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

P: 515-244-8603

Gratitude

with Harvey Harrison

Celebrant: Barbara Martin

Pianist: Bruce Martin

Song Leader: Sarah Guenther

Musician: Erin Keller

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!)

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 

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

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, Dec. 3, between noon and 6:00 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 4, between6 and 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 15, between 2:30 and 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 18, between 11:30 a.m. and 4:00 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

Holiday Services

from Rev. Victoria Safford

Saturday 24 December

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at 7:00 p.m. with Cookie Reception to follow. Please bring a plate of cookies to share. We will provide chilled apple cider, but there will be no coffee.

Sunday 25 December

Christmas Day Potluck Brunch. Join members of the congregation on Christmas Day at 11:00 a.m. in Griffin Hall. Please bring a dish and drink of your choice. A Sign-Up Genius post will be in the Intercom soon. Please note: NO Sunday service this day!

Sunday 1 January

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

First Unitarian

Brings Home Gold (Twice)!

from Elaine Imlau

Our Family Promise volunteers topped off our 26th week of hosting at the annual Comfort Food Cook-Off on November 13 by winning the both the Judges Award and the People’s Choice Award. During this season of thanksgiving, I am particularly thankful for all who give of their time and treasure to support the Family Promise Program. Since we’ve been hosting back on-site those individuals include:

Al Powers, Amanda Kruse, Angela Tedesco, Ann Mowery, Anne Roozeboom, Barb Martin, Barbara Royal, Becky Evans, Bill Brauch, Carmen Dow, Carolyn Spencer, Cathy Beck-Cross, Cheryl Long, Chris Anderson, Christen Bain, Dave Witke, Dave Witke, Dian Schmiedeskamp, Ed Hotchkin, Eileen Bowerman, Eileen Jackson, Ellen Taylor, Emily Petty, Eric Hayes, Gene McCracken, Harvey Harrison, Heather Forman. Heidi Lackmann, Heidi Levine, Jack Hackett, Jami Blum, Janice Hawkins, Jean Tauber, Jo Cox, John Morrow, Jude Cigrand, Judith Linden, Judy Davis, Kara Andreski, Karen Massetti Miller, Kay Hertz, Kerry George, Laura Berardi, Lisa Antonelli, Lisa Houchins, Lori Hackett, Lynne George, Mary Hays, Megan Klee, Michael Andreski, Nancy Vanderburgh, Polly Antonelli, Ron Heideman, Sachiko Murphy, Sally Boeckholt, Sally Merritt, Sally Merritt, Sue Huber, Susan Hurst, Susan Jellinger, Susan Seitz, Theresa Miller, Thom Williams, Vicki Scott

First Unitarian Humanist Update

Book Group 

The Humanist book group will meet on Sunday, December 4, at 12:00 noon, right after the forum. We will be discussing chapters 5 and 6 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, at the Stine Barn in West Des Moines. Our guest speaker for the evening will be Iowa State Professor David Hollander, who will speak about Marcus Tullius Cicero and his contributions to Humanism.   Snacks and soda will be available. 

David Hollander is a professor in the history department at Iowa State University. His research focuses on the economic history of the late Roman Republic and early Empire. He's particularly interested in agriculture, foodways, coinage, money, credit, and debt. He serves on the steering committee of the Society of Biblical Literature program unit on Early Christianity and the Ancient Economy. He is also one of the editors of Wiley's Encyclopedia of Ancient History.

Capitol Tour

The Iowa Atheist and Freethinkers group will set up their Holiday display in the Rotunda of the Capitol and will have a guided tour of the Capitol Building on the morning of Saturday, December 3. Please email Robert Cook at vice-president@iowaatheists.org if you are interested in attending.

Bidwell Food Pantry Donation

from Carolyn Spencer

Kerry and Lynne George took a large donation of food to Bidwell Riverside Food Pantry this week. Also, $60.00 in cash was collected and sent to Bidwell to help with the purchase of turkeys and hams that were given out in addition to the normal food allotments during November. Thank you, everyone, for your donations!

The work is not done as the need for food and personal care items continues. Missy Reams, the Volunteer and Community Outreach Manager at Bidwell Riverside, has asked for the following items:

• Canned fruit
• Canned vegetables
• Peanut butter
• Cereal
• Pasta
• Pasta sauce
• Rice, lentils, beans
• Soup
• Toilet Paper
• Shampoo & Conditioner
• Soap (bar or liquid)
• Deodorant
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrushes
• Feminine Hygiene Products
• Razors
• Baby Wipes
• Adult Diapers
• Dish Soap
• Laundry Detergent
• Disinfectant spray

Please continue to be generous with your donations to make life just a little easier for neighbors in need. 

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.

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.

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!

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!

Poinsettias For the Holidays

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.

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.

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

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