’ll go from there as we look at how we are (or could be) honoring the abolitionist legacy of Unitarian and Universalist ancestors in our 21st century reality. This is an important conversation as the following Saturday marks the 160th anniversary of the ratification of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery (December 6, 1865). Are we satisfied that the work was finished back then? Are we even confident that it could be ratified again today?

Borrow the book: Louisville Free Public Library  ||| Jeffersonville Twp Public Library ||| Not available in Floyd County
Buy the book: Carmichaels Bookstore ||| Firestorm Coop

On Sunday we’re also going to start planning our second FUUD (Fun Unitarian Universalist Dinner) for a Wednesday night in January.

Sunday, December 7
Historic Preservation and First U
Lee Wells will kick off a conversation about historic preservation – and what that could mean for First Unitarian Church and its campus, its legacy, and where we go from here.

Children’s RE  Contact Loren  
This begins in the sanctuary at 11:00 with the Moment for Ages. They leave during the Song for the Children.

The Nursery will be open for babies and pre-k  from 9:30am-12:15pm on Sundays.

• Registration Forms. Registration information is required for each child, including those in the nursery.
• The Nursery: Tadpoles will be open for babies and pre-k  from 9:30am-12:15pm on Sundays.
• The Raccoon Room: Pre-K – Grade 2. Room 212. Teacher: Ms. Loren & guest teachers will begin in the sanctuary with their families and then head upstairs with their teacher after the Moment for All Ages. Class ends at noon, parents will come up and get their children following the service.
• The Fox Hole: Grades 3 and up Room 202. Ms. Christina & guest teachers will begin in the sanctuary with their families and then head upstairs with their teacher after the Moment for All Ages. Class ends at noon, parents will come up and get their children following the service.
• Youth Group: Grades 5 and Up We hope to meet on a regular basis at the church and around town.