Friday News – March 14, 2025

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At the mid-year meeting a few weeks ago, we created the above mentimeter above from 277 responses to the Question “What would you like to see more of in the future at First UU?” It was a fun process to watch, and even more interesting for me is to compare it to the one we created last year. (below)

I think it shows real progress that the prominence of “transparency “ was replaced by “community”. I hope that means we’ve been creating more trust and more coherence among us. We’ll be continuing to ‘take your pulse’ by placing polls in future newsletters asking various questions that will help us know more about our community. See you Sunday!

Rev. Dr. Terasa Cooley

Developmental Minister

2024 Mid Year Meeting

Upcoming Events

Community Iftar Dinner

Friday, March 14, 6:45–9:00 pm

The Iftar dinner program begins at 6:45 pm with arrival and seating. It is important to arrive on time so that the prayers are not interrupted. There will be a speaker from The Turkish American Society of Ohio (TASO) and Rev Terasa will each discuss related themes. Food prepared by TASO will be served as a buffet. During Ramadan, Muslims wait until the sun has set before breaking fast. A prayer will be offered by TASO and by Rev. Marco. The call to prayer (Ezan) will be explained and then recited. The dinner will run from about 7:30 – 9:00 pm.

Carpe Diem at First UU!

March 16 at 2:00 pm

Join Carpe Diem String Quartet in concert here at First UU for “Vanishing Point”, which will feature works by Kaminsky (an Ohio premiere), Mayer, and Beethoven. First UU members receive a $10 discount. Tickets may be purchased online or at the door.

Anti-Racist Allies Lunch

Sunday, March 16

Creole 2 Geaux
Chef Janvier Ward was born and raised in Columbus, but she got her southern influence from her mother who was raised by a New Orleans native. Her market stall is inside the East Market – Suite 16, 212 Kelton Ave, Columbus, OH 43207. We will meet at the kiosk in the church gallery at 12:30 pm to carpool to her food stall.

This Sunday, March 16

9:15am Nouurish Service

Featuring:

Jabari Jumps

by Gaia Cornwall

Presented by members of the Alternative Worship Team with members of our First UU Community.

11am:

“Promises, Promises”

What are the promises we make to one another in order to be a responsible member of a community? We have a Covenant, but how do we live into it?

Presented by Rev. Dr. Terasa Cooley

Enjoy hot breakfast at 10am! Coffee, tea, & conversation following both services.

Around The Corner

  • 3/15 BREAD Organizing Meeting
  • 3/15 All Soles Contra & Square Dance (more)
  • 3/16 Anti-Racist Allies Monthly Lunch (Creole 2 Geaux)
  • 3/17–3/23 SYC Dine to Donate fundraiser at Piada
  • 3/19 Finance Committee (RSVP)
  • 3/25 Expressive Worship
  • 3/25 Atheists Skeptics and Humanists (ASH) Speaker Collin Marozzi, Deputy Policy Director of ACLU of Ohio
  • 3/26 Board of Trustees (RSVP)
  • 3/29 Concert Series Event: Aaron Nathans & Michael Ronstadt
  • 3/30 History Workshop
  • 4/4 First Friday Spaghetti Dinner
  • 4/9 Vespers at Westerwood
  • 4/11 Pesach (Passover) Celebration with Kehilat Sukkat Shalom
  • 4/19 Religious Exploration Startup, 10am-4pm

Weekly events:

  • Tai Chi for Balance (Tuesdays, 10am)
  • Sacred Song Circle (Wednesdays, 6pm)
  • Co-Working Space (Fridays, 9:30am)

From First UU Leadership

Save the Date: Religious Exploration Startup 4/19

Religious Exploration is for everyone! Everyone is invited to join us in reimagining the role of multigenerational and family programming within our congregation as part of this retreat, from 10am-4pm. Featuring facilitator Cassandra Montenegro, member of our regional UUA staff team, and Amber Scott, Director of RE.

