Community Happenings

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 (intermittent over summer – 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 – No meeting August 1st this month

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 adventures over the summer, 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.

Care-Nival – Benefit for Voces de la Frontera Saturday 8/15 @ FUS

From FUS: First Unitarian Society of Madison and Community Partners invite you to join us for our summer Care-nival on Saturday August, 15 from 10am-2pm! We are fundraising for Voces de la Frontera with an inclusive and expansive celebration of our community’s Indigenous and Immigrant history with family friendly activities, food, and opportunities for learning and connection. Tickets will be available for $15/ person & $40/family (suggested donation with any amount gratefully received and all welcome regardless of ability to contribute) which will include a lunch buffet, activities, and entertainment with all proceeds given to Voces de la Frontera.

Voces de la Frontera is a community organization led by low-wage workers, immigrants and youth whose mission is to protect and expand civil rights and workers’ rights through leadership development, community organizing and empowerment. Voces has been a leader in both the Madison community and across Wisconsin in protecting immigrant rights and supporting families impacted by detainment or deportation through the provision of legal aid, mutual aid, know your rights training and information, and defending against the inhumane actions of ICE to protect our neighbors.

By supporting Voces de la Frontera we are making sure they have the resources to continue to protect our neighbors, keep families together, and build a better future for all of us. Thank you for your support and willingness to stand up for our immigrant neighbors. We are stronger, safer, and more joyful together. Please contact Karen Urrutia Polnitz with any questions or for further information.

Buy Tickets and get more information here

Slow Pitch Softball for All Ages – Friday 8/15 5:30-7

Join Jocie and Benny Luglio on Fridays for some free softball fun. Bring water and a softball/baseball glove and any other equipment you’d like to use. Respect everyone, no bullying. All skill levels welcome.

Fridays in July and August from 5:30-7pm!

EMLL (Little League Fields) address:  1010 North Street in Madison 53704 (Eken park backup location)

Peace, Jocie Luglio

Music Club Upcoming Meet-Up Outings

  • Please join members of the folk group to watch Reeb’s own talented Tom Wernigg perform at Cargo Coffee East on Saturday, August 15 at 6:30 p.m.
  • Brandi Carlile will be playing at Breese Stevens Field on August 24, 6pm. She has written may amazing songs, including as part of The Highwomen, who wrote “Crowded Table,” which the choir and folk group sang on Sunday.
  • The Orton Park Festival weekend in August 28-30
  • Alabama Shakes will be playing at Breese Stebens Field on August 30, 6:30pm. 
  • The Blue Moon Marquee will be playing at the North Street Cabaret on August 30, 7pm

Reeb Booth at Magic Pride Festival Needs Volunteers – Sunday, 8/16

Reeb will have a booth at the Magic Pride Festival on Sunday, August 16, and we need volunteers!   Festival hours are 1pm to 6pm and we need at least 2 volunteers for each slot.  Sign up online here or on the paper sign-up sheet that will be in the lobby on 8/9.

Contact Elaine Pridgen if you have any questions. 

Community Meal 8/16 After Service

Our August community meal will be on Sunday August 16 after worship. Come feed your stomach and your spirits! If you can, please bring a dish to share.

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.

Folk Group – 8/22, 8/29

Folk Group – 8/22, 8/29 (No Meeting on Saturday 8/15)

The Folk Group and Choir had a great time bringing their talents together to welcome Rev. Denise in her first Reeb service on Sunday! Thanks to all who sang and played. The next folk performance will be on Labor Day, September 9. We will support Doug Way, who will lead most of the songs. Stay tuned for the song lineup! We will meet to practice and have some time to just have fun singing on August 22 and 29, and September 5 from 10:30 – noon. Please join us, everyone is welcome!

We usually will have rehearsals at 10:30 – noon 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.

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.

Building Unity Potluck for People, Peace & Planet – 8/22 (Monthly – 3rd Saturday) 6:00pm

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 Saturdayhave one).

Join the “Anybody Choir” 8/23 for the Combined UU Service at FUS & Potluck!

From Rachel Avery: I wanted to share that everyone is invited to be part of the Anybody choir for the collaborative UU service of all 3 UU congregations on August 23. Here are the details!  Join in singing with other UUs. Drew Collins, the music director at FUS, will be leading us. No preparation needed except coming early to practice the morning of August 23. There will not be any service at Reeb on August 23 (although we may still have our online coffee hour after the service).

August 23 – Atrium Auditorium (the “new” part of First Unitarian Society, on the left side when you park)

  • 8:20 am: Arrive, get music, find a seat
  • 8:30 am: Rehearse
  • 10 am: Sing in worship service
  • 11 am: Turn in music, get coffee, done!

Also, note that afterwards there is a potluck:

The potluck meal will be inside the Gaebler Living Room and outside the nearby Landmark Lawn after the service – please bring a dish to share, and your own beverage, plate and utensils.

Not interested in singing but want to learn more about First Unitarian Society’s historic building?  Before the service, you can join the Friends of the Meeting House, who are offering a tour at 8:45 AM, beginning in the Landmark Lobby (the historic side of the building).

Can’t come in person? Streaming will be here (this will be available after the service as well):

https://www.youtube.com/@fusmadison/streams

A note about parking:

If you’re able-bodied, please consider coming a bit earlier and utilizing street parking or one of the additional parking lots available to us on Sunday mornings. By doing so, you’ll allow the FUS lot to remain accessible to those with mobility issues. There is a staircase from Marshall Court directly to the FUS parking lot between the University Bay Office Building (800 University Bay Drive) and the Ronald McDonald House playground. More information, including a map, can be found on our website: Parking at FUS

Book Lovers Club – 8/31 (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 31-August 6:30-8:00 – Hidden Gems: A book you love that not many people know about.
  • 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.

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.

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

Monthly Laughter Yoga – On Haitus until 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.

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.

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.

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.

General Assembly 2026 – Voting Results

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. This year’s meeting was June 14-21st.

Click here for results of votes on Resoltions and Actions of Witness on current issues

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

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.

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.

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!

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:

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.

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

In Our Wider Communities…