March 2026 UUFA News

UUFA News for March 2026

Hope Is Risen

Hallelujah!
As the spring sun coaxes lilies and bluebonnets from the soil,
Let us celebrate that even after murderous betrayal,
After days and nights suspended in torture,
When all the world has gone dark and we cried out,
“Why have You forsaken me?”—even then,
there is a sunrise.
Even then, there is a resurrection, if we will climb the hill to look for it.
If we will roll away the stone
And recognize the different shapes that Hope can take
To walk among us in the returning light.

By Elena Westbrook

Sunday Services March 2026

All services are held at 184 Longview Hts. , Athens, OH 45701 – 11:00 AM – Noon
March 1 – Exploring Possibilities – As people of faith, we are called to let love guide our way, to believe that a better world is not only possible, but that we can create it in ways both large and small. In creating that better world, how do we lean into the unknown while remaining rooted in our values? This sometimes feels like a tension at the heart of our faith: to boldly question and respond to injustice and remain grounded in our Unitarian Universalist values–justice, equity, transformation, pluralism, interdependence, and generosity–so that we may most fully affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Join us Sunday, March 1, when we’ll wrap up the 2026 30 Days of Love Campaign by exploring possibilities for creating a more just and equitable world. Service Leader Roberta Roberson
March 8 – “ if music be the food of love…” Performance and participation.  The connections formed through music are not dependant on ability or training. We all have a part to play. And in our connection we find power and strength. Music with a purpose. Servuce Leader, Nellie James
    March 15 – Topic TBA with service leader Richard Thieret

Potluck Conversation

 March 15 – Noon – 1:00 PM – UUFA Monthly Potluck – Immediately following service. Please bring a dish to share and label if you would, with ingredients so that folks with special dietary situations can enjoy and be informed ! Thank you for your consideration.
March 22  –  UUFA member Jeff Wunderly will lead our service to offer perspectives on this vernal occasion. A time for new beginnings, planting seeds and finding balance, the Spring Equinox gives us an opportunity to cast aside the dark, cold cloak of winter and embrace all that a bright spring day might bring. Please join us, friends old and new, all are welcome!

March 29 – Elemental, my dear Watson”
a light hearted exploration of uu’s and how serious we often are
In these troubled times we sometimes forget the joy of playing together. Laughing together is a balm to soothe the soul. Be prepared for Dad jokes, and maybe being just a little silly. Nellie James service leader.

 

 

Looking Ahead the Executive Committee has set the UUFA Annual Meeting for Sunday, April 12, 2026 following service.

 

UUFA Welcomes New Members – Sunday, February 22, 2026

On behalf of the Membership Committee we are proud to welcome new members Sara Berens, Nate Wallace, Jenn Watson and LaVerna Vickers to the UUFA community.  Our own Pete Mather, Fellowship President, made the welcome official as he led the pledge of New Members to the Fellowship and then asked the Congregation to pledge their support to our new members.

A part of our service on February 22nd was also a “Why I Give” moment from our members.  Members, Jessie Roberson, Susan Westenbarger and Jeff Wunderly shared from their hearts about why they give.  Jeff has grasciously agreed to share his message with you all in this newsletter.

Why I Support By: Jeff Wunderly

I would like to offer a few words about what brought me to the UUFA and what inspires
me to continue supporting the organization. My family attended First Christian Church of
Springfield, Ohio, until we moved into the country when I was five. After that, we seldom
made the drive into town on Sunday mornings. I always thought of myself as a spiritual
person, but never strongly connected to any particular institution or perspective. After
attending OU and settling in the Athens Ohio area I enjoyed a good life, but one that
was not always as enriching or connected to the community as I imagined.
Then, a couple of years ago, shortly before our 15 th anniversary, my wife told me she
didn’t want to be married any more. My world fell apart, and I almost didn’t make it
through. When I went to the UUFA that first Sunday, it was out of something close to
desperation. It helped. When I heard the congregation sing, “We are sending you light,
to hold you in love,” after Joys and Sorrows that first time, I couldn’t help but cry. I’ve
found many things in that wacky brick building. I’ve found love, support, community,
inspiration, hope, joy and more. As time passed, I really began to feel at home.
Which brings me to the second half of the question, why do I continue to support the
UUFA with my time, money and energy?
I appreciate that at UUFA spirituality and religion are not things that are done to us but
are things we do for ourselves and for each other. Shared experience is an important
ingredient in any ritual. We come together with our diverse wants and needs trying to
help one another along our spiritual journeys. Sometimes just having someone to hold
your hand on the walk, a hug or a small gesture can make all the difference. This
organization is far from perfect, but the imperfections can be as endearing as they are
frustrating… more or less. Just like most families. It is a fragile balance we keep, and it
scares me to think how easily the tradition could fade.
The Unitarian Universalist Pocket Guide is a cool little book given to new members.
Two stories from this book, one called “Saving our Lives,” and another, “Not the Last to
Need Saving,” really hit the mark for me, because the reality is that the UUFA might well
have helped save my life. It was the little extra buoyancy to keep a drowning person
afloat. So now it is my turn to help share rituals, the joys and sorrows of this community.
My turn to show up, fill a seat, donate to keep the boiler running and the lights on in the
work of art we call our Fellowship Hall, and to be a witness to our efforts and our lives.
Perhaps I can even help someone struggling under their burdens and pay forward some
of what I’ve received.
That’s how I arrived at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens, and why I