Calendar
Programs are at 10 a.m. in our meeting room, unless otherwise noted.
(ZOOM CONNECTIONS WILL BE PROVIDED)
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Jan. 4—Kat Brogan from The Bridge, the local domestic abuse shelter, will speak to us about human trafficking in our community.
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Jan. 11 – Dennis Peters. Ah, Thank Goodness Christmas is Done! When do you take the tree down? The day after Christmas? Is it a real pine? An aluminum version that you keep, decorated, in the basement or attic? Is now the time you get the skis or toboggan or sled out, clean them up… if there is snow, that is! What is or would be your alternate activity to Christmas? Does it involve sitting on the couch, in front of a football game, drinking beer?
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Jan. 18 – Menomonie native, Singer/Songwriter, Nora Jean, returns to give us a miniconcert.
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Jan. 25 – Dennis Peters. Civil Rights: What it Meant, and What it Means Today. I grew up in the era of the Civil Rights movement; many of you did, also. What happened to it? The Supreme Court, the hard work of Congress and President Johnson, not to mention the civil rights leaders, many of whom paid for it in their own precious blood… all worked to enact new laws, and to transform society.
Where are we now? And given the current animosity to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, what must be done to restore that Civil Rights direction and point it forward? -
Book Discussion starts Feb 15. The book is War to Peace: A Guide for the Next 100 Years by Kent Shifferd
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50/50 Sundays Begin in January In an effort to support local causes which align with our Unitarian Universalist values, the board of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Menomonie has planned 50/50 Sundays beginning in January. On one Sunday each month, we will split the total offering, with half going to our fellowship’s operation, and the other half to an identified charity. We will then ask a representative of that organization to come to one of our subsequent services to both receive the check of support, and give us a short description of their work and how our gifts might be used. Our first charity is The Bridge on January 4 when Kat Brogan speaks to us about human trafficking.
Seven Principles
- The inherent worth and dignity of every person
- Justice, equity, and compassion in human
relations
- Acceptance of one another and
encouragement of spiritual growth in our
congregations
- A free and responsible search for truth and
meaning
- The right of conscience and the use of the
democratic process within our congregations
and in society at large
- The goal of world community with peace,
liberty, and justice for all
- Respect for the interdependent web of all
existence of which we area part
Good Reads
"Pollyanna"
by Eleanor H. Porter
"Living With Grief: Loss in Later Life" edited by Kenneth Doka
Next program committee meeting is January 15, at 9 am at Golden Leaf Café. All are welcome.
I Believe...
Unitarian Universalists do not follow a creed, or statement of beliefs expected of all members. Rather, we are encouraged to undertake our own search for what is meaningful and spiritual. That search may seek out other belief systems to understand them and perhaps follow parts that are of value to the searcher. Among any given Unitarian Universalist congregation, members may include humanists, atheists, Christians, Buddhists, agnostics, pagans, or a range of other beliefs. We consider all valid, and welcome them in our congregations.
In the coming months we will be inviting members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Menomonie to share what it is they believe, and how their search brought them to that belief.
Holiday Gratitude
The staff at the Bridge to Hope have shared many words of gratitude for the response of our Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Menomonie in our adoption of two families in shelter at the Bridge for the Christmas holidays.
Our membership responded generously with targeted gifts for each of the families members, and a plethora of gift cards so they could make their own purchases as desired. To all members and friends of our congregation, well done!
Love’s Creed
by Randy Dean
(Randy spoke to us on November 2)
I’m alive to love. I’m not on the earth for hate.
I’m alive FOR love.
I’m not breathing, eating and sleeping to regain energy for causing pain.
I’m alive with plans, dreams, and designs locked into anything and everything that is Love.
I am unavailable for anything less than love.
The Chalice News
January 2026
UUCOM Support for Important Causes
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Menomonie has long supported other organizations whose missions we believe are important. Our support has always included involvement of members’ volunteer time, and often financial support. Through a generous gift from a member, we are able to provide targeted financial support to a wide variety of organizations. Our congregation also sent a generous gift to PBS Wisconsin, based in Madison. Given the importance of public broadcasting for an enlightened public, and in response to the severe cutbacks of our federal administration, we wanted our gifts to make a statement of support for public broadcasting. In coming months, through our 50/50 Sundays, we will be expanding our support for other organizations serving our area.
