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

P: 515-244-8603

This Sunday, November 20, 2022

9:30 a.m. in the Auditorium & via Zoom

Table Blessing

with Rev. Victoria Safford

Celebrant: Elliott Nassiff

Pianist: Bruce Martin

Song Leader: Anne Rozeboom

Choir Director: Karen Kraemer

A/V volunteer: Bill Allen

Hospitality Coord.: Terry Meek

Join the live service on Zoom!

Zoom Passcode: Safford

(Please mute your mic before the service begins!)

Forum:

The Doctrine of Discovery: Thanksgiving & Its Meaning

11:00 a.m. in Griffin Hall

& via Zoom (Passcode: Griffin)

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Linda Lemons will share reflections on the Thanksgiving story and ideas for how we might tell the story today.   Linda identifies as a Unitarian Universalist Buddhist and is a member of the core leadership team for Pachamama Alliance Iowa. She will lead us in reflecting on the Thanksgiving story, focusing on acknowledging the beliefs, patterns, and myths many of us have inherited. She will use the framework of the “Spiral that Reconnects” by first “Coming With Gratitude”, then “Acknowledging the Pain” of the impact of the Doctrine of Discovery. She will aid us in “Seeing with New Eyes” and “Discussing Future Steps” for how Unitarian Universalists might tell the Thanksgiving story and the actions we might do to heal both past and future generations.

Joys & Concerns

Submit a Joy or Concern
View Recent Joys & Concerns

Joys & Concerns for Sunday should be submitted by noon on Friday.

Click on the Caring Community webpage for the following options:


  • Caring Ministry – for temporary assistance, such as meals or rides, or to volunteer 
  • Please note: the Caring Ministry phone number is now
  • 515-244-8603 ext. 108
  • Pastoral Care – for support through a difficult time 

Pastoral Care: November 20

Laura Berardi is the Pastoral Care Associate available for this Sunday morning. Please email pastoralcareteam@ucdsm.org for assistance during the week.

Adults
Youth
Children

A Note on Parking

from Birch Spick, Congregational Life Coordinator:


As we continue coming back into physical community at First Unitarian, let’s be mindful of each other’s accessibility needs in the parking lot! On Sundays and other large gatherings, please reserve the upper (south) parking lot for people with mobility issues who will need an accessible entrance. Everyone else may park in the lower (east) parking lot or on Cassady Ave. To everyone parking in the lower lot, please reserve the spaces nearest to the doors for people with mobility issues who may not have gotten a spot in the upper lot.


Thank you all for an enthusiastic return to our church, and thank you for your care for one another!

NEW THIS WEEK

Masks for One Room SchUUlhouse

from Birch Spick, Faith Formation Coordinator

Cases and incidences of hospitalization with RSV (Respiratory Syncitial Virus) and other respiratory viruses continue to climb during this cold and flu season, especially among young children. Given these facts, we are asking children, families, and facilitators to wear masks and use hand sanitizer when attending the One Room SchUUlhouse in Room 111 on Sunday mornings. If you are feeling sick or sniffly, please consider staying home and joining us another weekend. We will continue to monitor this situation and adjust our response accordingly. Thank you as we continue to care for one another!

Community Conversations

Your Board of Trustees and Rev. Victoria Safford invite you to take part in a “Community Conversation” to share concerns and hopes for our beloved church community. These small-group conversations, 90 minutes each, will he hosted by the Board and facilitated by Victoria. They’re an opportunity to listen and share, to talk about losses and concerns at church, and also about healing and hope.


To view the Community Conversation schedule, and to sign up, click here.

From Rev. Victoria Safford

You may always reach me at vsafford@ucdsm.org or at 612-405-3318 (a cell number dedicated to church work). We can schedule a Zoom appointment when I am working remotely from St. Paul, or we can meet at church or in your home when I’m here in Des Moines., or simply talk by phone. If you’d like to meet in person during an upcoming visit, please reach out to schedule an appointment!  


Saturday, Nov. 19 between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 21 at 9:00 a.m.

Saturday, Dec. 3 between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 4 between 1 and 6:00 p.m.


Please come if you have a pastoral concern (a sadness or some issue weighing on your heart), a spiritual query, a question, or something you’d like me to know about congregational life (church programs, committees, or the ministry transition), or just come to introduce yourself and say hello!


You may find my fall schedule, with in-person visits here.

