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Sunday services often feature a Unitarian Universalist minister or ministers from
other faiths, but also lay speakers from the University, the community,
or the Fellowship itself. We invite members to participate in
furnishing ideas for speakers or discussions. The opportunity for
direct participation in the planning of services is one of the great
advantages of our congregation!
 To the right is the schedule of speakers for upcoming services --
the schedule is updated on this site regularly, but may be subject to
change. For more information, please call 512-396-2986. The Fellowship holds
services every Sunday morning at 11 a.m. at UCM
Wesley (formerly the
Campus Christian Community Center).
UCM Wesley is located at
604 N. Guadalupe St. in San Marcos, on the south side of the Texas
State University campus. Parking on Sundays is ample, in the large
parking lot at the "top" of Guadalupe St. (This lot is gated during the
week but open to all on Sundays.)
Miss a service or SMUUF event?
Many past sermons are available in either print or on our Sermon Podcasts page.
We also have a photo gallery on Picasa Web.
Click here
to enjoy, and if you have pictures to post, contact Jeff Rasco for
instructions or assistance. SMUUF Facebook Pages
– Take a Minute to “Friend” SMUUF! SMUUF has not one, but
two Facebook group pages. Search for “SMUUF” for our more “internal”
group page that Ben Harville recently set up and administers. Search
the full “San Marcos Unitarian Universalist Fellowship” for a more
outward facing presence, originally set up by Aaron and now
administered by Jeff Rasco and Joel Minor. If you’re on Facebook, join
both groups and tell your friends! If you’re not on Facebook, what are
you waiting for? Donate to SMUUF with GoodSearch and GoodShop! While you’re online, don’t forget that SMUUF can earn money every time you search or shop with GoodSearch and GoodShop. Here are instructions for setting it up.
Selected Announcements
Contact Jeannie Lewis to subscribe to complete SMUUF Weekly Announcements
Sunday Service, March 14, 11:00 a.m. at the UCM – We
proudly claim Lee as one of our own SMUUF members and he will address
us as a lay leader this Sunday. But he comes with great
credentials! He is actually Rev. Dr. Lee W. Rahe, Ph.D. and has a
Masters Degree in Divinity. Sometimes just for fun he uses the Germanic
title Herr Reverend Docktor Lee W. Rahe, PhD. Lee lived most of
his adult life in New Orleans and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He is now
retired, single, and living in New Braunfels, his native home.
His academic career was in humanities and human services: He has a BA
in Art History (UT Austin), an MA in Housing and Interior Design (UMo
Columbia), a PhD in Human Ecology (UT Knoxville) and studied
Anthropology, History, and Interior Design. He spent 18 years in
University teaching at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and
service work in historic preservation. His religious background
includes being raised in what is now ELCA (Lutheran --- high church
liturgy, liberal theology), many years in a spiritual but
anti-organized religion state, and joined MCC (Metropolitan Community
Church) in 1994; He served a Tuscaloosa Church from 1995 to 1997 and
the San Antonio Church from 1997 to 2001, and was ordained in MCC in
1999,. At the time, MCC was a Christian-centered religion that
embraced the input of other religious experiences.
First UU Principle – “We covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person.”
- The MLK / LBJ Crossroads Project.
Jeannie recently joined the local committee formed to permanently
transform the unique intersection where MLK Drive and LBJ Drive
meet. We want to erect a memorial to commemorate these two
extraordinary men whose joint efforts to legislate the Civil Rights Act
of 1964 changed our nation profoundly by prohibiting discrimination on
the basis of race, color, or national origin. We believe the
memorial will create an inspirational focus for citizens to contemplate
the contributions of these two dynamic leaders whose partnership
resulted in the enactment of some of the most significant civil rights
legislation in our nation’s history. Local organizations --- and
especially churches --- will be asked to participate by sending people
to the committee meetings and by assisting with fundraising
efforts. If you are interested in participating in the committee,
contact Jeannie. If the SMUUF Board approves, we will ask members
and friends to make a donation in the church’s name at a later time.
