Heart of the Church

9:15 & 11 am Celebrant: Kellie Patterson What is the "heart" of First Unitarian Church? How do individual values and aspirations combine to form the heart of this beloved community? These are the questions members have been answering over the last year through Visioning Circles and at the September 22nd Visioning Workshop—as well as at the September 9th ingathering service. Rev. Jennifer, inspired by your answers, shares her perceptions of this congregation's heart. Special music by UU Singers

Life Calls Us On

Watch the Video (YouTube link) Why are we here? What is our purpose? These are the questions that rise from the great underlying question, "What is the meaning of life?" In the Unitarian Universalist tradition, there is no single answer to these big questions. But there is one unifying message: each of us creates our own meaning and purpose. Life calls to us to use the gifts that are ours to shape a life that speaks. Special music by the Bell Ringers

Borne on the Waters

Watch the Video (YouTube link) A Service for All Ages. Each September, our ingathering celebration reaffirms our covenant as members of a beloved community committed to transformation in our own lives and in the life of the world. In this service, we use water, the source of human life, as a symbol of our interconnectedness to all living beings. All life emerged from water; all life requires it; and the water cycle, from rain to rivers to oceans to clouds to rain, is a continuing reminder of the cycle of life. In today's service, we reflect on how we are born and re-born throughout our lives, as we find ways to restore our hearts, minds, and spirits as we experience life's challenges and changes. Just as we are borne on the waters of life, this community supports and sustains us during our life's journey. Together we covenant, and together we renew, the heart of the church. Special music by the UU Singers; plus Amy Bernon

What Are You?

Watch the Video (YouTube link) Lyra explores personal experiences of looking and feeling "ethnically ambiguous" in this racially charged time where Black Lives Matter meets White Privilege; when people claim to be post-racial, but call the police when people of color (POC) are simply trying to have cookouts, earn money, and wait for colleagues in coffee shops. In a world where personal gender choice has become more accepted, why do ethnically ambiguous people still have to choose "what" they are?

The Capable Heart

10 am Celebrant: Susan Gross The idea of a “capable” heart comes from 12th century Sufi Muslim mystic and philosopher Ibn Arabi. He championed the idea of a religion of love—a religion that does not balk at differences in theology or ritual but expands to embrace all. Did we think Unitarian Universalism had this idea first? What else can we learn from a poet born in 1160 in Murcia, a then-Islamic city in what is now Spain? And what will the world become if we encourage one another, and ourselves, to develop a "capable heart"? Special music by Madeline Echternacht

Friends on the Path: the Joys and Benefits of Sangha

Watch the Video (YouTube link) Unitarian Universalist (UU) experience with Buddhism is rich and varied. We find inspiration in stories from Buddhist traditions, Buddhist meditation practices, and contemporary teachers like Sharon Salzberg and Thích Nhất Hạnh. Many congregations have Buddhist meditation groups; our denomination has over 100 local UU sanghas. On September 10th, First Unitarian Church will be starting our own Buddhist mindfulness practice group, Awakening Heart Sangha, in the tradition of Thích Nhất Hạnh. In this service, we will explore the joys and benefits of Sangha. Special music by Jack Hackett

Finding the Courage and the Wisdom to Make a Difference

Watch the Video (YouTube link) We are living in a time when our beliefs and values are challenged on a daily basis. The things that we hold dear seem to be changing with a frightening speed. We are hearing the calls to resist, to fight, to make a difference. But how do we find the courage and the wisdom in the middle of confusion and fear? Liz Hall will share some lessons about finding the resources that we need in order to take action. Special music by Scott Stilwell

Come to the Crossroads: A Lammas Celebration

10 am Celebrants: Kate Allen & Susan Gross As the dog-days of summer draw closer, have we considered what we are harvesting in our lives? In the rhythms of our world, we eventually see what we have sown come to fruition. Sometimes joyous, sometimes bitter, we eventually encounter the fruits of our circumstances. At this crossroads, we face a decision: what do we harvest, and what do we sacrifice? Which fruits do we reap, and which do we set aside? Join us at this crossroads for a Lammas celebration, the first of the Pagan holy days of harvest. Special music by Amanda DuBose on oboe

What Do You Value? – Sunday with AMOS

10 am Celebrant: Gabrielle Eaton We are part of a larger community: one with wealth and poverty; faith communities and soccer leagues; progressives and conservatives. Our taxes – city, county, state and federal – fund various aspects of that common community. What do you value to the extent that you would raise your own taxes to see achieved? We will explore your ideas and vision, your hopes and energy around the subject of common community and commonly-held assets. What can we build when we work together? Special music by Sharon Stilwell on flute.