Pro-choice groups will be protesting anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs), or “fake clinics,” this Saturday morning, October 28, 2023, from 10 am to 12 pm, near Focus Women’s Center in McHenry, Illinois, 409 N. Front Street, Route 31. “If you’re pregnant and want accessibility to all your options, including abortion care, don’t go there!” said Dee Darling, President of McHenry County NOW. “It’s time we expose these fake clinics in our county—they’ll do anything to stop you from getting the abortion you may need and want.   Instead, you can find safe and confidential referrals to verified healthcare providers at ineedana.com or plannedparenthood.org.”                               ...

I won’t ramble on about my upbringing, but it’s not a secret that I was abused. I feel there are many children of the 80’s that inherited trauma from being raised with the saying “it’s just how it was back … Continue reading →

“My ancestors include Monahwee, who was one of the leaders in the Red Stick War, which was the largest Indian uprising in history, and Osceola, who refused to sign a treaty with the United States.” -Joy Harjo How might your ancestors have participated in resistance against oppression?

Nancy Ann (Nellor) McDonald, a community leader and civil rights advocate, died Tuesday, October 24, 2023, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at age 87. The post Celebrating the Life of Nancy McDonald appeared first on BeyondBelief.

Sabbatical Activity No. Umpty-Ump is, of course, making art. I’ve been doing art almost every day, which is a major accomplishment. A lot of what I’ve been working on is nothing I want to show yet: more explorations of the Tower of Babel and several themes that cluster around it. I’m working on one right […]

Our correspondent Liz Williams shares a list of Samhain an Halloween events happening in the UK this coming week. Continue reading Samhain Events Round-up: UK 2023 at The Wild Hunt.

A Q&A with Bill Ong Hing | I have seen children as young as two separated at the border from their families. When I interviewed these traumatized children in border patrol detention, I was ashamed of our what our nation does in the name of border enforcement. When I said goodbye to a fifty-year-old undocumented man at his home the night before he was deported, it was impossible for me to explain the rationale behind the removal of a twenty-five-year resident with no criminal problems to his US citizen children for whom he had served as soccer coach, homework tutor, insurance provider, driver to after-school programs, and loving father.

Yesterday I learned that the planned publication date for my new book, Designing Boxes , is April 16. In my shop I'm finishing some work that I'd put aside for various reasons. With the completion of the book, I have lots of clean up to attend to, and finishing of unfinished work is part of that. Make, fix and create...

Jeff Milchen Many states are exploiting the opportunity created by the U.S. Supreme Court having gutted the Voting Rights Act. Unitarian Universalists believe democracy must be both accessible and equitable.

 My experience at the CUC Young Adult Retreat I was floating in water so clear I could see the bottom. I sat on a paddleboard and relaxed on the pond. Dragonflies danced around me. There was occasional splashing from fish leaping out of the water, and there was laughter in the distance. I felt […] The post My experience at the CUC Young Adult Retreat first appeared on Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada. The post My experience at the CUC Young Adult Retreat appeared first on Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada.

Christin Green I believe that we are all "life drummers" just waiting to join in the rhythm. Continue reading "Life Drummers"

“Welcome, welcome emigrante, welcome, welcome to my home……” BuffySainte-Marie, 1965. Earworm, me, 2023. As a child of early and recent immigrants, I have wondered about thewelcome they received when they arrived in this country. The welcome ofthe 19th century immigrants … Continue reading →

The Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 5603 Bull Valley Road in McHenry, Illinois cordially invites the McHenry County community to celebrate and early Halloween event this Friday , October 27 from 6 to 9 pm .   The festivities start off a 6 with a Trunk or Treat for children of all ages.   Members and friends will array their car trunks with appropriate spooky decorations and have lots of goodies to distribute .   There will be a vote for the best vehicle . Tree of Life Witches Dance in 2022. At 7 pm there will be a dance party with instructions so all can join the annual Dance of the Witches ( And Warlocks .)   Costumes and brooms are encouraged but not required. Around 8 pm folks will gather around a campfire .   B...

