Our worship theme this month asks what does it mean to be a community of joy? Does it mean we are always happy? Many believe the opposite of joy is not sadness, but isolation and disconnection. Joy connects us to each other, to the world, and to the divine. How can our religious community help … Continue reading A Community of Joy
Our worship theme this month asks, “What does it mean to be a community of transformation?” Join us this week as we reflect on the only constant in the universe–Change.
Last week Reverend Carlton Smith told us that we were a people of boldness, compassion and reverence. He was referring to our UU Brand Identity. From the Unitarian Universalist Association website, “Working from the core values of boldness, compassion and reverence, which were identified through extensive conversations with UUs from across the country, the brand … Continue reading Boldness. Compassion. Reverence. Our UU Brand Identity
“Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. It doesn’t matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times. Come, yet again, come, come.” –Rumi Those words, written in the 1200s by the Islamic poet Rumi, reach across time and space and religion … Continue reading Come, Let Us Worship Together
Sometimes words seem inadequate after tragedy. Sometimes the news is overwhelming. Sometimes we may feel like whatever we do, it isn’t enough. In those moments, sometimes it’s necessary to pause and just breathe. In response to the tragedy of 9/11, Sarah Dan Jones wrote what has become one of our most beloved UU hymns: When … Continue reading When I Breath in…
This Sunday we will conclude our May theme of “Blessings” while also participating in Justice Sunday, sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC). In previous services this month, we have heard about and experienced ways in which our lives are enhanced by the blessings we receive. This week we will focus on how we … Continue reading We Can Make the Difference
Sing with me, “The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is a people. I am the church; you are the church; we are the church together…” Join us this Sunday as we celebrate the gift of community, the blessings of volunteering, … Continue reading We Are the Church
Our worship theme this month asks, what does it mean to be a people of resistance? This usually brings to mind images of civil rights movements and standing up actively against something, as it should. But is that the only way to be a people of resistance? I’ve had many conversations through the years with … Continue reading People of Resistance
Although the daylight hours will be increasing, the winter season has just begun. Warm yourselves in the glow of candle light and the reflective, meditative tradition of prayerful song, in the spirit of Taize. Influenced by his grandmother’s tales of helping refugees during the First World War, Brother Roger developed the Taize community of France around … Continue reading Welcoming Winter
Angel Hundley and the Reverend Alice Syltie, featuring photographs by Barbara Hitt, and music by Alli Johnson Intellectually we know if we go back far enough, we are all related. What would it mean though if we really internalized and owned our shared ancestral story? How would our attitudes and behaviors change if we truly … Continue reading Our Shared Story
