UU Lansing will be 175 years old in 2024! The First Universalist Church of Lansing formed on March 16, 1849 and initially met in the Senate Chamber of the State Capitol (not the current capitol).

Founder John H. Sanford, Universalist minister and newspaper publisher, came to Lansing in 1847 from Ann Arbor. He also published Lansing’s first newspaper, The Primitive Expounder.

In 1864, Rev. Augusta Jane Chapin was ordained. She was the second woman ordained in the Universalist Church and the first woman in the country to be awarded an honorary doctor of divinity degree. Rev. Chapin was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame in 2010. She is the namesake of our Chapin meeting room.

During the 1940s, several Unitarian families moved to the Lansing area from Ann Arbor and founded the Unitarian Fellowship of East Lansing and Mason.

In 1957, Lansing-area Universalists and Unitarians merged, four years before the national merger took place, becoming the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing (UU Lansing).

We will hold a celebration on our church’s 175th Anniversary with live music, food, worship, historical education, and more.

You can reach UU Lansing’s 175th Anniversary planning team (Deb Feltz, Ed Busch, Deb Mosher, Marcus Cheatham, and Dan Dettweiler) at uulansing175@googlegroups.com.

All are invited to shop our next used book sale! Stock up cheaply on new-to-you books for cozy reading through the winter. Proceeds help to fund the mission of UU Lansing.

The Justice League of Greater Lansing will return for a followup to our October 8 discussion on Sunday, January 14 at noon. Founders Willye Bryan and Prince Solace will be here to discuss the rapidly growing movement for faith-based reparations in the greater Lansing area and the various ways that liberal congregations are participating in that.

Everyone is welcome. Healthy snacks will be served.

The annual selection potluck for the Pretty Good Book Group will be held in the Chapin room. Setup for the potluck will begin at 11:30.

Please bring a dish to pass and a non-alcoholic beverage of your choosing. Plates, napkins, and plasticware will be provided.

Each person may propose up to two books for the group’s consideration. Eleven books with the greatest number of votes will be selected for the 2024 year’s monthly meetings from February through December. Each person votes on their eleven top picks. If there is a tie, a runoff vote will be taken, and the book garnering the greatest number of votes will be selected.

Proposed books must be in paperback and available in an audio format such as Audible. You can request to join the Book Group email list for more details and updates on 2024 book discussions.

All are invited to join us on Christmas Eve for a service of festive stories and songs, ending with our traditional singing of “Silent Night” by candlelight.

All are invited to join us for a communal supper and festive fun for all ages!

Weaving Our Web Wednesdays bring people of all ages together for food and friendship in the Social Hall on the third Wednesday evening of each month.

In December, we’ll honor the approaching Winter Solstice beginning at 5:30 p.m. with an ornament-making craft. Please bring a photograph of yourself, a family member, or a pet, to make into an ornament to decorate our Church Family Christmas Tree in the Atrium.

At 6:00 p.m., we’ll share a feast cooked from scratch in the kitchen. The menu will include wild rice with mushrooms and cashews as well as baked cauliflower and tofu with herbs.

Afterward, we’ll take a stroll outside to search for the Yule Log. Then we’ll gather around the fire pit for a Solstice story followed by raucous noise-making to call back the sun. If you plan to stay for these after-dinner revelries, please make sure to bring sturdy footwear, warm winter gear, and a flashlight to find your way on (almost) the longest night of the year.

RSVP here by Monday morning, if possible, to help us prepare the cheer!

All are invited to participate in the Southside Community Kitchen’s annual Holiday Celebration, as a donor, a volunteer, and/or a guest! We will enjoy singing, gift bag distribution for guests, and another great meal.

You can help us prepare for this joyous day by bringing in donations of items for the gift bags (and overflow to be distributed through our blessing box along the driveway) to UU Lansing on Sunday mornings before worship:

• winter hats

• gloves, hand warmers

• socks

• scarves

• sanitizer

• washcloths

• toothbrushes, toothpaste

• shampoo, conditioner

• soap

• deodorant

• large Ziplock bags

Young Adult Ministry (for ages 18-39) meets about once a month after worship for lunch, often on second Sundays.

