We talk a lot about being a “welcoming community”—welcoming the outsider, the stranger, even those we struggle to understand. But what if the first step toward that kind of welcome isn’t external? What if it starts with how we meet every part of ourselves? This talk will explore what happens when we stop pushing away … Continue reading The Art of Radical Welcome
Is there a network of tunnels, perhaps built by an ancient but technologically advanced civilization, hiding beneath our feet? The answer may SHOCK you! (No.) But what do such conspiracy theories, and other identity markers of our beliefs/credences, say about ourselves? Joe Vinson presents. There will be a New Member Welcome Ceremony included in this … Continue reading Pensacola Tunnels, Conspiracies, and the Performance of Belief
Each year we mark our community coming back together as a congregation after the summer months. All are invited to bring a stone or token or small container of water – perhaps water from the tap that meets your daily thirst, or water brought back from distant travels. All will be mingled together and blessed, … Continue reading Ingathering and Water Communion 2025
Presenters: Claire Helton, Laura Ericson, Trista Blouin from UUCP Church Community Memento mori: remember you must die, the Stoics said. I am of the nature to die, Buddhism remembers. We’re all just walking each other home, Ram Dass taught. Join us for a service on death, dying, and grief, as three UUCP Professionals – a … Continue reading Dust to Dust: Spiritual & Practical Reflections on Death, Dying & Grief
Presenter: Dr. Pat Gleich, Doctorate in Social Sciences with an emphasis in Sociology. How do you describe UU? (What does UU mean to and for you?) will be an interactive opportunity for the congregation to learn about the many and different ways we understand Unitarian Universalism. Building on a recent post on the UUA facebook page, … Continue reading How do you describe UU? (What does UU mean to and for you?)
Our minds work to pull us into roles: I am an employee… a parent… a partner… a voter. Each of these stories shapes our well-being. And while these roles matter, without perspective, they can seriously constrict our sense of self. This Sunday, we’ll explore what it means to zoom out from narrow, daily narratives and … Continue reading Rewriting the Self: Finding Freedom in Bigger Stories
Presenter: Mark Swaney (he,him), Member of the UUCP since August 2023. Mark’s presentation will cover the development of the UU’s in the early American church, the controversies of the Unitarians in the 1800’s and the church history through the 20th century.
As part of Escambia County’s Law Week, presenter Zachary Helton explores the spirituality behind our national motto, E Pluribus Unum—“Out of many, one.” More than a civic slogan, it points to a sacred truth: that wholeness comes not from sameness, but from honoring and connecting our differences. From the inner workings of the brain to … Continue reading The Spirituality Behind E Pluribus Unum: Out of Many, One
Presenter: Joe Vinson, President of UUCP. In a system of parochial altruism, some will always look for an out-group to sacrifice. Here’s why we cannot throw marginalized groups under the trolley of utilitarianism.
Dr. Lauren Anzaldo considers the continuing appeal of authoritarianism and how democratically minded people might respond, drawing on the tradition of prophetic voices of antifascists such as Simone Weil and Erich Fromm. This talk on February 23 is the first Sunday Service in a two-part series.
