Our Mission Statement

As a welcoming congregation, we work and worship together to become people of open minds, loving hearts, and helping hands.

We honor the transformative power of love in our individual lives and broader communities.

DECEMBER 2025

December 7

"Listening to the Hills: What the Natchez Mounds Taught Me"

Clint Tawes

Nearly three hundred years ago, Clint's Natchez ancestors fled their homeland and found refuge in South Carolina among the people of the Kusso tribe, forming what is now the Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribal Nation. Last month, he had the privilege of traveling with other members of his tribal council to their ancestral homeland. Standing before the ancient mounds, the earth itself seemed to speak, bearing witness to both loss and endurance. In this message, Clint will share a little of what he heard.

December 14

"Joy and Gratitude...In This Economy?"

Rev. Samara Powers

In an era, a world, and a season that is often fraught and complicated, can we afford to feel joy and gratitude? Our UU values call us to ask instead, "can we not afford to?" This is a "Blue Christmas" service that will honor the complexity of this time of year as we strive toward healing, wholeness, and yes, joy and gratitude.

December 21

"Unrehearsed Christmas Pageant"

Rev. Samara Powers

A favorite retelling -- and enactment! -- of the story of the birth of Jesus. This is an all-ages service with song, story, some laughter, and a lot of spirit. Join us!

Sunday, Dec 28, 2025

"Fire Communion Ceremony"

Shari Barr

Participants are invited to look back over the waning year, pause on the threshold & look ahead to the dawning year. Weather permitting, part of the service will be outdoors, around a fire.

WE ARE NOW LIVESTREAMING OUR SERVICE ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE

You will be able to access our service online here at: https://www.facebook.com/UUStatesboro/

NOTE: If a box pops up requesting that you log into Facebook and you do not want to log in, you can click the X in the top right corner of the box. You will then be able to access the live stream without logging into Facebook.

CLICK LINK TO ACCESS VIDEOS OF PAST SERVICES.

Also, this link is available on the UUFS website on both the HOME page and THIS MONTH'S SERVICES page.

There is a Frederich Buechner quote that feels relevant for this time of year, and this season of transitions for our community. He’s referring to that sense of call or purpose that each person must discern for themselves, plying some middle road between motionless complacency and rudderless self-negation: “Neither the hair shirt nor the soft berth will do. The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.”

In this time of year, in this era of our world, deep gladness can feel like a distant dream, or a selfish indulgence. And. Deep gladness, unlike happy distractions, is rooted in our collective thriving. Answering our sense of purpose can bring a feeling of rightness within the self that can nurture our spirits, helping us find our place in the world and with each other, even if everything feels like it’s falling apart (It’s also coming together, all the time).

Coming home to ourselves and each other may be the only joy we can predictably work toward, when much else feels rotten, or tenuous, or fleeting. It’s in answering the world’s deep hunger, however that shows up on our doorstep each day, that can stoke the fire of love in each of our hearts, the spark that warms, infuses, and inspires us, sometimes from one moment to the next in our wintering times.

Have you connected to your own deep gladness lately? Have you risked the vulnerability of connection that strengthens it? Do you dare towards the rigor and practice of a deep gladness, as your perfectly imperfect self, making both mistakes and progress? I pray that you do, so that your blessing may bless this world.

Yours in trying, and trying again.

Rev. Samara

Samara Powers (they/none)

Unitarian Universalist Minister

"Justice is what love looks like in public." Dr. Cornel West

*Generally, if someone indicates “none” here it means to use a name instead of a pronoun for that person. For example, “Fenwick wants you to refer to Fenwick by name instead of using any pronouns when speaking about Fenwick.” If someone indicates more than one type of pronouns choice here, usually that means either way is suitable/welcomed.

On Saturday, December 13th, we will be hosting an Ecology Walk at Ohoopee Dunes Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Swainsboro. Ohoopee Dunes WMA includes the longest riverine dune system in Georgia as well as protected species including the gopher tortoise, the striped newt, pitcher plants, and sandhill rosemary. Join in to learn about native plants, animals, and ecosystems in southeastern Georgia, as well as methods and strategies used to restore and protect them. We will also discuss the history of the land, the historical and modern day role of fire in maintaining our ecosystems, and how conservation advocates can use this knowledge to restore biodiversity and to reestablish resilient ecosystems.

We will be walking the Ohoopee Dunes WMA Interpretive Hiking Trail (a 2-mile loop), meeting at the trail entrance at 1pm.
Meeting Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/KYAAkWxXEX1UB2Yy9
Coordinates: 32°36'15.6"N 82°25'29.9"W

Note: If you type "Ohoopee Dunes WMA" into your GPS and navigate to that point, it will not take you to the correct meeting location. Use the link or coordinates above to get to the parking lot at the start of the Hiking Trail.

For more information or to RSVP,

contact Mary Nell Armstrong at 678-592-9618 or mary.armstrong@dnr.ga.gov

For those who might be unsure if they would be able to complete the entire hike, there will be opportunities to get a ride back to the parking lot at a couple of different points along the trail. If you have any questions or concerns about accessibility, please reach out to Mary Nell using the contact info above.

Call for Pageant Props!

We are excited to reprise our Unrehearsed Christmas Pageant during Sunday service on December 21. We are hoping to collect several simple props to bring the story to life. Will you review this Sign-Up sheet and bring what you may have at home that Sunday?

CLICK HERE to view the list: https://www.tinyurl.com/ucp-2025]

Solstice Mixer and Community Celebration

This year, UUFS is hosting an open-to-the-public community mixer and Solstice Celebration on our church grounds, Saturday December 20 from 5p-7p. There’ll be a firepit, hay rides (weather permitting), chili buffet, s’mores and more! Bring (or send) your friends, neighbors, and kin to this family-friendly, all-ages event.

Stay tuned to our Facebook Page for updates! https://www.facebook.com/UUStatesboro

Please let Kathy or Shari know if YOU will bring a crockpot of chili.

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”

Rabindranath Tagore

On November 16th, we had our annual meeting at which we discussed that we did not meet our 2026 pledge goal. If you’d like to review the minutes, ask and you shall receive! (We didn’t quite have the chance to get them a link to put in the newsletter.) In the meantime, we’ve decided to extend the pledge drive through the end of the year.

Many of you proposed exciting and new ideas for fundraisers, use of the building for community events, and budget-saving changes to current operations! We want to help y’all get those ideas off the ground and into action.

We would love for you to get together with your talented congregants and do some initial planning with each other for a project or event that will make the best use of your skills and passions.

If you’re not sure how to connect with your teammates, fear not–the Stewardship Committee will be using the information you provided on the Talent Survey in the sanctuary (those four big sheets of paper on the wall!) and the pledge form to connect you with others who pledged similar interests and skills.

If you want to be involved but aren’t sure how, please reach out to any of the members on the Stewardship Committee. Members, friends, and everyone in between is welcome to participate. We are here to help you become as involved as you are willing and able.

If you have pledged service, then be on the lookout for a phone call, text, or email from someone on the Stewardship Committee with next steps! We are so excited to hear more about your plans for the future!

With kindest regards,

Teresa, Kathy, and Mo

Teresa Winn: uufstreasurer@gmail.com

Kathy Smith: kamas1050@yahoo.com

Mortimer MacArthur: mvmacarthur96@gmail.com

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