UUFA News

UUFA Art Exhibit “Black in White” Runs Through July

In the UUFA Welcome Hall Gallery from June 3 to July 28

The gallery is open each Sunday from 10:30 until 1 p.m. and on Wednesdays from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. Contact the office for other times/days.

“. . . I look for what is forgotten in a shared history, and I use that past to interrogate our present condition.” Rodney Grainger

On June 19, 2022, at 12:30 p.m. the Racial Justice Team will sponsor a lecture by local artist Rodney L Grainger whose work will be on display starting June 3rd..Rodney’s work focuses on the American Black experience, both the terrors of racism and the comforting Black household workers with whom he grew up in Alabama. 

Rodney art has been exhibited in various galleries: Atlanta Art Gallery, Spirull Gallery, City Gallery East, Gertude Herbert Institute of Art, Georgia State University Gallery, Agnes Scott College, Beacon Hill Artists, among others. He is the recipient of the Artist Merit Award, Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, Augusta, GA and is a Fellow at the Artist Residency Program at The Hambidge Center in Rabun Gap, GA. 

About his work, Rodney says “Race, gender and class are recurrent themes in my work as I seek to give voice to those in our collective history who are less often, if ever, heard. I am interested in creating an appealing aesthetic that accesses deeper levels of personal awareness rather than simply polemical or editorial statements. My narrative works examine cultural forgetting and acts of remembrance which are deeply influenced by my experiences of growing up in a racially segregated Birmingham, Alabama during the 50’s and 60’s. I have relied on charcoal drawing (actually paintings in black and white) as my principal medium because it is so closely aligned to writing. It is the most visually graphic, and black and white is the primary language of memory, dreams and the unconscious. “

You can see some of Rodney’s work from the Atlanta Art Gallery here: http://atlantaartgallery.com/Artist%20Pages/Grainger.html

Happenings in a List!


Non-regularly recurring special events are indicated in bold italic below, for details of these and the many recurring committee/team meeting details, check the “This Month & Beyond” page (to the left or at uuathensga.org/UUFA and make sure to join your groups on Realm/Connect.so You can communicate with other group members there, as well as finding easy access to zoom links for virtual happenings. 

Information on justice-focused meetings, events, and teams is available “This Month & Beyond”, but to see only justice meetings, you can find visuals announcements here & the UUFA Justice Calendar here

Need help with Realm/Connect!? Contact Meredyth@uuathensga.org


January

All Month — Winter Clothing Drive

  •  4   Abundance Table First Sundays
  •  4   Conversation Cafe First & Third Sundays
  •  4   Social Action Justice Team First Sundays
  •  4   Historical Jesus Book Discussion First & Third Sundays
  •  8   Racial Justice Team Second Thursdays
  • 11  Getting to Know You Second Sundays
  • 11  Book Talks Second Sundays
  • 13  Second Lookers Second Tuesdays
  • 13  Adult RE (Religious Exploration) Opportunity:  Are We Too Violent?
  •  **POSTPONED UNTIL FEBRUARY** Justice Partner event:  AADM Social Justice Awards and Gala 2026 
  • 17  Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Banquet (sponsored by the Athens Area Human Relations Council), 4 p.m., Classic Center.
  • 18  Forum: A River Runs Through It: The Oconee River Land Trust Third Sundays
  • 18  Conversation Cafe First & Third Sundays
  • 18  Hiking Our Values
  • 18  Historical Jesus Book Discussion First & Third Sundays
  • 18  Singing Meditation
  • 18  Poster making for the MLK Day Parade
  • 18  Hiking Our Values
  • 19  MLK Day Parade (3 p.m., Washington & Hull)
  • 24  West African Drum Workshop
  • 25  Worship Transformation- An Invitation for Spiritual Stewards of the Congregation
  • 25  Alphabet Family Fourth Sundays
  • 26  Earth Ministry Team Fourth Mondays
  • 27  Adult RE (Religious Exploration) Opportunity: Are We Too Violent?
  • 29  Hiking Our Values

Scroll on for future months. 