- Africa: From Bloodshed to Hope, March 9 and March 10, Jackson Auditorium, TLU, 1000 West Court Street, Seguin
– Lisa sends info about this program at TLU because she believes it
will be of interest to our UU members and friends and it will be a
great opportunity to hear from these renowned leaders. Follow
this link for more info: http://www.tlu.edu/africa_symposium
Southside Community Center Tour, Sunday, March 14, 1:45 p.m. – We
are tentatively scheduling this date to get a good look at Southside to
see if it is a possible new location for SMUUF to meet until our new
church is built. We will eventually lose our parking area at UCM
and are short on space for our children to meet there. Southside
has a large parking lot and two separate rooms available for children’s
classes. Let Dan Gibson or Jeannie Lewis know if you want to join
us in this tour.
Craddock Street SMUUF Property Lot Cleanup, Saturday, March 20, 9:00 a.m. – Dan
has tentatively scheduled this day for working to clear more brush from
our lot before the spring growth. Put this date on your
calendars. More info to come.
Adult Religious Education – From Lisa Cradit, RE Chair: A new Adult RE program, based on the book Being Liberal in an Illiberal Age by Jack Mendelssohn, will begin on March 21 at 9:30 am, before our regular service in the UCM. For a quick overview, see Being Liberal.
Tentative dates for the full series of discussions about the book are
March 21 and 28, April 18 and 25, May 16, 23 and 30. We have ordered 10
of the books; please let me know if you want one. (SMUUF is buying the
books but if you’d like to make a donation toward one, we won’t turn it
down. More on that later.)
Wanted – Let us know if you have any suggestions about these items wanted by SMUUF:
1. Suggestions for alternative meeting place
2. Younger Children’s RE Teacher - If you know of someone who might be
interested, please ask him/her to contact Lisa Cradit (lcradit@tlu.edu or 512-393-9054).
Four New Members Joined SMUUF – We
were thrilled to welcome Hylary Ahrendt, Sarah Wren, and the family of
Jeannene and Doug Herber and their sons Cameron and Clint into our
Fellowship recently. Extend your hand of fellowship to each of
them. Below is
a little about our new members:
Hylary Ahrendt:
My
name is Hylary Ahrendt and I am 19 years old. I am now a
sophomore at Texas State. I graduated from Fredericksburg High
School in Fredericksburg, TX, in June 2008 and left in August of that
year for a ten month stay in Germany. During my time in Europe, I
lived with a wonderful host family and attended a German “Gymnasium,”
which is a university preparatory school. I learned to speak the
language, met many beautiful people, and learned a lot about Life.
When
I first came to SMUUF (I love that name!) last fall, I was pretty
certain that I had found a “church home.” I grew up with no
certain religious path; I think my parents left the door open for my
brother and me to explore on our own. I am thankful for this. I
attended a Lutheran church in Fredericksburg for some time while in
high school, but I realized about ten months in that I was not getting
spiritually satisfied. After much discussion with my
parents and inward thought, I broke free from the church and began to
explore more open-based Spirituality. I believe that religion
provides a more distinct path for this beautiful thing that we all
crave. I think, too, that it’s ok to poke around and find your
own way.
I
am thankful, now, to have found you all. I recognize the beauty in this
wonderful congregation which I am a proud part of. I am excited for the
adventures ahead; I hope to grow, personally, and maybe inspire others
in doing so, as well!
Best wishes und Liebe Gruesse aus Butler Hall! Hylary
The Herbers:
We’ve
been living in San Marcos since 1995; Doug works in San Antonio for KLN
Steel products and manages their operations, Jeannene works from her
home office as a Historian. Clint is a senior this year and hopes to
attend the University of North Texas majoring in music next year. He is
currently in the San Marcos High school band. Cameron is a sophomore
this year, is also in the band and on the Speech and Debate team. They
are both Boy Scouts, Clint should finish his Eagle rank soon, and
Cameron is currently serving as Varsity Patrol leader.
Sarah Wren:
Having
attended the Lutheran Church since 1990, I chose to leave it because of
the "Truth Project." It is a movement whereby the churches submit
to hysterical dogma that represses independent thinking. It denies
evolution and oppresses women. I feel a peace and freedom in the
SMUUF that I never felt in the Lutheran Church, I think I'll like
it here. I am married, have two sons, five grandchildren and four
cats. I graduated from Texas State (formerly South West Texas State
University) in 1986 with a B. A. in Geography and Planning. I'm a
Master Gardener and love plants.