“But for the sacrifices made by some of your ancestors, you would not be here; they have paid for you. So, when you enter a challenging situation, bring them on the stage with you; let their distant voices add timbre and strength to your words. For it is your job to pay for those who … Continue reading Sacrifices of our Ancestors

Our correspondent Sean McShee attended a forum on ”Earth Democracy and the Rights of Nature" that covered many Gaia-centric interfaith perspectives. Continue reading A forum on Rights of Nature and Earth Democracy at The Wild Hunt.

SJAT will be hosting a table at the back of the Great Hall before and after services for the next few Sundays to share more about the Downstream Justice project and how you can get involved. We will gather after service on November 5th to walk along the ... read more . The post Social Justice Action Team News: Downstream Justice Project Kick Off appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Over the past month we’ve been exploring October’s theme: A Circle of Belonging. We have named and used several resources and wanted to share a couple of them with you, as we’ve had a few requests. This past Sunday, Wendy shared a powerful reading from ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – Oct. 24th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Children and youth will attend the service with their families. Everyone is invited to bring a picture or memento of a loved one to honor at an altar during the service. The nursery opens for children under age 5 at 10:15. No RE sessions, 8/9 OWL, or ... read more . The post Religious Education on Sunday Oct. 29th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Sunday, October 29 Samhain Service: Heritage of Love Led by Rev. Alice Anacheka-Nasemann   Samhain, translated from Old Irish as “Summer’s End,” is a pagan festival marking the end of harvest season. With life falling back in preparation for the winter, the Gaels believed that the border between this world and the other world became thin   [ … ] The post Sunday, October 29 ~ Samhain Service: Heritage of Love ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

This Skill Up is led by Rev. Ashley Horan, our Organizing Strategy Director. We often talk about partnership and solidarity in organizing, and the crucial role of showing up well in crucial moments. But how do we know which potentially risky asks we're actually ready to say "yes" to -- and follow through with? We discussed a framework for having congregational conversations about risk, including expanding our courage as communities with significant power and resources. Our Skill Ups are a monthly training series to help build organizing capacity across our congregations and communities. We are grounded in our UU calling to be lifelong learners and organizing traditions' call to share what we know for our movements to grow. View on Vimeo ...

 I added five new listings on Etsy today. They can be found in my shop at  https://www.etsy.com/shop/DougStowe Among them is this one-of-a-kind box made of mahogany. It has a textured lid, is made with hidden spline joints visible only when the lift-off lid is opened. Make, fix and create...

We know we need to get to Net Zero and fast, but how? The People's Church of Kalamazoo has made a commitment to cut their emissions to achieve Net Zero by 2030. We joined Tom Hackley from People's Church to learn how their Green Sanctuary Team is working to meet this ambitious and critical goal! View on Vimeo View the slide deck Video of Oct 2023 Green Sanctuary webinar

There has been a huge movement of reskilling and rediscovering old skills. Foraging has been a skill that is as old as the human race. Being ancestors of hunters and gathers it’s somewhat natural for our species to forage. It … Continue reading →

Parts to fix my Grizzly 6 x 48 in. belt sander will arrive this morning. In preparation, I've taken the sander apart to the point that it can be reassembled with the new parts in place... at a savings of over $500.00 and a savings to our local community and the global environment as well.  Imagine a world in which things could be made to last, and repaired as necessary. We don't live in that world, but one in which complex devices are made to blow each other up. I'm reminded of the American bombing in Viet Nam.  We would drop cluster bombs on villages to kill the Viet Cong... each bomb costing thousands of dollars, when if we were to drop Kubota tractors as an alternative to bombs we'd have saved millions of dollars and made friends in...

A street encounter between acquaintances.  What will they discover? In 2020 Facebooks memory dredged up a status post from way back in 2010.   I had completely forgotten about it but after years of ever increasing American polarization and its attendant personal trauma I found it more relevant than ever.   From it I created found verse—making a poem simply by breaking up the lines exactly as originally written.   I have discovered a few of these over the years.   At least they are short and sweet and don’t drone on forever.                                                                  The late William Carey's sketch of the Old Poet reading. An Encounter Discovered in a Facebook status fr...

