Thursday, February 5, 2026

JAZZ SERVICE

Centering Music:

Amazing Grace 

Glenn Petersen, saxophone, Jim Standley, guitar, & Cletus Robinson, guitar

Opening Hymn:

Saints Go Marching In 

Special Music:

Shall We Gather at the River arr. John Carter

Chancel Choir & Geoffrey Stemen, piano

Offertory:

When You Wish Upon a Star by Leigh Harline

Glenn Petersen, saxophone, Jim Standley, guitar, & Cletus Robinson, guitar

Closing Hymn:

UMH 404 Every Time I Feel the Spirit

Postlude:

When the Saints Go Marching In 

Glenn Petersen, saxophone, Jim Standley, guitar, & Cletus Robinson, guitar

Join Us Online on Our Website, YouTube, and Facebook:

https://universitymethodist.org/worship/online-worship

https://www.facebook.com/universitymethodist

https://www.youtube.com/uumcbr

Church News

Report on the 2025 State of the Church Survey

The UUMC Executive Committee has written a summary based on the results from the recent State of the Church Survey. Thanks to all of you who responded, and thanks to the executive subcommittee that worked faithfully to analyze and summarize the responses that were given. 

To read the summary, please click below. 

Also, 

The UUMC Executive Committee has agreed that in order to keep our congregation better informed, we will post the minutes from each Church Council meeting via the Gathering and Scattering. Hope this helps everyone to stay abreast of the happenings, finances, and day-to-day operations of the church. 

To read the minutes from the January 26 meeting, please click below. 

Blessings,

Steve Backstrom

Church Council Chair / Lay Leader

UUMC Church Council Commissioning

This past Sunday, during both worship services, members of the 2026 UUMC Church Council were commissioned and given a blessing and a sending forth by Rev. Katie McKay Simpson and the entire congregation. May God bless them and our church during this exciting new year! 

Church Office Volunteers Needed



UUMC's SPR Committee is actively searching for a new Church Administrator. While the search continues, we are looking for volunteers to serve in the church office to assist with answering phones and being present to assist as needs arise. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. If you are able to help in this way, please contact Emma Burke at emmafburke@gmail.com. 

Cool Under Fire

Donning sunglasses, the UUMC Children's Choirs enthusiastically performed during both the 8:30 a.m. and the 11 a.m. Sunday worship services. Congregants enjoyed their clever rendition of Cool Under Fire by Valerie MacKenzie.  

Words of Meditation

"The world is charged with the grandeur of God." - Gerard Manley Hopkins

Practice for the Week

Name one small, concrete way you can “season” your week with God’s joy in the world for someone else.

Reflection — Matthew 5:13

Jesus doesn’t tell the disciples to try harder to become salt. He says, “You are.” Salt works quietly. It disappears into the food, but what it does is unmistakable: it brings out flavor and, in the ancient world, it helped preserve what might otherwise decay.

Jesus is naming a calling that is less about spiritual spotlight and more about spiritual impact. In a world that can feel like it’s spoiling at the edges—violence, contempt, exhaustion, cynicism—salt is a picture of disciples who refuse to let joy-filled love for one another

lose its essential goodness. Sometimes that refusal looks like justice-work in the public square. Sometimes it looks like tenderness in private: making a meal, checking on a neighbor, telling the truth without cruelty, keeping a promise, choosing hope when doomscrolling feels easier. But Jesus warns about salt “losing its taste.” That can happen when we blend in so completely with the world’s despair that we stop offering anything different.

Joy, in this sense, isn’t a mood we force. It’s a gift from God we are invited to receive and revel in. It is also a spiritual practice: noticing grace, naming goodness, giving thanks out loud, and letting beauty interrupt us. And joy can be shared—passed hand to hand—like seasoning at the table.

