Perspectives for August 2025

What draws you to Unitarian Universalism? Perhaps it’s the opportunity to be in community with people who share your basic values and work toward a more just, peaceful, sustainable world where all can thrive. Maybe you’re here in search of a safe place to be your whole, beautiful self. Or perhaps you are seeking spiritual growth without dogma, in a community that honors and supports your journey, wherever you are on your path. Whatever your reason for being here, no matter your age or how long you have been part of this or any congregation, lifespan religious education offers opportunities for you to explore your faith, deepen your understanding, and broaden your experience.

This issue of Perspectives features UUCB’s Lifespan Religious Education program for 2025-26. In it, you will find descriptions of this year’s offerings, calendars that you can print and hang on your fridge, links to register, and other information that will enable you to engage more deeply in our community. I hope that you will take a few minutes to read it all, even the parts that you don’t think pertain to you, so that you know what is happening and can share the information with people who need it.

Whatever your reason(s) for being a part of UUCB, that’s most likely something that we want to provide for our congregation’s children, youth, and adults of all ages as well. Please consider sharing your passions with others through volunteer teaching! As you’ll read in other sections, our programs for children and youth highlight a variety of Unitarian Universalist topics and activities, in age-appropriate ways. No one needs to be an expert in all of them; in fact, as part of a teaching team, you can focus just on your area of interest, on just a handful of Sundays, if you choose.

Stephanie Kimball, Director of Lifespan Religious Education

kimball@uubloomington.org

If you can, teach! If you can’t, please check out other ways you can support UUCB’s religious education program. Current volunteer needs are described below; you can sign up for all roles here.

Volunteer Teachers

We currently need Lead and Assistant teachers for Kids’ Club (grades 2-3) and Explorers (grades 4-5).

Lead teachers generally lead the chalice lighting and check-in, read the story and/or lead a discussion, introduce the activities, and lead the closing circle. Assistant teachers help children find or make their name tags, take attendance, help any children who need extra attention, help with activities, and generally provide support for the Lead teacher as needed.

Both Kids’ Club and Explorers will engage in activities related to our monthly congregational themes, as well as social justice activities. While we mainly learn about Unitarian Universalism by being Unitarian Universalists, we also discuss UU history, values, rituals, and symbols as a way of building vocabulary and awareness. All plans, materials, and supplies will be provided.

Volunteers may choose to teach during first or second service, as little as one time per month or as much as they like. Teacher training for Kids’ Club and Explorers teachers will be on August 23, 10am - 2pm, lunch included. Please sign up to teach here, or contact Stephanie Kimball if you have any questions.

Meal and snack providers

We currently need volunteers to provide breakfast items for monthly teacher breakfasts, lunch items for quarterly parent support group meetings, and occasional snacks or meal components for other events. Please sign up here if you would like to contribute food for any of these events.

Childcare volunteers

Occasionally, we do not have enough childcare staff members available to cover requested childcare shifts. When that happens, we contact people on our volunteer list to see if anyone is available to help. If you would like to be on that list, please sign up here.

Field trips, overnights, and activities

Occasionally, we need extra adults to chaperone field trips with older children or youth. We also occasionally need adults to supervise overnights at the church or away at other congregations. In addition, there are events at various points throughout the year where we provide semi-structured activities (social justice actions, arts and crafts, games, etc.) outside of regular religious education settings. If you would like to be on the list to be contacted when we need these kinds of volunteers, please sign up here. You will be able to specify which types of activities you are interested in helping with.

Animal Care and Advocacy

Last spring, the children voted for Caring for Animals as their primary social justice focus. If you have interest in this area, please sign up here. This could include responsible pet ownership, pet care, care for wild animals, feral cats, dog training, animal conservation, biodiversity, and more! Our projects will be shaped by the children’s interests and available expertise.

OWL Facilitators

OWL is Our Whole Lives, a lifespan sexuality education program developed jointly by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ. There are courses for children (K-1, 4-5), youth (grades 7-9, and 10-12) and adults (young adults, adults, and older adults). Facilitators must complete an intensive OWL training (offered online OR in person), which the church will pay for in return for a promise to facilitate classes for at least two years. If you are interested in becoming an OWL facilitator at any level, please contact Stephanie Kimball or sign up here.

