809 S. 4th St, 502-585-5110 [email protected] or [email protected]

Proudly Progressive, Boldly Inclusive, Radically Friendly

Upcoming Services and Archived Services – upper right corner of the home page

We offer a hybrid approach to our Sunday Celebration of Life services, both in-person and via zoom.  For the zoom link, go the “Live Stream Our Service” on the home page upper right corner.  The Meeting ID is 4508929882  You will not need a password. 

Upcoming Calendar Events

Sun, Sep 24 at 11am

Welcome Engaged: Journey of Forgiveness

Minister: Rev. Mary Ann Macklin

We Unitarian Universalists draw from many sources including “Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves”.

In the Jewish Calendar the new year, Rosh Hashanah begins the evening of September 15th and Yom Kippur will begin on the evening of September 24th. In honor of the Jewish High Holy Days, Reverend Mary Ann will explore the journey of forgiveness and how we welcome that into our lives.

Sections Below in the following order

Social Justice

Our Community

Religious Education

Social Justice

Just in case you ever need an email address for locating lawmakers:

• Contact your Kentucky representatives: click for contact information.
• Contact your US House representative: click for contact information.
• Contact your US Senator: click for contact information.

Support Hildegard House
HIldegard House is Kentucky’s only comfort care home. With the support of this community we provide a home and compassionate care for people at the end of life who have no home or no loved ones to care for them so that they may die with dignity.

• Hit it for Hildegard – Friday, September 23, 2023
  Hildegard House is hosting its 6th annual golf scramble at Heritage Hill Golf Club on September 29th. Register for an amazing day, or half day, or golf – and make a difference for someone at the end of their life. To register and learn more, go here.

Fascism 101: Thursday, September 28 from 6:30-9:00pm 

at First Unitarian
Louisville Showing Up for Racial Justice (LSURJ) is hosting this program that’s open to the public. Bring snacks to share and come to learn together. The program is part of a series about the rise of Fascism and how we can fight back. Contact Bill Allison with questions. (502)552-3746 or email.

Free Concert: Sonbol Taefi on Friday, September 29 at 7:00pm

at First Unitarian
Remembering the 40th anniversary of the execution of 10 Baha’i women in Shiraz, Iran for refusing to recant their faith. Sonbol Taefi, an internationally renowned singer, composer, and producer will perform for one night only.  #ourstoryisone Sponsored by The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahai’s of Louisville, KY, Inc. 

Indigenous Peoples Day Event: Saturday October 7
Join us from 1:00-5:00pm at Bellarmine University’s Cralle Theatre for performances from singers, dancers, and speakers, including Keynote Speaker Dr. Danielle Heron-Lovell. Performances include Tommy Wildcat, award winning flutist and storyteller, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. The City of Louisville Mayor’s Office will present the Indigenous Peoples Day proclamation. For more information, contact event organizer Angela Arnett-Gardner at (606) 303-1169.

A Message from CLCM
Central Louisville Community Ministries provides emergency rent and utility assistance, a food pantry, a clothes closet and more. You can help in several ways:

Raingear Donations Requested
The Committee on Homelessness is collecting rain gear to give out as needed to individuals who have taken refuge on our porch. We would appreciate donations of functional umbrellas and rain ponchos. You may place them in our basket in the Church’s front entrance hall by the window. 

• Shelf stable prepared entrees like canned spaghetti That’s what the Central Louisville Community Ministries food pantry needs right now! Bring this, or any other food donations, to church on Sunday and deposit in the blue basket by the chancel table, or drop off between 9:30am-noon next door at Calvary, on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• LGE bills – all funding from the LG&E Foundation has been exhausted, so we no longer have resources to assist people facing a cut-off in LG&E services.  Your donations to the LG&E Miracle Fund are needed and appreciated!! Checks can be mailed to CLCM at 809 S 4th St, Lou KY 40203, or sent online using the CLCM website.

