Calendar
Programs are at 10 a.m. in our meeting room, unless otherwise noted.
(ZOOM CONNECTIONS WILL BE PROVIDED)
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March 1 – Book Discussion – From War to Peace by Kent Shifferd. This will be our first session about Kent Shifferd’s daring book. There is a lot of history about war, but did you know there is a history also of peace? Jill Smith will lead the discussion.
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March 8 – Service with Dennis Peters and our 50/50 donation to Arbor Place. Moral Superiority- How Lucky You Are to Have Me! It can be easy to walk this Earth, thinking about how wonderful we are! Until we discover (or remember), of course, that we aren’t! Is it possible to do good and not have to buy a larger hat for our now-inflated ego?
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March 15 – Mini Concert with Jason Dea West. Jason has performed all over the United States, bringing his own songs to a wide audience. He is a native of Menomonie and his music is reminiscent of Woody Guthrie.
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March 19 – Program Committee Meeting – 9 am at Golden Leaf Cafe
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March 22 – Service with Dennis Peters. Oh, No! It’s Unitarian Universalist Humor Time!​ It has been far too long since I subjected you to truly terrible jokes, puns, and shaggy dog stories, based in our common religious elements. So it’s time! Show up! Bring your own humor with you, as well as your sense of humor! (You DO have some left, don’t you, in spite of the world around you!?)
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March 29 – Elizabeth K. Fischer, author, will talk to us about her latest series of books, and about being an author. Fischer has published seven books in her Eliza series. Her newest series focuses on Elementals who help the planet earth.
No Kings March​
The next No Kings March is March 28.
The Kaleidoscope Center is in need of hand warmers. They are located just to the south of the Menomonie Market.
“Peace cannot be achieved through violence; it can only be attained through understanding,.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
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
We 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.
The Chalice News
March 2026
Check Presentation to Stepping Stones
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Menomonie president Jill Smith presents a check to Corissa Villeneuve, executive director of Stepping Stones of Dunn County. This gift is part of the congregation’s 50/50 Sunday program, where half our collection is shared with an organization whose values and work we want to support. Following the check presentation, Corissa gave an update on Stepping Stones’ work.
The 5 R’s of Recycling
We found out more about recycling on February 1 with the presentations by Martha Wallen and Ann Vogl. Did you know there are 5 R’s in Recycling? They are:
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Reuse and repair – take items to repair clinics or find other uses for discarded things
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Reduce – Check with Catalog Choice online to receive less junk mail
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Rot – compost as much as possible; 218 pounds of food is wasted per person in USA every year.
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Refuse – Refuse to use what is handed to you; bring your own reuseable straws and bamboo silverware to restaurants where you would receive plastic straws and cutlery, use your own tote bags at grocery stores (don’t accept the plastic bag).
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Recycle what you can. Find out what is accepted by your garbage hauler or contact our Dunn County offices. Take electronics to First Choice Recycling in Eau Claire or ReCycall.
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Be mindful of purchases; buy things of quality that will last longer. Donate clothing and other items to Grace Episcopal Church, Christ Lutheran Church, Goodwill, and Hope Gospel Mission.
The Religion of Democracy
By David K. Williams
This month’s essay is going to appear to be short, but I’m going to ask you to spend about 20 minutes viewing a talk given recently by Fish Stark, the head of the American Humanist Association. Stark was speaking at a conference at the First Unitarian Church of Minneapolis—the conference was organized around the issue of church/state separation. The conference, held on January 17, 2026, was also happening before the backdrop of the ICE assault on Minneapolis.
See what you think after listening.
Buddha was not a Buddhist.
Jesus was not a Christian.
Loa Tzu was not a Taoist.
They were teachers who taught love,
wisdom, and harmony with all of life.
Love was their true religion: beyond labels,
borders, or beliefs.
In the end, the greatest faith is not in a book or a temple,
but in how deeply we choose to love while we are here.
— shared by Robert Qualls
I Believe...
We've invited members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Menomonie to share what it is they believe, and how their search brought them to that belief.
by Jill Smith
Since I am one of the rare individuals who was raised as a Unitarian, self-examination regarding my religious beliefs has been equally rare. It has always been easier to state what I do not believe, rather than what I do believe. These last few days I have struggled with this task, and find myself using my DO NOT beliefs to try and identify my actual beliefs.
I do not believe in an all loving god, but do believe that each individual has the element of goodness attributed to a god within them, if the environment in which they live allows expression of their inner god.
I do not believe in a supernatural spirit. When I see something that stirs my soul or causes wonder, I marvel at the natural world and the processes of biology, physics, chemistry and geology which created that awe-inspiring phenomena. I feel it belittles us as thinking and intelligent beings to attribute these experiences to a supernatural creator, rather than trying to explain it from a scientific perspective, and in the process, expand our knowledge of the universe around us.
I do not believe in a life-after-death, as much as I would love to be able to find comfort in that idea. To that end, I believe we have this one chance to create a “heaven on earth”, which we should not waste. Doing good, loving our fellow beings, and giving to the future is what I believe.
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