Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Macomb

03/28/2026

Our speaker this Sunday is Wendy Pearlman. Dr. Pearlman is the Jane Long Professor of Arts and Sciences and professor of political science at Northwestern University, and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal Perspectives on Politics. A scholar of Middle East politics, social movements, conflict processes, and forced migration, she is the author of six books and more than 40 journal articles or book chapters.

Please note that instead of speaking on Israel and Palestine as had been scheduled, Wendy was willing to speak directly about an even more pressing issue, another war in the Middle East. The new title of the presentation this Sunday is, "Wars in the Middle East. How We Got Here."

02/28/2026

Sydney Null is our speaker this Sunday. The title of her talk is "Growing Vegetables: My One Wild and Precious Life Plan". This talk fits nicely with the theme that has emerged the last couple of weeks as we consider the vast landscape that surrounds us here in the corn belt and the people that make, or try to make a living from/on/with it. Sydney Null and her husband, Grant Rogers, served in the Peace Corps in Zambia and have been growing vegetables on family land outside Blandinsville since 2015.

Our adult education series, on "What is Unitarian Universalism?" continues this week, and runs from 9:30a to 10:15a before service. Molly Selders leads this week's discussion that focuses on religious education and social justice. You are invited to read the chapters titled: Our Religious Education and Our Religious Education in the UU Pocket Guide, but please join us whether or not you've read the chapters.

Kids Religious Education: We are adding a 2nd teacher this week! We've had enough kids and enough diversity of ages that the board felt that we needed to add a 2nd teacher to work with the little ones.

Dates next week:
March 6th First Friday starting at 6p. Currently, the plan is to make this a board and card game night, but we're open to suggestions.

Next Sunday: Amber Clark, Homelessness Here in Macomb. Note the change from what is on the schedule. Amber was scheduled to speak to us two Sundays ago but fell ill and had to cancel.

Adult RE starts at 9:30a and service at 10:30a. See you tomorrow at the Macomb UU.

02/21/2026

Loka Ashwood (photo)is our speaker this Sunday (tomorrow). The title of her talk is: The Power of Global Agribusiness and the Repercussions for Rural Democracy. Loka Ashwood grew up on a farm near Vermont, Illinois which is located just outside of McDonough County. She was a 2024 recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship, sometimes referred to as the MacArthur "Genius" Grant. Loka is recognized for her work shedding light on rural identity and culture and on the ecological, economic, and social challenges facing many rural communities.

Adult Education Series: What is Unitarian Universalism? - We begin a 3-part, adult education series this Sunday. These run the next three Sundays before service from 9:30a to 10:15a. The title of the discussion this Sunday is: UUs and the “G word”: The Complicated History of God in Unitarian, Universalist, and UU Traditions. Betsy Perabo is leading the discussion this Sunday.

From Betsy: “Do you believe in God?” is not a question UUs ask one another very often. Historically, Unitarians and Universalists – the ancestors of UUs – had views of God that were seen as unorthodox or even heretical by other Christian denominations. God’s nature, God’s relationship to humans, and the possibility of human salvation were all up for debate. And today, incorporating ideas of God or language about God into UU services, or even into conversations among UUs, can be tricky. Some UUs reject any concept of a divine being. Others embrace God in some form or by some name. In this session we’ll discuss some of the many approaches to God UUs have taken in the past and also talk about the range of our own views within this congregation.

Optional Reading: No reading is required for this series; everyone will be able to participate fully in these conversations without any advance preparation. However, The Unitarian Universalist Pocket Guide has two chapters that might be of interest, on Theology and Roots (which covers the history of the tradition). I would recommend starting with the “Roots” chapter. The UUA website also has discussions of a range of UU perspectives; this one is a good starting point: https://www.uua.org/beliefs/what-we-believe/higher-power/views.

02/13/2026

Homelessness is a problem in any town of just about any size and Macomb is no exception. Many of us have become familiar with several individuals who regularly appear along certain streets or seem to spend the day in certain parks here. But there are many, many more unhoused people that we don't see. They may be living in their cars or couch surfing among the homes of friends and acquaintances or living in one of Macomb's abandoned houses.

The nonprofit, Samaritan Well, is the organization that most directly addresses this problem in Macomb and Amber Clark, the executive director of Samaritan Well, is our speaker this week.