Astronomy Enthusiasts

We would like to incorporate a star-gazing adventure into our Explorers (gr. 4-5) experience, and we need people with knowledge of the night sky to help plan and run this excursion. If this is you, please sign up here.

Donations

If you have items you wish to donate, please DO NOT stash them in closets, cupboards, or classrooms! Instead please talk with Stephanie Kimball to find out if it’s something we can use (if not, we can probably help you find another home for it). We gratefully accept a wide variety of things, but when items are left without talking to us, they often don’t get used because we don’t know who they belong to - or that they are there at all.

Fuchs Library – Room 206

Our library is named for Ralph and Annette Fuchs. (say: “Fewsh”) Recently our Library Team and Tech Coordinator have created a digital catalog with an electronic check-out system. Everyone is invited to sign up for a library account and receive their library borrower card.

• To get your library card: After services during Community Hour in Fellowship Hall members of the Library Team will be near the Book Table to create an account for you.
• Library open hours: For an hour after most Sunday services, the library in Room 206 is open for browsing the collection or to check-out and return books. You are also welcome to visit the library at any other time it is not reserved for meetings.
• Browse our collection remotely:

https://www.librarycat.org/lib/UUCB

• Check-out books: Instructions for checking-out books are on the counter in the corner of the library.
• Return books to the wooden crate in the corner on that same counter.
• Support our Library: To donate books contact Ginny Richey of our Library Team for the current collection needs.
• The Book Table sells books of interest to Unitarian Universalists during Community Hour after most Sunday services in Fellowship Hall. Proceeds from those sales go toward our Library budget. Contact Glee Noble for Book Table information.

We are working to make childcare available to people attending church activities on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. If you plan on attending choir rehearsals, classes, meetings, or other church events and need childcare, please sign up here. You will then be added to a group, and each week you’ll receive an email with a request to RSVP letting us know whether or not you will need childcare that week. This way, we can save our church resources by only paying childcare staff to be here when they are actually needed! And we’ll know who to contact if we have to cancel due to lack of staff availability.

If we have not heard from anyone that they WILL need childcare by three days before a given event, that shift will be cancelled so our staff can make alternate plans.

All children and youth, ages 0 - 18, must register each year if they will be participating in childcare, Sunday morning religious education, youth group, OWL, or other UUCB programming. Registration is free, secure, and only takes a few minutes. Click here to register.

• August 3 - Spirit Play continues (ages 4-6)
  • Children and youth ages 7+ stay in worship for participatory music
  • High School Youth Advisor Training (12-2pm, Room 210)
• August 10 - Backpack Blessing (during worship service)
  • Middle School Youth Group starts (10:45 - 11:45, Room 210) (gr. 6-8)
  • High School Youth Group starts (12 - 1:30, Room 210) (gr. 9-12)
  • August Intersession begins for Grades 2-5
• August 16 - Spirit Play Teacher Training (new Spirit Play teachers)
• August 23 - Teacher Training (all new and returning RE Teachers for Elementary and Middle School)
• September 7 - All ages Water Communion Service (no Religious Education classes)
• September 13 - Family Religious Education Orientation, 4-7:30pm
• September 14 - Fall Children’s Religious Education begins
• Adult Religious Education Fair
• October 5 - Age of Reason Ceremony and Celebration (1st graders and their parents)
• October 7 - Deadline for registering for Mystic Lake Middle School Retreat
• October 17-19 - Middle School Retreat at Mystic Lake (6-9th graders & adult chaperones)
• October 26 - All ages Dia de las Muertos Service (no Religious Education classes)
• November 23 - All ages Bread Service (Thanksgiving) (no Religious Education classes)
• November 30 - One service only - 10:30am
• December 7 - All ages Winter Holiday Service (no Religious Education classes)
• December 24 - Christmas Eve Services (4pm No Rehearsal Pageant; 7pm Carols & Stories)
• December 28 - One service only - 10:30am; (no Religious Education classes)
• January 25 - OWL Parent Meeting (caregivers of participating K-1 and 4-5 children)
• February 1 - K-1 OWL begins (Feb 1, 8, 15, 22)
• 4-5 OWL begins (Feb 1, 8, 15, 22, Mar 1, 8)
• March 15 - All ages Spring Holiday Festival Service (no Religious Education classes)
• April 18 - Clothing Swap
• April 26 - All ages Earth Day Service (no Religious Education classes)
• May 17 - Youth Service
• May 24 - Teacher Appreciation Day (tentative)
  • All ages Flower Communion; one service only (10:30am) (no Religious Education classes)
• May 31 - Summer Religious Education begins; one service only (10:30am)

