Friday News – September 12, 2025

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Among the many new changes this year, We are excited to welcome Paisha Thomas as our new Justice and Equity Student Minister! Paisha is a student at the Methodist Theological School of Ohio and so will be doing her field education with us for the next year. She will be focusing on equity and inclusion as well as taking up much of Rev. Amanda’s Social Justice portfolio to help us discern how to do that work going forward. She is an artist by vocation, a singer, and a passionate explorer of her family’s history in Ohio of being ejected from land granted to them by slaveholders.
Paisha will be participating in worship as well as our social justice efforts. Her office hours will be on Wednesday and Thursday Mornings – Please welcome her when you see her!

Rev. Dr. Terasa Cooley (she/her)

Lead Minister

Upcoming Events

This Sunday, September 14

9:15

Nouurish Service

Featuring I’m From

written by Gary R. Gray Jr

illustrated by Oge Mora

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

11:00 Service:

“Good and Evil”

One of the questions I received during my “Question Box” service was “what is evil?” I didn’t address it then because it’s a big question! But I want to explore it now in the context of bad things happening in the world. What is evil and what can we do about it?

Presented by Rev. Dr. Terasa Cooley

Join us for coffee, tea, and conversation after both services!

Hot breakfast is available at 10am ($3 suggested).

Consider using the lot off of High St. to alleviate parking congestion.

Pathways to Membership

Sunday, September 14, 2025

8:30 am – 2:00 pm

Register Online
If you are interested in the next steps to become a member of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus you are cordially invited to register and participate in the next Pathways to Membership class. It is designed for newcomers and is always recommended before deciding to become a Church member. Your participation in the class does not obligate you to join our church.

This class will acquaint you with our church and our faith before you consider a commitment of membership to First UU.

Somatic Movement Pop-up!

Sunday, September 14th, 12:30-1:15 pm

Meet in the gallery; then we will likely head outdoors! This is a free and casual opportunity to ask questions, learn more, and experience a taste of Intro to Somatic Movement with Whitney Dawn Pyles. This adult workshop is offered third Wednesdays of the month (coming up 9/17, 10/1, 10/15).

Calling all Artists!

Registration Open Now

Drop-Off September 21

On Display September 24 to November 2
First UU Artists, submit your artwork to be displayed in our Connections Exhibit! What connects us? To the earth, to each other, to other cultures, to our inner selves? Is it the majesty of a mountain? The food we eat? The songs of Central America or the fabrics of Japan? The love within us, the colors of the sunset, or the vastness of the stars?

Please Submit your work using the link above, and bring it on Sunday Sept 21 ready to hang. Enter 1 or 2 pieces (at least one will get in).

High School students and older are invited to submit – See Deb Baillieul for more information.
Above: “Clipper at Europa”

by Tom Baillieul

Around The Corner

  • 9/13, 11/7 See Amber in Ohio Roller Derby Home Games (offsite)
  • 9/14 Pathways to Membership (RSVP)
  • 9/14 Sunday School Classes & Hot Breakfast Begin!
  • 9/14 Intro to Somatic Movement Pop-Up
  • 9/16–10/21 (Tuesdays) “On Religion” Book Group (RSVP)
  • 9/17,9/24,10/1,10/8 The Bible Beyond Belief and Unbelief (Register)
  • 9/17 Finance Committee (RSVP)
  • 9/17, 10/1, 10/15 Intro to Somatic Movement (Register / Request Childcare)
  • 9/21, 9/27, 9/28 BREAD Listening Session (Register)
  • 9/21 RE Teacher / Volunteer Orientation! (RSVP)
  • 9/23 Atheists, Skeptics, Humanists
  • 9/24/2025–11/2 Connections Art Exhibit. First UU artists: submit your artwork to be displayed! (Drop-off is Sunday, Sept 21)
  • 9/24 Board of Trustees (RSVP)
  • 9/25 Expressive Worship
  • 9/27 All Soles Contra & Square Dance (more info)
  • 10/3 First Friday Spaghetti Dinner
  • 10/3 Youth Group Late Night
  • 10/5,10/11,10/12,10/14,10/19 BREAD Listening Sessions (Register)
  • 10/16 Senior Gathering (RSVP)
  • 10/23 Expressive Worship

Weekly events:

  • Tai Chi for Balance (Tuesdays, 10am)
  • Sacred Song Circle (Wednesdays, 6pm)
  • Co-Working Space (Fridays, 10am)
  • Choir Rehearsals (Spirit of Life Tuesdays, Chalice Choir Thursdays)

Planning ahead? Check our online calendar for additional events!

