Community Happenings Calendar

Our congregation’s Beloved Community doesn’t exist just during Sunday morning services. Below are JRUUC events and community events our members are involved in that align with our mission and values.

Weekly Events at Reeb

  • Sundays – 10am service, Coffee and conversation after the service (meal on 3rd Sunday)
  • Wednesdays 6:30-7:00 – Meditation with Friends, online
  • Thursdays 7:00-8:30 – Sacred Breath Choir – check newsletter, tentative next rehearsal dates are 9/3 and 9/10 in preparation for Water Communion on 9/13
  • Saturdays 10:30-12:00 – Folk Music Gathering in person – Paused for the rest of September – check newsletter

Check this week’s newsletter for more information and zoom links

Gather Water Over the Summer for Water Communion on September 13th

As you enjoy your end of summer adventures at home or away, we invite you to collect water and bring it to this special service. We join our waters together and then boil and purify them to use later in the year at ceremonies here at Reeb. Check back later for more information or check the service page when we get closer to September 13th.

Sign Up for Quarterly Potlucks

As we prepare for the upcoming 2026-27 church year, it is time to organize our Quarterly Potlucks! Many in our community enjoy gathering a few times a year in each others’ homes to share a meal and conversation, and we are excited to get these started again.

For those who may be new to this, a Quarterly Potluck is an opportunity to sit together for a meal and conversation with four to six other community members you may or may not already know. Groups are randomly generated by computer, and one member of the group will host the others at a date that is convenient for all participants. Please note that while some enjoy hosting, there is no obligation to do so; everyone is welcome to participate regardless of whether they can host.

  • If you are already on our list for these events and wish to continue participating, you do not need to sign up again.
  • If you are interested in joining or would like more information, please contact Jan and Glen Gordon as soon as possible so we can begin scheduling the Fall Potlucks.

9/10 (Thursday) Sacred Breath Choir Rehearsal

The Sacred Breath Choir practices resumed 9/3.  All are welcome, no auditions, and you can sing in the section that best suits your vocal range.  The choir meets Thursdays from 7:00-8:30 PM in the sanctuary.  For the time being, Rachel Avery and the Music Support Group are organizing music at Reeb and directing the choir.  We will share more news regarding musical leadership when we have additional information. In the meantime, let’s get together and begin our musical preparations for Water Communion!  Also, see the notes about the choir potluck for Saturday later in this newsletter.

And, choir and the folk group are not the only way to participate in music at Reeb.  Are you a musician looking for an opportunity to share your music? Maybe you played an instrument in a school band or orchestra and would love to be able to play again. Maybe you are a singer/songwriter who would like to introduce us to new songs. Maybe you would like to share your love of a non-traditional instrument from another part of the world. There are opportunities at Reeb to play and/or sing with others – or to play a solo. All are welcome. We would love to hear from you.  Please contact David Henry.

9/12 Open Mic Saturday – 9/12 (Monthly)

The next open mic will be on Saturday, September 12th, from 6 to 8 p.m. Share your prose, poetry, songs, and jokes, and be entertained by the local talent! (We moved it from the first Saturday in September because that’s a holiday weekend.) If you are able to help by staffing the door, please let Mike Stimson or Stephen Rich know.

Reeb hosts this monthly open mic event, usually on the first Saturday of every month. Suggested donation is $5/person, and all admission and concession proceeds will go to JRUUC. Please come and entertain with your music, poetry, comedy or any other talent you can offer! To donate food or beverages to sell, or for further information, please contact Mike Stimson.

Please come and share your talents or just enjoy the show.

Just Bakery – 9/13

Get your goodies in the foyer this Sunday after the service! Both cash and cards are happily accepted. Just Bakery, an initiative of JustDane, is a 12-week educational and vocational training program. The program works with individuals who are experiencing significant barriers to employment (homelessness, justice involved, lack of education, and/or a lack of work history or skills). Just Bakery visits Reeb every few months.