If you visit a religious education class for children or youth at UUCB, you might see see a variety of activities: kids might be listening to a story, lighting a chalice, listening as their peers share joys and sorrows, doing an art project, building with Lego, playing a game, planting seeds, or watching a movie. They might be filling care bags for the homeless, making lasagna for the hungry, or taking part in other service projects. Through all these activities and more, our goals and intentions as religious education staff and volunteers remain the same:

• Children and youth enjoy being here. They feel safe, accepted, and valued. They know that this is a place they can explore important and meaningful topics. They know they are part of something bigger than themselves.
• Children and youth gain a language for spirituality: words like reverence, awe, gratitude, prayer, centering, love, grace, beauty. They learn to name their own experiences and have a sense of what other people might mean by these things. They have the space to ponder what is God, and what that means to them and to their lives.
• Children and youth learn about and experience Unitarian Universalism: UUs are truth-seekers who do not just accept Truth as given but think about it, explore it, test it, listen and learn new perspectives, change and grow; UUs are compassionate and caring, seeking to make the world a better place for all because right here and now is all that we know we have; UUs share values of Justice, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Interdependence, and Generosity, with Love at the center of all; UUs have been persecuted for all these things but stand strong anyway; UUs accept differences in beliefs because we don’t have to think alike to love alike.
• Children and youth hear stories of people whose lives have exemplified these things, and stories that make the concepts clear. They participate in rituals and celebrations common in UU spaces and understand why we do them.
• Children and youth learn something about what other people believe, not to stereotype them but to know that others do believe other things and those beliefs make a difference in how they live and how they see life, and that they come from long traditions etc.
• Children and youth experience the natural world as a source of wonder and awe, belonging and vitality, interdependence and responsibility.

How do we make this happen? It takes all of us – parents, children, staff, volunteer teachers, and the whole congregation.

• Parents can help by enabling consistent attendance, communicating with staff and volunteers about their children’s needs and experiences, and just by the inescapable fact that they are their children’s primary religious educators.
• Children can help by participating, speaking up about their views on how to make things better, being supportive friends to each other.
• Staff provide stories, activities, and other resources, and train and coordinate volunteers.
• Volunteer teachers do their own work to show up grounded and available to children and youth; they give their time and presence; they work together with staff to ensure that spaces and relationships are safe and nurturing; they form relationships, and facilitate exploration of humanity’s biggest questions.
• The congregation provides financial support for the program, honors and appreciates those who step up as teachers, works to ensure that all aspects of church participation are accessible and enjoyable for children and youth as well as their parents; participates in adult religious education experiences to further their own spiritual growth, and shares that growth as volunteer teachers or in other roles; and welcomes, supports and encourages parents.

Unitarian Universalist Values & Covenants

Adapted for Young UUs

view the PDF here!

Our congregational theme in August is “Community of Possibility.” In these challenging times, we’ll be imagining together the world we want to create – whether we’re defining “world” as the globe, our city, our congregation, or a particular religious education class. Children will have three rooms, each featuring a different type of activities, to choose to explore this theme.

Intersession Rooms:

Arts & Crafts & Makerspace - 208

This room will contain supplies for various forms of arts and crafts (painting, drawing, collage, beading, etc.) as well as special art projects; lego and K’nex will also be available.

