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 Newsletter
• “In the Interim…What’s Next?”
• UUA National News

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, The Sacred Breath Choir has begun practicing for Winter Solstice! All are welcome, no auditions, and you can sing in the section that best suits your vocal range.
• Saturdays 10:30-12:00 – Folk Music Gathering in person – check newsletter, or see below

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

11/14 10:30-noon Folk Group

The music for the Dolly service performed by the Choir and Folk Group was widely appreciated – and it was fun to perform, to boot! We’ll meet November 7 and 14. Please come on 11/7 to help select a song or two for the folks to perform at Reeb Rave! Everyone who saw the singing and playing on Sunday and thought, “that looks fun,” well, it is, so join us – everyone is welcome!

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.

November 14, 2026 – Reeb Rave – Our Annual Auction, Dinner and Fundraiser

Bidding starts Sunday November 8th!

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.

Click here for the auction item Donation Form here.

Click here for the Volunteer sign-up sheet.

Click here for the official auction website and catalog on Auctria.com and Register for Dinner

Learn about this event here.

Have ideas or want to help with organizing or decorating?

Let Tom & Bret know here.

11/18 7:30-9:00pm – Online JRUUC Covenant Group Begins

JRUUC’s 2026-27 Covenant Group will meet on Zoom the third Wednesday of each month, November through June, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. Contact Sarah Cook before November 18 (first meeting) with questions or to sign up.

A Covenant Group is a small group that meets monthly to reflect, share, listen, and deepen relationships for mutual support. The group creates a covenant to protect confidentiality and trust. Each agenda follows the monthly theme that also weaves through Sunday services. November’s theme is “Healing.”

Covenant Groups are part of the Adult Religious Exploration Program at JRUUC. Groups are randomly created at the start of each church year, based on the availability of people interested, and they meet monthly. They are closed groups, for confidentiality and community-building, and are made up of 6 to 10 people plus a facilitator. They have several purposes: to build relationships through the practice of deep listening, and to practice shared ministry with each other and our congregation as a whole.

Learn more about Covenant Groups here.

11/21 6pm Building Unity Potluck for People, Peace & Planet – (Monthly – 3rd Saturday)

The next Potluck for People, Peace, & Planet is on Saturday, November 21, at 6 p.m., For more information, contact Tim Cordon.

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

11/26 3-7pm – Thanksgiving Potluck at Reeb

You are invited to the Thanksgiving Potluck at JRUUC on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, from 3 to 7 p.m. Bring a dish to pass! No alcohol please. Please bring a list of ingredients for the allergy prone among us. Bring a game! Bring a friend! Bring yourself!

Hosted by Ingrid Frances Stark and Stephen Lee Rich. Help setting up tables and cleaning up afterwards will be appreciated. We will start setting up at around 2:30 p.m.

No Meal After Sunday Service in November

We won’t be gathering on the 3rd Sunday in November since the Reeb Rave is Saturday, November 14th and already includes a shared meal. Eating together is one way we build community!  We usually gather one Sunday after the service (usually on the third Sunday) to share a meal.

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.

12/5 9:30-11:00 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.

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.

12/5 6-8pm Saturday Open Mic at Reeb – (Monthly)

The next open mic will be on Saturday, December 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. Share your prose, poetry, songs, and jokes, and be entertained by the local talent! 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 or second 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.

12/5 1-4pm Matinee & Musings – Home Alone

Matinee & Musings – everyone welcome!: Join us for a new monthly event created and planned by two of our youth – Benny and Lottie! On the first Saturday of the month, we will watch a movie together, then discuss what we just watched through
a chosen theme. People of all ages are welcome. We hope this can be a multigenerational discussion!

Saturday December 5 from 1-4 pm in the sanctuary, we will watch Home Alone and discuss it through the theme “first impressions.” This movie is rated PG.

12/6 11:30-2 – Pastoral Listening Training & JRUUC Care Teams Invitation

Life will always have its ups and downs. In difficult times, wouldn’t it be ideal if EVERYONE had tools to help one another navigate challenges? To that end, pastoral listening is essential. It creates containers for care while also offering boundaries. 

For those of you on the branches of our caring teams, we are asking folks to renew their commitments for specific help on a short-term basis. Whenever someone is asking for meals, rides, card writing, errands, visits, household help it often is a time of stress. We imagine that all the care team members as well as the whole JRUUC community could benefit from learning more. These skills are helpful in any family or work situation. We are offering training to learn pastoral skills. ALL JRUUC FOLKS ARE WELCOME – no need to be a current Care Team member to attend. 

