Join us in raising $30,000 to pay off our mortgage with our final "balloon" payment, which is due very soon. The second virtual dinner theater event of this fundraiser will be livestreamed for free on our website this Friday night. (Yes, YOU provide the food and the money, but all of us get to watch the balloon float away together!)

Join us for the livestreamed event!

This video of the 2004 local production of the Meditative Opera Fire in My Bones by Deborah Phelps and Mary Ann Macklin received this musical review from the late Peter Jacobi, who named the Opera a “performance to remember…adroitly shaped, an amalgam of wisdom and wit and inspiration, a captivating union of story, appropriate music and an important theme. It’s all about compassion. It left an impression.” Set in the early 1990s, the Opera explores such questions as, What can AIDS teach us about compassion? Can a cat really help us learn the art of meditation? How does our spirituality guide us?

HOW TO DONATE: Head over to our PayPal page if you would like to contribute early online (make sure you select "Balloon Mortgage Payment" in the dropdown menu). If you prefer to mail a check, please make it payable to "UU Church," enclose a note that says "Balloon payment" and mail it to UU Church, PO Box 1158, Nashville, IN 47448-1158.

As an example of our ongoing commitment to Seeking the Spirit, Building Community, Changing the World, we will designate 10% of the gifts received to pay off the “Balloon Mortgage Payment” to support New Leaf-New Life, helping individuals during incarceration and in transition back into the community, and Spencer Pride, helping make Indiana a more welcoming place for ALL people. If we surpass our $30,000 goal, then 50% will go to operation reserves and 50% will go to support New Leaf-New Life and Spencer Pride. Gratitude for your consideration and for being part of our UUCB beloved community and folks in southern Indiana and beyond.

On our website | On Facebook

Okay, I will be honest. I have no idea what there is left to be said about love, but you might want to drop in to see if I find anything. It may be more exciting than GameStop, and then again, it might not. Hope you can join us. - rev. bill

Thirty Days of Love is an annual celebration run by the Unitarian Universalist Association that runs approximately from Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January through Valentine’s Day in February. It is an opportunity to lift up the ways Unitarian Universalists and many of our partner organizations are building and organizing by taking bold, courageous action for intersectional racial justice.

Explore thematic weekly playlists/menus of activities for general, kid, youth, and family/multigenerational audiences, which include the categories of Read, Watch, Participate, Listen, and Worship. Find them here. You can also check out the Side with Love Facebook page.

Carol Marks, our Church Administrator, will be away February 1 thru February 28. Please contact our office assistants via talk or text at 812-287-9615 Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They are also available at office(at)uubloomington.org.

Each week at the end of the Friday Update, the Green Sanctuary Committee will be sharing a suggestion for small sustainable ideas you might want to try - so be sure to scroll down to the end of every Update! For more ideas and high impact action items, visit the Earth Care Bloomington site.

Concerned Bloomington community quickly came together to create the Beacon Winter Shelter. Now it's up to us to keep it open. Click here for information about how you can help. Please note: If you are writing a check, make it payable to "Beacon, Inc." and mail it to the address provided in the flyer. Or donate via Beacon's PayPal page. This is not a fundraiser for our Homeless task force, but an encouragement for people to support the shelter directly.

Until the end of March, Shalom Community Center guests would really appreciate the donation of tents, sleeping bags, coats, hats, blankets, socks, and gloves, as well as macaroni, coffee, and hygiene supplies. Donations may be left in the bins, under the portico at the church. Donations are collected every day. -- Alan Backler, for the Homelessness Task Force

For JANUARY & FEBRUARY our food drive will focus on New Hope for Families. We often think of food for those in need, but we overlook kitchen items that enable people to COOK the food. For a list of needed items, click here. -- Mary Blizzard, for the Help Feed Our Hungry Neighbors Task Force

Tandem will open a nonprofit Birth Center in Bloomington in 2022, increasing access to midwifery care and birth options in our community. We have just launched our $40 campaign, and we are selling pregnancy, postpartum, and sibling gift bags. These gift bags make excellent baby shower gifts. You can also sponsor a gift bag and Tandem will donate it to a local family in need. To learn more, go to www.tandembloomington.org.

Right now, Spencer Pride is seeking the following Director positions: Health & Wellness and Marketing / External Communications. To apply for an open position, contact info(at)spencerpride.org. Details on job descriptions will be provided upon inquiry. Learn more on Spencer Pride's website.

Have you ever wanted to visit Alaska?

Four Alaska UU congregations invite you to experience our unique environmental and spiritual tour program this summer, when it will be safe to travel again [for those who have been able to get the COVID-19 vaccine]. See Alaska through the eyes of local UUs, with friendly homestays and awe-inspiring tour activities. See wildlife, including moose, bears, caribou, whales, bald eagles, sea lions, etc. Visit Denali National Park. Experience Native Alaskan culture. Learn more at: www.WhaleCoastAK.org.

Monroe County Health Department and the Medical Reserve Corps is in need of volunteers (both medical AND non-medical) for upcoming COVID-19 vaccination clinics. While they are unsure of when widespread distribution of the vaccine will occur, they are trying to build their volunteer base now, so we are ready when needed. Please click here for details on how you can help.

The City Council is looking for members to join a new Community Advisory on Public Safety Commission to increase the safety of all Bloomington residents, especially those often marginalized due to race, disability, gender, sexual identity, or sexual orientation. Click here to apply.  For more information on this Commission visit the CAPS Commission website.  

Register here to receive the Zoom link. More info here.

Sponsor Legislative Updates in Feb, Mar and Apr, 9:30 to 11 am

Tune in via Zoom to Legislative Updates coming up on February 13, March 6, and April 10. All updates will be recorded by Community Access Television Services through the Monroe County Public Library, and videos will be available on the CATS website. Every state legislator who represents any part of Monroe County has been invited to report on their work and priorities for the current session of the Indiana General Assembly and to take questions from attendees. Click here to register for the Zoom meetings. Free and open to the public.