SUNDAY SERVICES @ 10 AM
On Sunday, August 16, UUFE will join First Congregational Church for their 11:00 service at 26824 CR 4, Elkhart. This is Rev. Izzy’s church, and we joined them last August for such a shared event. They have been with us quite a few times when Rev. Izzy has spoken at UUFE, and we always enjoy that time together. This will also be their potluck Sunday, so everyone bring a dish and let’s continue the fellowship! Any questions, contact Geneele Crump:
Since it is back to school time, Rev. Dan will be offering a special Blessing of the Backpacks during the service on August 23rd. Everyone, even adults, is welcome to bring their backpack, briefcase, purse, or other bag to be blessed as we enter into a new school and church year. This service will include the blessing of the back packs. Since this is our first gathering in several weeks with vacations and the July break, we will have a picnic potluck as a “welcome back” to Rev. Dan and everyone else.
The Unitarian theologian James Luther Adams spent much of his life asking what difference our beliefs actually make—not only in our own lives, but in the world we share. He believed that a religion that was only based on internal beliefs without any external impact was no real religion.
As Unitarian Universalists, we place a premium on thinking. While thinking is crucial to our faith, action is necessary to keep our faith alive. Sunday’s service seeks to enhance your understanding of compassion, beyond thoughts of care and concern and turn them into actions and deeds that embody our principles.
Sunday, September 6 will be our annual Ingathering and Water Communion service. This will be a joint service with our friends in East Liberty, which means the service will start at 10:30. Rev. Dan will be at East Liberty, and UUFE will Zoom in this time.
Please bring a small amount of water from a meaningful place to you – a vacation spot, a lake, the ocean, or even your own kitchen faucet. We will blend these waters during this unique UU ritual.
Nick Bouwman and Mariah Martin will be sharing how alternative forms of transportation, like biking instead of driving, can help care for our planet.
We all make mistakes. Things go wrong. Plans don't always turn out the way we hoped. And sometimes we can take those moments more seriously—and more personally—than they deserve. What might it mean to meet one another with a little more grace?
This service will explore grace as a way of living together: recognizing that human error is part of being human, that none of us gets everything right, and that our covenant calls us toward compassion, forgiveness, and repair rather than perfection.
Because in the grand scheme of things, many of the things that upset us today won't matter much tomorrow. How we treat one another just might.
Jane is a first time speaker with us. She has lived most of her life in South Bend engaged in ministry, sometimes in administration, often a volunteer in working her way toward an elder. Her message title is "Suddenly I’m Older. How Did I Get Here?” Pam Wycliff is the WA. We will also be observing the 4th Sunday candle ritual with Geneele.
UUFE is proud to host the acclaimed singer/songwriter Anne Heaton with the Anne Heaton Trio.
Award-winning singer-songwriter and educator Anne Heaton has captured audience imaginations with her songs that are, by turns, “tender, barbed and spiritual” (Washington Post). She’s been featured by the New York Times Music Podcast, NPR, the Sundance Film Festival and Lilith Fair (2010). Anne has shared the stage with artists like Jewel, Sarah McLachlan, and jazz drummer Max Roach. Anne teaches songwriting at Berklee College of Music and GRAMMY Camp. She recently earned her Master’s in Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she researched the outcomes of songwriting as a social emotional learning tool for teenagers. In March 2025, Anne presented a TEDx talk on how songwriting helps teens (and people of all ages) cultivate empathy, connection, and authenticity. This October, Anne joins forces with dynamic percussionist and music therapist Carolyn Koebel (Bobby McFerrin, Dacia Bridges) and violinist Cori Somers (Aretha Franklin, Yo-Yo Ma, Red Sea Pedestrians) to form a lively and powerful trio. Anne, Carolyn, and Cori love performing together! They also believe that creative expression (whether through performing or teaching) supports people in navigating their challenges and nurturing joy and resilience.
"By reclaiming I do mean recognizing and accepting but also I say reclaiming specifically because I talk about revisiting abilities or desires that may have been shut down in us by others. I share about how (if we want) we can reclaim these abilities / desires and integrate them into our current lives."
Anne Heaton is a singer-songwriter and teaching artist who has shared stages with artists like Jewel and Sarah McLachlan. She teaches songwriting at Berklee College of Music and has been featured by NPR, Lilith Fair, and TEDx. Anne loves exploring ways we can use music and conversation to nurture joy and resilience. She's a mom to two freethinking daughters, lives with her family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and loves a good cup of coffee.
Steve Cripe will be delivering a message on the month’s theme of Courage, titled, “Courage, how is it manifest in our daily lives?” Steve will be the WA but will be assisted in the service by Sarah Richards.