Summer 2026
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Welcome
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We are a welcoming congregation that seeks to be a spiritual home for people of free faith. We value the full range of human diversity including, race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, affectional/sexual orientation, age, national origin, socioeconomic status, and ability.
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We acknowledge that we gather on the traditional and sacred land of the Anishinaabe and Dakota people. In honor of their stewardship throughout the generations, we commit ourselves to protecting that land and working to mitigate the effects of climate change.
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In this NUUSletter:
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PRESIDENT’S CORNER
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A brief, warm greeting from the fellowship board president.
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MINISTER’S CORNER
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A brief, warm greeting from the Minister.
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Community Connections
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THE CARING COMMITTEE
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The Caring Committee supports SCUUF members and friends during times of illness, hospitalization, surgery, or other challenges. Team members may send cards, make calls, visit fellowship members, and help arrange rides to Fellowship for those who need transportation. To request support, please contact the Fellowship office at 320-252-0020 or email info@uufstcloud.org so we can coordinate with the Care Team or with our minister, Rev. Phillip Lund.
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GARY WEBB 1953 – 2026
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From the Caring Committee
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Gary Webb is one of four children of Bev and Dick Webb who were early and long-time members of our Fellowship. He was a child here in the 1960s and then lived with Bev during some of her older years after Dick died. We received the message below via email from his sister, Shelley Webb Surh, on June 28.
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“Please share this with the fellowship. Gary Webb passed away peacefully yesterday afternoon, at 73, with his sister Shelley holding his hand. He suffered strokes from blood clots as a result of Rheumatoid arthritis and had been in the hospital for a few weeks.
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Doug and Shelley, and extended family were with him these past few weeks with many old and new friends visiting -- sharing many stories about growing up in St Cloud and in the fellowship. Most importantly Gary knew he was loved.
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We are all very thankful to SCUUF for providing a loving community to him and our family, that also taught us the importance of spiritual and intellectual pursuits. As many of you know, Gary had found sobriety these past 10 years and a sober living community in Minneapolis. He was generous and grateful in spite of having little. Though Gary was Tibetan Buddhist he was forever a card-carrying UU (with wallet card to prove it).
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There will be a Tibetan Buddhist ceremony this coming week at Shambala Center in Minneapolis and a memorial service at a later date. Details to follow.”
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JOYS AND SORROWS
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A dedicated space for sharing personal announcements, celebrations, or support requests from members.
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Fellowship NUUS
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CHILDREN’S RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (CRE) SUMMER OFFERINGS:
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Greetings, Youngsters, Families and Friends.
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We’ll be enjoying our summer offerings with a more leisurely set of activities, games and fun. We recently role played “giving space” to fellow congregants and recognizing how to pay attention to ours and others’ personal bubbles. Noveah was so adorable as an 80 year old complete with a cane and a wig, while her mother, Ms. Shumey, portrayed Noveah skipping into the fellowship. Leif was a terrific narrator, (reading fluently and with great emphasis), and Mira contributed to the role play. Thanks to Carina for creating individualized storybooks for each CRE youngster with their name and likeness in it! We’ll review this again with Clark and Felix.
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Our thoughts are with Clark and Felix (and their family) as they participated in the Celebration of their Grandma’s Life in June in Iowa.
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Other planned activities include a potential Free Lemonade Stand in Diocese Park for the other kids there, a lesson with our onsite beekeeper, Ms. Tanyele (July 26th), and learning to say a few basic conversational words in Somali with Ms. Shumey. It’ll be a delightful summer! Let’s explore more! All aboard!
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EMBRACING POSSIBILITIES – A PLEDGE DRIVE THANK YOU
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From the Budget and Finance Committee
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On behalf of the Executive Board, we thank all who participated in the Fellowship’s 2026 pledge drive. Forty-five pledges received by June 22 bring the total amount pledged to $60,400. Compared with the previous year, there were 10 new pledgers and 17 who increased their pledged amount, resulting in a total increase of about $11,000. Pledged amounts ranged from less than $100 to more than $7000.
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Every pledge demonstrates your commitment and support for this religious community. Every pledge is important because each contributes to the whole. We need support from all our members, and we hope to hear soon from those who haven’t made a pledge yet –- and from those who want to increase their pledge to support our continuing ministry next year.
