The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee's "Guest at Your Table" program has introduced generations of Unitarian Universalists to grassroots partners working for justice around the world. This church year, we are honoring the legacy and vision of UUSC partners with the theme “Planting Seeds of Justice."
Guest at Your Table is the UU Service Committee’s intergenerational program to raise support for and awareness about key human rights issues. Following service, you will find a UUSC table in Gage Hall where you will have the opportunity to learn more about these programs, and enjoy what we are calling “Proper Coffee….With Biscotti.”
This Sunday, Nov. 16, our honored guests include a migration justice leader who is housing LGBTQ+ asylum seekers in Philadelphia, a political prisoner fighting for government accountability and human rights in El Salvador, a Honduran community of water defenders carrying on the legacy of the late Juan Lopez, and a Haitian activist fighting for the rights of people in migration to be treated with dignity.
The UUSC has the highest rating (4 Star) from Charity Navigator, and donations of $150 or more will be matched by Shelter Rock UU in New York. Other than Gage Hall, donations to the UUSC can also be made at donate.uusc.org.
Please join us in Gage Hall after the service to help us recognize the amazing work being done by the UUSC to protect human rights, and protect democracy.
Emily White will give the Time for All Ages,
Priscilla Shumway will be our Worship Associate,
with music provided by the Choir and Ryan Pagels.
9:30 AM - Nursery Opens, Annex - Children ages 5 and under are welcome in the nursery 9:30am - 12:15pm.
- Children ages 7 and under are welcome after RE classes until 12:15pm.
9:45AM - Meditation Group, Upper Gage Hall Participants gather for an hour to practice insight meditation and discuss various aspects of the meditative path and its interplay with our lives.
10:00 AM - RE Classes, Upper Gage Hall & Annex (please meet in the Churchyard just before 10:00am)
- Elementary aged students (K - 5th grade) will meet in Upper Gage Hall.
- Youth (7th - 12th grade) will meet in the Annex.
- Following RE classes, children will join the service in the Sanctuary.
10:00 AM - Forum, Lower Gage Hall Anna Long with the Charleston Climate Coalition (CCC): Dominion Energy has proposed the construction of a new gas plant along the Edisto River. The proposed gas plant would also require the construction of a gas pipeline that would cut through the ACE Basin. The proposal is in its beginning stages and CCC, along with our partners (Sierra Club, Coastal Conservation League, Friends of the Edisto, Southern Environmental Law Center, and the Lowcountry Solidarity Network), are working to ensure that it doesn’t move forward. This will be our final Forum of the year!
The Fabulous Pop Music Trivia Contest! Church FUNdraiser
Saturday, November 15; 7:00-9:00pm
Gage Hall
We raised $1000 last year and it’s more fun than ever! ALL AGES enjoy connecting with new and older music as you compete in teams. It’s OK if you haven’t followed pop music for awhile. Your hosts Dave & Karen Ruef will get you singing and dancing along with your friends.
Invite your friends and reserve your place now for $20. Purchase tickets online here OR come to our table at coffee hour Sunday.
There will be raffle tix for cool prizes plus Jack Hurley’s tasty mocktails,
desserts and snacks. (If you’d like to help out or provide a dish – it IS a
fundraiser after all! – please let Dave Ruef know or email office@charlestonuu.org
Lowcountry Food Bank Volunteering Saturday, November 15; 9:00am - 12:00pm
2864 Azalea Ave., North Charleston
We meet at 9:00 a.m. and usually finish by 11:30. Closed-toe shoes required. Children 12 and older with an adult and 16 and older are welcome to participate; LCFB staff will sign for school volunteer hours. Please sign up usingSign up Genius for Food Bank Volunteersand contact Lisa Hajjar if you have questions.
Memorial Service for Mary Penny Chalmers Saturday, November 15; 11:00am
3360 Glenn McConnell Parkway
Longtime member Mary Penny Chalmers passed away on Nov 8, 2025 after a prolonged illness. Her family will honor memory this Saturday in a Memorial Service in the J. Henry Stuhr, Inc., West Ashley Chapel. You can read her obituary and send flowers here: https://obits.jhenrystuhr.com/mary-chalmers
CAJM Community Problems Assembly Monday, November 17; 6:30pm Westminster Presbyterian Church 1157 Sam Rittenberg Blvd
The CPA is the first major event of our 2025-2026 Justice Cycle! Please attend to hear testimonies about the problems that we and our neighbors are experiencing in our day-to-day lives. From these stories, CAJM members will collectively vote on what our new focus area should be! You can register in advance HERE.
Death Cafe Monday, November 17; 7:00pm
Lower Gage Hall
At a Death Cafe people gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death. The objective is "to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives." To learn more about Death Cafes in general, click here.
