Community Happenings

This page contains information about JRUUC events and community events that our congregation members are involved in that align with our mission.

Check out our weekly newsletter for current events and news
Click here for the latest national UU news

Weekly Events at Reeb

  • Sundays – 10am service, Coffee and conversation after the service (meal on 3rd Sunday)
  • Tuesdays 11-1 – Minister’s In Person Office Hours at Java Cat Coffee House (4221 Lien Road) (Not June 16th)
  • Wednesdays 6:30-7:00 – Meditation with Friends, online
  • Thursdays 7:00-8:30 – Sacred Breath Choir (intermittent – check newsletter)
  • Fridays 12:00-2:00 – Minister’s in person office hours at Reeb, please call or text ahead so Karen knows you’re coming (Not June 19th)
  • Fridays 5:00-6:00 pm – Minister’s Zoom office hours (Not June 19th)
  • Saturdays 10:30-12:00 – Folk Music Gathering in person (Not June 13th)

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

Lawn and Grounds 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.

JRUUC Members Invited to Serve as Delegates at General Assembly 6/14-21

General Assembly (GA) is the annual meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), where participants gather to worship, witness, learn, connect, and make policy decisions for the Association through a democratic process. The General Assembly 2026 is June 14-21, and the format is virtual with both online and distributed in-person options.

JRUUC is able to send three (3) delegates to GA this year. If you are a voting member of the congregation and are interested in serving as a delegate, please read on for information about this year’s format and ways to participate, then contact Rachel Avery to express your interest in serving as one of our delegates. See your weekly newsletter for more information.

Members can also attend GA virtually without being a delegate.

Click here for detailed information.

Folk Group – Saturdays in June – Next Meeting 6/20

The Folk Group meets Saturdays 10:30-noon, except for 6/13/26-no meeting.

The next service we’ll play music for will be on June 28, for Karen’s last service. We’ll perform Stephen Lee Rich’s “Goodbye, Dear Friend” and other songs TBD.

Also, the folk group will support Stephen’s music service on July 19 with songs and testimony about music in our lives. Everyone is welcome. Please join us any Saturday 10:30-noon! Check this week’s newsletter for more information.

Potluck for People, Peace & Planet – 6/20

Building Unity will conclude their Juneteenth activities with the Potluck for People, Peace & Planet on Saturday, June 20 at 6 p.m. at JRUUC. This monthly gathering helps us to find each other, share vital information, and explore the possibilities of united action. See our flyer for more information.

Community Potluck Meal Sundays After Service – 6/21

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.

Sweet Justice at First Unitarian Society – 6/26

First Unitarian Society of Madison (FUS) announces “Sweet Justice,” a fundraiser to support immigrant communities and families in Wisconsin. The event takes place Friday, June 26, from 6 to 8 p.m. FUS is located at 900 University Bay Drive. See their flyer for more information, and click here to register.

Rev. Karen’s Farewell-Thank You Reception on 6/28!

Rev. Karen’s last worship service with JRUUC will be on Sunday, June 28. After service there will be a reception where members and friends can say final goodbyes and well wishes, and share gratitudes and reflections on what Karen’s ministry with us has meant to them. We will have paper hearts for people to write their messages for Karen to take with her. In preparation for the reception, we will need people to purchase and/or make things and volunteer to set up and clean up the event. Sign up HERE to help out! Contact Virginia Harrison with questions.

Book Lovers Club – 7/6 (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.

  • Monday 6-July 6:30-8:00
  • Saturday 1-August 9:30-11:00
  • Monday 31-August 6:30-8:00
  • Saturday 3-October 9:30-11:00
  • 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 2026, based on feedback received, let’s plan to try an alternating Monday and Saturday schedule for the first week of the month (most of the time). We can check-in mid-year and see if the schedule is working. If it is working great! If it’s not working I’m open to suggestions.

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.

Open Mic Saturday – 7/11 (Monthly)

Please note that in July the Open Mic will switch to 7/11 so as not to conflict with 4th of July weekend events.

Reeb hosts a 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.

Quarterly-ish Potlucks

In case you are new or have not yet participated, this is the story: A Quarterly Potluck is a chance for Reeb folks to sit together for a meal and conversation with 5 to 8 friends you may or may not have already met. The magic computer randomly puts the groups together, and one of the group members will host the others in their home at a date convenient to the participants.

If you are already on our list for these events, you don’t need to sign up again. If you would like to start participating or just want more info, write to Jan Gordon.

Midwestern Unitarian Universalist Summer Assembly (MUUSA) 7/5-11

MUUSA is an intergenerational, week-long “camp” for Adults, Young Adults, Senior High School, Junior High School, Elementary and Early Childhood campers. MUUSA is a place for spiritual reflection, intellectual growth, and creative play within a caring and supportive community. MUUSA was started in Lake Geneva, WI in 1944, then moved to Potosi, MO for the last few decades. Now, it will be held annually at Ripon College. That’s less than a 90 minute drive from Madison!

At MUUSA, Adults enjoy a long list of workshops and excursions. Teens live separately from adults with their own counselors and their own programming based on their year in school. Our youngest children enjoy day-long activities and religious education and rejoin their families at the end of each day. Multigenerational activities include a social hour, open-mic “coffeehouse,” games, and spiritual meetings.

The 2026 camp will be July 5-11 with the theme of “Hearts Wide Open!” and the ministerial speaker will be Suzelle Lynch. For fees and other information, see muusa.org or speak with Jocie Luglio.

Interim Minister Rev. Denise Cawley Starts August 3rd!

Get all the details here!

Work Day: Thank You!

A message from Renee: Thank you to everyone who helped over three days 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.

Share the Plate Donation Totals: April and May 2026

JRUUC is committed to serving our community, so we give half of all Sunday offerings to local organizations whose work furthers our mission. In the months of April and May, we raised:

Monthly Laughter Yoga – On Haitus until September (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 September 8. Questions? Contact Virginia.

Reeb Rave – Annual Auction and Fundraiser – November 2026

Learn about our annual fundraiser and auction here. 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.

WUUSAN Monthly Newsletter

The Wisconsin UU State Action Network envisions UU congregations in Wisconsin in a collaborative relationship, sharing hopes and ambitions, embracing UU values, and working together to bring about the Beloved Community. WUUSAN’s newsletter is available here.

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.

Just Bakery at Reeb

Get your goodies after Sunday Services in the foyer and support a just cause. 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). Learn more about Just Bakery here. Watch your weekly newsletter for future dates.

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!

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

In Our Wider Communities…