Monthly Laughter Yoga Returns September 14th (Monthly)

If you enjoyed the Laughter Yoga offered at a Sunday service back in April 2025, you’ll be tickled to know that we are now offering a monthly Laughter Yoga session available to anyone and everyone! Members of the Laughter Club of Madison will return to JRUUC on the second Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. for one hour of healing laughter in community. Mark your calendar, and bring a friend! Second Mondays, 6:30–7:30 p.m. at JRUUC, beginning again in September. Questions? Contact Virginia.

9/18 5:30 (Friday) – Interim Start-up Potluck: Bring your dish and dreams!

Veggies from Rev. Denise

We won’t be having our usual after service community meal in September. Please join us for this special potluck gathering instead.

As JRUUC begins its shared ministry with Interim Minister Rev. Denise Cawley, staff from the MidAmerica Region of the UUA (Unitarian Universalist Association) will be leading our congregation in conversation with one another about who we are, where we are going, and where we have been together. 

Please plan to participate in an evening of good food and conversation on Friday, September 18 at JRUUC. The potluck will begin at 5:30, then around 6:00 we will have a facilitated conversation with regional staff, including Rev. Matthew Johnson (who led a worship service and a Q&A session with us in April). 

This start-up gathering, as well as other facilitated conversations with congregational leaders on Saturday morning, is an essential part of getting a shared ministry up and running well. 

Please plan to bring a dish to share as well as your ideas, hopes and dreams, and stories about this community. 

Suggested potluck dish breakdown: 

  • A–I: Side dish or salad, 
  • J–R: Main dish, 
  • S–Z: Dessert.

If you are able to help with set-up, please arrive by 5:00. 

9/19 – 6pm – Building Unity Potluck for People, Peace & Planet – (Monthly – 3rd Saturday)

The JRUUC potluck will be one of over 50 tour stops during the 20 weekends between Juneteenth and Election Day – Nov. 3rd. At each tour stop, the tour team is filming to create a documentary and helping to to build unity to maximize voter turnout.  For more information, contact Tim Cordon.

Watch this space or your weekly newsletter for details about future PPP potlucks – Usually the 3rd Saturday).. See their flyer for details.

Solidarity Actions for Corey Ruiz, from the JRUUC Justice Ministries

The JRUUC Justice Ministries have been looking for ways to take meaningful collective action in the wake of the killing of Corey Ruiz by Madison police, just a mile and a half from our church. We know that effective action must take a variety of forms, including education, advocacy, public witness, and service. Here are some suggestions and opportunities:

Our partner MOSES is working on strengthening Madison’s independent police oversight functions. Take a look at MOSES’s most recent newsletter on page 6 for an overview of where things stood prior to Corey’s death and what changes MOSES is calling for. Read their recent op-ed. Consider writing to your alder and the Mayor about funding and support for the Office of the Independent Police Monitor and Police Civilian Oversight Board. [Image from MOSES]

While reports differ on whether or not Corey was unhoused at the time of his death, homelessness was part of his story and our homeless neighbors were part of his community. Our Luke House team, led by Peggy Haack, could use more members for their once-a-month lunch service, just blocks from Corey’s Corner. Email Peggy for details and to join.

We also have an upcoming Share The Plate benefitting the GoFundMe that was started for his daughter and family.

If you would like to get involved with organizing additional collective actions to address racial inequities, safety, or related issues, get in touch with the Justice Coordinating Team. Thanks!

9/20 – Wisconsin’s Immigration Landscape and Your Role in It

Immigration Atty. Aissa Olivarez, head of the Community Immigration Law Center, will be giving a presentation with updates on what is happening locally and nationally to our immigrant families and neighbors. There will also be handouts and tables for local immigrant rights organizations to talk to you about all the volunteer opportunities and ways to help our immigrant families in Dane County. This event, followed by a Q&A session, is sponsored by the Dane Sanctuary Coalition and will be held on Sunday, September 20, from 12:30 to 2 p.m., at the Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ (1501 Gilbert Rd). See their flyer for details.

