Stamped From the Beginning Book Discussion:

Zoom September 29 at 7 pm

Register

The Anti-Racist Allies invite congregants of all ages to read Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi and participate in the congregational group read!

After reading one (or more!) versions of the book we hope you will join one (or more!) of the Zoom conversations we are holding. This important work has several versions appropriate for a variety of ages and reading levels.

The last two monthly Zoom book discussions are held Tuesdays, Sept 29 (Part 5: 1868-1963) and October 20 (1963-today) . More activities connected with the book will be announced this Fall. We hope you will be able to join us!

Contact Erin Reiley-Sanders or Susan Carr with any questions

Opening Weekend: Carpe Diem String Quartet

Sunday, October 4, 3 pm

The First UU 2026-27 Concert Series continues with Carpe Diem String Quartet! We hope you are able to join us for Panoptics, the first concert in the The 2026-27 Randolph A. Foster Seize The Music Series!

Save the date of October 18 for the next First UU Concert series event: Virgil Barthe. Download the Brochure to see them all!

“Freedom!” Art

by First UU Artists and Friends

Displayed Through Oct 25

Take time to view the current exhibit here at First Unitarian Church of Columbus and read the statements, Think about what freedom means to you.

Strategic Planning: “What Might the Future Entail?”

Register! Saturday, October 17, 9AM-Noon

Members and friends of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus are invited to participate in a weekend of faithful visioning Saturday, October 17 – Sunday, October 18.

In continuation of our ongoing developmental ministry, the weekend aims to support the community in discerning the congregation’s ministry and goals to meet the needs of the future world, identifying the needed skills for shared ministry partnership, and empowering all members of the community to take on their respective roles in shared ministry.

Led by Cassandra Montenegro and Rev. Byron Tyler Coles, members of our Central East Regional Staff of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).

Childcare! Spirit of Life Choir

Childcare is now available during Spirit of Life choir rehearsals with a weekly RSVP! Interested families should register their child/ren for RE and email us to be added to the RSVP group. Middle and high school aged youth are invited to join the choir, while older children (who can self occupy with a quiet activity) are always welcome to stay in the room during rehearsal! See you there!

Land Acknowledgment

We are examining what it means to live a porous life – being open to experiences and changes. In an ever evolving and changing world, we are called to stay open and receptive to new ideas, listening to ways in which our actions, while well intentioned, may be causing more harm than good, and willing to use that feedback to make change.

One of those spaces is the land acknowledgment – while crafted as a way to hold ourselves accountable, bring attention to the realities of colonialism and help our Native siblings fight for their rights, Indigenous communities have shared how these land acknowledgments have become performative, misleading, and are in conflict with their principles and values.

Therefore, we will be respecting this feedback, and no longer reciting a land acknowledgment in our Sunday Services. We will continue to support the Native American Center of Central Ohio and will take this time to continue listening to the Indigenous Communities as we learn how to be better allies.

Democracy Action Hour

Sunday, September 27, 12:30 PM

Each week after the service we take action in community to protect our democracy. This week we’ll be writing postcards to voters to encourage them to make a plan to vote. This is also an opportunity to learn more about other ways you can get involved with First UU Democracy Team and the national UU the Votecampaign.

✅ Check Your Voter Registration ✅

The deadline to register to vote in Ohio is October 5. Check your registration – make sure you haven’t been purged and that your address is up-to-date. You can register at Vote Ohio.

Questions? Come to the JAM table or Email the Democracy Team. Use Voter Look Up to see if you are registered.

Eco-tip: Plant a Tree for Free This Fall

Fall is a great time to plant a tree, and Green Columbus is making it easy with three free tree giveaways! Columbus and Franklin County residents can register in advance to select a free tree to plant on their property.

Upcoming giveaways:

• 9/27 10am – 1pm: Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 300 E. Livingston Ave.
• 10/4 11am – 3pm: Dodge Community Center, 667 Sullivant Ave.
• 10/11 10am – 2pm: Green Columbus’ Linden Nursery, 1142 E. 17th Ave.