Share the Plate Cause of the Month

The Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement (AADM) is this month’s Share-the-Plate Cause of the Month.

During January, this organization will receive one half of all undesignated offerings.

The Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement (AADM) i s a grassroots organization that advocates against systemic discrimination and racial injustices through education, advocacy, and direct action.

From the 2025-26 program year (July 1 through June 30),  $12,854.53 has been given to five different Share-the-Plate Cause of the Month organizations because of the generosity of members and friends of UUFA.  Thank you.


January CANtributions

You can help with food insecurity in our community. Bring non-perishable food items to be donated to the Athens Area Emergency Food Bank (AAEFB) on Sunday mornings. Special requests for January are pork and beans, saltines, and rice (one-pound bags)

Want to contribute financially?  Visit uuathensga.org/give and look for “Charitable Giving”. To give by check:  Make the check out to UUFA and put “CANtributions 1-8016” in the memo line. You may also contribute to the Athens Area Emergency Foodbank directly through their website: athensfoodbank.org. For further information:  justice@uuathensga.org

If you are experiencing food insecurity or know someone in our UUFA community who is, please contact Rev. Pippin (revpippin@uuathensga.org).


UUFA Justice Partner Highlights

You are encouraged to visit the websites of this year’s Justice Partners to learn more about how you can support them in their important work in the Athens community. While you’re there, sign up for their individual newsletters so you can stay informed. 

Here are highlights of some of their activities in January:

AADM Celebrates MLK Jr Day with a Parade and Music Fest

Join the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement on January 19 from noon to 6:00 pm for their 10th Annual Athens MLK Jr. Parade & Music Fest as the streets of downtown Athens come alive with one of the largest gatherings of unity, music, and cultural pride in Northeast Georgia. For details click https://givebutter.com/athensmlkparade2026 AADM is the Fellowship’s January Cause of the Month.


Looking Ahead

February 

  •   1  Abundance Table First Sundays
  •   1  Conversation Cafe First & Third Sundays
  •   1  Social Action Justice Team First Sundays
  •   1  Historical Jesus Book Discussion First & Third Sundays
  •   7  Lead with Love (UUA Virtual Only)
  •   8  Nominations Open for 2026-27 Share the Plate Cause-of-the Month Organizations
  •   8  Getting to Know You Second Sundays
  •   8  Book Talks Second Sundays
  • 10  Second Lookers Second Tuesdays
  • 10  Adult RE (Religious Exploration) Opportunity:  Are We Too Violent?
  • 12  Racial Justice Team Second Thursdays
  • 15  Conversation Cafe First & Third Sundays
  • 15  Historical Jesus Book Discussion First & Third Sundays
  • 19  Board of Trustees Meeting Third Thursdays
  • 22  Nominations Close for 2026-27 Share the Plate Cause-of-the Month Organizations
  • 23  Earth Ministry Team Fourth Mondays

March

Diaper Drive All Month

  •   1   Abundance Table First Sundays
  •   1   Conversation Cafe First & Third Sundays
  •   1   Social Action Justice Team First Sundays
  •  1  Historical Jesus Book Discussion First & Third Sundays
  •   8   Singing Meditation
  •   8   Getting to Know UUFA Second Sundays
  •   8   Book Talks Second Sundays
  • 10   Second Lookers Second Tuesdays
  • 11   Simple Suppers Second Wednesdays
  • 12   Racial Justice Team Second Thursdays
  • 15   Conversation Cafe First & Third Sundays
  • 15   Historical Jesus Book Discussion First & Third Sundays
  • 19   Board of Trustees Meeting Third Thursdays
  • 22   Worship Transformation- An Invitation for Spiritual Stewards of the Congregation
  • 22   Alphabet Family Fourth Sundays
  • 23   Earth Ministry Team  Fourth Mondays
  • 29   Justice Action Collaborative Fifth Sundays

Rather see this as a calendar grid?  Visit uuathensga.org/calendar.