Sarah Pirtle sings, “all the people that I meet have a heartbeat.” Your beating heart connects you to all of the people of the Earth. all of the people who ever were and all of the people who ever will be. Honor your connection to all beings today.

Back in 2004, Brian Donahue, an environmental historian, noted: “Beginning in the seventeenth century England was able to rationalize the production of its own countryside partly by genuine improvements, partly be replacing scarce firewood with boundless coal, and partly by drawing on its new colonies and on trade with the wider world, whether cattle from … Continue reading "Ecological consequences"

In this week's Pagan Community Notes, a statue thought to be a water nymph turns out to be Aphrodite, upcoming Samhain events, tree sounds, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of October 23, 2023 at The Wild Hunt.

We ignore fate at our peril. At the same time, we do ourselves no favors if we assume our entire lives are controlled by others and we can do nothing to make them better. Or worse, if we use fate as an excuse for doing things that are easy but unhelpful.

Discover how your pledge to All Souls shapes our community and the world. Be part of 'Sharing Courageous Love' in 2024 and beyond. The post Sharing Courageous Love: A Pledge To Give appeared first on BeyondBelief.

Dad and I listened on the car radio when President Kennedy addressed the nation about the Cuban Missile Crisis and his eye ball to eyeball showdown with the Soviets. Note— 61 years ago this week the Cuban Missile Crisis riveted and terrified the American public, including a 13 year old in Cheyenne. This is my recycled memoir of that. I was in my father ’ s car.   I believe it was his official State of Wyoming 1962 Chevrolet station wagon.   We had the radio on.   Dad was doing me a favor.   He was a man of infinite patience that way.   We had just visited the Quonset hut that served as the official headquarters of Wyoming Civil Defense .   I had in my lap a box stuffed full of literature on how to build a bomb shelter, plan an ...

Today, the 23rd of October 2023, is the 75th Anniversary of the first service of Imaoka Shin’ichirō-sensei’s (1881-1988) Tokyo Kiitsu Kyōkai (東京帰一教会) , which was often translated as the Tokyo Unitarian Church (see picture to the right). Alas, the Tokyo community did not survive Imaoka-sensei’s death, aged 106, in 1988. However, thanks to the dedicated work and commitment of Professor George M. Williams, Imaoka-sensei’s belief that it was possible for there to exist a genuine creative, free-religion or spirituality (“jiyū shūkyō” 自由宗教)  has not died but has been passed on to people such as me.  It is not an exaggeration to say that discovering Imaoka-sensei’s vision and work through George has save...

It’s October in the South.  We will soon be free from days full of sunshine and comfortable temperatures.  My gardening will come to a halt…. just as soon as I finish transplanting daffodils, sifting my compost, and putting my garlic … Continue reading →

I love old photographs. Above my desk are the wedding photos of both sets of my grandparents. On my bookcase are photos of my family members in every decade since the 1940s. There is something about those soft black-and-white photos, some gently watercolored, that brings me comfort. -Michael Tino (CLF) Who would you love to … Continue reading Old Photos

The Craft is one of the only movies that shows, not in montage or in dream sequence, not in hints or in glimpses through a not-quite-closed-door, how Witches cast a circle, consecrate their spaces, and bring one another into the space between worlds. Continue reading Classics of Pagan Cinema: The Craft at The Wild Hunt.

Join UUs and James Carroll for our Biblical Scholarship Class the 4th Sunday of the month.

Yesterday, being international repair day  https://openrepair.org/international-repair-day/  and all, my Grizzly 6 x 48 in. belt and disk sander started making a loud thumping sound. I managed to get 44 boxes through their first sanding before the sound became completely unbearable. My choice became buying a new sander to replace my 30 plus year old machine or fixing the one I have. The difference in cost of one vs. the other is enormous, and fortunately Grizzly still has parts for my old machine. How often in this horrid age of planned obsolescence is that still the case? The repair of the machine, after parts arrive in two days, will take less time than taking a new machine out of the box and bolting the parts together as they come o...

