What’s UUp 4/12/26

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We Did It! Thank You!
We are excited to announce that we reached out total pledge goal of $250,000! The final amount is $256,372! Thanks so much to our Members and Friends for helping make this achievement possible for our church and for helping to ‘Grow the Light.’
 

If you have not yet pledged, but would like to, you may still do so by following this link. For our other goals, a total of 93 pledge units (either individuals or families/groups) pledged. We were a few thousand dollars shy of our goal of $11,000 to the UUA. That total came out to $8,072.  Again, thank you so much to everyone for your participation this year.
Matt, Tim, and Alexis
Join Us for Lunch in the social hall.
The menu is vegan larb (a variation of the national dish of Laos) with rice, cucumber salad, and banana pudding for dessert.  First-time visitors are our guests – otherwise, the suggested donation is $5.

This Sunday during the luncheon: Earth Issues

  • Sign a note to your Metro Council representative using the prepared statements at each table. Please also call them, 502-574-11_ _ (last 2 digits are the district number of your representative, which can be found on the district maps. 
  • If you are a “Climate Saver,”   an email will be sent to you regarding action on HB 593, which requires DCs to pay for all incurred costs for the utility services they require.
  • Roger will be available this Sunday after the service and during the luncheon to answer, as best he can, your questions on this important issue.

April 12: Celebration of Life – 11:00am 
 
Afterlives:
Letting the Mystery Be
Speaker: Reverend Karen G. Johnston

There is much speculation about what happens after we die, coming from a wide variety of perspectives. Some religions have certainty and specificity about how and what.
 

Others, including Unitarian Universalism, are open to the mystery Let’s explore the concept of an afterlife using the creative, and sometimes absurd, word of David Eagleman, exploring concepts we inherited from our families or cultural heritages and how that might have shifted over our lifetimes.
About the Speaker
Reverend Karen G. Johnston is the Senior Minister at First Unitarian Universalist  Society of Burlington and the founder of Date with Death Club, a nondogmatic curriculum used by four dozen (or so) UU congregations to “explore mortality in community.” She and Rev. Liz attended seminary together.
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.

The Order of Service (Bulletin)
Gathering Music              Ethan McCollum

Welcome              Jane Martin Buckley

Prelude      Ethan              

Lighting the Chalice & the Black Lives Matter Candle   
Pat Allison

Opening Words              Rev. Karen G. Johnston

Hymn #1003           Ethan
          Where Do We Come From?
Words: Paul Gaugin and Brian Tate; music: Brian Tate
                                                            
Moment for All Ages          Pat

Song for Our Children             Ethan
Go in love, our hearts go with you.
Go in joy, our hopes go too.
Learn in love and grow in wisdom.
Shine your light in all you do.

Our Mission and Covenant (unison)              Pat
We are a church of reason and spirit,
that witnesses for progressive faith,
nurtures our community and transforms our world.

Love is the spirit of this church, and service is its law.
This is our great covenant: to dwell together in peace,
to seek the truth in love, and to help one another.

Joys and Sorrows      Pat

Musical Response #95             Ethan
There is More Love Somewhere
Words and Music: African-American hymn

Meditation and Common Prayer        Rev. Karen

Musical Response             Ethan

Invitation to Generosity            Pat

Offertory          Ethan

Sermon       Afterlives: Letting the Mystery Be    Rev. Karen

Hymn #1020      Woyaya                Ethan
Words and music: Ysaye M. Barnwell

Extinguishing the Chalice           Pat
We extinguish these flames, but not the light of truth,
the warmth of community, or the fire of commitment.
These we carry in our hearts until we are together again.

Closing Words                Rev. Karen

Postlude                 Ethan

Invitations           Pat