In December, young adults are invited meet in the orange classroom for a holiday potluck, conversation, and maybe a board or card game. New friends are invited to join in, optionally with a festive dish to pass and a board or card game to share. Food brought for this event may be stored in the kitchen during worship labeled with the date and “Young Adults.”

More information can be found in the Young Adult Facebook group.

We are looking forward to another shimmering holiday performance in our Sanctuary by local LGBTQIA+ -affirming choir LanSINGout! This year’s festive show, “Sparkles, Shimmers, & Songs of the Season,” will be on Friday, December 8 and Saturday, December 9 at 7:30 p.m.

We hope you will come to our 6th annual HandCrafted Holiday Sale to enjoy a magical day of holiday treats and shopping for unique, handcrafted gifts with friends and neighbors.

If you would like to participate as a vendor, please apply online using this form or download this printable form to mail with your payment. If you are renting a booth for a non-profit organization, please indicate that on your application form. Non-profits may withhold the $50 booth fee until sale day and then pay either the $50 fee or 10% of proceeds, whichever is lower.

If you have any questions, you can contact our team at UULansingCrafts@gmail.com or 734-719-0036.

We are looking forward to another shimmering holiday performance in our Sanctuary by local LGBTQIA+ -affirming choir LanSINGout! This year’s festive show, “Sparkles, Shimmers, & Songs of the Season,” will be on Friday, December 8 and Saturday, December 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Sharing Sunday is a chance for you to bring in unwanted items (home and kitchen goods, garden tools, decor, arts and crafts, clean clothes, decorations, etc.) to share with others. You can drop items off in the Social Hall before worship and then browse other people’s donations that you may take home free of charge after worship. After everyone has taken what they want, the remaining items are boxed up by volunteers and taken to local charitable organizations.

“Theo’s Brews” is a pop-up beer tasting fundraiser hosted by Dewey & Marge Weldon and Bob & Kathy Lovell. Up to 12 guests may participate for a suggested donation of $15/person.

Dewey & Marge went on a recent adventure to the Pacific Northwest, where they attended the UU church in Vancouver, where our previous settled minister, Kathryn Bert, now serves. Kathryn’s son Theo is working at Reuben’s Brews in Seattle. 

We will taste four Reuben’s beers and a couple more, with palate-cleansing snacks, followed by some bread and soup. We may be joined by a surprise Zoom guest!

This event will take place at a private home in East Lansing (with resident cat). To sign up or ask questions, email auction.uucgl@gmail.com.

The Southside Community Kitchen:

• Serves meals on a reliable schedule, with no cost or prerequisite requirements for guests.

• Provides a beautiful dining experience where people are served with kindness and respect.

• Offers a safe and nurturing environment.

The Southside Community Kitchen serves meals four days a week to anyone hungry in Lansing without any prerequisites, qualifying questions, or documentation. If you are hungry, and in need of a hot meal for any reason, for any length of time, we are here to welcome and serve you with care and respect.

For more information, call the SCK hotline: (517) 944-1805

All are invited to share our annual ritual of Thanksgiving for Michigan’s sweet treats of apple cider and donuts! We will gather at 10:30 a.m. for a worship service on the theme of generosity, led by Rev. Neal Anderson with music provided by the Chalice Choir. Rev. Neal will bless an abundance of cider and donuts, which will be available to enjoy at coffee hour after the service.

Before or after worship, all are invited to stop by our Giving Tree in the Atrium. You can choose an ornament if you would like to “adopt” a local family in need for this year’s winter holidays.

The Interfaith Clergy Association of Greater Lansing invites all neighbors and friends to its annual interfaith worship service in November. This year’s service will take place at Eastminster Presbyterian in East Lansing. Offerings will be taken of supportive letters to our Jewish and Muslim neighbors as well as financial gifts to help with increased security costs of Jewish and Muslim houses of worship in our community.

All are invited to join us for a communal supper followed by a game night for all ages!

“Weaving Our Web” Wednesdays will continue on the third Wednesday evening of each month. Share a hot and nutritious dinner with family, friends, and/or new acquaintances, followed by a soul-nourishing round of a game of your choice.

All you need to do is RSVP, but if you are able to help co-create this monthly evening of welcoming community, you can also chip in toward costs or volunteer to help set up or clean up.

Please join State Representatives Kara Hope and Christine Morse and a variety of panelists for a town hall on Community Violence Interventions.