According to their website, "Samaritan Well provides a temporary, supportive, structured, and safe environment with case management services to individuals and families as they seek solutions to meet their needs which include employment, housing, educational and vocational supports, and engagement in community."

We're looking forward to hosting Amber Clark at the Macomb UU this Sunday. Service starts at 10:30a.

Announcement: This Sunday The Arthouse Folk School is hosting a Screen Free Sunday event, Board Games and Puzzles, from 1-4p. Here is a link to the Arthouse Folk School calendar if you'd like to learn more.

Have a great weekend!

02/08/2026

Peter Cole is our speaker this morning. The title of his presentation is, To Remember or Forget. How Societies Choose to Remember Historical Atrocities....or Not.

Dr. Peter Cole is a historian with teaching and research interests in the history of the United States and South Africa, along with a commitment to public art + history. Peter is also the founder and co-director of the CRR 19 Project.
Service starts at 10:30a at 300 Wigwam Hollow Rd in Macomb.

The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project commemorates the 38 victims of the riot through public art markers installed in Chicago.

01/31/2026

The title of the program this Sunday is The Indigenous Kogi and “The Heart of The World”. I’m going to be drawing on a four day, guided, hiking trip that we made three weeks ago into the Sierra Nevada and into the Kogi Reservation/Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Biosphere Reserve and through Kogi villages and homesteads to the remains of an ancient archaeological site called “La Ciudad Perdida” or The Lost City.

Ciudad Perdida is a set of ruins that is 650 years older than Machu Picchu but was only recently “discovered” in the 1970s. The people that lived there were called the Tairona and some of the descendants (such as the Kogi) of the Tairona people have continued to live a traditional lifestyle since the destruction of the Tairona culture after European contact in the late 1500s. Before the trip, I was interested in exploring how the Kogi people have kept their culture together and have still managed to keep their culture and traditions alive, when that has been nearly impossible for other native peoples in our country and the world over. I’m still unpacking and sorting through my notes, thoughts and a ton of information as I prepare for a 20 minute presentation on Sunday that could easily be a semester-long seminar.

Attached is a link to a 15 minute documentary on the Kogi. The spiritual leader that is featured is the Kogi spiritual leader, Mamo Rumaldo, who we met in person and who had a message for our town and our people. Hope to see you at the Macomb UU tomorrow at 10:30a!

WATCH OUR MESSAGE! ACT NOW! SHARE IT!We are dedicated to planting trees that tell stories, and we are really happy to share this special work with you! T...

01/25/2026

Join us virtually today, Sunday, Jan 25 at 8pm ET for a National Faith Call to Action.

Register here: https://bit.ly/4acvVYe

The UUA is cosponsoring the National Faith Call to Action with Faith in Action, Gamaliel, United Church of Christ, NETWORK, Kairos Center, Latino Christian National Network , and others.

Following the tragic killing of Alex Pretti in Minnesota by ICE, people of faith across the country are coming together to lament, pray, and take action.

01/25/2026

This Sunday, January 25, Krista Bowers-Sharpe will continue our “Macomb UU Founders Series" with a focus on The Abbotts, at 10:30 a.m. It will be a chilly morning, but it looks like the snow will be light, so unless there is a major shift overnight we will plan to meet! Please join us.

01/24/2026

"A Prayer for Minneapolis" from the UUA president, 1/24/26: "We come with a spirit of gratitude, hearts broken open wide..... help us to stay connected to one another as grief and rage, exhaustion and despair, make their way through us and through our communities."

We will sing together until our songs are songs of victory, and our children know themselves to be safe and whole.

01/23/2026

Developing story: Follow UU World’s live updates, including dispatches from Minneapolis.

01/11/2026

Spring schedule/ 300 Wigwam Hollow/ Sundays at 10:30am

12/14/2025

We WILL be having service as planned this morning starting at 10:30a. The building and grounds crew have everything open, in spite of the snow and bitter cold. We will have hot coffee, hot chocolate and tea available at service.

The treatment of immigrants is deeply tied to our UU seven principles, and especially #1, #2, and #6.

#1 The inherent worth and dignity of every person
#2 Justice, equity and compassion in human relations
#6 The goal of world community, with peace, liberty, and justice for all.

This Sunday, Rosa Chavez is our featured speaker. She immigrated to Beardstown from Mexico in her early teens. Her immigration story is remarkable and one worth hearing. She will also be able to speak to her community's preparation in the face of recent federal action against immigrant communities.

Come join us at 10:30a!