Get ready to plant your tree! Before digging, call 811 at least 48 hours in advance to have underground utilities marked. Then watch a short video with some great tips on how to plant a tree so you can enjoy the tree for years to come!

Planting trees on private property plays an important role in Columbus’ Urban Forestry Master Plan and the City’s goal of reaching 40 percent tree canopy by 2050. Register for your free tree, and help grow Columbus’ canopy — one yard at a time!

Sign Up for Fourth Quarter Dinner and Conversation

October – November – December

Deadline to RSVP: September 25 at Noon

Dinner & Conversation is a quarterly pot luck group of 6-8 people who meet in participant’s homes (or at the church). Sign up for one quarter at a time with one meeting per month as agreed upon by the entire group.

Please email Marcia Canter by Friday, September 25 at noon if you want to participate.

Neurodivergent Adults Support Group

October 1st and 15th, 6-8 pm

Writing and Reading the Short Story

Six Tuesdays, 10/6-11/10, 6:30 pm

Two Spots Left! Register on Realm (No login required)

Join retired professor of English, John B Friedman for this six session workshop!

The class will focus more on writing than on reading, working from four models, Chekov’s ‘Lady with Little Dog,” Alice Munro’s “The Bear Came Over the Mountain,” Raymond Carver’s “So Much Water So Close to Home,” and Katherine Min’s “Courting a Monk.” These stories will be distributed as PDFs. The ideal of the course will be to produce a 6-8 page short story.

All Soles Contra & Square Dance

Saturday, September 26th

Beginners’ Session 1:30 to 2:00 PM

Dancing 2:00 to 4:30 PM

All Souls will kick off its dancing season with music by Trillium and calling by Margaret Goodman. Margaret is known for her endearing calling style and intriguing dances. Trillium is Mark Barsamian (on fiddle) and Mark Delozier (on piano).

New pricing! The base price for dances is the same, but if it fits within your budget we welcome you to pay a little more:

Base price: Adults $10; ages 12-26 $5

Flexible pricing: Adults up to $20; up to $10 for ages 12-26

We hope you’ll come dance with us! New to dancing? A beginners’ session will get you started: Learn some basic figures that will be repeated in the afternoon’s dances. All dances will be taught and no partner is needed.

Please bring your own refillable water bottle. Upcoming dances: 10/17, 11/21, 12/19, 1/16

Senior Gathering

Thursday, October 1, 10:30 am – noon

RSVP by September 28, 2026

Attention Senior Members, Please plan to attend the Senior Gathering! Light refreshments will be available in Beach Hall at 10:30am. Rev. Teresa will present “In the Checklist of Life” at 11:00 am.

Free Presentation! Advanced Directives & Living Wills

5:30PM Tuesday, October 6th at First UU

Funeral Consumers Alliance of Central Ohio (FCACO) in partnership with Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio, are hosting a FREE presentation on Advance Directives & Living Wills by Attorney Paul Bryson. Leave with your documents completed or take them home to finish at your own pace. This is a gift to your family and peace of mind for yourself. Open to the public. Bring a friend. Questions? Email FCACO.

New! Kind Community Meetings

6pm Thursdays and First Fridays After Dinner

Kind Community Meetings is a local community organization helping people build kinder communities together. There will be weekly meetings at First UU for members and friends of First UU and the surrounding community.

Come as you are, participate as you can! These meetings are drop-in, and there’s no expectation that you attend every week or participate in any particular way.

Arturo Schomburg

Afro-Latino Activist and Archivist

One of the most intriguing sites to visit in New York City is the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of the New York Public Library. Located in Harlem, its namesake is Arturo Schomburg, a Puerto-Rican-born black scholar, who began amassing a personal collection of black literature and prints after a teacher falsely claimed that black people had no history or achievements. His collection, donated in 1926 to the library, became the basis for the Schomberg Center, which archives and provides space for researching work that might otherwise have been lost.

His efforts demonstrate the impact a single person can have in preserving cultural heritage and defeating racism. To learn more about Arturo Schomburg, check out this short video and this PBS video.  A more complete biography is available on the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Website.

5-7year OWL Begins! This Sunday, 9/27