At our UUA General Assembly this year, our president Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray reminded us that even in the most distressing of times, we need joy. As our country and our people face continually evolving challenges, how will our Unitarian Universalist faith help us respond with the courage and commitment to live up to our highest … Continue reading Moving Forward In Uncertain Times
Our annual Flower Communion Service is a celebration of the renewal of life and hope at the center of this season of Easter, Passover, and Spring. It is also a time to build lasting memories for our children. Our sanctuary comes alive with the splendor of flowers, representing the variety and beauty reflected in our … Continue reading Flower Communion Sunday: Awaken to Life
Unitarian Universalism is often cited for not having a theology that adequately supports people in times of loss or grief. While our answers to theological questions about suffering may not match what some faith traditions teach, I do not believe we are bereft of a theology that validates our human experience and offers solace in … Continue reading Seeking Solace
Anne Lamott writes, “I have a lot of faith. But I am also afraid a lot, and have no real certainty about anything. I remembered something Father Tom had told me–that the opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. Certainty is missing the point entirely. Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, … Continue reading Faith in Action
Our Theme for this month, Renewing Faith, prompts me to ask that question. Faith: How do we find it, renew it, keep it? Is it possible to help one another hold on to faith in hard times? These are good questions, as we are now inundated with the disturbing and tragic images of war on … Continue reading What Is the Faith of a Unitarian Universalist?
Our theme for February is “Widening the Circle.” Many of you are probably familiar with the picture of our chalice inside of two concentric circles. It is often portrayed with the poem “Outwitted” by Edwin Markham, born in 1852. He drew a circle that shut me out— Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But Love … Continue reading Widening the Circle
Our theme for January is Living with Intention. In this deeply divided time in our country, we often find religion at the center of controversy and division. How does Unitarian Universalism respond to the question of living with intention, while separating religion from our politics? Click here to view video on our YouTube Channel.
Language to indicate that a congregation is “welcoming” and “inclusive” varies among denominations and different faith communities. For more than twenty years, the Welcoming Congregation Program has helped Unitarian Universalist congregations design their own unique program to engage in the deepest way possible with the question of how to intentionally welcome individuals, families, and communities … Continue reading The Welcoming Congregation
Do family and friends visit your UU church with you at Christmas and wonder why we sing familiar tunes with different words? Or follow an unusual liturgy? A look through our hymnals tells an interesting story about our evolving theology and perspective on this special holiday.
In this darkest time of the year, communities of faith light candles to brighten our nights, as well as our spirits. We enter the second week of Advent in the midst of Hanukah and on the cusp of Bodhi Day, the time when Prince Gautama took his place under the Bodhi tree, seeking to attain … Continue reading The Season of Lights