Get Your Tickets for the 3/29 Roller Derby Game!

See Amber skate! Join us in celebrating league alumni at this game, as part of our 20th anniversary season. Reserve your tickets before they sell out!

Justice & Volunteering

BREAD Network Organizing Meeting

Saturday, March 15, 11am – 12:30pm
Learn how you can help build the organized people power needed to protect Columbus’s tree canopy and combat predatory landlords. BREAD holds local officials accountable for addressing community problems by turning out large numbers of people at the Nehemiah Action each year (Tuesday, May 13, at 6:40pm this year). Come to First UU’s network organizing meeting to hear updates about BREAD’s campaigns and learn how you can help ensure our community shows up to the Nehemiah Action.

Anti-Racism

The Anti-Racist Allies sponsored a field trip to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati on March 8.

Did you know that it is impossible to understand American history without understanding the role that African-Americans have played in it? The wealth of the US was due to the free labor of slaves for most of American history. African Americans were slaves in the US for longer than they have been free. There was slavery for much of American history in the north too, not just the south, especially in places like New York City.
The work of Anti-Racism continues to be important, and even small steps can increase our awareness.  To get involved in First UU’s anti-racist work or learn more about our activities, such as our monthly lunches to minority-owned restaurants, field trips, or our Living the Pledge training, email the Anti-Racist Allies planning team or reach out to any one of us: Amanda Hays, John McCrystal, Linda Loesch, Sam Hadden, and Danya Furda.
Above: The 3rd sign memorial installed at the river site in rural Mississippi at Graball Landing, shot 35 days after installation. The second sign had 317 bullet holes when it was replaced. The fourth and current sign is bulletproof.

Ohio Feed and Read Collection

March’s collection for the Feed and Read program is high protein staples, coloring books, and socks to help keep people warm and fed during these winter months. Pick up a green bag outside the Worship Center and return it next week with items you have purchased.

All are welcome to help pack and load on Sundays at 12:45, or see Jacques Angelino on Sundays in Beach Hall during Breakfast and Coffee hour for more information.

Classes & Groups

Learn more in our Engagement Catalog, and reach out to join!

First UU Christian Fellowship

1st and 3rd Mondays, 6:30–8:00pm on Zoom

Join this Bible study and discussion group that meets twice a month on Zoom. Our current study is “Faith Working Thru Love: Discover Biblical Wisdom about a Christian Ethic of Work” from N.T. Wright. This is a free, online study. All are welcome!

Schedule:

March 17: Philippians 1:27-30; 2:14-18; 3:20-4:1; 4:4-9

March 31: Romans 12

April 14: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

April 28: Wrap up of Faith Working Thru Love Study

Senior Gathering – Thank you!
Our sincere thanks go to the many volunteers who provided their time and energy to make the March 13 Senior Gathering a success : Donna Adassa, Marilyn Beerman, John Boyd, Eve Catus, Sandy Coen, Christine Davidson, Austin Ducy, Paula Egbert, Su Farnlacher, Barb Fiorini, Bill Fiorini, Clare Fried, Eddy Fried, Pat Hoffman, Jack Holdford, Katie Holdford, Sylvia Howe, Florence Jain, Karen Keenan, Carl Kilduski, Maureen Keyhani, Frank Phillips, Dave Richter, Karla Rinto, Betsy Smalley, Andrea Smith, Karen Torvik, and everyone else who spontaneously helped. A special thanks to Jacques Angelino, Rev. Terasa, Dick Dawson, Karen Dawson, Becca Morse, and Karen Thimmes for providing the program.

Dinner & Conversation Signups

Sign up to enjoy Dinner & Conversation with fellow First UUers! Quarterly potluck groups of 6–8 members meet in participants’ homes once per month to have a good time and get to know each other. Attendees commit for one quarter at a time and negotiate the meeting dates and times among themselves. The host organizes the dinner and picks a topic for conversation!