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The amount pledged was used in preparing the draft budget that was presented at the May 15 Annual Meeting. The Board will approve a budget for 2026 – 2027 at their June 28 meeting. We will need to use reserves to balance the budget unless more income is received during the year. Donations and payments toward your pledge can be made during the summer by sending to the PO Box or by using the donate button on the website. If you have not yet made a pledge for the coming year, please use this link: https://forms.gle/ucg6UKnovy52fePQ7 or contact treasurer Charlie Orlando by email or phone.
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BUILDING AND GROUNDS UPDATE By Wendy Schoen
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Mark your calendar for Sunday, August 30 then come and join other Fellowship members to spread some love and attention to our building. This is a yearly gathering to do a few clean up chores in our building and on our grounds as we prepare for our coming church year. If you have any special tools you’d like to bring, please do by all means! Some energy snacks will be provided along with lemonade. If you have any questions, reach out to me, I’m the chair of the Building and Grounds committee.
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We are always happy to have people join our committee. We meet several times a year, most of our work is coordinated through emails, so if you don’t want to be bogged down with meetings this may be a great way to be involved in our Fellowship. This past year I’ve had a new member help me out without officially being on the committee. Whether on the committee or not help is always welcomed and needed!
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Our committee oversees the maintenance of our Building’s heating and cooling systems, and any other needs our building has. We make sure the snow is cleared from our parking lot and the lawn is mowed in the summer. We also schedule the cleaning of our building, making sure the dates are put on our UUF calendar and Sunday announcements are made to have members help by stacking the chairs before each cleaning day. As chairperson I’m excited to try out our new governance model that Rev. Phil Lund proposed at the end of our 26’ church year and at the leadership retreat. new model will The goal is to improve communication between committees and the board. This will be of great value for our committee as several new projects will require us to work with other committees.
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As an example, the Communications Committee would like to freshen up our front foyer to be a more welcoming space to visitors and our members. They have asked for our input, we will be responsible for hiring any work such as painting. Our pebble flooring is showing some wear and some damage. We are trying to figure out how the damage occurred. If you have any insight into the flooring, please contact me so we can ensure that the damage in not ongoing. We would like to have the floor resealed once we know the best way to proceed. A new bike rack is requested for those using bikes as their mode of transportation to the Fellowship. This will be a great opportunity for several committees and the board to consider how we’d like our outside entrance to look.
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We did a safety assessment last year and were told we should place a bollard or another object such as a large planter, rock or perhaps an art installation to break up the straight continuous path from our parking lot to our front door. This would be to deter someone from driving into our front entrance. Along with the front entrance needing attention our Fellowship may want to decide on what they would like to do in our backyard. Surprisingly, the community garden has been part of our Social Justice committee, rather than as most assume it would fall under the Building and Grounds responsibility. Last winter their decorative garden fence was hit by an ICE vehicle. There was discussion about replacing it. Before replacing the fence, it might be important for Fellowship members to decide if they are willing to invest in a more permanent or decorative one. We rarely have time for discussions like this, but we may need to ask ourselves questions such as: Do we value how our property looks and are we willing to invest some money into improvements? I encourage you to reach out to me, other committee chairs and board members about how you would like to see us use our property.
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*If you don’t have a SCUUF Directory, call SCUUF at 320-252-0020 and leave a message that includes your name and phone number and the name of the individual you want to reach. We will arrange for that person to contact you.
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Sunday Services
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Summer 2026 Sunday Services
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10:30 a.m. — Circle Round for Summer with Rev. Lund
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June 14 and 28 • July 12 and 26 • August 9 and 23
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This is a time to slow down, sing a song or two, listen to a poem or other reading which we can reflect on together, have a chance to share our joys and sorrows, and just enjoy the company of one another, followed by coffee hour at 11:30.
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Children’s activities will be available during each of the Sunday services. This may include activities in our backyard or city park next door, so have the youngsters wear clothing appropriate to the weather, (hats, water bottles, etc.) And sunscreen, etc.
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Weekly Sunday Services will resume on Sunday, September 13.
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Events and Activities
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*Note varying days, times, and locations.
If the location is not specified, the event is at our UUF building.
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July 2026
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Saturday, July 11, at 10:30 a.m. Outdoor Walking Meditation. Meet in the picnic area at Munsinger Garden. Hosted by Lucinda Hudson and Helen Manion.
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Sunday, July 12, at 10:30 a.m. Circle Round for Summer: Mindfulness with Rev. Phillip Lund.