President Jill Smith presenting a check to Andrew Garr of the Wisconsin Milkweed Alliance, who recently spoke about the mental health services the Alliance provides our region.
Treasurer Dave Williams presenting a check to Molly Gardner, Western and Northern Regional Manager for Wisconsin Public Radio, in Eau Claire.
“I think 80% of the population is [made up of] really great, caring people who will help you and tell you the truth. That's just the way it is."
— Tom Hanks
Festival of Lights Celebration
At the December 14 service of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Menomonie, we celebrated the Festival of Lights. The Festival of Lights acknowledges and honors the ways that many religious groups value the time of the winter solstice, when the return of more light promises a brighter future. Our service included Advent, a Solstice candle, Hanukah, Diwalil, Christmas and Kwanzaa, with appropriate lighting for each.
Tikkun Olam
(Hebrew: תִּקּוּן עוֹלָם) means "repairing the world" and is a Jewish concept of social responsibility, encompassing acts of kindness, charity, and working for social justice, environmentalism, and human rights to heal the world and bring it closer to a state of perfection. It involves both individual good deeds, like helping the needy, and collective efforts for systemic change, addressing issues like poverty, hunger, and injustice, and is a central principle in modern Jewish life and spirituality.
Are You A Religious Person?
By David K. Williams
The Pew Research Center studies many aspects of American life. They recently conducted a study of religiosity, and found some striking differences between our two major political persuasions. But first, a definition is in order.
Pew’s scholars define four usual measures of religiosity. They are:
1) Belief in God
2) Praying daily
3) Attending services often
4) Viewing religion as important in one’s life
Using that matrix for religiosity, Pew found that people who identify as Republicans are 20 to 25% more religious than Democrats. About 40% of Democrats are religiously unaffiliated compared to 20% of Republicans.
Among those who consider themselves Christian, just 42% of white Democrats call themselves Christian, compared to 74% of white Republicans. The disparities are quite telling in some of Pew’s details:
So what should we make of all this? These are our fellow travelers, marching beside us in our daily lives. And they outnumber us Unitarian Universalists—substantially. UUs, according to Pew’s statistics, are about one percent of Americans. Our numbers are about the same as Humanists, New Age believers and Pagan/Wiccans. Interestingly, six percent of Americans are Agnostic, five percent are Atheist, and 20% are, well it doesn’t seem like a recognized belief system, but they are Nothing. Knowing how those fellow travelers think about aspects of our collective national life can be helpful as we interact with each other.
While we may look significantly outnumbered, it’s important to remember that the number of Americans who call themselves Christian, about 62% overall, has dropped nine percentage points since 2014. Less than half of our fellow citizens would say that religion is important in their daily lives, according to a Gallup poll. The push to make America a Christian nation coming from the right faces some headwinds.
It’s perhaps more important now than ever before to focus on, to insist on, the separation of church and state. If Pew’s statistics are to be believed, we’re heading that way in the daily attitudes of our fellow Americans. With the religious diversity in our country, that separation is critical to make sure all believers, not just Christians, are allowed to practice what is important and meaningful to them. And that holds as well for those who believe in no religion at all.
(With appreciation to Scott MacConomy, Director of Policy and Government Affairs at the Secular Coalition for America, who directed his readers to the Pew Study in a recent newsletter.)
Dark of Winter
by Shelley Jackson Denham
Dark of winter, soft and still,
Your quiet calm surrounds me.
Let my thoughts go where they will;
Ease my mind profoundly.
And then my soul will sing a song,
A blessed song of love eternal.
Gentle darkness, soft and still
Bring your quiet to me.
Darkness, soothe my weary eyes,
That I may see more clearly.
When my heart with sorrow cries,
Comfort and caress me.
And then my soul may hear a voice,
A still, small voice of love eternal.
Darkness, when my fears arise,
Let your peace flow through me.
