​Circle your calendar and bring your friends—because our next Wonderful Wednesday on October 15 is going to be picture-perfect!

The theme is “Picture This!” and you’ll have the chance to get a free professional photo (just in time for holiday cards!). Plus, the evening will offer something for everyone: tai chi, choir rehearsal, or games for both kids and grown-ups (with a picture theme).

At the heart of Wonderful Wednesdays is our vision: To be a loving community, uniting reason with spiritual exploration, to transform ourselves and the world.
But that’s not all— this fall is packed with more Wednesday magic:

November: Turn up the heat with cooking classes for kids and adults, keep the conversation flowing with Starting Point Part Two, and lift our voices in Rise Up Singing.

December: We will kick it off with a cozy SoUUper Supper, then gather ‘round the christmas tree for carol singing—and don’t forget to bring your competitive spirit for the dreidel playoffs!

Come for the food, the fun, the music, and the joy of being together.

Location: 6300 A Street, Lincoln, NE 

General Timeline for the evening:
 
5:30-6:00 PM Brown bag dinner (or pizza by the slice) OPTIONAL
6:00-6:30 PM Gather together for a welcome and chalice lighting
6:30-8:00 PM Programming: singing, crafts, movies, games, events, workshops, etc.

To celebrate national SUN Day the Unitarian Church of Lincoln will host an open house and a showing of ‘Here Comes the Sun’, September 21, 2:30 – 5:00 pm, 6300 ‘A’ Street.  All are invited to both parts of this event. 
Beginning at 2:30, the church will be open and congregants will share information with visitors on the church’s experience of money saved and greenhouse gas emissions reduced with solar panels, geothermal heating, and energy efficiency.
The showing of ‘Here Comes the Sun’, an interview of Bill McKibben by Chris Hayes, will begin at 3:30. It covers the rise of renewable energy and the transformative potential of a zero-emission future – ‘the most important good story right now.’ A short discussion will follow.
Make your own Sun Day sun design here: https://www.sunday.earth/welcome/instructions​

Handmade Harvest
2025 is a UCL fund- and
friend-raising maker's fair
on Friday, November 7,
from 5:30 - 8:30 PM, and
Saturday, November 8,
from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
at 6300 A Street.
Friday evening has a wine bar and live music. Raffle
tickets for items donated by the vendors are $5.00
per ticket or three tickets for $10. Raffle tickets are
available at the event. The raffle drawing will be at
5:30 PM on November 8. You don't need to be
present to win. UCL will have a table of handmade
items and tasty treats for sale.
Vendor booth space is still available. Contact Judy
Hart [email protected] for more information.
The UCL Handmade Harvest planning team
includes Karen Heafer, Melanie Reinmiller, LaVonne
Hanlon, and Barbara Pearson. Any of these folks
can answer your questions or guide you to
someone who can. Get your Christmas shopping
finished before Thanksgiving

Wednesday, September 17 from 5:30 to 8:00 PM at The Unitarian Church of Lincoln 6300 A Street, Lincoln Nebraska, we are holding a PARKING LOT PARTY - a festive outdoor celebration that will have something for everyone!
Food & Treats: World Plates Food Truck will be serving up global flavors-both vegetarian and non-vegetarian--while Lil D's Brownies tempts us with decadent desserts.
Fun & Games: Outdoor games for all) ages, balloon animals, and face paintingwill keepp the laughter going.
Live Music: The A Street Band and SkyLark will both play a set or two and keep the energy high with toe-tapping tunes.
Giving Back: Bring pantry staples and help us "Stuff the Truck" for the Little Free Pantries across Lincoln. Let's see how much we can collect together!
Introvert Café (Indoors): Need a breather from the buzz? Step inside for quiet recharge. Enjoy puzzles, word games, or solo-stations with noise-cancelling headphones and a book. A space where minimal interaction is perfectly okay.
At the heart of Wonderful Wednesdays is our shared aspiration: To be a loving community uniting reason with spiritual exploration to transform ourselves and the world.
Whether you're drawn by the music, the food, the laughter, or simply the spirit of community, this is your chance to plug in midweek and remember how much joy we create when we come together.
Wonderful Wednesdays will gather on the third Wednesday of each month through May 2026 for evenings full of connection, creativity, and community spirit.
Contact the church office if you have any questions! admin€unitarianlincoln.org

​

At the 2024 Winter Congregation Meeting on Sunday, December 8 at 11:30AM, members will vote whether to approve the 2024 Spring Congregational Meeting minutes, vote on Nominations Committee candidates and the proposed 2025 Operating Budget. 

All supporting documents are linked on the GOVERNANCE page of this website.

History of the Mitten Tree & Stranger Share our Fire

Researched and written by Erica Birky Rios, she/her/hers
​

The Mitten Tree Sunday tradition of decorating a tree with winter clothing and distributing them to people in need is a long one. During Peter Raible’s ministry, Superintendent of the Church School, Elizabeth Cameron, described a similar giving tradition in the Dec. 11, 1959 edition of the church newsletter. She wrote, “The Church School children are going to help James Cox, Director of Malone Community Center, make Christmas a little brighter for some of the children he knows who won’t have much. We all know Mr. Cox because he is a teacher in our Church School. The children have each been asked to bring a present for a child their own age and sex. It need not be wrapped. It should be something new.” 


