Midweek UUpdate 5/29/25

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FYI 
 

First Sunday Lunch Menu: June 1
Ham and Turkey Sliders; Chips, Dessert.  Vegan option: Ezekiel bread PB&J
 

A Good Goodbye: Please Create a Message
A create-your-own message station for everyone to make/write ‘goodbye’ notes to Rev. MAM will be available in the Social Hall during Coffee Hour on Sunday, May 25th and Sunday, June 1st. Notecards, rubber stamps, markers and pens will be provided. Messages will be gathered together for presentation on June 15.
 

Save the Date: Wednesday, June 11 CLCM Community Meeting
Central Louisville Community Ministries will be hosting a Community Meeting on Wednesday, June 11, beginning 5:30pm at Calvary Episcopal Church (821 S 4th St).  Have you heard about CLCM but curious to know more? This meeting is for YOU, and bring a friend! Hear updates and learn how you can engage. Refreshments served, and plenty of free parking is available.
 

Housing Leads Needed
A church member is seeking to rent a studio apartment, or equivalent housing, asap. He is on a fixed (SS) income and has a strict budget, including utilities. Contact the office for more information.
Investing in a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Future
To make a pledge for for the next fiscal year (July1-June 30), you may pledge online here. Thank you for all your generosity in all the ways you give throughout the year. The funds you pledge now will fund our ministry for the church year 2025 – 2026.

Join Us Sunday, June 1 at 11:00am
 Life is Goodbye: Life is Hello
Reverend Ben Burton
and Reverend Mary Ann Macklin
Join Reverend Mary Ann and Reverend Ben as we honor those who participated in and learn about the yearlong Death and Dying Class, which Reverend MAM taught in 2024-2025.  Reverend Ben, who spoke about his experiences as a Hospice Chaplain to the class, was one of their favorite speakers. We will have a Children’s Hymn Sing with our young ones before they leave for Religious Exploration.

After the service, we’ll have our June lunch, followed by the Congregational Meeting.
 

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.

Upcoming Services
June 8
A Day of Welcome:
Annual Flower Communion Ceremony Speakers:
Reverend Liz Weber and Reverend Mary Ann Macklin
Join us as we welcome the congregation’s New Minister, Reverend Liz Weber. Reverend Liz will join Interim Minister, Reverend Mary Ann Macklin, for our  Annual Flower Communion Ceremony–a Unitarian Universalist ritual that celebrates beauty, human uniqueness, diversity, and community. Created in 1923 by Unitarian minister Norbert Čapek of Prague, Czechoslovakia, the Flower Ceremony was introduced to the United States by Rev. Mája Čapek, Norbert’s widow. In this ceremony, everyone in the congregation brings a flower. Each person places a flower on the altar or in a shared vase. The congregation and minister bless the flowers, and they’re redistributed. Each person takes home a different flower than the one they brought. We will have extra flowers for first-time visitors or if you forget yours.

During the worship service we will also honor our newborns and their families with a Baby Dedication. We will have a reception for Rev. Liz following the worship service. Join us for this joyous occasion of welcome and blossoms. Remember to bring a flower to share.
 
June 15

Let Us Break Bread Together:
A Farewell Worship ServiceReverend Mary Ann Macklin
Linette Lowe

Bread is a symbol of communion and community. The breaking of bread is a sign of friendship and sharing. Join us as we say farewell to Reverend Mary Ann Macklin for her final time in our pulpit as our Interim Minister.

Reverend Mary Ann joined us in the summer of 2023. She and Linette Lowe will  collaborate to create a service that honors the relationship shared by a minister and congregation and what it means when it is time to let that go. We will have a simple reception following the service.

We invite you to bring a loaf of bread to share during the reception—any type of bread— and any additional culinary accoutrements if needed. Bring our loaf of bread to the kitchen upon arrival for the worship service.

Annual Meeting Information
Dear First Unitarian Members and Friends,
This is the Announcement as well as an Invitation to attend the  First Unitarian
Annual Congregational Meeting 2024-2025.
Sunday, June 1, 2025 at 12:45pm
in the Sanctuary of First Unitarian Church.
  • A Luncheon will be served at noon in the Social Hall,  after the Sunday Worship Service.
  • Childcare will be provided.
  • This meeting will be an in-person meeting only.  There will NOT be a Zoom option.
  • All members are encouraged to attend. If you are unable to attend, see the information below about proxy voting, a method that allows you to name someone to vote on your behalf.
  • Non-members may attend but are not allowed to vote on presented issues.

Votes will take place for the slate of officers which follows as well as the budget for the coming church year July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. There may be other items that require a vote.
Slate of Officers
The Nominating Committee 
Debra Gilbert for a 3 year term
The Board of Trustees
Two at large positions
Tim Raymond for a 3 year term
Valerie Schwartz for a 3 year term
 Thank you,
Jill Sherman, President
The First Unitarian Board of Trustees
 

Proxy Information (If you are unable to attend but wish to vote)
Members that are unable to attend may name a proxy to vote on their behalf.

  1. The person serving as proxy must agree to do so and can only be a proxy for one person.
  2. The proxy must be present at the meeting.
  3. The proxy can place a personal vote as well as vote on behalf of one other member that is not present.
  4. The member unable to attend must complete a proxy form naming the person that will vote on their behalf by the deadline.

Complete an online form. Use the following link to answer the questions, then send. This creates an email that is sent to the Board Secretary.  Click here to use the online form. If you have trouble, contact the office by email, stating that you are unable to be there and the person you are listing as your proxy. Deadline to email the online proxy form: noon Saturday, May 31.

RE: Religious Exploration
10am: Adult Religious Exploration   
Families Welcome / Childcare Available beginning at 9:30
Contact Loren Crawford, Director of Religious Exploration (DRE)
Learn About More Upcoming RE Opportunities Here
 

June 1 Robert’s Rules of Supremacy Culture
What better time to consider the European colonialism and supremacy culture that’s baked into Robert’s Rules of Order (RRO) than the day before our congregational meeting? We’re going to consider the cultural and ethnic barriers that get thrown in the way of progress and healthy decision making when we create processes that are supposed to bring about order and fairness to our meetings. We’ll also talk about alternatives to RRO and how they connect to our UU values.

Justice Information
 

NEW: Kentuckians for Single-Payer Health Care Saturday May 31
Join us on the National Day of Action to put national single payer health care on the nation’s agenda: Saturday, May 31, at 11am, at the Mazzoli Federal Building, 600 Martin Luther King Jr. Place, Louisville.
Pride Parade: Saturday June 21
Mark the date for the Pride Parade here in Louisville. As has become our usual MO, we will march with All Peoples UU, starting from New Lou neighborhood and marching to the Big Four lawn.
Stay tuned for more details!
Click here for more information.