From First UU Leadership

Announcing First UU’s Concert Series 2025-26

We are thrilled to reveal the dates and events for this year’s First UU Concert Series, including performances by Katy Oberle, The Magpie Consort, Bill Cohen & Friends, and Leonela Alejandro, the winner of the Guitar Foundation of America International Artist Competition. There will also be choral concerts by the Columbus Women’s Chorus, Otterbein University and several area high school ensembles, and our very own First UU Choirs.
In January, a collage concert will celebrate the 200th birthday of the important but forgotten 19th Century American composer George F. Bristow. And finally, Carpe Diem String Quartet will continue its residency at First UU with five concerts throughout the year.

While some of these concerts are ticketed events, several are by donation only, and all are open to church members and the public, so please share the news with your friends, family, and neighbors! See our website for this year’s Concert Series brochure or pick one up in the Gallery. We look forward to seeing you at one or more of our concerts this year!

Last Roller Derby Home Season Game Tomorrow

Come see me skate in our last game of the season against a competitive opponent! At Heatwave Arena (in Dublin/Plain City). I am rostered to skate in both the 5pm A-level game and the 7pm B-level game against Charlotte Maul, but I expect more play time as a regular rotation jammer in the second game. Also save the date for Skatemare – our annual Halloween vs. Christmas themed game – where we play ourselves, happening Saturday, November 8th, at the Ohio Expo Center (state fairgrounds). -Amber Scott, Director of Religious Exploration

Justice & Volunteering

Connect with our Justice team and other First UU’ers on the Signal App

by joining the First UU Signal Group (app required).

Public City Council Hearing for Rental Registry

Tuesday, September 16 at 5:30 pm

As a result of BREAD’s people power, Columbus Council member Nick Bankson committed to introduce legislation to create a Rental Registry to protect renters and hold predatory landlords accountable. Let’s come out to City Hall (90 W Broad St) in full force to support the next steps to justice in our community! (Plan on arriving at 5:00 for the 5:30 pm event).

BREAD Listening Sessions

Register Now

Sessions available between 9/21 – 10/19

BREAD (Building Responsibility Equality and Dignity) is a community organization consisting of over 40 Central Ohio congregations that uses the power of organized people to hold officials accountable for addressing problems in our community.
Every fall, each BREAD congregation holds small group listening sessions in which people discuss the problems they see around them in the community. In a listening session you’ll get to know your fellow First UUers on a deeper level and learn how BREAD works; the stories you share will also help BREAD choose the next problem we work on.

At First UU, we have 8 listening sessions scheduled – Sign up for one or email bread@firstuucolumbus.org to learn more about how you can get involved.

Eco-Tip

Now it’s your turn! Please share a practice you have, or an action you take to reduce your footprint on the Earth: contact-eco-justice@firstuucolumbus.org

Classes & Groups

Anti-Racist Allies Lunch

at B&K Smoke House

Sunday, September 21, 12:30 pm

If you’re looking for some good old-fashioned barbecue, look no further than B&K Smoke House. Although the restaurant may be small, they make it up with huge proportions and the intense flavor of their smoked meats. Please meet at the church kiosk in the gallery for car pooling at 12:30 pm or meet us at the restaurant, at 1114 East Main Street, Columbus, OH 43205.

Family Scouting with UU Values:

Navigators USA Chapter 147

2nd, 3rd & 4th Sunday afternoons, Sept to May

Beginning September 14

Families with kids age 5 to 12, we invite you to check out Navigators Chapter 147, here at First UU. Navigators USA is family scouting with UU values! Kids play games, earn badges, and do traditional “scouting” activities like camping, crafting, exploring nature, & more! Meetings are Second Sundays – Fun & Games (at First UU from 1 to 2:30); Third Sundays – Hike (starting at 1:30 to 3 off site), Fourth Sundays – Badge work (at First UU from 1 to 2:30). Contact Anne for more info.

“On Religion” Book Discussion Group

Tuesdays September 16 – October 21, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Join us for our next installment of the UU History Book Group: On Religion: Speeches to its Cultured Despisers, by Friedrich Schleiermacher. Translated by Richard Crouter. We will read: the Introduction to the Richard Crouter Edition, followed by Speech Two, and then Speech Five. Register for more information!