Our Community

Congregational Potluck and Start-Up Workshop: “Telling Our Stories”
October 27 Potluck: 5:30pm; “Telling Our Story” Workshop: 6:45pm
with Reverend Mary Ann Macklin and Rev. David Pyle, Regional Lead, MidAmerica Region of the UUA

Join us for the Ministerial Startup Workshop, where we will explore this new shared ministry we are building together!  Reverend Pyle will facilitate the weaving of the story of First Unitarian Church through congregation members’ sharing of Joys and  Sorrows in our history. We will explore what it means to intentionally welcome someone by telling the congregation’s stories, by exploring our identity and culture, and discovering who is responsible for what!  Also, there will be cat videos! 
All are invited to this Friday evening session and potluck.

Interested in Being a Worship Assistant?
The Worship Committee would like to invite those interested in being a Worship Assistant with Sunday services to give us their names.  They would help with small tasks before, during, and after the Sunday service.  Speaking would be optional. Contact Jamie McGloin-King or Pat Allison.

Church Music Ensemble
Are you interested in joining us? So far we have a trombone player, a trumpet player, and a banjo. We welcome all instruments! Contact Bill Allison at 502-552-3746 or via email for more information. Our next practice will be at First U on Tuesday 9/19 at 7pm.

From Lee Wells: UU Walkers
Anyone interested in wandering through the parks of Jefferson County? I am thinking of walking through Iroquois Park on Saturday, September 30 at 9 am or anywhere else and a different time if that is inconvenient. Please contact me.  

Greeters – We Need You!
Welcome others to our church. We need a few great folks to extend a welcome to those who visit our services.  A strong corps of volunteers make this happen and we need your help. Learn more by visiting our greeter survey  and/or contacting Rita Sasse.

Coffee Hour Volunteers Needed – please sign up now
Our Coffee Hour after church needs volunteer hosts!  If you are willing to meet new people, catch up with fellow church goers, and ruin your well-regulated diet with occasional treats, this opportunity is for you! It entails making coffee, putting out treats, encouraging others to enjoy this after-church activity, and then cleaning up the refreshment area. It usually takes about 40 minutes after church on Sunday every eight weeks.  For more info or just to volunteer, click on this link. Thanks

Dinner Club 2024 Signup
First Unitarian members and friends are invited to sign-up for our home-cooked potluck dinners where we will share food, wild stories, and interesting people. Meet in small groups of 6-8 people every 2 months at various homes. It is a great way to share food and future memories.  These are fun events!
Sign-up here.

The First U Auction: What to Know

• October 1, after the service, in the Social Hall
• 12:00–1:00 p.m.: Silent Auction and lunch
• 1:15 p.m.: Live Auction
• Lunch and childcare are provided!

What is the Auction?
The Auction is a fund-raiser to support First Unitarian Church’s many programs. After church on Oct. 1, go to the Social Hall for a bidding number.

The event begins with a Silent Auction. Each item has a bidding sheet where you write your name and bid. At 1:00, we collect the sheets, and the high bidder takes the item home.

The Live Auction begins at 1:15. Our Auctioneer will take bids for items ranging from ethnic dinners to homemade goodies, sewing lessons, and artwork. We’ll have something for everyone!

How do I make a donation?

• Email Tiffany Taylor or call/text 812-987-7965.
• Bring Silent Auction donations to the church during office hours (Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 11am-3pm) or while CLCM volunteers are at the door 9:30am-11:30am Monday-Thursday. You may call the church or email the Volunteer Desk or Office to confirm someone is available.
• Bring items on Sundays September 10, 17, or 24, and put them in the church parlor marked with your name and “For the auction.”
• Let us know if you need something picked up. 
• All donations must be received by 5:00pm on Thursday, September 28.

What should I donate?
Live Auction: Make a meal, offer a personal or professional service, teach a skill, share a talent, or ask your favorite restaurant or other business to give a gift certificate. Feel free to call or email Tiffany for help formulating your ideas!  

Silent Auction: Items that are new or like new that you think someone would pay $5 or more for. This is a great chance to find a new home for items you’ve been meaning to re-gift!

What else can I do to help?
Come to the auction! We greatly appreciate all the wonderful donations, but the Auction can succeed only if church members and friends attend and bid.