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Saturday, July 18, at 10:30 a.m. Bagels & Ethics. Sheila Ferguson, Acting President of the League of Women Voters St. Cloud Area, will be speaking on upcoming elections: voter registration, election and voter information, candidates, and upcoming candidate forums. LWVSCA, like SCUUF, is non-partisan meaning they cannot recommend parties or candidates, but can provide information. Sponsored by the Social Justice Committee. To be followed by a light lunch before the 1:00 pm event.
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Saturday, July 18, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Legacies of the Vietnam War, the Secret War in Laos and its Unexploded Bombs. Presented by Isaac Olson. This teach-in will cover the history of the Secret War in Laos that was perpetrated during the U.S. War in Vietnam and efforts to clean up millions of unexploded bombs that litter the landscape to this day. This event is in support of Legacies of War, a non-profit, U.S.-based organization that works to address the lasting impact of the U.S. wars in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Sponsored by the Social Justice Committee.
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Saturday, July 18, 7:00-8:00 p.m. Pro-Democracy Sing Along. Lend your voice to some old favorites from Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, and Pat Humphries and to new ones by Steve Goldstein, Fred Small, and Peter Mayer…and more! Light refreshments follow the Sing-Along. Admission is free. Join us!
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Sunday, July 26, at 10:30 a.m. Circle Round for Summer: Abundance with Rev. Phillip Lund.
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Events and Activities
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*Note varying days, times, and locations.
If the location is not specified, the event is at our UUF building.
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August 2026
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Saturdays, August 1 - 22, 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Introduction to Mindfulness in Difficult Times with Jean Keller. This four-session course supports beginner to experienced meditators. It will focus on grounding and self-compassion practices that can serve as a resource in troubling times, helping us bring greater kindness to ourselves and this larger interconnected world. Use this link https://forms.csbsju.edu/KKK2D50XTS to sign up in advance for this class or to find out more about it.
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Sunday, August 2, at 10:30 a.m. Guided Nature Hike at Benton County's Bend in the River Regional Park. Steve Saupe, a retired botany professor from CSB/SJU, will lead us on this one hour walk through woods and prairie along the Mississippi River. The trail has a natural surface and may include hills. Bring your lunch to eat together afterward if you wish. “Bend in the River” is the former home of Ann and Stewart Graves who were founding members of our UU Fellowship; current member Brenda Graves was the last resident before the property became a park. Directions and parking: 1.4 miles south of Rice on River Road (CR 55) or from Highway 10 west on 105th Street and north onto River Road. Park at the farmstead. Location: 11231 River Road NE, Rice, MN. Sponsored by the Caring Committee.
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Wednesday, August 5, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Garden Party. Hosted by Pam Peterson in Milaca. Wear a hat if so inclined. RSVP by July 31 to Pam Peterson by phone or text if you plan to attend.
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Saturday, August 8, at 9:30 a.m. Book group. Discussion, in person and on zoom, of Living with Purpose and Integrity: A Fresh Perspective on the Ten Commandments by Rev. Tom Owen-Towle. New participants are welcome. Contact coordinator Judith Siminoe to get on the book group email list or to get the link if you want to attend on zoom.
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Sunday, August 9, at 10:30 a.m. Circle Round for Summer: Love with Rev. Phillip Lund.
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Saturday, August 22, 7:00-8:00 p.m. Pro-Democracy Sing Along. Lend your voice to some old favorites from Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, and Pat Humphries and to new ones by Steve Goldstein, Fred Small, and Peter Mayer…and more! Light refreshments follow the Sing-Along. Admission is free. Join us!
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Sunday, August 23, at 10:30 a.m. Circle Round for Summer: Grace with Rev. Phillip Lund.
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Sunday, August 30, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Buildings and Grounds clean-up. It's the time of the year when we shower our Fellowship building and grounds with love and attention as we prepare for our weekly Sunday Services. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. There will be a variety of tasks. If you would like to bring any special tools to make the jobs easier, please bring them. Lemonade and energy treats will be provided. Contact Wendy Schoen if you have any questions. If you are curious about our UUF Building and Grounds Committee, see the article in this summer NUUSletter.
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| | Calendar Reminders
Please check the online calendar on our website at www.uufstcloud.org/calendar to see scheduled in-person and Zoom meetings.
A meeting event/room reservation button to submit a form for reservation requests can be found below the calendar on the website. This same button can be used to schedule in-person and Zoom meetings. We encourage you to use the Zoom license for video conferencing, but please follow the standard reservation process to ensure the Zoom “meeting room” (license) is available at the time you would like to make use of it and to allow others to see planned meetings on the calendar.
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