Proudly Progressive, Boldly Inclusive, Radically Friendly

Children’s RE August 26:  Water Communion

• Older kids (Fox Den class) will stay in the sanctuary.
• Younger kids (Raccoon Room) will start in the sanctuary and then go to
  the last summer RE session with Ms. Loren.

Susan Wilburn Memorial Service – Sunday, October 4, 2:30 pm

Time for First U to Sign Up for a CLOUT Listening Session 

Meetings are IN-PERSON, see below for more information.

First U Book Club: See You Monday, September 14

The Book Club is taking a break in August. Join us the 2nd Monday in September when we’ll be discussing The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George!

Reminder: You can still attend virtual GA Sessions for FREE

Click here for a FREE special opportunity to participate in sessions, workshops and worship services, even though GA is over in person.

We will soon celebrate our coming together in community. This uniquely Unitarian Universalist ritual is a feminist gift to our faith. You are invited to bring a little water from a place that is sacred to you or a place where you spent time over the summer.

• Older kids (Fox Den class) will stay in the sanctuary.
• Younger kids (Raccoon Room) will start in the sanctuary and then go to the last summer RE session with Ms. Loren.

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.

Registration Forms are required for each child, including those in the nursery.

Speaker Bio: Jill Sampson is a member of First Unitarian.  Jill grew up in central Indiana but has been in Louisville now for 30+ years although you can’t tell it from her accent. She lives with an awesome spouse in dogleg-camelback-shotgun house in Germantown. She has a biochemistry degree from the Ag School at Purdue and an MBA from U of L. For fun she golfs, reads, writes, dabbles with an art journal and doom scrolls on social media. Please don’t ask her to sing.

Time for First U to Sign Up for a CLOUT Listening Session 

Meetings are IN-PERSON: Locations to be Shared
Autumn marks many beginnings – like school and our church year – and it’s also the beginning of the CLOUT (Citizens of Louisville Organized and United Together) annual justice cycle, where we listen to learn which problems weigh on you and your loved ones. Gathering our stories fosters meaningful connections and it reveals how we are all stakeholders in our justice work, bound up in a spirit of mutuality.

First U is offering three opportunities to participate in this important stage in working with 26 other metro area faith communities to build Beloved Community through holding leaders accountable. Each session will run about 75 minutes.

• Friday, September 11 at 5 pm
• Tuesday, September 15 at 2 pm
• Wednesday, September 23 at 6:30 pm

Each session has limited space. We can add more sessions, but if you have a preference for any of these times, do not delay. Get in touch with the office to reserve your spot or to learn more about the CLOUT listening process at First U.

Louisville Pride: Save the Date! Sign Up to Help

Louisville Pride is almost here! This event is more locally based with lots of community vendors, our church will be co-hosting a booth with All Peoples.
September 12th 11am-10pm  We’re looking for volunteers for the Glitter Booth!
If you’re interested in sharing some sparkletastic joy with us contact the office.

UU Justice Film Festival 2027 – Want To Help Make It Happen?

First U is looking for people who are interested in helping – in your own preferred way – to stage the second annual Justice Film Festival, in collaboration with the Justice Center at All Peoples. Do you want to help select films for the early 2027 festival? Do you want to help acquire viewing rights? Or maybe help with publicity or put together panels for the post-viewing discussions. If you’re interested in learning more and have skill or passion to participate in some way, click here.

UU the Vote:  Please Join Us!

We’re writing postcards to get out the vote for the November election. Come by the Social Hall after the service, or for more information, click here.

Children’s RE Contact: Loren Crawford

Are you curious about Children’s RE? Click here

This begins in the sanctuary at 11:00 with the Moment for Ages. They leave during the Song for the Children.
The Nursery: Tadpoles 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. They will join the older children in Summer RE as appropriate.

Adult (RE) Contact: Adult Religious Exploration

September 6 Four Engines for a Vibrant First U (Part 2)
An Unabashed Bias Toward Justice
Following up on the final thoughts from the August 9 service spelling out four engines to build a vibrant Adult Religious Exploration program – and, hopefully, from that, a vibrant First U experience – we’re going to explore the second “engine” and how a bias toward justice is inherently connected and a vital part of Adult RE programming, brainstorming ways we can put this second engine into gear. (This is a stand-alone session. You do not need to participate in any other part of this four-part series.)

September 13 Four Engines for a Vibrant First U (Part 3):
A Commitment to Denominational Connection
Following up on the final thoughts from the August 9 service spelling out four engines to build a vibrant Adult Religious Exploration program – and, hopefully, from that, a vibrant First U experience – we’re going to explore the third “engine” and how a robust denominational connection is inherent to our work and a vital part of Adult RE planning, brainstorming ways we can put this third engine into gear. (This is a stand-alone session. You do not need to participate in any other part of this four-part series.)

September 20 CLOUT: A Listening Process for Community Change
Each year, CLOUT (Citizens of Louisville Organized and United Together) – the interfaith, multi-congregational community-based justice organization First U participates in – engages in a community listening process to discern what issues and inequities and injustices are percolating among us. This listening process occurs in homes and in other small group settings across Jefferson County and leads us into the next phase in which everyone votes on the next area of change and redress CLOUT will take on. There are house meetings that will be offered by First U members in September and this Sunday Adult RE session will be an extra session available to you, but the pool of participants will be capped at 10 (with no limit on who can join us as observers) so arrive early or sign up for one of the other house meetings if you want to participate in the listening process!

September 27 A Chalice Circle Sampler: Love at the Center
The Chalice Circles team is wrapping up the open enrollment period for Chalice Circles, the small group ministry program at First U, and this Sunday’s session is definitely one to check out if you’re “on the fence” about joining because we’re going to offer a sneak peek, sampler-sized, one-time Chalice Circle experience so you can “kick the tires” and take a Chalice Circle out for a test drive. We’ll run things kind of/sort of like an actual Chalice Circle and for this session our topic will be “Love at the Center.”