Annual Report Deadline: Monday, May 5
Individual reports by groups, ministries, staff etc. are due in the office by Monday. If you did not receive the template or last year’s report or do not know if you are expected to do a report, contact Barbara. She will use the individual reports to create the Report to the Congregation ahead of our Annual Meeting on June 1.

From the MAM Memo April 29
As usual, the MAM Memo included multiple things this week, including information about Jess, the tree blessing and information about upcoming activities between now and the short time before Rev. Mary Ann leaves. As she said, “Please be mindful of the time we have left. Also, note your own patterns of how you say goodbye and be mindful not to ignore the feelings or process. We, ministers, are asked to share with you our feelings with you during this time.”  If you are signed up to receive the Midweek Updates, you automatically receive the MAM Memo.  It’s also available on the website.

The UU Gathering: Online Monday, May 12
We come together across our faith community for spiritual grounding, political analysis, and to build the connections needed to take collective action as we continue to fight for a world where all people can thrive.  Join us every Second Monday of the month at 8pm ET. Click the March 10 link to hear a meeting. Join in:  May 12   June 9

Please join us for the worship service in which we will host Councilwoman Shameka Parrish-Wright in our pulpit.   We will recall events of the past, reclaim our voices as progressive, faithful people in the present and reimagine a future in which all our people are one.  Our Moment for All Ages will feature our Children’s Hymn Sing so prepare for plenty of music, inspiration and wisdom in this worship service.

About Shameka Parrish-Wright
Mom of 6 and grandma of 4, wife, consultant, VOCAL-KY Executive Director, organizer, fighter, bridge builder and truth-sayer who ran for Louisville Mayor and now Elected as Metro Councilwoman for District 3.

VOCAL-KY is a grassroots membership organization working to create healthy and just communities by building power among people affected by HIV, drug use, mass incarceration, and homelessness. This is done through community organizing, leadership development, participatory research, policy advocacy and direct action with the belief that true social change must come from the bottom up and be led by those most directly impacted

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.

May 18    To Boldly Go     Speaker: Reverend Mary Ann Macklin

May 25    Imagination:  The Gift of Poetry     Speakers: Poets of First U

Calling All Poets!
We will be honoring verse on May 25 during the service, “Imagination: the Gift of Poetry.” During this service, a handful of poets from our very own congregation will be sharing their poems. So if you, too, have a small poem you have written we encourage you to spread your wings and share it with your welcoming First U community at a Poetry Slam during the coffee hour after the service! If you would rather have someone else do the public speaking, consider asking a friend to read your poem aloud for you. Seriously consider reciting your work, though- poetry comes alive when shared aloud!

If you have a poem already written or can get one ready for the last weekend of May, RSVP for the Poetry Slam! Please time yourself speaking the poem aloud, and send your RSVP and the timed length of the poem to the office. We’re looking for pieces that are 3 to 5 minutes long, but please email to ask any questions.

May 4, 2025 – Chalice Circle One-Time Sampler (Imagination)
Are you still curious about our small group ministry program, “Chalice Circles,” and don’t know enough about it to commit to it? Are you uninterested in commitments but would still like to take it out for a test drive? If you have any curiosity about small group ministry and are not already active in a Chalice Circle, join us for a one-time, no obligation 45 minute session on May’s worship theme, “Imagination.” (If you’re in a circle and want to join, you’re welcome as long as there’s room.)

May Day Strong: May 1 National Day of Action
From Side With Love / UUA – In a world that often feels heavy with injustice, we return to our spiritual roots for renewal, courage, and clarity. Side With Love invites you to act in alignment with our deepest values—from marching for workers’ and immigrant rights on May Day, to gathering in community for reflection and strategy, to recommitting to climate justice and prophetic resistance. We invite you to connect, reflect, and take action—grounded in love, guided by faith, and held by community. Join thousands of others who are resisting the defunding of our schools, the targeting of immigrant families, and the dismantling of public services. On May Day, we are fighting for our families, our rights, and our freedoms and for a future that works for working families.

Here are the May Day Strong events near us:

• Thursday, May 1 from 11am-2pm  information and registration
  527 W Jefferson St. Louisville, KY 40202
• Thursday, May 1 from 4 – 6pm information and registration
  Sen. Todd Young’s office
  3602 Northgate Ct.   New Albany, IN 47150

Housing: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Monday, May 5 at 7:30pm ET
This is a nationwide UU Class Conversation via zoom. Registration is required.

Re-Write: Navigating Critical Turning Points in History
Tuesday, May 6 from 8:00-9:30pm ET via zoom
Five current or former UU leaders will describe how their congregations navigated critical turning points. Presentations will allow for questions and comments via Zoom Chat.
To join, use the link  or QR code.
Audience members will be muted on entry to minimize interruption. We encourage questions via Chat and will switch to voice if feasible.   Topics Include:

The Women’s Alliance Saves the Church 
The Consultant Advised Us to Quit 
Deciding to Be Lay-Led

The information for these narratives was available thanks to UU congregants who recorded their congregational history.

Racism in Housing Conversation: Wednesday, May 7 at 6:30 – 8:00pm
Racial Discrimination in Housing and its Impact on Wealth Building
Passionist Earth and Spirit Center, 1924 Newburg Rd. Louisville KY
There’s a good explanation for the disparity of wealth between Black and white families in America. It was planned and executed by the government, in partnership with the real estate industry. Join us as we learn about the history of redlining, racial deed restrictions, zoning laws and steering. These practices guaranteed that the middle class would be almost entirely white for generations. And their impacts are felt today in our city and neighborhoods, and in the wealth of our citizens. Refreshments will be served. Be sure to register here.

Louisville Showing Up for Racial Justice – 2nd Wednesdays 7-8pm (May 14)
If you want to help us grow the base of white people showing up for racial justice in partnership with the multiracial struggle for a more just society come join us! We must work collectively to build the people power we need. We encourage you to consider getting involved in one action this month! LSURJ monthly meetings are the second Wednesday of each month from 7-8pm. We focus on Political Education, Leadership Development, Action and Base Building. To get our newsletter and email alerts, click here.

Training to Confront ICE: Thursday, May 15 from 6:30-8:30pm
Free Community Defense Training conducted by LSURJ
(Louisville Showing Up for Racial Justice)
at The Barn at the Passionist Earth and Spirit Center 1924 Newburg Rd., Louisville
LSURJ has trained almost 200 people in Community Defense skills such as De-escalation, Know Your Rights, Accompaniment, Solidarity and How Our Liberation is Connected to the Liberation of Others. They have a list of teams and individuals already responding to calls for accompaniment. This includes folks from First U. LSURJ is serving at vulnerable gatherings, meet-ups, centers that accompany directly impacted communities, doing court accompaniment and more.

These are the times when we must decide that no person or community is expendable. As Dr Martin Luther King, Jr taught us, “It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” They cannot come for any of us, without coming through all of us. Let us be community—together. Register in advance