Psychologist of religion Kenneth Pargament coined the phrase “spiritual orienting system” to describe the “habits, values, relationships, and beliefs that express one’s spirituality or sense of the sacred.” While many Unitarian Universalists don’t find the notion of a God or gods … read more.
Whether you’ve been away or not, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to share a warm welcome home with our beloved UUCWI congregation, and participate in our annual water ceremony. We’ll open the service in UUCWI’s traditional way, with a rendition of Clif Hardin’s … read more.
Spoiler alert: Of course, the answer is that everyone’s body matters. That goes without saying for Unitarian Universalists. Or does it? It seems to me that shame wreaks havoc with us as well, and sometimes “it is necessary to reteach a thing its loveliness,” to … read more.
Sixteen members and friends of UUCWI, plus our Minister, attended our Unitarian Universalist Association’s annual General Assembly in June. In today’s service, we’ll share just a few of our experiences and learnings, and attempt to give you a sense of the culture and direction of … read more.
with Erica Steele, and Mavis Cauffman
Music: The Chalice Choir with David Edwards
Few topics are more polarized or polarizing than abortion. People on both sides of the issue are convinced of the certitude of their positions, and acrimonious advocacy aimed at changing other people’s views deepens … read more.
In his book Healing the Heart of Democracy, Quaker author, activist and teacher Parker J. Palmer notes that “prominent among [the dynamics of the human heart] is the tug-of-war between our need to be independent and our need to be interdependent.” This Independence Day weekend, we’ll … read more.
with The Reverend Emily Melcher, Ruth Richards, and Eileen Soskin
When fear for ourselves, our loved ones, our community, the world, or our planet gnaws at us, it’s natural to try to gain certainly or control, to rush forward into the next thing, or to distract … read more.
The Reverend Emily Melcher with Becky Myrick, Sarah Heath, and Kathryn Hirt Please bring a flower to contribute to our shared bouquet! Ninety-six years ago, Norbert Capek, a Unitarian minister in Czechoslovakia, created a flower communion ritual for the congregation he served, as a ritual way of bringing people together. This year, we celebrate flower communion on Mother’s Day, an opportune time to honor the gift that each of us is, and the gifts that each of us brings to our shared ministry.
The Reverend Emily Melcher, preaching, with Katy ShanerContemporary singer/songwriter Cosy Sheridan writes “Perfect don’t need anyone; perfect’s all by itself.” That would be problematic enough, but perfectionism has roots in a centuries old mistranslation of Jesus’s words, and its crown harbors shame relentless striving, loneliness, and white supremacy. Let’s reexamine “perfect”!Music: The Chalice Consort (Gladys Howard, Frank Allen, Linda Good, Jane Hayes, and Joanne Roomes), and Erin Howard, accompanist
The Reverend Emily Melcher, preaching
What difference has UUCWI made in how you understand and seek to meet the needs of the world in which we live? How does UUCWI equip or prepare you to be in service to the world beyond the doors of UUCWI?
