Thursday, September 10, 2026 |
|
| "Practicing Democracy" with Shelia Crawford & Holley Ulbrich: Democracy has a long history in the story of our faith tradition. Today we launch an effort to promote democracy in collaboration with our neighbors, We seek to encourage people to affirm their commitment to the privilege and civic duty of choosing the people who will be making decisions at all levels of government. Our Pulpit guest is Shelia Crawford, president of the Pickens County NAACP and active member of the League of Women Voters of Oconee and Pickens Counties.
Join us in Clemson at 10:30am.
This service will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel. |
|
| JOYS, CONCERNS, & MILESTONES: Do you have something you are celebrating? Or maybe something you are struggling with? Let us know! Significant personal accomplishments and hardships may be shared below, with permission. Please submit Celebrations and Concerns on one of the cards (green) at Sunday service or use this simple form. On Sunday's paper submissions, you must check the "I give permission to share. . ." box for your submission to be considered for publication. Personal items will not be shared without express permission to do so from the parties involved.
- Kathy shares, "On this 25th anniversary of 9/11, I am proud to recognize Jim Alexander for his part to make the Oconee 9/11 Memorial happen. This site (in Walhalla) is the largest memorial for 9/11 in South Carolina, featuring a piece of debris from the Pentagon, soil from Pennsylvania and a steel beam from the World Trade Center. Jim was a part of a small band of local residents to put together this unique and grassroots memorial. It is a lovely and special place. Thank you, Jim.
- Meg shares, "I turned in my application for dual citizenship in Slovakia on Thursday. We also had a good visit with my brother and his wife in Reston, VA."
|
|
Care Request Form: Request extra care (eg: meals, rides, cards, texts, calls, visits, etc.) for yourself or another congregant during a difficult time.
Care Response Form: Let us know if you are willing and able to provide various kinds of care to congregants in need. |
|
| UUFC ANNOUNCEMENTS Want to advertise your upcoming UUFC event or share some UUFC news? Let us know! Please keep in mind this newsletter is specifically for UUFC news, UU news, and member updates. Email newsletter submissions to newsletter@uufc.org no later than Tuesday for inclusion in that week's Weekly Connection. |
|
| NEWS FROM THE MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE: Please check the Hospitality Table for cards to sign for members of our beloved community who are currently not able to attend in person. The group card lets them know they are not forgotten and are still an important part of UUFC. You may not yet know them personally, they have helped build the community we have now.
Our New Member Recognition will be on Sunday, November 15th. If you have been thinking of becoming a member, please let Karen York, Sarah McNeill, Cindy Lee, or Rev. Holly Brown know. Or talk with whoever is at the Welcome Table in the atrium. |
|
FROM THE UUFC BOARD: We have two people who have agreed to be nominated for the Planned Giving Committee, and someone to help with planning the Stewardship lunch but The Board still needs to fill the following positions: President-Elect and Program Council Chair, as well as positions with Finance Council, and Stewardship. Please contact any member of the Board or the Nominating Committee (Leslie Vissage, Jon Hoskin, Elaine Faithful) if you are interested or want to learn more. |
|
REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR RELIGIOUS EXPLORATION: If you've never registered your child for our Religious Exploration program at UUFC, please click the green button to do so: |
|
| If you have previously registered a child at UUFC, you should have received an email with a link to review for corrections or updates.
Paper registration forms will also be available on Sunday mornings. Questions? Contact Karen Hiebel dlff@uufc.org |
|
LITTLE FREE CENTER: Did you know that our UUFC children are the official stewards of our Little Free Library? Several months ago, our kids decided to convert one shelf of the library to a Little Free Pantry to help those in our community struggling with food insecurity. Last Sunday, we restocked both the books and the nonperishable food items. |
|
|
UPCOMING FACILITATOR TRAINING FOR OUR WHOLE LIVES (OWL): We have one person signed up already from UUFC; anyone else interested? This training is taking place in Atlanta and registration closes on FRIDAY, September 11th. There are funds available to help cover the cost. If you've ever thought about being an OWL facilitator, please check out the flier and then speak to Karen, our Director of Lifespan Faith Formation, today: DLFF@uufc.org |
|
|
THIS SUNDAY we kick off our grant-funded efforts to expand voter turnout in the upstate. We plan to send 1,000 postcards to black voters in local counties urging them to vote. We'll provide addresses, stamps, postcards & instructions - sign up in the Social Room to help us reach our goal! You can work along or coordinate with Meg Williamson and Charlotte Sherman if you want to do it in a group. We will have packets of 20 available on Sunday. We also have flyers to distribute about the mechanics of voting in SC. Contact Holley Ulbrich for further details. |
|
|
COMMON READ BOOK CLUB BEGINS SEPTEMBER 20TH: Love is at the Center: Unitarian Universalist Theologies by Sofia Betancourt is the UUA Common Read this year. Join us on the third Sunday of the month following service, starting on September 20th to explore 1-2 essays and discussion questions. Please email Rev. Holly at minister@uufc.org to sign up or for more information.
|
|
|
CAMPOUT OCTOBER 1ST - 4TH: Be OUTSIDE with UUFC at Oconee State Park. Camp the entire long weekend and/or hike, explore, visit the fish hatchery, join the Saturday potluck, attend Sunday morning Vespers. The flyer with more info is also posted on the hallway bulletin board. Please speak with Kathy for more information.
|
|
| RECURRING UUFC EVENTS Weekly on Mondays
- UUFC Choir at 7:00pm: We always welcomes new members -- join us! Singing experience not required, we welcome singers of all abilities! If you're interested or if you have any questions, please text Elaine Fredendall (864-650-6824) or Sara Summers-Hoskin.
