The Gift of Welcome
Join long time member Roy Sumner as he shares what successful welcoming looks like. Also hear of Roy’s recent experience serving as a Board Trustee. Music by John West. (Services are in person and on Zoom.)
Archives: Services
Thomas Potter’s Welcome
In late September, 1770, an English ship bound for New York, carrying a broken and dejected Universalist preacher, ran aground on the New Jersey shore. A local farmer invited that preacher to dinner. Rev. Sarah will tell the story of Universalism’s unlikely beginnings in the U.S., and trace the importance of that maritime mishap more than 250 years ago to our midwestern Unitarian Universalist congregation today. Music by Stephanie Reece. (Services are in person and on Zoom.)
Ingathering
Our joyous annual celebration of the new congregational year, featuring the Water Communion ceremony. Every person/family contributes a small amount of water, naming its source and the spirit with which it is added to the common bowl. Music by Maki Ito Pardieck and CUF choir. (Services are in person and on Zoom.)
Matin Service: The Gift of Welcome
Traditionally, a “matin” is a service of song and prayer. It has also been used to refer to the morning song of birds. Our version of a matin is a service of music, reflection, and blessings. Join us for meditations and music on The Gift of Welcome, our theme for September. Music by Pat York. (Services are in person and on Zoom.)
Serving Needs Greater Than One’s Own
Have you sometimes found it difficult to feel a “fire of commitment” even for causes you deeply care about? In this last of a three-part service series, Rev. Sarah explores some ways that UUs understand and address community experiences of disconnection and healing. Music by Maki Ito Pardieck. (Services are in person and on Zoom.)
Opening to Life’s Gifts
Have you ever been “surprised by joy?” In this second of three-part service series, Rev. Sarah explores some ways that UUs understand and address spiritual experiences of disconnection and healing. Music by Elana Floyd-Kennett. (Services are in person and on Zoom.)
Raising Good Humans in a UU Community
Please join us for this interactive service where Religious Education Coordinator Ashley Moss will provide details on the RE programs in the last few years. Members of the RE Committee will ask for volunteers to help with some activities during the service. RE families will provide chalice lighting, reading(s), and benediction. (Services are in person and on Zoom.)
Listening to One’s Deepest Self
Have you ever lost touch with the “still, small voice within”? In this first of a three-part service series, Rev. Sarah explores some ways that UUs understand and address personal experiences of disconnection and healing. Music by Candy Davis. (Services are in person and on Zoom.)
Reentry and Civic Engagement
Guest speaker Quianya Enge will share with us the importance and understanding that the reentry process is a community sustainability issue. Ms. Enge is the Founder and Executive Director of Beyond the Walls, a not-for-profit organization that empowers those directly impacted by the criminal legal systems (especially women) through education and entrepreneurship. Music by Michael Thompson. (Services are in person and on Zoom.)
What Is Freedom in Religion?
CUF’s Emeritus Minister, the Rev. Bill Sasso, will present the message. Unitarian Universalism is often described as a free religious movement, but what does that mean? Are we a religious community where “anything goes?” If not, what does “freedom” mean, and where are the limits? In what might be called “an adventure of the spirit,” we’ll engage these and related questions, and perhaps even try out some answers! Music by Glenn McLernon. (Services are in person and on Zoom.)