9/22 – Criminal Justice Workshop Series at FUS

The Criminal Justice Team at the First Unitarian Society of Madison is offering a workshop series that Reebers are welcome to attend at no cost. The first workshop is an introduction to the UUA Congregational Study-Action Issue (CSAI): Abolition, Transformation and Faith Formation. It will be on Tuesday, September 22, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., at First Unitarian Society

Folk Group – Pausing until October

We will prepare music for the October 25 special music service in honor of Dolly Parton. There will be choral arrangements and folk arrangements, and everyone is encouraged to sing! We will have special rehearsals with the choir on Thursday, October 15 and 22, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. If you have an idea for a song we should do for the Dolly service, please email Mike Stimson.

We usually will have rehearsals at 10:30 – noon on Saturdays in the multipurpose room. Please join us, everyone is welcome! Check this week’s newsletter for more information. If you’d like to be added to the folk group email list, please contact Mike.

10/10 Book Lovers Club – (Monthly Mon/Sat)

Thanks go to Renee for organizing this group! We will meet for a half hour for general chit chat and enjoyment of treats/any food you might want to bring for yourself, and then for an hour to focus the discussion on books.

Join us! Drop-ins welcome. No need to commit to coming to all of the meetings.

  • Saturday 10-October 9:30-11:00 – Out of Your Comfort Zone: A genre you normally avoid.
  • Monday 2-November 6:30-8:00
  • Saturday 5-December 9:30-11:00

This group will not follow the traditional book club format of picking a book, reading it, and discussing it as a group. Instead, we are thinking of it as more of a space to share book recommendations, swap books, and eat treats. To help focus discussions, each month has a theme. For example, what is your favorite book, favorite biography, favorite non-fiction, favorite sci-fi/fantasy, etc. Watch your newsletter for more information.

For Saturday meetings, let’s plan on meeting at 9:30 am for general chit chat (and coffee/tea!) and then talk about books from 10:00-11:00 am.

For Monday meetings, we will follow the current time of meetings from 6:30-7:00 pm for general chit chat and then talk about books from 7:00-8:00 pm.

Community Meal After Service Resumes in October

We won’t be having our usual after service community meal in September. Instead, we encourage you to attend the Interim Potluck on Friday 9/18 described above.

Eating together is one way we build community!  Once a month after the service (around 11:30-12:30) we gather to share a meal. Frequently (but not always) the meal happens on the third Sunday of the month.

Most months, this is a potluck meal where folks are encouraged to either bring a dish to share.  We accept cash donations to help defray the costs, but everyone should feel free to come to the meal regardless of their ability to bring a dish or donation. Gluten free and vegan options are always provided.

Want to help?  To lessen the burden on Sunday greeters, we are asking for volunteers to help with set up/clean up after service on third Sundays for the community meals. Responsibilities will include setting up tables and chairs as well as ensuring the dishwasher is run and all counters are wiped down. Please see Emily before or after service or email her at re@jruuc.org if you have any questions or are interested in volunteering.

Watch your newsletter for updates about future meal dates. Our June meal will be after viewing General Assembly online together in the sanctuary.

November 2026 – Reeb Rave – Our Annual Auction, Dinner and Fundraiser

This event is not only a wonderful one-night experience, but also an ongoing community builder. We offer lots of auction items where members and friends can share experiences throughout the year such as dinner parties, dungeons and dragons events, and birding excursions, as well as art, goods, and services offered by members and the wider community. Learn about our annual fundraiser and auction here.

Sign Up for Texts from JRUUC

As we begin our interim ministry process, here’s how to sign up to receive about 2 to 3 texts per month to learn more about how to get involved:

  • Log in to Breeze
  • Click “My Profile” (at the top)
  • Select “Enroll to Receive Text Messages” (next to your profile picture)

Share the Plate Nominations Needed!

Each week this congregation gives half of all offerings collected in our plate to local organizations whose work furthers our mission. Do you know of an organization you’d like us to give to? Please nominate them!

