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Adult Religious Exploration

No topic this week. Please join us for coffee and conversation, if you want to come visit a little early anyway.

New Adult RE Program: Racial Identity/Justice Conversations

For this program we will have separate groups for white people led by white people, and for people of color led by people of color. This is to help create space for honest, open conversations and learning that may be challenging and painful but are often very different based on our racial identities. If both groups feel ready, there will be opportunities to share our insights all together near the end of the program.

In Rev. Scottie’s words “Many people, especially white people who are accustomed to being in the majority in most groups, including our church, question this and think we should all be talking together to learn from each other. Others see the value of safe spaces, in which all can be freer to be honest without worrying about hurting the feelings of our friends in the group in which we are not. Many people of color are asking that they not be expected to speak as “experts” on their particular culture, race, or ethnicity and to be expected to teach white people about racism. Because of the system of white supremacy and white privilege we have all lived under in this country for hundreds of years, people of color have had to be less than honest most of the time, suppressing their true feelings and opinions for their own emotional and often, physical safety.“

We ask that you respect the requests of people of color in our congregation. Minister Krista will be announcing days she is available for in personal pastoral conversations in the Friday Flash. You can also email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. setup another time to talk.

RE is held every week at 9:30-10:45. The schedule is as follows:

Please contact Marissa Fehler at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are interested in upcoming RE. 

Coffee and childcare is available during adult RE, and all are welcome to attend. 

This week: New Location! Industry at 110 E. Martin Luther King Drive, San Marcos

This restaurant has a varied American-style menu. It is located at the corner of Guadalupe Street and MLK Drive, just a short distance from the church. We have reservations under Lee Bricker's name. We hope you will come and join us to experience this new location so convenient to our church.

The Fantastic UU Diners eat together after church at a different local restaurant almost every Sunday. They love to have new folks join them! See Jeannie Lewis or Lee Bricker after worship. They’ll save you a seat!

Hospitality Teams get it done every Sunday! 

Members of Hospitality Team Numero UUno are serving in March. Thanks to these folks for making coffee, providing refreshments, greeting, and generally making the church ready for worship and fellowship!

Dear SMUUF Families with Children,

While the weather warms up and trees sprout their early green leaves, we hope you will still find yourself heading to SMUUF before going to the river! We will continue our theme of "dissonance". Teachers and students will discover ways to bring harmony to our lives during this time of change. Next month we will celebrate the spring with the theme"greening". April 21st is the celebration of Easter in the Christian faith. We will hold an egg hunt with the children during the service. 

Looking forward, we hope to organize an O.W.L. training for our young people. In the near future we will hold a short meeting after service for parents who are interested and for anyone interested in being trained in the O.W.L. curriculum. In this short meeting we will get an idea for what age level we would be teaching so that trainees can get signed on to trainings for that level during the summer or early fall. Stay tuned for info on the meeting.

Each Sunday we look forward to seeing your children downstairs for religious education.

RE Class Time

Children meet downstairs right after "Time for All Ages". Parents are asked to help children pick up their name tag at the top of the stairs and go into service. Children are welcomed into service in order to help them link with our larger community. They will be sung out after the story and met by teachers to go downstairs.

Room and Teacher Assignments:

Here are some upcoming events to mark in your calendar:

(A calendar is posted downstairs with dates and themes)

SEE YOU SUNDAY!!

Week of Friday, March 22 - Thursday, March 28

Check the SMUUF Calendar for current listings of activities

SMUUF Choir

Sewing Guild

Meets Wednesday afternoons at 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
The Allen Family home in Martindale

The Sewing Guild has made and delivered over 700 quilts to children in need.

Friday "Talk, Then Walk"

Meet at Redbud Roasters, 169 South LBJ Drive @ 10:00 a.m.

Enjoy good company, conversation, refreshments and a healthy walk. We usually walk about 45 minutes around the San Marcos River, Lower Purgatory, Ring Tail, Spring Preserve and other nature trails. Hope to see you there!

For more information, contact Garrie Borden at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Redeeming “Progress” — The Prodigal Species Comes Home

More at http://www.thegreatstory.org
Are things progressing or degrading? Is it too late or can we turn things around? Rev. Dowd’s dynamic multimedia program sheds light on competing and often contradictory claims about our future. More importantly, he offers a reality-based perspective grounded in ecology as the heart of theology that can inspire us to work together across a wide range of differences in service of a just, healthy, and sustainably life-giving future.

After Hours Concert: Classical Indian Music @ San Marcos Library

Join us in celebrating spring with a special after-hours library concert. Renowned classical artists Indrajit Banerjee (Sitar), Indradeep Ghosh (Violin), and Gourisankar (Tabla), will fill the library with the sounds of India’s oldest tunes. Free and open to the public. Snacks and tea provided.

Regional Caregiving Conference Southwest

April 5-7, 2019
Wimberley, TX

What's it like to care for a family member or friend due to aging, chronic disease, or disability? We understand how stressful and difficult caregiving is. JOIN US to help and support you deserve.

Visit caregiving.com/southwest $20 Early Bird, $40 Regular Price

UUA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Spokane, Washington | June 19-23, 2019

General Assembly is an unforgettable experience for the thousands of Unitarian Universalists that attend each June. Attendees leave with a renewed sense of energy, inspiration, and innovative ideas to take back to their congregations and communities. GA is even more enjoyable if experienced with a delegation of congregational peers who can share expenses and meals and provide mutual support during the conference. This year, in addition to Theme-Based Programming, the schedule will feature Role-Based Track Programming, including time for discussion among attendees, sharing inspiring models and stories, and concrete suggestions for how to further the work or "take it home." 

