Min. Krista's Office Hours this week: by appointment (you can also email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to set up another time to talk)
Do you need assistance with transportation or are you available to help out those who do?
We're implementing a new program to help coordinate rides and other transportation issues! Each week we'll have a designated Care Coordinator who will help match up those in need of a ride with trustworthy volunteers. To make arrangements prior to church email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before 6pm Saturday or speak with the Care Coordinator listed in the Order of Service on Sunday morning.
Adult Religious Exploration
NO RE THIS WEEK. Come early if you like for coffee and conversation.
Childcare is provided, with coffee available as we get closer to service time.
FUUDies (Fantastic UU Diners)
Hospitality Teams get it done every Sunday! Searching for new Hospitality Team leader!
After two years serving as hospitality lead, Chris is looking for someone who she could gently transition into this position. It is a great way to get to know people in the congregation and serve in a really meaningful way to provide welcome to those attending. Please feel free to chat with her about what this entails or any questions you might have. Chris Rambo This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Members of Hospitality Team 8 are serving in October. Thanks to these folks for making coffee, providing refreshments, greeting, and generally making the church ready for worship and fellowship!
A great way to get involved at SMUUF is by joining a Hospitality Team. For one month approximately every 7 months, each team provides the refreshments for the SMUUF service, sets up the building, and cleans everything up afterward. It's a wonderful way to meet other SMUUF members and get right into service with us.
You may click here to download a copy of the Hospitality Team duties.
For information about how to join, contact Chris Rambo at (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Dear SMUUF Families with Children,
We encourage you to bring your children to RE each Sunday. In October we are using the Soul Matters curriculum on "Belonging". Children in all levels will participate in fun, age appropriate activities centered around the theme.
We begin our Our Whole Lives (O.W.L.) Lifespan Sexual Education on Nov. 3. A parent meeting for parents of children in grades 7-9 will occur on this date from 2-5pm. The O.W.L. classes begin the following Sunday and last for 13 weeks. On Dec. 15 a parent meeting occurs for parents of children in grades 4-6. Their classes begin in January. Contact Laura Haygood at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you would like to register your child for either group of O.W.L. classes.
Last Sunday we celebrated child dedication. I truly enjoyed the ceremony and I am grateful to all who participated. We will have at least one, if not two, Child Dedication ceremonies every year, so if you did not get to participate in this event, there will be another opportunity.
Thank you for being a part of the San Marcos Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and for bringing your children to church! Our congregation is greatly blessed by their presence among us.
Light and love,
Laura Haygood
SMUUF DRE
SOUL MATTERS THEMES FOR 2019-20 CHILDREN’S RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
October: Belonging
November: Attention
December: Awe
January: Integrity
February: Resilience
March: Wisdom
April: Liberation
May: Thresholds
June: Play
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:
| Infant-3 years | Beatrix Potter Room with Deana Piñales |
| 4 years-Grade 2 | Seuss Room with Robyn Kendrick & Jillian Whitehead |
| Grades 3-5 | Susan B. Anthony Room with Monica Rasco & Marissa Fehler |
| Grades 6-12 | YUUTH with Laura Haygood |
Here are some upcoming events to mark in your calendar:
| November 3 | O.W.L. Grades 7-9 begins, more details to follow. |
(A calendar is posted downstairs with dates and themes)
SEE YOU SUNDAY!!
Week of Friday, October 18 - Thursday, October 24
Check the SMUUF Calendar for current listings of activities
New Events
Current Events
League of Women Voters Candidates Debates
Voters Guides featuring the ten proposed State Constitutional Amendments, addition information about the candidates, polling locations, and more will be available. The public is invited to these free non-partisan events to become more informed voters.
Ready to Vote 2019 Presentation
The presentation will cover the new county-wide Vote Centers, how you will interact with the new voting machines, and what is on the ballot. We will share the language of each of the ten proposed State Constitutional Amendments on the ballot, what each one entails, and arguments for and against so you can be a prepared and informed voter. Learn about the resources available to assist voters in making informed decisions. We'll have handout available on the ten amendments, the Early Voting locations, Election Day Polling locations, and more. We know your life is busy and it’s hard to keep up. We think this will help you as a voter be prepared to go to the polls and cast an informed vote!
Stand on Every Corner San Marcos - Fridays on the Square
We gather every Friday to protest the present administration, especially it’s mistreatment of emigrants crossing our southern Border.
Our hours are any time from 4:30 till 6:30 at the corner of LBJ and Hopkins, at the statue of Jack Hays. We have water and some extra signs.
Contact Ann Whitus: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Weekly Events
SMUUF Choir
Meets Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
UCM Sanctuary
Anyone who enjoys singing is invited to become a part of the choir, which sings for worship about twice a month. Please contact Gayle for directions.
Contact: Gayle Gaston (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
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 10:00 @ Redbud Roasters for coffee, then a walk around the river or on a nearby hiking trail.
