Upcoming Sunday Services
Services for April, 2012
Services: Every Sunday at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:15 a.m.
- While the music varies, all three services are essentially the same.
Religious Education:
- Nursery/Early Childhood Classes at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:15 a.m.
- First-Seventh Grade Sunday School at 9:45 and 11:15 a.m.
- Teen Programming at 9:30 a.m.
MONTHLY THEME: PILGRIMAGE
Sunday, April 1, 2012
“Journey to Jerusalem”
The Reverend Dena McPhetres, speaking
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week for Christians. At sundown on Friday this week, Passover begins for Jews. Moses led the Hebrew people on a journey out of Egypt, a liberation story commemorated on Passover. Jesus took a journey to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover on a spring day in the year 30, a day commemorated on Palm Sunday. Pilate took a journey to Jerusalem that same day. What can we learn from these pilgrimages of very different intent and consequences? — Dena
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Easter Sunday: “There Were Tears, There Was Joy”
The Reverend Drew Kennedy, speaking
Family Sunday
This year, as it so happens, the second day of the Jewish Passover coincides with the Christian celebration of Easter. So, we will celebrate both in our uniquely Unitarian Universalist way, but we’ll focus primarily on the peculiarly enduring emotional drama of Jesus’ journey from Bethany to Golgotha. This is a pilgrimage of truly epic proportions, even for those who, like most of us, are not Christians. This will be a “Family” Sunday, so please bring along your children to the first portion of the service. — Drew
Sunday, April 15, 2012
“The Importance of the Holy Grail”
The Reverend Drew Kennedy, speaking
Join us as we ponder one of the most enigmatic, storied, and mysterious legends of all times, the Holy Grail. The origins of the Grail legend are certainly pre-Christian, going back thousands of years. Surviving Grail texts are more recently derived from various medieval stories which were first told by traveling storytellers. Many of these stories were later set within the context of the larger body of lore surrounding the partly mythical, partly historical King Arthur’s court. The Grail itself is variously described as a platter, a jewel, a stone or a chalice. But as academician Joseph Campbell and Buddhist scholar Tara Brach suggest, the quest for the Holy Grail is not so much a quest for a sacred object as a pilgrimage towards one’s own wholeness, healing or enlightenment. Join me as we court the mysteries of the Holy Grail and what it might mean for us today. — Drew
Sunday, April 22, 2012
“Knowing the Sadness of the World”
The Reverend Dena McPhetres, speaking
Earth Day Sunday
Each Earth Day, I brace myself for more bad news and find it difficult to bear the weight of knowing the sadness of the world. This sermon is intended to help us out of our isolation and despair and into the empowerment of our own actions. When Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh was asked what we need to do to save the world, he said “What we most need to do is to hear within us the sounds of the Earth crying.” And, I would add, knowing the sadness of the world, we then need to respond. — Dena
Sunday, April 29, 2012
“Stranger in a Strange Land”
The Reverend Tony Larsen, speaking
Pulpit Exchange Guest (Dena is preaching in Racine today)
Legend and myth speak of beings who live in our world but seem not to be part of it. In a way, doesn't this apply to all of us, since there is probably at least one way that each of us does not fit into what's considered conventional or “normal?” Is there a gift that comes with being an outsider?
Tony Larsen has been the minister at Olympia Brown UU Church in Racine for over 36 years and has been active in the community during that time. (You may have occasionally seen him on the news, leading prayer vigils for Racine Interfaith Coalition when there has been a homicide in the community.) Tony studied to be a Roman Catholic priest for 10 years before transferring into the UU ministry, earning his doctor of ministry degree from Meadville/Lombard Theological School in 1975 (a year after Drew did).
Services for May, 2012
MONTHLY THEME: ACCEPTANCE
Sunday, May 6, 2012
“But They Were Blessed Anyway”
The Reverend Drew Kennedy, speaking
Our theme for the month of May is acceptance, which quickly brings to mind imperfection and the need for forgiveness and/or acceptance. From birth to death, top to bottom, east to west, tragic to the comic, imperfection is here, there, everywhere. Other possible titles for this sermon included, “Helene the Perfectionist Meets Her Match” and “The Inescapability of Imperfection.” But please know that in one of the disaster-of-all-disaster wedding stories I’ll be sharing . . . “They Were Blessed Anyway!” —Drew
Sunday, May 13, 2012
“The Risk of Mothering”
The Reverend Dena McPhetres, speaking
Family Sunday
Dedication of Parents and Children
Giving shelter to a child — physical, emotional, spiritual shelter — is a parent’s primary responsibility. Yet motherhood is a leading predictor of poverty in our country. Mothers must give their children shelter, in all senses of the word, yet mothers are often some of the most vulnerable people in society. This painful paradox is only one of the risks of mothering. — Dena
Sunday, May 20, 2012
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION SUNDAY: “Learning and Living Religion”
9:45 and 11:15 a.m. only
(there will be NO 8:30 a.m. Service this day)
Annual Meeting at 12:30 p.m.
As our children grow in faith and understanding, we celebrate their transitions. As they move into young adulthood, we embrace them even as we encourage them to spread their wings. Today is a day to rejoice in our young people, to honor what they’ve learned and those who have mentored them, and to affirm their place among us. Among our time-honored rituals, this service includes “Senior Statements” from our High School Youth Group graduates, and ceremonial recognition of our K5 children moving into the realm of the “big kids.” Join us on May 20 for a joyful closure to our 2011-2012 Religious Education classes! — Beryl
Sunday, May 27, 2012
MEMORIAL DAY SUNDAY
“The Changing Reputation of War”
The Reverend Drew Kennedy, speaking
Memorial Day Ceremony
As we have sometimes done in the past, today we will observe Memorial Day, honoring all those who have died for our country in war in a simple ceremony of remembrance and praise, so veterans are especially encouraged to attend. Then I want to shift to the fact that some provocative and intriguing research has come to light in recent years that credibly suggests that the institution of war may be in prominent decline. Now that, to me, is good news that needs to be applauded. And encouraged. So, please park your bikes, put down your gardening tools for an hour or two, and join us as we honor our veterans and reflect together on the changing reputation of war. —Drew