Discussion

1. Where do you feel the “decay” of discouragement most right now—personally or in the world?

2. When have you experienced someone else’s joy as “salt” that brought you back to life?

3. What might “salt losing its taste” look like in a church community?

Jazz Service

Join us on February 8 at both 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. for a Jazz-themed service celebrating the spirit of Mardi Gras! Invite a friend and come worship with us while enjoying the beautiful, soulful sounds of Louisiana jazz woven throughout our service.

Ashes to Geaux

On Ash Wednesday, February 18, UUMC is taking church "to the streets" with Ashes to Geaux. Offered at 7 a.m. and Noon, we will be sharing the sign of the cross in ashes, along with a brief blessing and a prayer for students and for those who may not be able to attend a service but who wish to begin the season of Lent grounded in God's love on their way to work. 

We need lay leadership to help in this ministry both early morning and at noontime at various locations, and no prior experience is required.

Want to volunteer? Contact Mary Rachel Moore at revmaryrachel@universitymethodist.org.

A Walk and a Prayer

On Monday mornings during Lent, meet at University UMC in the front lot at 8:45 a.m. Walk together and share in prayer for 40 minutes. No registration is required. For questions, contact Rev. Mary Rachel at revmaryrachel@universitymethodist.org.

Sacred Verse: A Weekly Meditative Experience 

When the demands of life seem to pull you in every direction but your own, there is a quiet space waiting—a time to breathe, to listen, and to simply be. These 40-minute moments during Lent are not more tasks to complete but gifts for your own spiritual well-being. Through simple guided reflections where scripture and poetry meet, themes of loss, hope, grace, and presence unfold like a conversation with your own soul, reminding you of the deeper currents beneath the surface of your busy life.



Rev. Katie McKay Simpson will lead these during Lent from 8-8:40 a.m. every Wednesday beginning February 25. The sessions will be on zoom. This is offered for church members, friends, and your coworkers in order to provide a space apart for reflection and renewal. Register on our website or Church Center app to receive the link and the weekly session outline. Any questions? Contact Rev. Katie at revkatie@universitymethodist.org. 

The "LOVE"ly Picnic

Join us for The "LOVE"ly Picnic, a joyful evening celebrating friendship and love on Sunday, March 8, at 6 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall at University United Methodist Church. This Chapel Choir fundraiser will feature a delicious picnic-style dinner, warm fellowship, and musical performances centered on love and community.

Tickets are $25 per person, with proceeds supporting the Chapel Choir. Seating is limited, so be sure to sign up soon!

LSU Student Lunch

We invite all students to join us for our FREE LSU Lunch on Sunday, February 22, at 12 p.m. in our Library! Invite a friend who would enjoy a hot meal!

Family Ministries Field Trip to Global Wildlife

Join us for a fun Family Ministries field trip to Global Wildlife on Sunday, February 22, at 2 p.m. Enjoy an afternoon together exploring the park and spending time with other families. 

Registration is available through Planning Center. Please register as soon as possible so we can get an accurate headcount!

Church Directory



Church members who have attended within the last year have been invited to the church directory. If you haven't received your invitation, use the link below to access your profile. If the link does not work for you or if you have any questions, please email Rev. Mary Rachel at revmaryrachel@universitymethodist.org.

If you haven't already, we'd love for you to upload a photo of yourself and your family to the directory. Pictures help us learn and remember each other’s names!

The family of Jo Salter, Beth Pecu, Pat Ketelsen, Alison McCrary, Mary Juneau, Beth Courtney, Charlotte Love, Darby Ralls, Ellen Wiemers, Garrett Ward, Gregg Jones, Janet Grace, Jessica Roux’s Ukrainian Host Family, Kristine Hawkins, family of Liz Savoie Chandler, Lupi Sucre, Maria and Oswaldo Linares, Mindy Piontek, the family of Penny Delaney, Rev. Linda Joseph, Robert Blackledge, Susan Horton, Susan Pourciau, the family of Arnold Jackson, Trey Bickham, Lou Bickham, Wesley Foundation Leadership, Melanie Brooke Civils, and all of those in our congregation who are in nursing homes or homebound.