Women's Book Group Tuesday, November 18; 6:00pm
Main Library Branch + Zoom
This month we will be reading Audition by Katie Kitamura. Contact Diane Hopkins or email office@charlestonuu.org with questions or if you would like the Zoom link to join virtually.
RELIGOUS EDUCATION NEWS
Our busy holiday season is kicking off with Guest at Your Table this Sunday and continues next week with our Friendsgiving service. Please note there will be no RE classes on November 23. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend the service held at James Island County Park.
Calling all kids and adults! Our annual Christmas pageant will take place during the worship service on Sunday, December 7. Email Emily to get involved. Emily@charlestonuu.org
JUST ANNOUNCED
Friendsgiving Service and Potluck Sunday, November 23; 11:00am
James Island County Park; Wappoo Shelter
Join us for our beloved annual family-friendly gathering with outdoor worship and a picnic at James Island County Park next Sunday. Please note there is a $2 entry fee for the park. Bring a lawn chair, your own drink and a dish to share for a potluck lunch in the park which will immediately follow the service.
We will also be honoring and welcoming new members to our congregation, so come share food, friendship, and gratitude together in nature with friends new and old! There will be no programming at the church on Sunday November 23. All other regular Sunday activities (RE classes, meditation group, and Forum) are cancelled.
Messiah Sing-Along Saturday. November 22; 3:00pm
Sanctuary
Choral Singers! Come jump start your holiday spirit with the Messiah Sing-Along!
This unique sing-along is for choral singers and enthusiasts and anyone who wants an immersive musical experience. With Handel’s iconic oratorio: Messiah, and featuring Sea Island Symphony Orchestra, local soloists, and led by music director Ryan Pagels, this is the perfect event to set the tone for your holiday season. Tickets are only $11 and you can pre-purchase a score to pick up at the event for $3.50.
SAVE THE DATE
Trans Day of Remembrance
Thursday, November 20; 7:00 PM
Sanctuary
Join us as remember those, both known and unknown, who lost their lives in the past year for daring to live their truth.
Minister's Book Club Saturday, November 22; 10:00am
Lower Gage Hall
This month we will read What Makes you Come Alive by Lerita Coleman Brown. Known as the godfather of the civil rights movement, Howard Thurman served as a spiritual adviser to Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders and activists in the 1960s. Thurman championed silence, contemplation, common unity, and nonviolence as powerful dimensions of social change. We will explore how this book on Thurman offers spiritual kinship and guidance for contemporary life and authentic action today.
Thanksgiving with UU Friends November 27
No one needs to be alone on Thanksgiving Day! Here's how it works:
1. If you have an open seat or two at your table let us know by emailing office@charlestonuu.org. (For instance, Rev. Rebecca has plenty of room at her table this year!)
2. If you are looking for a place to go on Thanksgiving, let us know.
3. We will connect you with one another!
Sign up to fill our Blessing Box
With the threats to SNAP and ongoing government shutdown, food insecurity will drastically increase in both our church community and the broader Charleston community. Please consider signing up to bring donations on an upcoming Sunday: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044EAAA82EAAF49-57940404-fall#/ We have increased the number of slots available in the sign up genius, but please know, even if the signup is "full" our pantry always has more space.
Blessing box donations can be placed directly in the box, if there is room, or in the storage cabinet in the southwest corner of Gage Hall. Throughout the week, Willart will refill the box outside as space allows.
Call for Auction Donations
The 2026 Church auction is right around the bend, and submissions are already rolling in for dinners, vacation stays, gift cards, and more! If you have an auction item to donate, please click here for the form to use for such submissions and email office@charlestonuu.org
Ren Manning will be in Gage Hall Sundays during coffee hour to collect completed forms and answer any questions you have. The Auction is our biggest fundraiser of the year so thank you for your early support! More information regarding the auction itself, volunteer opportunities, and donations will be published here over the coming weeks.
Interested in joining our vibrant Music Program?
For the singers, our Chancel Choir rehearses every Wednesday! Interested singers are welcome to attend. For other musicians, we have a house band that plays in the Sunday service monthly and rehearses 1-2 times prior to that service. Please email our music director at ryan@charlestonuu.org for more details about our music program.
BOOK OF LIFE
To share a significant life event (births, deaths, celebrations, transitions and other joys and sorrows) send to Marcia Castano at BookOfLife@CharlestonUU.org by Saturday evenings at 6:00 p.m. or write them in person on Sunday morning.
The physical book is kept at the front of the church near the pulpit.
Interested in joining our wonderful church community?
Click here to learn more about membership.