The Bible Beyond Belief and Unbelief

Wednesdays, September 17 – October 8, 7:00 – 8:30pm

Rev. Dr. Marco Belletini, Minister Emeritus
First Week – Beginnings and Endings: Creations and Destructions and Redemption

Second Week – Are the stories true? Are the people real? Were they making things up?

Third Week – Prophets and Economics; Class Struggles; Parables and Promises

Fourth Week – Poetries and metaphors; Layers vs Certainties; Realities and Fictions
Register

Dinner & Conversation Groups:

Signups open!

Deadline to RSVP: September 27 at Noon

Dinner & Conversation is a quarterly pot luck group that meets in participants’ homes. Commitment is for one quarter at a time with one meeting per month as agreed upon by the entire group.
The group size is 6-8 people: The host organizes the dinner and picks a topic for conversation. The goal is to have a good time while getting to know each other.

This sign up is for the fourth quarter of 2025: October, November, & December. Please email Marcia Canter to participate.

Community News

Northeast India Heritage Festival

September 19 – 20

Tickets available online or at the door
The first Northeast India Heritage Festival (NEIHF) will be held here at First UU on September 19 and 20, 2025. The festival will showcase the history, culture, handloom and handicrafts, food, and musical instruments of Northeast India. Photo exhibitions, panel discussions and presentations on tourism, commerce and the sustainable development of this unique and vibrant region will serve to create new connections and opportunities in Northeast India and the United States.
This fall, UPLIFT Action invites the UU Community into a season of deep care, courageous action, and collective resilience. Whether you are seeking sacred space for trans and non-binary individuals and their families through The Woodlands, organizing for Reproductive Justice with Faithful Futures and Faithful Majority, building climate resilience with your congregation through Green Sanctuary, or showing up in solidarity with movement leaders like Deepa Iyer at The Gathering—there is a place for you here.

 

Each of these offerings is rooted in the belief that spiritual care and justice work are inseparable—that none of us are meant to navigate this world, or tend to its deep needs, alone. Join us this season as we connect, learn, grieve, celebrate, and co-create the world we know is possible.

Family Activities

Classes Start This Week! Please Register!

Sign up to participate if you haven’t yet! More info, reg links, and activity descriptions: https://firstuucolumbus.org/learning/sunday-school/

Annual RE Teacher Orientation

Sunday, 9/21, 12:30-2:30 PM

RSVP here! Childcare is available. Featuring lunch from Chipotle, and the chance to meet with fellow teachers! All Religious Exploration volunteers and staff are asked to attend this year’s safety briefing. Also send Amber your recommendations for Youth Group advisors, scout troop leaders, and OWL (Our Whole Lives) sexuality education facilitators. Or sign up to help!

SO MANY Family Activities This Sunday!
8:30am-2pm Pathways to Membership class (library)

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

10:00-10:45am Hot Breakfast and Coffee, Tea (kitchen, A/B, Beach Hall)

10:30am-12:30pm Infant and Toddler Care 3mos-3yrs (101)

10:30am-12:15pm Our Whole Lives 13-15yrs: Bring Permission Slips (302)

10:45am-12:15pm Neighboring Faiths 11+yrs: Caregivers Join first 15min (301)

10:45am-12:15pm Our Whole Lives 6-7yrs: Mandatory Family Orientation for Caregivers and Kiddos (402/3)

11:00am-12:15pm Roots and Wings 14+yrs: HS Spirituality and Big Q’s (401)

11:00am-12:00pm Worship Service (sanctuary)

11:15ish-12:15 Spirit Play 3-7yrs: Start in Service Until After Story (102)

11:15ish-12:15 Spirit Play 7-11yrs: Start in Service Until After Story (201)

Kiddos staying w/fam during service: grab Busy Bags in the gallery, explore quiet toys in Wee Worship & Slowter Lounge, or crafts/games in cabinets by the kitchen!

11am-12noon Snack! + Coffee, Tea, & Conversation, after the service (Beach)

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

12:30-1:15pm Somatic Movement Pop-Up! adults (prob outdoors: meet in gallery)

12:30-2:30 Youth Group! 12yrs-HS senior (402/3)

12:30-2:30 Rising Young Adults! 18-28yrs (302)

1:00-2:30pm Navigators Scouting: Fun & Games, 5-12yrs (201/2, playground)