Sign-ups for the second quarter of 2025 (April, May, June) are open until March 25 at noon – Email Marcia Canter to participate!

Save the Date: Out of the Flames Book Group

Meeting at 7pm Wednesdays Throughout April

Registration Open Now!
Mark your calendar, and consider ordering your copy of the book now, for this rousing month-long book study, led by Dana Reynolds and Robin Lawson! Out of the Flames: The Remarkable Story of a Fearless Scholar, a Fatal Heresy, and One of the Rarest Books in the World by Nancy and Lawrence Goldstone tracks the history of The Chrisitianismi Restituto, examining Michael Servetus’s life and times and the politics of the first information during the sixteenth century.

Contact Amber with questions.

Community News & Events

SYC Dine to Donate – Piada Worthington

Online March 17–23

In-Store only: March 20

You can order your favorite items online from Piada any time from March 17–23. Enter the fundraising promo code Z4JQ3R when you are ready to check out. 20% of the proceeds of your order will be donated back to the School for Young Children Scholarship Fund.

There is also an in-store fundraiser! Visit the Piada at The Shops at Worthington Place any time on March 20 and simply mention the SYC Scholarship Fundraiser to the cashier.

Be the Spark – First UU Auction

If you didn’t pay your auction tab, please see us at the auction table in

Beach Hall before or after the service. You can also pay online.
Bidding is still open on all unsold items. We call this phase “aftersales.” However, now there is no competition. If you see something you want, or a spot at a dinner, service, event, etc. and you bid on it, you will win it at the starting price. This Sunday before and after the service is the last week that we will have aftersale bid sheets out for viewing.

Question or can’t purchase online?Contact the auction team!

Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus

Saturday, March 22 at 7:30pm
Join CGMC for Heart of Ohio. A one-night-only concert, hosted by Nina West, where we welcome the North Coast Men’s Chorus (Cleveland), Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus, Cincinnati Men’s Chorus, and the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus as we showcase the best in choral music in our great state! Tickets are as low as $10 but going quick! Buy them at on the CGMC website!

Explore the Theology of Our New Shared Values

March 22, 2025 from 10 am – 4 pm

UU Congregation of Cleveland, Shaker Heights, OH

 

Register by Saturday, March 15 for this Learning, Transformation and Community Networking Day, hosted by the UU Congregation of Cleveland!

Join in a day of play, arts, movement, and joy led by Cassandra Montenegro, Rev. Renée Ruchotzke, Beth Casebolt, Rev. Randy Partain, Rev. Will Humphrey, Rev. Walter Clarke, Rev. Kristina Church, and friends.

Family Activities

Register Now for Peace Camp!

We can’t wait to see you this summer! More info, and registration here!

  • Session A: for 6-8 years, Monday 7/28 – Friday 8/1, 9am-12noon
  • Session B: for 8-11 years, Monday 8/4 – Friday 8/8, 9am-12noon

This Sunday, March 9th

9:15am-10am Nouurish Service (sanctuary)

10-10:30am Breakfast, and Coffee until 11am (A/B, Beach Hall)

Caregivers of Young Children eat together (Beach, near the piano)

10:30am-12:30pm Infant and Toddler Care (101)

10:30am-12:15pm 13-14yr OWL (302)

11am-12:15pm Coming of Age (401)

11am-12:15pm Building Your World MS/HS (301)

11am-12noon Worship Service (sanctuary)

11:15am-12:15pm (starts after story) 3-6yr Spirit Play (102)

11:15am-12:15pm (starts after story) 7-10yr Spirit Play (201)

12noon-1:00pm Snack and Coffee (Beach Hall, A/B)

12:30-1:00pm Peace Pals choir, 5-12yrs (sanctuary)

1:00-2:30pm Navigators Scouting meeting, 5-18yrs (201/playground)

Help Needed: seeking scout troop & Youth Group volunteers! Email Amber, or fill out this interest form! Families: please register here.