Panelists include:
- Sen. Sarah Anthony
- Mike McKissic, Mikey23 Foundation
- Ben Shuldiner, Lansing Superintendent
- Cordelia Black, Lansing Schools Executive Director of Student Culture and Climate
- Dr. Paul Elam, Michigan Public Health Institute and Advance Peace
- Rep. Christine Morse, Co-chair of the Firearm Safety and Gun Violence Prevention Caucus

The last half of this event will be dedicated to listening to your questions and concerns.

You can RSVP for the event here: https://forms.gle/HnKnor93pX2zc5W1A

Young Adult Ministry (for ages 18-39) meets about once a month after worship for lunch.

This Sunday, they will meet in the orange classroom for a Friendsgiving potluck, conversation, and maybe a board or card game. New friends are invited to join in, optionally with a dish to pass and a board or card game to share. Food brought for this event may be stored in the kitchen during worship.

More information can be found in the Young Adult Facebook group.

November is Native American Heritage month, and Sunday Morning Forum is focusing on Native American topical issues. This Sunday, Forum has invited special guest Marcus Briggs-Cloud, a Maskoke language revitalizer, scholar, musician, and co-director of Ekvn-Yefolecv, an intentional eco-village community of Indigenous Maskoke persons. He returned two years ago to live in their ancestral homelands in Alabama to practice linguistic, cultural, and ecological sustainability. A graduate of Harvard Divinity School and a doctoral candidate in interdisciplinary ecology at the University of Florida, his publications address issues of liberation theology, linguistics, ecology, race, and gender identity.

You may join the Forum conversation in the Chapin Room at 9:00 a.m. or virtually, facilitated by new interactive technology. Please submit your email using this form to request to join the Forum email list for the Zoom link and other details.

All are invited to bring a photo or memento of a loved one who has died and to place it on a communal altar in the Sanctuary before worship. This is an annual tradition to honor our grief and our ancestors by remembering them with love.

Mark your calendar for our annual Halloween Party for all ages! Put on your costume and join us for games, treats, and a haunted house created by our teen Youth Group. All are invited to bring a spooky dish to pass.

Weather permitting, come out and help our gardeners from the congregation and neighborhood to put our community garden to bed for the season.

Come listen to, and sing along with, the UU Lansing Folk Band. All are welcome, and donations will be accepted at the door.

Lyric sheets will be available for the audience to sing along with many of the tunes. 

Sharing Sunday is a chance for you to bring in unwanted items (home and kitchen goods, garden tools, decor, arts and crafts, clean clothes, decorations, etc.) to share with others. You can drop items off in the Social Hall before worship. After worship, everyone is invited to browse other people’s donations to take home free of charge. After everyone has taken what they want, the remaining items are boxed up by volunteers and transported to local charitable organizations.

Inclusive Justice Michigan is partnering with the Michigan UU Social Justice Network to present a conference, “Pursuing Inclusive Justice: Crisis of the Moment, Impact for the Movement” on Friday, October 20 at Zion Lutheran Church in Ferndale. All are invited to register here to attend in person or online.

The Unitarian Universalist Association has called on UUs to support faith-based reparations for slavery, and other churches in the Lansing area have already begun to do so. The Justice League of Greater Lansing is inviting area churches to support reparations. Learn more about what is happening and what UUs can do. Should UU Lansing support reparations? How would we do that? Join a discussion about this issue in the Kiva. A light meal will be provided.

“Imagine how your work for the congregation might be transformed if you approached it primarily as your spiritual practice, and secondarily as helping the church fulfill its mission.”

We invite you to a two-hour workshop based on Erik Walker Wikstrom’s book Serving with Grace: Lay Leadership as a Spiritual Practice. This workshop is for anyone who serves, or wishes to serve, our church community in any way—volunteers, committee members, teachers, board members, musicians, etc. When we serve the church consciously, mindfully, and with UU Lansing’s mission as the focus in everything we do, great things can happen. The workshop will be led by Mary Elaine Kiener and Kelsea Hector. Register here. Preparation for the discussion will include reading portions of Wikstrom’s book (click here to download).

Everyone ages 18 - 39 is invited to join the UU Lansing Young Adults for a social potluck lunch after worship in the orange classroom (in the hall down the stairs/ramp from the Atrium).