Pastoral listening principles include: Spiritual Presence; Caring, Not Curing; Nonjudgmental Presence; and Practice Active Listening.

Pastoral listening training will be at JRUUC on Sunday, December 6, 2026:

• 11:30 a.m. – Lunch
• Noon – Training
• 1:45 p.m. – Wrap Up and Clean Up
• 2:00 p.m. – Conclude

Registration is limited. Click here to sign up so we can prepare for lunch and training materials. 

RevD will make vegetarian soup for lunch and you can bring sides (salads, bread, dessert). 

This training will be in person. If there is enough interest, we will offer another session online. It may or may not include the same tools. Questions? Ask RevD.

12/7 6:30pm Monday – Laughter Yoga (Monthly)

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.

EASY FUN Volunteer Opportunity

Calling all builders, crafters, and time travelers! Our no-rehearsal holiday pageant on December 20 needs a TARDIS. Do you have a big cardboard box, a blue sheet, or a knack for making signs? We also need help gathering props. No experience needed, just a willingness to be bigger on the inside. Contact Rev. Denise to volunteer! We also need help gathering a few props for the day. Let Rev. Denise know if you can help with the “Bigger on the Inside: A Time-Traveling Pageant of Solstice, Hanukkah & Christmas” that will debut on Sunday, December 20, 2026 – note this is a NO Rehearsal Pageant – so tell your friends to attend. [Image from Wikimedia Commons]

Please Update Your Annual Vaccines

Most Unitarian Universalists are strong believers in science, medicine, and epidemiology. Even if we fear needles, most of us overcame fears to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible (if we were able to). Likewise, we want to keep one another safer by getting all flu, COVID and other vaccines we need. Unitarian Universalists have a strong theology of interdependence and commitment to the common good. If you are able to update your vaccinations, please do so for the good
of our whole community. Public Health Madison & Dane County has resources.

Share Your Flower Power!

Your Worship Team is offering you the opportunity to donate flowers, or longer-lasting seasonal arrangements, or to share green plants on a temporary basis, to add to the beauty of our Sunday services. If desired, you may dedicate these in honor of a special occasion, or in someone’s memory. Flowers may be purchased bouquets or picked from your own garden. All sizes are welcome, and anyone can donate.

Here is a signup sheet where you can let us know when you plan to bring them, and any dedication information. If you indicate a dedication, we’ll announce that during the service. Please arrive a little early for the service and give the flowers to the Worship Associate when you arrive. We have some vases, but you are welcome to bring your own and take it home after the service.

If you have questions, please contact Deb Myrbo or Rev. Denise.

Thank you!

Singing Resistance Madison

JRUUC hosted Singing Resistance Madison on Wednesday, October 21, for their October monthly meeting. Newcomers arrive at 6 p.m., and everyone else comes at 6:30 p.m. Check the newsletter for November’s meeting information.

Singing Resistance has some new songs we’ll be singing related to election protection, and there will be information about upcoming actions. Follow Singing Resistance Madison on Instagram.

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!

News from WUUSAN

Here is the latest newsletter from WUUSAN (Wisconsin Unitarian Universalist State Action Network). Join WUUSAN for We Are Builders, a 90-minute online workshop on Tuesday, November 10, from 6:30–8:00 PM CT.

Read the blog for more details and registration:

https://www.wuusan.org/we-are-builders-new-workshop-offered/

Here is the WUUSAN blog which posts frequently about actions you can take.

Sacred Breath Choir and Other Music at Reeb

The Sacred Breath Choir practices have resumed!  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.

Just Bakery – Every Other Month After Sunday Service

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. Their last visit was 9/13/26.

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 Donation Totals for August

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 month of August, we raised:

• $190.17 for United Way of NE Minnesota for Ely Wildfire Recovery
• $262.82 for Outreach LGBTQ+ Community Center

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!

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.

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, 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. We’d love to 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

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.

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…

• What’s Happening in Unitarian Universalism – Nationwide News
• Wisconsin UU Social Action Network (WUUSAN) – Working to coordinate efforts for social justice throughout the state all year long, including the “UU the Vote” effort.
• WUUSAN’s newsletter is available here.
• Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice’s calendar – work with folks outside of our congregation to help make change here and now.

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?