Imaginative Play & Reading - Library

This room will contain the doll house, stuffies, puppets, and costumes for dress-up play. Children’s library books will also be available.

Movement, Games & Puzzles - 103 and outside

This room will feature board games and puzzles as well as various activities to take outside if the weather is nice.

Please indicate your child’s Intersession preferences here by August 6.

Religious Education classes for elementary and middle school children and youth are offered during both services on most Sundays (exceptions are listed in the Calendar). All classes explore our monthly congregational themes while learning about UU identity, building healthy relationships with peers and adults, and engaging in social justice and service projects.

• Spirit Play (ages 4-6) - Room 105 (begins September 14)
• Kids’ Club (grades 2-3) - Room 103 (begins September 14)
• Explorers (grades 4-5)- Room 208 (begins September 14)
• Middle School RE (grades 6-8) - Room 210 (begins August 10); 2nd service only
• High School Youth Group (grades 9-12) - Room 210, after service (12-1:30 when there’s one service, 1-2:30 when there are two services) (begins August 10)

Our Whole Lives (OWL) Sexuality Education - This year, OWL is offered for grades K-1 and grades 4-5, beginning in February. OWL will be offered during second service for four weeks (K-1) or six weeks (4-5). A parent/caregiver meeting will take place on January 25, 1pm; attendance is mandatory in order for children to participate in OWL classes. Information will be mailed to parents of registered K-1 and 4-5 children in December.

Religious Education Family Orientation

Saturday, September 13, 2025

4-7:30pm

Come and learn about religious education opportunities for children and youth! We’ll provide pizza, and activities for kids, as well as a chance for parents and caregivers to visit classrooms, meet with teachers, ask questions, and hear about the program as a whole. Please register.

Come to Fellowship Hall after each service on Sunday, September 14 to learn about adult religious education offerings. Course facilitators will be on hand to answer questions, and you can preview texts and other materials. Refreshments will be provided.

https://www.uubloomington.org/learn/for-adults/

• August 31 - Parent Support Group, 1-2:30pm (additional dates: September 28, October 26, November 23, and December 21; tentative Spring dates: January 11, February 8, March 8, April 12, May 10)
• September 7 - Author talk with Milagros Phillips 3pm
• September 14 - Adult Religious Education Fair, Fellowship Hall, after both services
  • Exploring UUCB (part 1) 2-4pm (continues on Sept. 21)
• September 17 - Book discussion group begins (Cracking the Healers Code) (6:30 - 8; continues on Oct. 8 & 22, Nov. 5 & 19, Dec. 3)
• September 24 - Saving Democracy from Christian Nationalism begins (In person, 6 Wednesdays, through Oct. 29, 7-9pm)
• September 27 - Creative Expressions class, 1-4pm
• October 6 - Library Book Club, 7-9pm (continues on the first Monday of the month, through May)
• October 23 - A Journey through UU History (Part 1), 7-9pm (continues on Oct. 30)
• November 2 - Transgender 101 begins, 1-3pm (continues Nov. 16 and Dec. 7)
• January 5-9 - Labyrinth Walk: Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. extended hours on Wednesday, January 7 (open until 7 p.m.)
• January 14 - Inner Work of Age begins (Wednesdays, 2 - 4 p.m., through April 8)
• January 18 - Author talk with Milagros Phillips, 3pm
• January 22 - Applying Philosophy to Problems in Life, Ethics, and Society begins (Zoom; 6 Thursdays, through February 26, 4-5:30pm)
• March 24 - Poetry as Spiritual Practice begins (In person, 5 Tuesdays, through April 21, 7-8:30pm)
• April 18 - Clothing Swap, 10am

Parent Support Group

This monthly workshop offers parents a safe, quiet, gentle, non-judgemental place where they can explore their thoughts, hear others’ experiences, and share what they choose. This is not therapy, and no one will attempt to solve anyone else’s problems. Instead, it’s a space to be affirmed for who you are, and to acknowledge the challenges and joys of being a parent. Participants are gently invited to build relationships, explore ideas, and grow spiritually through writing, reading, and quiet reflection.

Childcare is available (please sign up here). You are welcome to bring refreshments from Community Hour (bagels, fruit, egg bites) and/or lunch from home – for yourself, your child(ren), and/or to share with others. Meets in Room 103, 1 - 2:30pm on August 31, September 28, October 26, November 23, and December 21 (tentative Spring dates: January 11, February 8, March 8, April 12, May 10). Please register here.

Exploring UUCB Membership Class

Sundays, September 14 and 21

2 - 4 p.m. in the Library - Register Here

In these small group gatherings you will dive into the UU values, role of the UU minister, the history of Unitarian Universalism and this church, how to get involved, what it means to be a member, and much more. Those who complete both dates of Exploring UUCB have the opportunity to sign the membership book. Those who missed a date or missed the book signing component of a prior class are welcome to attend. Snacks provided! If you need childcare, please sign up for "Sunday Afternoon Childcare" here.

Future sessions of Exploring UUCB will be offered in February and May. Questions? Email Anabel Watson, Connections Coordinator, at connect@uubloomington.org.

Book Discussion: Cracking the Healer’s Code – A Prescription for Healing Racism & Finding Wholeness by Milagros Phillips

Please register by clicking here.

As a participant in the Bloomington Multi-Faith Alliance (BMA), the Racial Justice Task Force at UUCB is offering this shared read as part of UUCB Lifespan RE. This book was chosen because of its emphasis on healing and wholeness, providing insights, hope, and concrete

actions we can do today to change our collective tomorrow. Based on her decades of experience creating safe spaces for engaging in difficult conversations, Ms. Phillips gives historical context for our present racial conditioning and takes us through the stages of

healing, which requires awareness, connection, and action.

In addition to the book read, there will be community events with the author from 3 - 5 p.m. on Sunday, September 7th, 2025 and Sunday, January 18th, 2026. Community members will come together at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington for these events and Ms. Phillips will join remotely.

As restrictions are placed on publicly funded entities, it is more critical than ever that faith communities stay engaged with the work of racial justice learning and transformation. Please join in this effort. There are several ways you can participate. Everyone is invited to the community events with the author that will be held here at UUCB. You are also encouraged to read the book – either individually, with the group at UUCB, with a group at another faith community (these are still forming), or with a group you form on your own. The UUCB group will meet in Room 208 on these Wednesday evenings, 6:30 - 8pm: Sept 17, Oct. 8 & 22, Nov. 5 & 19, Dec. 3. If this does not work for you but you would like to be part of a group, please register and specify “I need another time” or “I want to form my own group” and you will be contacted via email as more options become available.

This book read/discussion will be led by Ruth Aydt, Chair of the Racial Justice Task Force. Please try to attend most of the meetings as that is helpful for group discussion continuity. Register for “Wednesday Evening Childcare” here.

Saving Democracy from Christian Nationalism

In this 6-session workshop series, we will uncover the roots of Christian Nationalism in the United States, examine the current situation in our state and nation, and explore possible responses to this growing movement. Meetings will feature discussion, video, reading, writing; a variety of resources (books, chapters, articles, podcasts, videos) will be available to choose from for deeper engagement. Facilitated by Kevin Craig and Stephanie Kimball. Meets on Wednesdays, 7-9 p.m., from September 24 - October 29. Registration required, click here to register for this course. Minimum: 4. Sign up for “Wednesday Evening Childcare” here.

Creative Expressions: “Making Things” as Possible Paths to Spiritual, Psychological, and Emotional Growth

This class explores the creative process through drawing, painting, and collage using a variety of materials. Entering “creative flow” often involves a shift in consciousness from verbal thought and expression to non-verbal “thinking in images,” which may share some of the same characteristics as meditation or prayer. This class invites participants to experience themselves in new ways and open themselves to personal growth. No drawing or painting experience necessary. This time, the class will utilize ideas from Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross in their book Your Brain on Art: How Art Transforms Us. Facilitated by Jeanne Myers. Meets in Fellowship Hall on Saturday, September 27, 1-4 p.m. Open to 14 participants, ages 18+. Register here.