In the months of April, May and June, here’s what we raised with Share the Plate:

Looking for a Community Protest/Action Buddy or Wondering How to Carry Our Banner?

Contact the Justice Coordinating Team here.

Watch this page for any current plans.

Sunday Socializing at 9:45 am

You’re invited for tea and greetings before worship on Sunday mornings!  As we receive more and more visitors, we’re learning that they tend to arrive earlier than many of us.  We’d love for them to have Reebers to talk with, so our greeters are now preparing hot water to be ready at 9:45, so people can enjoy some tea and greet each other in the foyer before the service.  We hope you’ll consider coming a little earlier and making this a lively new tradition!

Our Beautiful Lawn and Grounds Need Care – Show Your Love in Action…

Warmer temps mean it’s time for lawn and grounds care! Please see the sign-up sheet and sign up for a week (or two) that you can mow the lawn and pick up trash around the building. Instructions for how to access the mower are on the sign-up sheet. If you have any questions, please contact Renee Buchanan.

Share Your Moments of Awe: Centering in Beauty Art Needed!

If you’ve been attending Sunday services recently, you’ve likely noticed the Centering in Beauty moment near the beginning.  We believe that offering a brief time of centering can help us arrive more fully into the space we make sacred together, and that beauty can be a great way to do that.  Who can’t use a little more beauty in their lives these days, right?  The images we’ve shared up to now have been offered by Rev. Karen or members of the Worship Team.  We’d love to widen our sources and include your images of beauty! 

If you have an image you’d like us to show on a Sunday morning, please email it to the Worship Team (with a title if you

Just Bakery (Every other month-ish)

Just Bakery offers goodies for sale in our foyer several times a year after service. The last date was 6/28, so it might be a wait but keep your eyes peeled for the next date. Both cash and cards are happily accepted. Just Bakery, an initiative of JustDane, is a 12-week educational and vocational training program. The program works with individuals who are experiencing significant barriers to employment (homelessness, justice involved, lack of education, and/or a lack of work history or skills). Just Bakery visits Reeb every few months. Watch this space or your weekly newsletter for future dates.

Singing Resistance in Madison

From Reeb member Sharon Kohli: Singing Resistance is building a mass movement of singers to protect and care for our communities in the face of rising authoritarianism. We are grounded in love, nonviolence, and solidarity. In the context of escalating violence towards our communities and federal invasions of our cities and towns, we sing because song is an antidote to fear, song helps us connect to each other, and through song we can name and protect what we hold sacred. We sing publicly in the streets for the sake of solace, strength, solidarity, to voice our dissent, and to refuse cooperation with oppressive and autocratic forces. Singing Resistance Madison is made up of smaller groups called pods, and we have a pod here at Reeb. You can contact Sharon Kohli for information, and you can follow Singing Resistance Madison on instagram at singingresistancemadisonwi.

Work Day: Thank You!

A message from Renee: Thank you to everyone who helped over three days in June to paint over the graffiti, and for extra credit, cut back brush along the fence line! Shout outs go to Jean S, Mike C, Rand, Sophie, Heike, Peggy, and Jocie for their help scraping paint, washing the wall, priming, painting, cutting and moving brush.

Food Equity Opportunity – Luke House

In January our participation at the River Food Pantry ended. Prairie UU Social Justice Coordinators have been seeking a new service opportunity and would love to continue to include us in their volunteer numbers.

They have landed on serving (not preparing) a lunch once a month at Luke House, which is just off Williamson Street. Volunteers commit to sitting and eating with the guests. Is this something you are interested in?  We need 3 volunteers for each date, so check your calendars and contact Peggy Haack if you are interested.

Let Peggy know if you’d like to be added to the list of future volunteers.

In Our Wider UU Communities…

Click here for UU World Magazine’s website with more news

Did you know you can buy your own “Side with Love” apparel at Inspirit, the UUA bookstore?