Weekly on Tuesdays
- Tuesday Evening Buddhist Meditation Group Join us Tuesdays at 7:00 starting with a 40-minute sitting meditation, followed by a short break, and then discussion. Appropriate for beginners or experienced meditators, come join us. For more info, contact Darrell Yardley.
Weekly on Thursdays
Monthly
- Sunday Sangha 2nd Sundays at Noon: This Buddhist study group meets monthly on Sundays. We will begin at 12 noon in the sanctuary. Join us! Contact Renee Mendola for more information.
- Socratic Café 2nd Mondays, at 10:30 - 11:45am: Join us in the Founders' House conference room on September 14th for a guided discussion, led by Adam Gies, on the topic: “What are the costs and benefits of technological innovation? Historically, do benefits outweigh the costs?” Please contact Alan Goldsmith for more information.
- Plate Pals - UU Women's Lunch Group 2nd Tuesdays of each month. Join us for camaraderie, fun, support, and fellowship. To join us, email UUPlatePals@gmail.com.
- Novel Circle Book Club 1st Wednesdays at 7:30pm. All are welcome at this UUFC Book Club which meets in person (social hall) and online (Zoom) every 1st Wednesday at 7:30 PM. Please contact Gail Brownlee or Cindy Lee for more information.
- October 7th: The Miniaturist’s Assistant by Katherine Scott Crawford
- November 4th: The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
- December 2nd: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
- January 6th: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
- Habitat for Humanity UUFC works with the Pickens County Habitat for Humanity Anyone who would like to join in on this fun is welcome--reach out to Michael Elder.
|
|
Friday October 2nd: TWO WATERFALLS and the CHATTOOGA RIVER (& Camping?): Hike with the Foothills Group of the Sierra Club, Friday, Oct. 2. Membership is not required. See this website for registration and more information. |
|
BANNED BOOKS FROM SCUUJA: There are 22 titles gifted to UUFC from the South Carolina UU Justice Alliance (SCUUJA) from the list of books banned by the state of SC in 2025. They are available to borrow from our Adult Faith Library. Contact Karen (dlff@uufc.org) for more info! |
|
| COLUMBO'S RECEIPTS BRING MONEY TO UUFC Having a pizza night? When you check out at Columbo's Pizza, ask to have your receipt stamped and then drop that receipt at the UUFC office. Columbo's gives us a percentage of the receipt totals.
LITTLE RED WAGON Every Sunday during service, the children collect donations for Clemson Community Care and place them into our little red wagon. They need donations of food to help meet the needs of the community. Current needs are as follows: green beans, corn, canned meats, pork and beans, soap, toiletries, and diapers (size 4, 5 & 6).
LISTENING DEVICES AVAILABLE We have small radio receivers that pick up the sound from our AV system and transmit it to your ears, via headphones or telecoil. These are on display in the back left corner of the sanctuary, beside the AV systems. If you have hearing aids with telecoil, all you have to do is turn it on and use one of our T-coil necklaces. Otherwise, you can use one of our new headphones. Stop by before the next service and try it out!
UUFC DIRECTORY Our congregational directory is not available online. If you'd like the most recent version (updated monthly) emailed to you, please contact Becky, our office administrator.
UUFC PHOTOS Photos of UUFC folks doing UUFC things are always welcome! Please send photos to newsletter@uufc.org for our archives. All submitted photos may be chosen for publication and/or display unless specifically requested NOT to publish. |
|
|
SHARED VALUES At the Unitarian Universalist Association's General Assembly in the summer of 2024, UUs voted to amend our by-laws to describe our Shared Values instead of Principles. Don't worry--the Principles did not vanish entirely; much of the sentiment can be found in the Values and now they're easier to share in graphic form. This helps frame our UU message in 21st century language. Our shared values are: Interdependence, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Generosity, and Justice. These are centered around Love at the core. |
|
CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES: The number of calls on each topic are recorded and if enough people express their dismay, they might just respond favorably. Emails carry less weight, since they can be copied, pasted and mass-mailed; constituents who take the time to pick up the phone sends a message. So pick up the phone and make the calls! Let your representatives know that you're watching, that you're engaged, and what you want them to do. If you don't know who to call, you can call the Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 and they'll help you connect, or you can visit usa.gov/elected-officials. For additional information, ideas and call scripts, you can visit 5calls.org. Call your reps daily, if you can. This is faith in action. |
| FLOWERS FOR SUNDAY: Each week, volunteers provide flowers for Sunday service. If you'd like to volunteer to bring flowers, please sign up on the sheet on the Opportunity Table in the Social Room. 9/13: Ally Driver 9/20: Charlotte Sherman 9/27: Teresa Lanford 10/4: 10/11: 10/18: Ally Driver 10/25: Elaine Faithful |
|
|
|
|