Well, it isn’t COVID as I tested 3 times and have remained negative. I guess I forgot that bad colds can be pretty miserable. At least I think it is a cold. Could be partly a reaction to the flu shot and COVID booster I got on Monday. Who knows? Just thankful for generic NyQuil […]

What can help release people from the jaws, the tyranny, the coercion of superstitions of all kinds, giving humanity a better chance of surviving and thriving along with the rest of Earth’s biosphere? We will consider an answer.

Less than an hour after Colorado Rangers shot up the IWW hall in Walsenburg killing two Mexican members, these miners gathered to protect it from renewed attack. On October 18 the Great Colorado Coal Strike of 1927 began.   Despite being one of the most important and dramatic industrial struggles of the 20th Century chances are that you never heard of it even if you are fairly well versed in labor history. That’s because it doesn’t fit tidily into the grand narrative that has been constructed for labor history which says that the great period of industrial upheaval which began roughly about the time of the Great Railway Strike of 1877 ended in the wave of patriotism caused by America’s entry into World War I and the glittering era...

Shared in my October 22nd sermon “Lessons from My Depression,” I kept a daily log during my episode of depression in order to track what was happening. I used a simple blank book and logged each day: What time I woke up What my exercise was (aiming for 30 minutes …

In many cultures, it is thought that this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere is when the veil between this world and the world of the dead is at its thinnest. Many people celebrate this thinness by communicating with ancestors. What would you say to your ancestors if you could communicate with them?

Please join us on Sunday (22 October 2023) at 11:00 AM for “Unitarian Universalism and the Future of Louisiana” featuring the ministry staff and members of Our Louisiana congregations. This worship service will be streamed live from the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. You can watch the live video at 9:00 AM in the … Continue reading "All Ages Worship (22 October 2023)"

For this Sunday (22 October 2023), our children (Pre-K thru Grade 5) will be using a program adapted from Moral Tales (a Tapestry of Faith curriculum by Alice Anacheka Nasemann and Elisa Davy Pearmain). At this writing, the children will either have class as usual while the adults watch the recording of the Baton Rouge … Continue reading "Pre-K thru Grade 5 Children’s Religious Education (22 October 2023)"

Our middle and high school youth will join us in the social hall for viewing the statewide Unitarian Universalist worship service in Baton Rouge. The All8 Youth Arts Workshop will continue next Sunday (29 October 2023) but youth are welcome to use available art supplies in the social hall this week to work on projects … Continue reading "Middle and High School Youth Religious Education (22 October 2023)"

There is no adult religious education class this Sunday (22 October 2023). Join us for the worship service in Baton Rouge from the Louisiana  Statewide Unitarian Universalist Retreat online Sunday at 9:00 AM. Next Sunday (29 October 2023), we will continue reading the UUA Common Read for 2023 — On Repentance and Repair by Rabbi … Continue reading "No Adult Religious Education Class This Week (22 October 2023)"

Please join us on Thursday (2 November 2023) from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM for the Community Lighthouse launch at Morning Star Baptist Church (5340 Jewella Avenue, Shreveport LA) This is the first launch of the  two pilot locations for the Community Lighthouse and our block-by-block strategy to build resilient neighborhoods. Fill out a registration … Continue reading "Community Lighthouse Launch (2 November 2023)"

Join us next Saturday (28 October 2023) from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM for our annual Trunk or Treat celebration. Decorate your car and bring treats and/or a game, craft, or activity for children who come trick-or-treating to your car. All ages are welcome to join the fun.

Please join us next Wednesday (25 October 2023) at 12 noon for our weekly Zoom lunch. Our weekly Zoom lunch is going dual-platform — join us from home using Zoom or in person in the social hall. