A Unitarian Universalist Church | 1800 Bell Ave. Des Moines, IA 50315

515-244-8603

What is the difference between feeling gratitude and practicing gratitude? Join us on Sunday as we dive deeper into our theme of Gratitude, reflecting on how the active practice of gratitude helps both the giver and receiver. 

Join our Livestream!

Forum: What Should We Do with Our Plaques and Furniture?

Heirlooms, memorial plaques and furniture! Oh My! Do you care about our church's history and how it gets recognized? Come to the Forum on Sunday, Nov. 9th as the Dare to Dream committee revisits our past and envisions our future by exploring the contents of the upper-level floor of our church. A slide show and small group discussions will make this an interactive and engaging hour.

Please take a moment to share a thank you or kudos. Submissions will be shared on the board in Griffin Hall and in upcoming worship services. Please click the button below to fill out the form.

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN NEWS

A Dreamy Fundraising UP-date!

Upswing, upward, upturn….Our Dare to Dream capital campaign truly deserves all of these uplifting descriptions, thanks to you!

Since we kicked off our all-church fundraising efforts at the brunch in early September, more than $517,000 has been pledged. Additionally, many thanks to the choir for their concert and to the those who attended and contributed $1,345. Overall, our generosity comes from 122 pledges or direct cash contributions totaling $2,955,955. Wow!

As we begin to see our remodeling plans become reality (and start to experience the unavoidable inconveniences), the excitement is “building.” To support our continued financial momentum, we have a second $25,000 match challenge for pledges at any level. This is a great way to have your contribution doubled! Remember—all pledges can be paid over three years.

Help us reach the $3 million milestone by Thanksgiving. The season of gratitude is here, and we are thankful for every dollar Dare to Dream receives. To make a pledge, contact the project team at daretodream@UCDSM.org. Now’s the time because things are looking UP!

CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS & NEWS

Holiday Poinsettia Orders

Brighten the Season with a Poinsettia!

Let’s fill the auditorium with festive color this holiday season! You’re invited to order a poinsettia in honor or memory of a special person or event. Forms will be available this weekend during Sunday service, or you can order online using the button below.

Enjoy the beautiful display during our December services and then take your poinsettia home the week of December 21 to continue the celebration.

Each flower will feature vibrant red blooms wrapped in gold foil—a perfect touch of holiday cheer!

Order Details:

• Orders due: December 1st
• Prices: $6.50 for a 4.5-inch pot or $12.00 for a 6.5-inch pot
• Please make checks payable to: First Unitarian Church of Des Moines (Include “Flowers” in the memo line.)
• Or pay online using this link.

Let’s celebrate the season together with beauty, remembrance, and joy!

Winter Weather Reminder

As the temperatures drop, it’s time to think about how we’ll handle inclement weather and its impact on church events and services. You can review our current weather policy here as well as in our Operating Policy and Procedures manual located in the members only section of the website.

Please remember to use your best judgment when deciding whether to attend in-person events or services—your safety is our top priority!

As temperatures drop, please make sure your child comes dressed for the weather — coats, hats, gloves, and closed-toe shoes are a must! 



We’ll still be enjoying outdoor play as long as it’s safe, so let’s keep everyone warm and cozy this season. 

Invite a Friend!

Ours is no caravan of despair; come, yet again, come!

If you are enjoying being a part of the First Unitarian community, pass it on! If you are finding connection and depth in your small groups, inspiration in your Sunday services, and a place for your children to grow ethically and spiritually, pass it on! Think of someone who would enjoy becoming a part of this community. Maybe they used to attend and need a gentle invitation back. Maybe they left a different denomination years ago and don’t know what UUs do. Maybe they want to see a world that centers love, and they feel isolated in the work to build Beloved Community. It can feel scary to offer an invitation but remember that most of us were invited!

In gratitude, Rev. Steve

Mutual Support

My heart breaks for all whose lives are directly affected by the government shutdown. If your income or food assistance has been cut off during this shutdown, please reach out to me. We have a ministerial discretionary fund to support one another through these situations. You can email me at minister@ucdsm.org or leave a voicemail for me at 515-244-8603. 

-Rev. Steve

Food Pantry Shelves Need Some Love

Thank you, thank you to all who have been leaving food donations at our Food Pantry location. As mentioned before, the Federal Government shutdown, the end of SNAP benefits and layoffs have made things difficult for a lot of folks. As we approach the holidays, we need to show our compassion and be generous with food items.

Last week's donations were taken to the Des Moines Southside Library. Rebecca Cloud, the Adult Librarian who is the leader of the volunteers there, was really pleased. She reported that the Southside is often overlooked and it was great to receive our food donation.

The suggested list is mostly the same but single serving items have been added. Examples would be ramen noodles, cans of chili, chunky soup, single serving of macaroni and cheese and Hormel brand Completes.

• breakfast cereal
• canned tuna or chicken
• peanut butter
• canned vegetables, fruit, beans, and soup
• dry soup mix
• canned tomatoes
• spaghetti sauce
• pasta
• juice
• fruit cups
• pudding cups
• condiments
• pop tarts

Thank you for helping keep our pantry stocked and our community cared for. ❤️

Caring Ministry

Every now and then, you might need help with something! Our vibrant and engaged community practices caring by being available and willing to help as needed. Caring Ministry exists to help meet needs and fill the gaps. 

All you have to do is ask by clicking here and tell us what you need. The Team Lead will then speak with you about the details of your request which will be conveyed to potential volunteers through the SignUpGenius platform. Potential volunteers respond to requests they can meet. The Team Lead will keep you informed about any progress made. 

Here are a few examples of what volunteers have provided in the past:

• New Baby Arrival: meals, support for new parents & baby quilt
• Rides: to church or for medical appointments
• Meals: during illness, after loss, or other difficult life circumstances 
• Food delivery gift cards for those with special diets
• Household tasks: temporary help with cleaning, laundry, lawn care & limited moving help from one residence to another
• Errands/shopping: to keep safe those in our community who are vulnerable
• Relief Sitter: to have someone be with you or allow you a break from caregiving duties (up to 2 hours at a time).  
• Card Ministry: run separately from Caring Ministry, this program is for those who enjoy sending/receiving cards for get well messages, sympathy notes, congratulations & anniversaries of losses.  

If your need is not expressed here, reach out anyway & we’ll make an effort to be helpful.

Volunteers needed!

We are now updating the list of volunteers who are willing to provide service. This list will include past volunteers who update their interests, as well as anyone who wishes to be added. Please click here to receive the form.

Requests will be streamlined, meaning you will only get sent service requests that you said you could provide. You’re not being asked when you’re generally available because schedules change and needs can arise at any time. Each request will contain all the details you need to confidently agree to do whatever is asked. 

  

Don’t be a stranger—if you need help, just ask, and likewise, if you’re available to help, let us know. May our web of support be a safe haven for us all.    

Contribute to Campos Scholarships

For the past several years, our congregation has been the leading contributor to the Mary Campos Scholarships. Let’s do it again.

The scholarships honor Mary, a longtime civil rights leader dedicated to building opportunities for Latinx youths in the Des Moines area. The awards go to young men and women who have displayed leadership skills, scholastic success, and community involvement.

The scholarships are a project of Al Exito, a group that has twice been our church’s annual Social Justice Partner. The awards will be announced on Nov. 14, so contribute now, as time is of the essence.

Our past fund drives have been led by Gene McCracken, Barb Royal, Ellen Taylor, Darcie Vandegrift, and Dave Witke. This year, Susan Jellinger is sponsoring the church’s “giving chain” and in addition has made special provision for educators who wish to contribute. The link where gifts can be made is below.

Please designate your gifts as from First Unitarian, as our participation helps project our UU identity into the wider community.

Happy Hannah-versary!

Our fantastic office manager, Hannah Notch, is celebrating her 4th anniversary as office staff this month! Thank you for all that you do!

Church Office Closed Veterans Day

The church will be closed on Tuesday, November 11 in honor of Veterans Day. Thank you to all of our members and friends who have served!

CHURCH EVENTS

To submit an announcement or event for publication, send an email to Communications@ucdsm.org.

Deadline: Wednesday by noon

Grief Support Circle

Monday, November 10 at 5:30 p.m.

The Grief Support Circle meets monthly on the 2nd Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m. in the Minister's Office. Our society is not great at confronting grief. As a result, there is abundant unhelpful advice, platitudes, and reactions out there. Perhaps even more unsettling, though, are the things we can’t talk about. What if you feel relief after someone dies? What if losing them also means losing a way of life for you? Let’s lay it all out on the table in a safe, judgment-free zone. Beyond losing a person, what else are you dealing with? What do you wish people would ask you? What do you wish they’d stop saying? We’ll extend ourselves – and others – a hefty dose of grace as we talk through this sticky topic.

Women Around the Table

Tuesday, November 11 at 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Women Around the Table will meet at the church in Griffin Hall from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. All women are invited for conversation and connection. Morning treats, coffee and tea are provided. Participants are also welcome to bring any other personal snack or beverage of their choosing.

Two Years in Gaza, and Where Do We Go from Here?

Tuesday, November 11 at 5:00 p.m. in Griffin Hall

First Unitarian Peace, Justice and Democracy Team is hosting an evening with Dr. James Zogby, Co-founder, and current president, of the Arab American Institute on Tuesday November 11th, starting at 5:00 p.m. with appetizers and community in Griffin Hall and a 6:30 p.m. program in the auditorium, at First Unitarian.  

Dr. Zogby is the Director of Zogby Research Services, a firm that has conducted groundbreaking surveys across the Middle East. Dr. Zogby is a frequent guest on national and international media as an expert on Middle East affairs. He writes a weekly column on Middle East issues which is published in 12 countries, and is the author of “Arab Voices, What They Are Saying to Us and Why It Matters.”  "Looking at Iran: The Rise and Fall of Iran in Arab Public Opinion" and "20 Years After Oslo."

Please RSVP to PJDTeam@ucdsm.org as it helps us be best prepared to welcome everyone. The event will also be livestreamed at this link.

Sponsors: Catholic Peace Ministry, Peace, Justice and Democracy Team, First Unitarian Church of Des Moines, First United Methodist Church Mission & Social Concerns Committee, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. 

ROOT: Rising Our Own Tribe

Wednesday, November 12 at 6:30 p.m. in Griffin Hall

If you're an emerging adult (ages 18-29ish) come join us at ROOT, our new UU community just for emerging adults—whether you’re studying, working, exploring, or rebuilding. Come grab some food and meet others who want to grow deep roots in real community.

ROOT is a space for connection, curiosity, and belonging for folks ages 18 to 29. Join us for free food, games, and a chill community!

Progressive Voices Concerts Presents

Ryan David Green

Saturday, November 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Church Auditorium

Ryan David Green's music has been called "virtuosic acoustic guitar that is remarkably accessible, with fast finger work that is always in service of unmistakable melodies”. Performing a blend of instrumental guitar pieces and delicate vocal tunes, Green takes audiences to a place both otherworldly and somehow surprisingly intimate.

A graduate of Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music, Ryan David Green has performed on four continents, been profiled in Acoustic Guitar Magazine, endorsed by Takamine Guitars, and twice been named "Best Guitarist" in the Tucson Music Awards (where he currently resides). He received a 1st place award in the 2024 American Songwriter Song Contest, and his original compositions have received numerous film and TV placements, including shows on E!, Lifetime, and ABC Family/Freeform. You can listen to his song "Embers" here.

Advance purchase discount tickets save you $5 off the door price and are available online at Humanitix through the day before the show or in person at the church after services on the four Sundays before each concert. Regular price tickets are also available at the door starting at 6:30 p.m. the day of the show. 6-show and 4-show season ticket packages save you even more and come with additional perks, like a reserved seating section for season ticket holders.

Individual advance-purchase tickets: $24

Individual tickets at the door: $29

Season tickets: 4 shows for $86 & 6 shows for $129 

A limited number of complimentary tickets for this concert are available for those otherwise unable to afford to attend. Please speak confidentially with our minister, Steve Sieck, about how to obtain them.

More information about the concert series is also available online at www.ucdsm.org/concerts. Email questions to concerts@ucdsm.org.

AMOS Variety Show

Sunday, November 16 at 3 p.m. at the Ankeny First United Methodist Church Christian Life Center

Support AMOS with an afternoon of joyful entertainment!

The AMOS Variety Show is November 16 at 3:00pm at Ankeny First United Methodist Church Christian Life Center. Come see talent from across AMOS organizations, including Sarah Chang from First Unitarian! There will be a silent auction at intermission with gifts for yourself, or potential holiday givings. Please support organized money for organized power, working for our communities. 

Women's Wednesday

Wednesday, November 19 from 12:30-3 p.m.

at the Urbandale Library

Join us for a discussion chosen by women, about women, and discussed by women. Any person interested in or curious about a female perspective is welcome to join us!

We'll meet at the Urbandale Library at 12:30 p.m.

Unity Circle

Thursday, November 20 at 12 p.m.

Join us Thursday, November 20, for lunch and a speaker. Scott Knox from Wild Birds Unlimited will talk about winter feeding and the Merlin app that identifies wild birds by song.

Please bring a dish to share, and your own table service and a cup for your beverage. Looking forward to seeing you.

mUUvie Discussion Group

Saturday, November 22, at 7 p.m.

In the spirit of November's theme of nurturing gratitude, please join the mUUvie Discussion Group to view and discuss "Babette's Feast," winner of the 1987 Oscar for Best International Feature Film. In Babette's Feast, a woman flees the French civil war and lands in a small seacoast village in Denmark, where she comes to work for two spinsters, devout daughters of a puritan minister. After many years, Babette unexpectedly wins a lottery and decides to create a real French dinner--which leads the sisters to fear for their souls.  

Watch the trailer here.

Popcorn will be provided; bring your own drink. 

RSVP to mUUvie@ucdsm.org to let us know that you are coming!   

First Unitarian Humanist Update

** Book Group

The Humanist book group will meet on Sunday, November 16th, at 12:00 noon in the Mary Safford room (at the back of the auditorium). We are continuing to read and discuss Humanly Possible: Seven Hundred Years of Humanist Freethinking by Sarah Bakewell. Click here for information on the book group and other Humanist activities.

** Watch Party

The next Watch Party will be Saturday, November 8th, 2:00 PM at the Stine Barn. We will be watching a program from the Nova series along with a futurist/science documentary Click here to find out more about this event or to submit suggestions for programs that you would like to see.

** Braver Angels

Join the Humanists for a discussion of the government shutdown with a range of views represented. The Braver Angels group meets at the Ames Public Library at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8th.

**Annual Meeting

Plan now to attend the annual meeting of the Humanist Society at 6:30 PM on January 10th. Our guest speaker will be Rob Sand, candidate for governor.

**Join the Humanist Society

Click here to join the Humanist Society and see other opportunities to participate in activities. 

MEET THE NEWEST MEMBER OF FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH

Welcome Peter Sieck!

What brought you to First U?

Mainly my family, but I was looking to reconnect with spiritual practice and find community here in Des Moines after moving here!

What would be an ideal experience at First U for you?

So far it has been very ideal, and I will make a special note of the incredible hospitality I've experienced here. There have been lots of opportunities to find new groups, learn about different activities, and make friends.

What are you most excited for?

I'm looking forward to participating in more groups in the future after I have had some time to work through other commitments, as well as continuing to engage more deeply with the monthly themes through Soul Matters.

How would you like to plug in to First U?

I think I am plugged in quite well right now!

We're so happy you're here!

IT'S GREAT TO MEET YOU PODCAST

with Rev. Steve Sieck

Rev. Steve has a new podcast! Welcome to It's Great to Meet You! where he gets to know the good people of Des Moines doing the good work in our city.

It's Great to Meet You, Ep. 5- Sarah Trone Garriott, Coordinator of Interfaith Engagement, DMARC

Links from the Show:

• Donate to DMARC
• Donate food to DMARC

GRIFFIN HALL ARTIST FOR NOVEMBER

Larry Bredesen

This is Larry's second art show here at the church. His first show was in September 2017, a joint exhibit with daughter, Chelsea. For that show, Larry displayed just shy of 200 postcard-sized images created with ink, watercolor, and colored pencil — each one reduced from an original 8½" x 11" piece to a 4" x 6" format.

In June 2024, Larry decided to return to painting with acrylics — something he hadn’t done in over 40 years. Larry began by revisiting some of his earlier works to see how they would translate into paint.

This show is an example of that exploration. Please stop by and enjoy this month.

Our Faith in Action (FIA) Partners for 2025-26 are RIVA and YMCA Supportive Housing. Donations made to our FIA fund will go directly to them to help their work thrive. Donations can be made electronically through the website or on Realm, or via the specially marked envelopes during Sunday services.

We will be working on ways for the congregation to connect via service to our new partners. Click their links below to learn more.

Refugee & Immigrant Voices in Action

Our Champion is Cheryl Long

YMCA Supportive Housing

Our Champion is Nina Richtman

Fri Nov 7

Sat Nov 8

8:30 a.m.

Leader's Gathering

3:00 p.m.

FF Sudanese Dinner

Sun Nov 9

9:00 a.m.

Childcare (Ages 0-4)

9:30 a.m.

Sunday Service

9:45 a.m.

One Room SchUUlhouse

11:00 a.m.

Forum

OWL Classes

1:30 p.m.

NAC Rental

Mon Nov 10

8:30 a.m.

DMARC Book Group

9:30 a.m.

Tai Chi

10:30 a.m.

Tai Chi for Beginners

5:30 p.m.

Grief Support Circle

Financial Oversight Committee

7:00 p.m.

Awakening Heart Sangha, Zoom

Tue Nov 11

Office Closed- Veteran's Day

10:30 a.m.

Women Around the Table

2:00 p.m.

Women's Book Club

5:00 p.m.

PJD Event- Two Years of War in Gaza

7:00 p.m.

Intro to Meditation

Wed Nov 12

5:45 p.m.

Bell Choir Rehearsal

6:30 p.m.

ROOT

Book Study Group

7:00 p.m.

Recovery Group

Queer/Trans Action Group

Steering Committee Meeting

Thu Nov 13

9:30 a.m.

Tai Chi

10:30 a.m.

Tai Chi for Beginners

5:30 p.m.

Website Team Meeting

7:00 p.m.

UU Singers Adult Choir

Small Group Ministry

Fri Nov 14

6:00 p.m.

Board Game Night

Sat Nov 15

9:00 a.m.

Celebrant Team Meeting

10:00 a.m.

Soul Matters

7:30 p.m.

Progressive Voices Concert

Sun Nov 16

9:00 a.m.

Childcare (Ages 0-4)

9:30 a.m.

Sunday Service

9:45 a.m.

One Room SchUUlhouse

11:00 a.m.

Forum

7/8 OWL

12:00 p.m.

Humanist Book Discussion

1:30 p.m.

NAC Rental

 For a full list of upcoming meetings and events, please visit our church calendar.

Contact Us

www.ucdsm.org

Caring Ministry