Library Book Club

Not your ordinary book group! Here, each person selects a different book from our own UUCB Fuchs Library – whatever topic or genre that appeals to you! Read something you find engaging, and then at the next monthly meeting, share your discoveries and responses with the group. Discussions may range wildly as everyone learns about the titles others read. Participants may attend by Zoom but will need to arrange a time to come into the library to check out a book. Facilitated by Ginny Richey, UUCB Librarian. Meets on the first Monday of the month starting on October 6 through May, 7-9 p.m. in the Library. Sign up to join the Library Book Club by clicking here.

A Journey through UU History

Have you ever wondered how the Unitarian Universalist church evolved? Where did this way of doing church come from and who were the leaders and founders of the Unitarian and Universalist movements in Europe and North America? Come find out in this two-session workshop led by Stuart Yoak. Meets on Thursday evenings, October 23 & 30, 7-9pm in Room 210. Please register here. For childcare, sign up for Thursday Evening Childcare here.

Transgender 101

Are you curious about why there’s so much attention on trans issues these days? Do you have questions about transgender and gender diverse identities? Are you seeking to understand gender-affirming care for youth? This 3-part workshop is for you!

On November 2, we’ll learn about the science of sex/gender, with specific attention to transgender and gender diverse identities, with guest speaker Dr. Stephanie Sanders of the Kinsey Institute. On November 16, we’ll learn about the political, historical, and legal contexts of the national discussion on transgender issues, including the fact that far-right political groups have capitalized on fear and misinformation around this issue to create division and gain political power. And on December 7 we’ll gather to discuss all of this information in the context of our congregation, Unitarian Universalism more broadly, and the business resolution passed by an overwhelming majority at the 2024 General Assembly. Additional dates and topics will depend on the needs and interests of the group. Sign up now to join the conversation!

Facilitated by Carol McCord, Carl Deitchman, and Stephanie Kimball. November 2 & 16, and December 7, 1-3pm in the Meeting Room.

Inner Work of Age

In the words of Connie Zweig, “Aging is our next frontier - a physical, emotional, moral, cognitive and spiritual frontier. Its mysteries and its terrors need to be faced consciously and mindfully.” This class will introduce processes and tools for doing this work, examining our own lives and supporting each other as we explore the path to elderhood. Facilitated by Stephanie Kimball. Meets on Wednesdays, 2 - 4 p.m., from January 14 to April 8 (no class on March 18). Register by clicking here.

Applying Philosophy to Problems in Life, Ethics, and Society

This class will examine the contemporary field of applied philosophy. Applied philosophy employs traditional philosophical methods, such as critical thinking, observation, subjective experience and thought experiments to contentious social, technological and ethical issues. For example, how should a society accommodate values that differ among subcultures and social groups? Do we have an ethical imperative to share our wealth, and if so, how much should we give? Is it ethical to favor friends and family over others in society? Can a person be happier just by thinking differently about experiences? Applied philosophy often draws on empirical data, including experiments, to test the validity of ideas. Course materials will reflect the entry of women and people of color and the gradual recognition of philosophical traditions outside the Western canon. Meets on Zoom for 6 Thursdays, January 22 to February 26, 4 - 5:30 p.m. Registration required (register by clicking here); enrollment is limited to 12.

Brian O’Donnell is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University. He is not a philosopher but is keenly interested in how philosophical ideas have motivated scientific investigations and catalyzed social change. To contact Brian, click here.

Expanded description: Class materials will include articles distributed electronically and links to online articles, podcasts, and video presentations. On each topic, participants choose several readings or “listenings” from the material. Please keep a notebook with brief summaries of issues discussed in an article or podcast, and your own reactions to the philosophical arguments. During the discussion, participants may draw on the material they encountered as well as relevant outside information that bears on the topic e.g. sociological, biological or psychological findings. The class will be oriented to discussion of the often-divergent viewpoints of philosophers on different topics. Importantly, discussions are explorations, not debates. Differences in values and beliefs among participants will be respected.