Ann Allen and Judy Telford’s Report on UUA Board Meeting in San Antonio - Ann
Allen and Judy Telford attended the UUA Board Meeting at the1st
UU Church in San Antonio on Saturday, January 16. This first-ever
Board Meeting outside of Boston was attended by, naturally --– Board
Members from all districts, clergy, and UU members. We
began with introductions and greetings and ended with a Mexican food
dinner with entertainment. In between, we participated in discussion
groups led by regional UU leaders. The topics we discussed
pertained to our home churches and were:
- In what activity (just one) have UU’s made a difference ? What did your church do that makes you proud?
- How did you feel about the event?
- How can district offices coordinate with and assist local congregations?
UU Service Committee Guest at Your Table Report – From
UUSC Representative Barbara Jacobson: Thank you to all who participated
in the Guest at Your Table program, whether through speaking about the
UUSC's work and/or donating your money. $717.13 was
collected from 27 donators and 18 of these are UUSC members.
Collection Last Sunday for Haiti Relief and Southside Community Center – From
our Treasurer, Jeff Rasco: “We dug deep last Sunday, and will be
sending $500 to the UUSA/UUA Haiti relief fund and another $140 to the
Southside Community Center for our January Split the Plate donation. If
you weren’t at Sunday’s service, donations to help relieve the horrific
devastation in Haiti can be sent to UUSC/UUA Haiti Earthquake Relief
Fund" and mail it to UUSC, P.O. Box 844001, Boston, MA 02284-4001, or
donate online at the UUSC website http://www.uusc.org.
Congratulations, SMUUF. I’m continually inspired by our giving spirit.”
(Note from Jeannie: Be sure to identify your donation as coming from
the San Marcos UU Fellowship in San Marcos, Texas.)
Chalice Lighters Thank You –
I was so pleased to receive a Thank You card in the mail this week from
the SWUUC Chalice Lighters Program. Even better was an enclosed
statement of personal giving over the last year. I hope that all
of you who have donated to the Chalice Lighters Program this year have
received the same. If not, let me know and I’ll check on it for
you. Sharon Drobeck is busy working on an application for a
Chalice Lighters Grant for SMUUF. More details to come!
Interested in Joining SMUUF? – See Jan Burks, our Membership Chair, or the Lay Leader for any Sunday if you are interested in joining SMUUF.
SMUUF Sign Installed on Craddock Street Property – Have
you driven by our church property on Craddock Street lately? If
so, you may have noticed our new Future Home of SMUUF sign. Check
it out! Many thanks to all those who worked to make this a
reality! The whole Board was involved in the decision-making but
the sub-committee of Jon, Jeff, and Ann did most of the work with Ann’s
son Pony contributing the design.
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Please join us
Upcoming Services and Events
(Services Begin at 11:00 am)
Lay Leader - varies
Music Director - Barbara Jacobsen
Song Leader - Ken Burks
Religious Education
School-aged
Teacher - Christina Adams
Pre-School Teacher - Currently Vacant - know anyone? Contact Lisa Cradit
March 14, 2010 11 a.m. @ UCM Wesley
Rev. Dr. Lee Rahe 
Framing a Path to UU
This
talk shares questions and decisions used in the framing of my personal
belief system. To my comfort, I discovered it compatible with UU
principles, especially the affirmations of the inherent worth and
dignity of every person and a free and reasonable search for truth and
meaning. The definitions and illustrations used are meaningful in
the formulative journey on my spiritual path. While these are
elements of a developing personal spiritual creed, it is a work in
progress and it is not intended as a manifesto for those gathered
here. Hopefully, these explorations in the spirit of a free
pulpit will be of interest and even possibly help to others with
similar questions and struggles in their spiritual lives.
Schedule of Upcoming Speakers Mar. 21 Mike Miller
Mar. 28 Christian Schmidt
Apr. 4 Rev. Karl Brown
Apr. 11 Brian Ferguson
Apr. 18 Mary K. Isaacs
Apr. 25 TBD
May 2 Brian Ferguson
May 9 Rev. Karl Brown
May 16 Mike Miller
May 23 Mary K. Isaacs
May 30 Christian Schmidt
June 6 Mark Skrabacz
June 13 TBD
June 20 Rev. Karl Brown
SMUUF Services
We meet every Sunday, at 11:00 a.m. at the UCM Wesley
building (formerly CCC):
604 N. Guadalupe St.
San Marcos, Texas 78666
512-396-2986
email with any questions
Child care and children's religious education are provided.
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