Please contact Marissa Fehler at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are interested in attending.

UBarU Camp & Retreat Center Upcoming Events

There are some fun events coming up at UBarU Camp & Retreat Center! For more details and to register please go to www.ubaru.org. If you want to rent a cottage for a quiet weekend not during a retreat, email Robyn at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

May 17-19 - Work Bee weekend
May 25-28 - Summer Family Camp
June 9-29 - Youth summer camps (dates based on age)
July 28-Aug 3 - Sky & Earth youth science camp
Aug 4-10 - Human Sexuality camp based on OWL values - for rising 8-9th graders

UBarU Camp & Retreat Center is offering a Human Sexuality camp this summer. It is based on the values of Our Whole Lives targeted content for rising 8-9th graders (13-14 year olds) from Aug 4-10, 2019. Thank you for sharing this information with your families. Click here to view the informational flyer.

A week of camp at UBarU is a time to make new friends and reconnect with old friends. We will swim in the beautiful limestone swimming tank, ponder the Milky Way on clear evenings, do some community service, walk the labyrinth, and take field trips to enjoy the gorgeous Texas Hill Country. And of course, we spend some time having fun while we deepen our UU faith.

Joys and Concerns

SMUUF Donate-the-Plate to Head Start Home Visiting Program

We donated $600 to the Texas Home Visiting Program - Hays County, which is administer under the local Head Start Program by Community Action, Inc. of Central Texas.

Alex Mylius, Home Visiting Program Coordinator, and SMUUF Member, said, "The primary goals of Texas Home Visiting-Hays County (THV) are to enhance maternal and child outcomes and to increase school readiness for children. To accomplish these goals, THV includes two primary components: (a) provision of evidence-based home visiting services for at-risk pregnant women and parents/caregivers of children birth to age five; and, (b) development/enhancement of early childhood coalitions that effectively coordinate services and address broad, community-level issues that impact young children and families. Donated monies will be used to purchase HEB gift cards that can be given to families in crises to purchase diapers, gas, etc."

SMUUF Volunteers Clean City Medians on Craddock Avenue in Front of our Church Property

SMUUF volunteered with the City of San Marcos to maintain the three street medians on Craddock Avenue that run in from of our church property there. SMUUF volunteers worked on Saturday, February 16, and Saturday, February 23. See the photos and captions below for more information.

Pictured above are SMUUF members Jeff Rasco, Dan Gibson, Gil Fulmer, Lisa Arceneaux, and Lisa Cradit. On February 16 these volunteers collected 10 bags of weeds and clippings. Note the thick paper compostable bags furnished by the City instead of plastic bags.

Pictured above are SMUUF volunteers Dan Gibson, Lisa Arceneaux, Chris Rambo, Mike Rambo, and Jon Cradit. Not pictured is Judy Telford who also worked long and hard. They collected 8 bags of weeds and clippings from the medians on Craddock Avenue.

SMUUF FUUDies Dine Out

SMUUF FUUDies (Fantastic UU Diners) eat out at Komal Latin Kitchen and Bar after church together Sunday, March 3. We eat out together at a different locally-owned restaurant each Sunday after church. A great way to get to know each other and form friendly bonds. Come and join us.

Not pictured are Barbara Jacobson (to the left of Jeannie Lewis) and Jeff Latimer (new SMUUF visitor who is taking the photo.)

SMUUF Social Justice Team Selects Donate-the-Plate Recipients for 2019

The SMUUF Social Justice Executive Team met Sunday morning, December 16, to review the applications for Donate-the-Plate recipients for next year. There were 18 applications for only 10 slots. We usually leave two months open for unexpected situations like Hurricane Harvey, which we donated to and the backpacks for the homeless that we are donating to for December.

We were actually able to select 11 recipients because we combined PFLAG (San Marcos) and WFLAG (Wimberley) to share one Sunday and split the donation 50/50. The recipients selected were:

The recipients are all very grateful. We are busy now trying to schedule them into months that are best for their schedule.

This Donate-the-Plate monthly giving program in SMUUF has created strong alliances with local nonprofits and gained great respect in the community. I frequently hear from community members that they appreciate what we do in the community! -Submitted by Jeannie Lewis, Social Justice Chair

Sermon Podcasts

Our most recent sermons are available on the website under the Past Sermons tab, and as podcasts from iTunes and Stitcher. Click the links to go to the SMUUF channels and subscribe. If you would like to listen to a past service not in the list of podcasts, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Automate Your Pledge

Tired of writing checks for your pledges? There are three ways you can avoid check writing, and never miss a monthly gift.

1. If your bank has bill pay, you can set up an automatic monthly check to SMUUF directly from your bank. It's simple, and it costs you and SMUUF nothing, it should be a free service if offered by your bank.
2. You can authorize a regular withdrawal (known as ACH) directly from your bank to ours.
3. You can authorize a regular charge on a credit card that SMUUF can process.

For the latter two options, use our donation app to set up recurring payments either by credit card or direct deposit. It's painless!

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Legacy Society

Board Meeting Minutes available

 If you have joys or sorrows, church or community news you would like printed in the Flash, or Sunday announcements, email the SMUUF Admin email account: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..