Midweek UUpdate 6/18/25

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FYI 
 

While We’re Between Ministers: Need Anything?
During our time in between ministers (next few weeks), please contact the office if you have questions regarding church.
 

Kids RE This Summer – 11am Sundays
All Ages Children’s Religious Exploration will continue through the summer, but instead of classes we will focus on fun and delight.  We will start out in the service and then leave after the Moment for All Ages. Children in the nursery will join us as appropriate. Let Loren know if you want to help organize one of these days.

This Sunday, June 22, is Antique Toy Day!  We will learn about toys from the old days and get to play with them! We will do a show and tell of old toys including very cool Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls on loan with their books. if you have any old toys you’d like to share with us, bring them in! And congregation – if you have things you could share, we’d love it. We will treat them gently. We are planning to set up an antique toy exhibit up in the Raccoon Room. Bring them in by Sunday morning. Thank you!!!
Click here to see the rest of the summer schedule.
Sunday, June 15: The first water day was a success –  great way to begin our summer of fun and fellowship.
 

Lyman T. Johnson Award Dinner: Honoring Bill Allison
June 28 at 6:00pm at First U
Join the Louisville Democratic Socialists of America as they honor our own Bill Allison, Civil Rights and Labor Attorney and former Alderman. Go to the website for ticket information.
 

Coffee Hour Volunteers
Are you interested in volunteering beginning in July? We’re looking for any volunteers to setup and serve Coffee Hour after service. Would you rather donate food or beverages? Maybe both!!
Contact the office for more information.
A Call for Cloth Napkins!
Every so often, the cloth napkins at church go rogue. They accidentally  get  thrown away. They get stained beyond repair.  And so our inventory grows low. We’re in need of more donated cloth napkins for use with our Sunday lunch,  which reduces our environmental footprint by reducing waste going to the landfill. If YOU have some extra cloth napkins you can donate to First U, please bring them and leave them on the coffee/dessert table in the social hall.
 

Meet the Moment
The theme of the UUA’s General Assembly is Meet the Moment, something that all of us Unitarian Universalists are being asked to do in these challenging times. You are invited to view the four-minute and 49-second video, that’s an invitation to the General Assembly by Reverend Ashley Horand. click here.

Join Us Sunday, June 22, at 11:00am
 
All of Us or None of Us:
Real Solidarity During These Critical Times

Speaker: Kaila Adia Story, PhD

There will be an opportunity to purchase her books after the service during Coffee Hour.
We will welcome Kaila Adia Story, who will be discussing her book, The Rainbow Ain’t Never Been Enuf: On The Myth of LGBTQ+ Solidarity, and what it means to be in community and solidarity with one another without bigotry or bias.
 
About the Speaker:

Kaila Adia Story, PhD is an associate professor in the Departments of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Pan-African Studies, as well as the Audre Lorde Endowed Chair at the University of Louisville.
She is also the co-creator, co-producer, and cohost of Louisville Public Media’s Strange Fruit: Musings on Politics, Pop Culture, and Black Gay Life, a popular award-winning podcast.
 

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 29

The King’s Chapel
Speaker: Rev. Dr. Nicole C. Kirk
She will speak to us virtually via a message recorded during the UUA General Assembly worship service held in Baltimore. In addition to her work at Meadville Lombard Theological School, Rev. Kirk is currently the Program Minister (part-time) at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, one of the largest UU churches in the world with over two thousand members.

Except for the virtual speaker for the sermon, the rest of our service will be live in person from and involving the people of First U, and also via zoom.

July 6

Building Personal and Collective Resilience
for Chaotic Times
Speaker: Mark Steiner

Maintaining some sense of control, especially when the world around us seems particularly chaotic, is more than a deep seated desire, it is essential if we are to maintain vibrancy, meaning and joy.  And while we can seldom control the world around us, we can, to varying degrees, have significant say in how we respond to it. In this talk we will explore practical choices we can make, and actions we can take, to help ensure we thrive amid these strange and challenging times.
Mark Steiner has spoken at First U many times in the past. Lately, he has been offering programs and presentations designed to strengthen our connections with each other and the natural world for over 3 decades. He’s an official facilitator of Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects and seeks to live out poet Mary Oliver’s Instructions for Living a Life: Pay Attention. Be Astonished. Tell About It.

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
 

Adult RE
This week begins our much lighter, more conversational “summer” lineup for our 10 am Adult Religious Exploration sessions. Sometimes we’ll be watching a Ted Talk and discussing it.
 

Hey Kids!!!  All Ages Religious Exploration will continue through the summer. But instead of classes we will focus on fun and delight.

Sundays 11- 12   We will start out in the service and then leave after the Moment for All Ages. Children in the nursery will join us as appropriate. Let me know if you want to help organize one of these days.

  • JUNE 22: Antique Toy Day (Learn about toys from the old days and get to play with them)
  • JUNE 29: Build a Kite Day (Build and decorate your own kite to take home)
  • JULY 06: Painting Day (Body portraits, chalk murals, finger painting. It will get messy.)
  • JULY 13: Water Day (Prepare to get wet! Bring a towel and extra clothes!)
  • JULY 20: Board Game Day (A wide assortment of games for all ages)
  • JULY 27: Build a Fort Day (We’ll build a fort in the kindergarten room and have a spooky time)
  • AUGUST 3: Mask Making (Making masks of all sort and playing with them)
  • AUGUST 10: Critter Clay Day (We’ll build all sorts of creatures in clay)
  • AUGUST 17: Cooking Day (Fruit Salad and Cookies and who knows what)
  • AUGUST 24: Theater Games (Because why wouldn’t we?)
  • AUGUST 31: Water Day (It’s Water Communion Day!)

Justice Information
 

Save the Date! Gospel Drag Show Saturday June 28
The third annual Drag Me to Church: A Gospel Drag Show will be coming to Calvary on Saturday June 28th, 2025. Open to everyone, reception at 6 pm, show begins at 7 pm. Donations welcome, all proceeds benefit the Calvary Food Pantry.
 
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 the New Lou neighborhood and marching to the Big Four lawn.
As of this date, the office hasn’t been able to obtain any information from organizers about the planned time or location for the meetup.  Monitor the First U Chalice Facebook page for updates.