I can’t come that day! Can I still bid?
Yes! Preliminary lists of Auction items will be sent out by email. Let us know what items you’re interested in and how high you’re willing to bid; we’ll enter your bids for you.

Do I really have a chance to win $100?
Yes! Everyone (no age limit) who arrives by 1:00 and stays until the end of the auction will be entered in a drawing to take home a $100 bill.

See you at the Auction on October 1!

A Note to Retirees
Are you a retiree looking to donate to First Unitarian tax free?   You can use your IRA retirement account to make that donation by way of a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD).  Every dollar of QCD that goes directly to a non-profit, such as First Unitarian, will satisfy your RMD requirement and not be treated as income for your federal taxes! You can reduce your taxable income while doing good for the world.  You can pay your pledge, donate to the capital fund or the endowment with your disbursement. Reach out to the treasurer for more information! 

Joys and Sorrows
One of the treasures of church congregations is the way people care about and support each other. Our joys and sorrows are shared during our services, whether in person or via chat. Only those actually associated with the church (as member, friend, or active participant) will receive the emailed list of shared joys and sorrows and by request only. Contact the office to be placed on the list. If you have already signed up, you do not need to do so again. Click here for more information. 

CUUPs on the first and third Wednesday of each month.

The Covenant of UU Pagans (CUUPS) educational group meets in the church library on the first and third Wednesday of each month and begin class at 7pm. All of CUUPS classes and public rituals are open to all our church family. If you have an interest in learning more about Earth-Centered spirituality, please join us.

First U Book Club on the second Monday of each month

The Book Club meets monthly in the church library at 6 pm to discuss a book selected by members. It can be fiction or non-fiction, and usually illuminates some tenet of our faith.

The book for November is Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, declared “A masterpiece about Love, Life and Mortality” by NPR. From Amazon Best Book of March 2021 “In this beautiful novel, Ishiguro presents an “Artificial Friend,” a robot girl with artificial intelligence designed as a playmate for real children. It is a simultaneously heartbreaking and heart-mending story about the abyss we may never cross.”

Religious Exploration

Fall RE Begins Sunday

The Religious Exploration year officially begins the Sunday after Labor Day weekend, September 10th. 

• Children’s RE: We will continue to meet following the Moment for All Ages
• OWL for K-2 and 7-9: we hope to be able to offer these classes if we can solve our teacher shortage
• The Nursery is open for infants, toddlers and pre-k with our wonderful new teacher Sequoia Camp, soon to be joined by a second teacher. 
• Adult RE: keep your eyes open for announcements soon. Classes in the works include an OWL class for older adults and a Coffee Club for parents of young ones to meet before the Sunday service for coffee and community while their kids are in the nursery. 

IMPORTANT: Please Register Here for Nursery, Children and Youth RE.
Fill out a separate registration for each child. This information helps us plan and it helps us keep your children safe.

EVEN MORE IMPORTANT: We need teachers!!! We are experiencing a wonderful influx of returning families and new ones. We want to be able to offer classes for different ages but we need more teachers!!! All curriculum and support materials are provided- it’s really fun and a great way to support the upcoming generation. And if you are a certified OWL facilitator you will be canonized. Contact Loren Crawford if you are interested in being an RE teacher, even if it’s only once a month.

For the most up to date information – go to the Religious Exploration page on this website.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or online at 988lifeline.org. The Lifeline provides 24-hour, confidential support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Call 911 in life-threatening situations.

~ Land Acknowledgment ~

First U acknowledges that Shawnee, Cherokee, Chickasaw and Osage native peoples lived on the land we now call Kentucky prior to their forced removal. We honor both our past and ongoing connection to them.

Find out more here.

To Reach Us

Office Hours

11am-3pm Monday-Thursday
The best way to reach us at any time is by email.

• Barbara, the office administrator [email protected]
• Volunteer desk [email protected]
• Phone (502) 585-5110. If you don’t reach someone, leave a message, including your email address, as messages are automatically emailed to the office.

Follow Us on Social Media Click here to go to our Facebook page. “Like Us” so you receive updates.