Week 1: Feelings

Week 2. Beliefs and Bias in Thinking

Week 3. Alternate Universes and Selves

Week 4. Mortality and Immortality

Week 5. Caring vs. Killing

Week 6. Multiculturalism

Poetry as Spiritual Practice

The course is intended to be a journey of exploration and enrichment for each participant. In every meeting we are invited to bring a poem to share. It can be a published poem by any author, or it can be one of your own. You are encouraged to choose a poem that promotes or expresses spiritual expression or exploration for you. You may wish to use the course as the framework for your own spiritual practice or development, but this is not required. Facilitated by Linda Pickle. Meets in person on Tuesday evenings, 7-8:30pm, on March 24, 31; April 7, 14, 21.

If you have questions, please contact Linda using this contact form. Registration is limited to six adults, 18 years of age or older. Register by clicking here!

OWL (Our Whole Lives) for Adults

Over the course of 12 sessions, the Adult Our Whole Lives Program explores sexuality issues for adults of all ages using values, communication skills and spirituality as starting points. The OWL program helps participants build an understanding of healthy sexual relationships, affirm diversity and accept and affirm their own sexuality throughout their lives. Our Whole Lives presents sexuality as a good, creative force with enormous potential to enrich as well as to generate life. Facilitated by Abby Gitlitz and Matt Stonecipher. Meeting dates and times TBA. Minimum 10 participants.

UU Common Read: Social Change Now

The new UU Common Read, offering a chance for Unitarian Universalists to engage in discussion, reflection, and action around a shared text, is Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection by Deepa Iyer (Skinner House, 2022).

Iyer’s book is a compelling and practical guide to creating social change around issues like racial justice, climate justice, reproductive rights, and more.

Dates, times, and facilitators TBD. Please indicate your interest here.

Runs Online Sept 26 – Oct 5

Please complete this form for each of your items/services to donate: uubloomington.org/auction

IT IS FINALLY THAT TIME OF YEAR!!! To all the wonderful people who made such amazing donations in years past, and to those who wish to get involved this year, the UUCB 2025 Online Auction is open for donations! We have a goal this year of $10,000 and we are so excited about what this year’s Auction will bring. Always popular are dinner parties, gatherings and outings, gardening, childcare, lessons and other services, furniture, toys and puzzles, baked goods and other foods, produce, clothing, artwork, jewelry and other treasures! New to the congregation, or maybe feeling a little detached? This is a FUN way to get to know people and to let them know you. Thinking of a new idea? Want help with ideas or a picture? Just have questions? Feel free to contact Ann Kamman or Charlotte Appel from the Auction Committee. This year's Auction has been moved to early fall to better accommodate other UUCB activities. Efforts to move physical items to the Bazaar have been cancelled. They are welcome in the Auction!

Our choir will start rehearsals on Thursday, August 7, at 7:00 in the Meeting Room.
All are welcome! Arrive early to get your music and find your seat.
Sign up for “Thursday Evening Childcare” here.

Oxygenate your body, improve your posture, exercise your brain, open your focus, experience beauty, make friends, and contribute meaningfully to church services.

-Sue Swaney, Director of Music

August 31, 2025 - We Need One Another

Service Leader: Rev. Barbara Child

In times like these, when we are called more and more to live out our values in public places, what becomes of our own needs? In other words, in times like these, what's a congregation for?

Rev. Barbara Child is a retired Accredited Interim Minister who earlier served as Chair of the UU Interim Ministry Guild. She is the editor of The Spirit That Moves: Readings and Rituals for Times of Change and Transition. With Rev. Keith Kron, she edited In the Interim: Strategies for Interim Ministers and Congregations. Her memoir is titled Memories of a Vietnam Veteran: What I Have Remembered and What He Could Not Forget. In past years Rev. Barbara has served UUCB as Sabbatical Minister during three sabbatical periods. She currently serves as Ministerial Consultant to the Executive Team and facilitators of UUCB's Chalice Circles program.

Current Member Number: 480

Attendance for the month of June

6/01/2025: 290

6/08/2025: 328

6/15/2025: 257

6/22/2025: 271

6/29/2025: 203

Offertory Total: 3729.93