by adminuucm

UUCM Gets Funky Westonka Community Theatre Production!

It’s a Disaster! The Westonka Community Theatre (WCT) will be putting on a show featuring some of UUCM’s finest. Disaster! The Musical will see Jordan Zais as well as Marc and Stacy Doepner-Hove on stage. Brian Zais keeping time on bass in the pit band. Haven’t heard of the musical? Picture 1970’s classic hits set in a mashup of 1970’s disaster movies—as campy as you can get! It’ll be a lot of fun, so come see the show and watch UUCM go disco!

You can see the show March 13, 14, 15, and 16. For details on the show times and location and to get tickets—see the WCT website at: https://sites.google.com/view/westonkacommunitytheatre/home

by adminuucm

UUCM Town Hall This Sunday!

The UUCM Board of Trustees invites you to a Town Hall after this Sunday’s service on February 16 from 11:30-12:30. It will be held both in person in the sanctuary and on Zoom. The Board will provide information and updates on ministerial options available when our Developmental Ministry ends, as well as a few other topics. All are welcome and there will be time to ask questions or give comments. Click here to join us on Zoom. 

by adminuucm

An Update on Revisions to UUCM By-Laws

The Congregation, and the Board, have two documents that guide our governance: The UUCM By-Laws and the Board Policy Manual. The By-Laws were last revised in 2016, and the policies in 2019. As we have moved through successful Interim and Developmental Ministries, our governance has evolved, and these documents do not reflect those changes. So, both are under revision right now.

The Board is responsible for the policy revision. But the By-Laws revision requires broad participation from the congregation. So, a committee has been charged with seeking congregational input, revising or rewriting the By-Laws, and presenting the proposed version for a vote at the annual meeting in May. The members of the committee are Fred Hulting (chair), Bill Rodgers, Laura Ciotti, and Rev. Lisa Friedman.

The committee has been seeking input the by-laws from current and former congregational leaders, with an emphasis on: 

  • Congregational meetings, including remote participation, and revisiting the “special action” section.
  • The selection and hiring of the Minister, and the Minister’s role.
  • Board composition, election of officers and trustees, board responsibilities.
  • Ensuring the by-laws reflects our commitment to being an inclusive, welcoming, and anti-racist congregation.

We have used this input to create a draft that will now be used to engage the congregation and to solicit feedback from more people. You can learn more about the process by watching this video.

The By-Laws work will be shared at the Town Hall on February 16th. Following that, there will be two open information and discussion sessions on February 18th (Click here for Zoom link) and March 2nd (at church, after the service). You may also provide your input at this link.

After reviewing the feedback we receive through mid-March, the committee will create a near-final proposal that will be shared and discussed with the congregation in April and early May before the annual meeting.

If you have questions, please reach out to any of the committee members.

— Fred Hulting, Bill Rodgers, Laura Ciotti & Rev.Lisa Friedman

by adminuucm

Midweek Message | February 12, 2025

Week Four of Side With Love’s 30 Days of Love proclaims the power of love to end oppression and build a just and loving world where we all thrive. In this final week, we honor Black History Month with a musical gift from Lea Morris. Visit Side With Love to view all this week’s resources, including ways to take action, activities for families and journaling practice.

The Unitarian Universalist Association has joined a multifaith coalition representing millions of Americans across dozens of denominations and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection in a lawsuit challenging ICE’s “sensitive locations policy.” This action is an expression of our deeply held religious values which call us to communal care and protection of the most vulnerable.This decision directly interferes with our ability to fulfill our religious mandate and serve all of our congregants equally and with the dignity they deserve. The federal government’s extreme actions challenges a foundation of our faith and threatens to shatter our consecrated spaces. Our faith compels us to take action and protect our places of worship. Read more about the lawsuit and other plaintiffs joining us in this action by clicking here.