News: December 5, 2025

Dear Members and Friends:

December is always a special month for our congregation. This year is no exception. In addition to our regular services, we have all our holiday celebrations. This year, that includes tomorrow’s December Disco auction, which I am sure is going to be a wonderful event, as well as all our services.

We have three celebrations on December 21st. At 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. we will be holding our annual pageant. Then at 7:00 p.m. we will observe the winter solstice with special musical guest, Mike Hellman.

The 24th is likewise full of opportunities to gather in communion and care. The first two will be put on by our Spanish-language ministry: las Posadas at 4:00 p.m. and Nochebuena at 5:00 p.m. Then at 6:00 p.m. I will be sharing cider, cookies, and stories with our children and youth in the Fireside Room. At 7:00 p.m. we will have our traditional English-language candlelight service. Since this is Rev. Scott’s last year with us, he’ll be offering the homily. I am particularly excited for that, and I hope that you are as well.

In the lead up to the winter holidays, we will be continuing to explore the theme of a religious dissent with a service this Sunday on “Regaining Paradise: The Power of the Powerless.” We will also be marking the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth with both an artist forum and service devoted to her on the 14th. Rev. Scott will close out the month with a lighthearted service; “Naughty or Nice?”

There is one more item I want to bring to your attention.

On Sunday, December 7th, Alejandra Salinas will be at First Unitarian Universalist to speak about her campaign for city council. She approached me recently and asked if the First UU community would be interested in hearing her speak about her various campaign platforms and answer any constituent questions.

While many of Alejandra’s priorities align with Unitarian Universalist values - including supporting working families and defending equity and democracy - our invitation is not an endorsement. It is not uncommon for Unitarian Universalist churches to host elected officials both during campaigns and throughout their term, as this affords direct access for UUs to experience and participate in the democratic process. If you have been a part of our work combatting the HISD takeover, you’ve seen how powerful our collaboration with public officials can be, especially in a time when the democratic process is under attack.

We have extended invitations to other folks running for office, including Alejandra’s opponent Dwight Boykins, in hopes of offering you access to diverse perspectives. This community engagement ensures we remain civically active and proactively engaged in the democratic process, further bringing our values to life. If you’d like to meet Alejandra and hear her thoughts on serving the city of Houston, I hope you’ll join us on Sunday, December 7th at 1p.m. in the Sanctuary.

love,

Colin