Coffee on Zoom Sundays

from Rev. Victoria Safford

I miss seeing you all on the Sundays when I am taking part in the services on Zoom. I’d love to “have coffee” with you on those Sundays right after the service, just to chat and say hello. I think we can do this in a way to include live participants as well as our “zoom congregation.” If you’re willing to help with this about once a month (twice in January), by opening a zoom call in a quiet place at church (probably the Minister’s office), let me know. I’d love to work with you to make this happen if we can.


Thanks! - Victoria

Let's Talk Update

from Ellen Taylor

For August/September/October we had 270 mediations with over 500 students. Middle Schools vary widely as to how many mediations are done. One school had 57 mediations, another had 48, and another had 11 during those 2-plus months! So you begin to get an idea of how much this support means to administrators and teachers and support staff.

CANCELED

Awakening Heart Sangha

In-Person Half-day Retreat

This retreat is canceled for tomorrow, November 19, and will be rescheduled at a later date. Please reach out to awakeningheartsangha@gmail.com with any questions.

Peter Mayer In Concert

Progressive Voices Concert Series

WHEN: Saturday, December 3, 2023, 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: First Unitarian Church Auditorium


TICKETS: $22 Advance /$27 Door /$78 for 4-Show Season Ticket


Click here to purchase tickets online



Tickets are also available in person at church after Sunday services.


Join us for a return performance of a concert series favorite! Minnesota’s Peter Mayer has been singing and songwriting full-time for over 20 years, performing in venues across the United States and beyond. He writes about life on earth, the mysterious and wondrous fact of our existence, and the vast cosmos that surrounds us. He also writes about pumpkins and dress hats, fake plants and pajamas, as well as love and freight trains just like a proper folk musician should. His songs have been performed by Kathy Mattea, David Wilcox, Claudia Schmidt, Darryl Purpose, Billy Jonas, and Ronny Cox, to name a few. His work has been included in song books, church hymnals, and folk radio playlists across the country. Peter has eleven albums to his credit, and has sold nearly 100,000 of them. He lives in Stillwater, Minnesota with his wife and two daughters.


Click here for more about this and other concerts.

CUUPS Yule Celebration

Gather with Sacred Bridges CUUPS to celebrate Yule with a family-style potluck and ritual with some caroling.


We will be gathering in Griffin Hall at First Unitarian Church at 5 p.m. on December 10 to celebrate Yule.


Please RSVP with a food item you will bring to share for the potluck. We will be providing a list to pick from soon. (Keep an eye out for that on the Facebook event page.)


We will perform an all ages ritual, and sing Pagan Carols together.

Kitchen Updates

from the Kitchen Project Committee & Green Sanctuary

Highlights from the Kitchen Project Committee Board Report 11/17/2022:

Holcomb Inc. started construction in the kitchen on Monday, October 31, 2022. That kicked off the contract which allows 120 days for completion, which is mid-March. The old hood that was over the range was removed, the new pass-through was created in the cement block on the“dirty” side of the kitchen.


We received our first change order from the contractor largely related to changes required for the City permit. The cost of the changes is being negotiated but will be at least an additional$30,000. The City is requiring us to install a fire suppression hood above the range tops. The appliances we had purchased do not all meet ADA requirements. We are in the process of trading those out for ADA-compliant models. Additional costs will be about $2,000.


The overall Kitchen Committee will plan for any cost overruns and address with the Board possible ways to pay for them. At this time, cost overruns are about $10,000. The Committee also started initial brainstorming for a formal opening event probably in April. We will not wait to use the kitchen until then. The kitchen will have a “soft” opening once it is ready.


See further details on the KP webpage!


Announcement from Green Sanctuary:

The following statement will be included in the “Permanent Kitchen Committee Job Description” and presented to the Board of Trustees for consideration:


Guiding Principle of Sustainability—Use washable, reusable tableware for serving and consuming food on-site and at church-sponsored events. In rare instances when washable, reusable tableware cannot be used, use compostable products that congregants compost in local bins. 


The next meeting will be on December 7 at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom.

First Unitarian Humanist Update

Book Group

The Humanist book group will meet on Sunday, November 20, at 12:00 noon, right after the forum. We will be discussing chapters 4 and 5 of Cosmos by Carl Sagan. Everyone is invited to participate, either in person or via Zoom.

 

Annual Meeting

The annual meeting of the Humanist Society of Iowa will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 3. We will be meeting at the Stine Barn in West Des Moines. Watch for details on the speaker that is being lined up for the evening.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Submissions to the Intercom Weekly are due on Wednesday at 12 noon. Submissions after the deadline cannot be guaranteed a spot in that week's newsletter.