Pat Stephens, wife of Rev. Dr Charles S. Stephen Jr. (who served in Lincoln from 1961 to 1996) reported via her daughter Deb, that the Mitten Tree practice began as a relief effort for Europe in WWII, which then evolved into local relief. The December 20, 1968 newsletter describes a familiar practice, “For many years on Christmas Sunday we have asked our children to help decorate the Christmas tree in front of the church auditorium. The decorations are warm clothes, not necessarily new and not wrapped. We need socks and mittens (hence the name, Mitten Tree) scarves, sweaters and caps. All the children from Preschool - 1 through Junior High will come into the church for the opening service and will participate in the giving of gifts. The clothing will be taken by Marilyn and Roger Welsch when they attend the Omaha Indian Christmas Hand Games that evening.”  


Kathy Disney documented how the “Stranger Share our Fire” tradition came about in the February 2021 Beacon, sharing the words of our minister emeritus, Rev. Fritz Hudson, “When I came in 1998, the established tradition for the Sunday before Christmas was that it be an "intergenerational service,” organized by the Religious Education Director and that it include a "Mitten Tree" inviting members to decorate the tree with winter clothing to be donated to Lancaster County Community Action. Between 1998 and 2002, Religious Education Directors, Beryl Aschenberg, Kim Beyer-Nelson, and I collaborated to create services maintaining these traditions. Kim partnered with Music Director Sheila Brown to offer a two or three year run of evening Winter Solstice services organized around different themes emphasizing seasonal music and story-telling. The 2002 Winter Solstice evening service was organized around the theme "Stranger Share Our Fire."


Kathy went on to write, “The following year, with Winter Solstice falling on a Sunday, Kim, Sheila, and I collaborated to import the “Stranger Share Our Fire” theme into the pre-Christmas Sunday Intergenerational Service, and broadened the gift-giving ritual to include the UUSC Guest at Your Table, and two additional community agencies with whom the congregation had established relationships: Eastridge Food Pantry & Fresh Start Home.”


As we continue to celebrate our interconnectedness and draw upon some of the world’s great rituals of Winter Solstice, Christmas, and Hanukkah, we invite members and friends to join in this giving tradition to lift up our fellow community members on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024.

Read on page one of the December newsletter The Beacon about the gifts we will gather and offer to local organizations this holiday season.

DECEMBER SPECIAL SERVICES
*************

SOLSTICE SERVICE
Thursday, December 19 at 7:00 PM
The A Street Band celebrates the winter solstice with a holiday-packed service full of great music. 
************** 
​
STRANGER SHARE OUR FIRE
Sunday, December 22 at 10:00 AM
In person and livestream
We gather gifts for our partners in the community and manifest the interconnected web of which we are a part.

Please consider bringing
one or more items:
* Packaged foods for Eastridge Food Pantry and Little Free Pantries
* Warm winter items for CenterPointe and Community Action Program
* Toys and Gift Cards for Voices of Hope
*Cash (or check) donations for ECHO Collective
**************
CHRISTMAS EVE
Sunday, December 24 at 5:30 PM
In person and livestream
Join us for this annual all-ages candlelight service.

Check out the December BEACON Newsletter for more details.
Livestream links will be in the Friday all church eblasts.
If you are not signed up to receive the eblasts, use the "SUBSCRIBE TO MAILING LIST" button in the footer of this website.

Calling all Unitarian Church of Lincoln (UCL) art makers - December is the month for another ALL CHURCH ART SHOW - all means - all kids, families, individuals, quilters, painters, drawers, photographers, needle-pointers, paper folders, crafters - makers of art!

You don't have to be an expert to share your work at UCL during December. The deadline for submissions is Nov. 15.  You can submit work through the Google form or find Judy Hart and let her know that you have work to share.  

Oct 20 - Oct 27 Collecting in the barrel outside the church office!

The Social Justice Committee is partnering with Lincoln Hygiene Network to collect essential hygiene products which are distributed to individuals facing hygiene insecurity through schools and nonprofit organizations. See the October Beacon for more information. 
 
Suggested donations: High need items: Deodorant, shampoo and conditioner for all hair types. Other: toothpaste and toothbrushes, lotion, shaving cream and razors, tampons and maxi pads, urinary incontinence pads, bar soap, liquid hand soap, laundry detergent, washcloths, dish soap.
 
Put your donations in the barrel in the entrance hall outside the church office from Sunday, October 20 till Sunday, October 27. A Social Justice committee member will be in the gallery with the barrel on Sundays.

You can also contribute cash or checks or contribute electronically by TEXT GIVING or through your Realm account: Giving—Social justice initiative. For details of all of these options: DONATE

Handmade Harvest 2024 is a fund- and friend- raising event at UCL on Friday, Nov. 8 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM and Saturday, Nov. 9 from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM.  This is a great opportunity to shop for the holidays and support our local artists and craftspeople.

The vendors pay to participate in the event, and the money goes to the church. Food is available both days: Friday evening - charcuterie and Saturday - youth and family friendly lunch. Each vendor is donating an item for the raffle drawing, so it is going to be AMAZING! There will be an event page on Facebook that you can share with friends and family. Another way to share with others is to give them the link to the newsletter: www.unitarianlincoln.org/newsletter

Meghan Stratman's work is featured below. Contact Judy Hart - [email protected]