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..
Southwest Women's Unitarian Universalist Conference – Call for presentations and workshops
February 28 - March 1, 2020Do you enjoy leading group activities or discussions? Do you have a presentation that your fellow SWUUW attendees might enjoy? Have a great workshop idea that you've been wanting to put together? We'd love to see it!
We're looking for workshop proposals that address our theme "Break Not the Circle: UU Sisterhood in Acadiana" and fit within one of our 3 tracks:
- ACTIVISM & SPIRITUALITY: How you can make a difference, and/or living our UU values and principles
- ARTS: Creative writing, visual arts, or extended arts
- ACTIVITY (Physical): Drumming, yoga, and exercise, etc.
Workshops will be 90 minutes in length and will take place on Saturday February 29. We're accepting proposals until late October, so submit your idea today!
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.. Click each date to view the flyer (if available).
Oct 25-27 - Men’s retreat featuring Rev. Skrabacz as the chaplain
Nov 8-10 - Murder Mystery weekend hosted by Helen Sherwood and Olivia Carrender from Houston
Dec 27-30 - Winter Family Camp featuring Rev. Skwarek as the chaplain
Details, registration and more can be found at https://ubaru.org/home/
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.
San Marcos Contra Dance - 4th Sundays after SMUUF Service
San Marcos "4th Sunday" Contra Dance
All Dances are Prompted by a Caller... and Danced to Live Music!
Beginners Welcome! No Partner Necessary! This is a Family Friendly Event
We dance in the acoustically beautiful UCM Wesley Building, 510 N. Guadalupe Street, San Marcos TX. Free parking is available in the facility lot or the first level of the parking garage across the street.
$10 regular admission, with discounts for TAADA members and students.
For more information about Contra Dance: What is "Contra Dance"?
Check Out the Dance Hall in this You Tube Video for SM4sCD!
All dances held at:
United Campus Ministry 510 N Guadalupe San Marcos, TX
1:30-4:30pm
October 27, 2019
NO DANCE. Fire Ant Frolic contra dance weekendN
November 24, 2019
Band: Laughing Lizards
with Steve Bing on accordion, Donna Bing on guitar, and...
Caller: TBA
Sound: TBA
If you haven’t joined or renewed membership in TAADA, please bring the $20 and become a member. In addition to discounts on dances and access to dance reminders, your membership pays for our dance insurance and helps to keep dance prices lower.
Please come fragrance free for our dancers with allergies.
After the dance, some of us go to dinner at Italian Garden 2 blocks away to continue visiting. This is an open invitation and anyone can join us.
For more information and upcoming events, see our website https://sites.google.com/site/smcdtx
Bold Border Action Rally
We invite you to join us in Laredo and stand in solidarity to:
- End the abusive Remain in Mexico policy
- Stop the violence against people of color
- Honor the 22 people killed in El Paso
- No Border Wall
- Bear witness and demand an end to the incarceration of children and families
Joys and Concerns
SMUUF Team Cleans Median by Our Craddock Avenue Property
Dedicated SMUUF people gathered again to pull weeds and clean the two medians by our church property. They gathered on Saturday, September 14, and filled 8 bags with weeds and created a huge pile of weeds too big to fit in bags. They will probably meet again in mid-October, then may be through for the season. Much thanks to these hard-working members for their service.
Pictured in the photo in no particular order are Dan Gibson, Kayla and Ty McGuire and children Eleanor and Brock, Mike Russett, Joel Johnson, Lisa and Jon Cradit, Rhoda Sterling, Lisa Arceneaux, and Gil Fulmer.
Call for Volunteers at Respite Center at the Texas border
The Sacred Heart Respite Center in McAllen is in desperate need of volunteers. This the Center to which our Sewing Guild has sent over 800 blankets. Volunteers and staff work with families seeking asylum. It is located at 209 W. Hackberry Ave, McAllen, TX 78501.
If you are interested in making a financial donation go to the Catholic Charities Rio Grande Valley Website for information on how to do so.
If you are interested in volunteering contact:
Hermi Forsaghe, Volunteer Coordinator
956 458 3331
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Interfaith Welcome Coalition in San Antonio is another volunteer opportunity. Volunteers meet families who are seeking asylum at the airport or bus station and help them make connections to their next destination. These families have been assisted at the border at one of the Respite Centers there. You can reach the Coalition by email:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Volunteer coordinators are:
Paula Henderson
Jo Pendleton
Karen and Karl Brown, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 512-395-5467
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
For more information or questions regarding Membership please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For pastoral care concerns please contact our Caring Team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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 at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Need a SMUUF Name Badge?
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.
- 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.
- You can authorize a regular withdrawal (known as ACH) directly from your bank to ours.
- 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!
To make a pledge or general donation at any time:
Legacy Society
Board Meeting Minutes available