Want to publicize your church event? We have a form for that!

Visit our "Our Events" page to fill out the form.

Email communications@ucdsm.org with any questions.

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

Holiday Services

from Rev. Victoria Safford

Here’s a brief snapshot; watch for more information soon!


Saturday, December 24: Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at 7:00 p.m.


Sunday, December 25: No service. Watch for information announcing an informal social gathering at church!


Sunday, January 1, 11 a.m.: Happy New Year! Join Barb and Bruce Martin, and Karen Kraemer, for a service of singing, at 11:00 a.m.

CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS

Poinsettias For the Holidays

poinsettias.jpg

Let’s bring a vibrant dose of color into the auditorium this holiday season! Order a poinsettia; have it dedicated to the memory or honor of a special person or event; enjoy it at the serviceon Sunday, December 11th; and then take it home with you!


Orders are due by Tuesday November 29, 2022.


Make your check payable to First Unitarian with “Poinsettia” in the memo line. Place it in the offering basket, Hannah Notch’s office mailbox, or mail it with this form to:


Holiday Flowers

First Unitarian Church

1800 Bell Ave.

Des Moines IA 50315


Plants will be red with gold wrapping on the pot.


6.5-inch potted plant (5-9 blooms) is $13.50x ________ plants


8-inch potted plant (12-15 blooms) is $25.50x ________ plants


Enclosed is a check made out to First Unitarian Church.


Name: ____________________________________


Phone number: ____________________


Please complete the following for listing in the Dec. 11 Order of Service:


In MEMORY of _______________________________________________________________


In HONOR of _______________________________________________________________

November Griffin Gallery Artist


Tim Wicker is an abstract artist from Des Moines. He says that he is " Just another lost soul who found purpose in creating art. I found a spiritual awakening. All roads lead to God, I suppose. My works are my stepping stones throughout this journey," His work will be displayed in Griffin Hall this month.



See more of his work here.

SOCIAL JUSTICE

If you'd like to set up a regular (weekly or monthly) contribution to our social justice activities, click here and enter the dollar amount for "Donation." 

Faith in Action Partners

Hawthorn Hill | Let's Talk

Our current partnerships run from September 2022 through August 2023. They were selected by our members at our June 2022 annual meeting. The organizations are:

Hawthorn Hill

Our Champion is Sally Boeckholt

Let's Talk

Our Champion is Ellen Taylor

CONNECT WITH US

Staff Office Hours & Contact Info

Rev. Victoria Safford, Transitional Contract Minister

vsafford@ucdsm.org

Office phone: 515-244-8603 ext. 102

Cell: 612- 405-3318

Rev. Victoria's Fall 2022 Calendar


Alice J. Stewart, Director of Finance and Administration

director@ucdsm.org

515-244-8603 ext. 101

Mondays: by appointment

Tuesdays – Thursdays: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Fridays: by appointment

Zoom meetings available upon request


Birch Spick, Faith Formation Coordinator

& Congregational Life Coordinator

FFOffice@ucdsm.org

CLOffice@ucdsm.org

515-244-8603 ext. 106

Off Mondays

Tuesday - Friday: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.


Emily Petty, Communications Coordinator

communications@ucdsm.org

515-244-8603 ext. 103

Off Mondays

Tuesday-Friday: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

To submit an item for the Intercom, email communications@ucdsm.org by Wednesday at noon.


Hannah Notch, Social Media and Executive Support Specialist

hnotch@ucdsm.org

Tuesday - Friday: 1:00 - 5:00 pm

To have an event or meeting added to the church calendar, email Hannah at calendar@ucdsm.org

Intercom Weekly Submissions
Deadline: Wednesday @ 12 noon

  • In the body of an email, please include a title, relevant dates and times, contact information, and a brief description of your event or announcement.

  • Please proofread your article before submitting (or ask a trusted friend to proofread if you need help!) We try to check every article, but we still miss things.

  • An image can help make your article stand out! Please feel free to attach an image to your email. (JPG or PNG files are preferred.) Note: images that violate copyright laws will be rejected.

  • The Intercom Weekly is sent out to our mailing list on Friday at 12:00 p.m.

  • We run announcements for no more than three consecutive weeks, so please plan accordingly.

  • Per church policy, we do not share private email addresses or phone numbers in our communications. We will set up an @ucdsm.org email address for you as the contact person for your group which will automatically forward to your private email, so you won't have to do anything special to view it. (Please allow a few extra days for us to set up the email when you submit your announcement.)

Please email communications@ucdsm.org to submit your information.
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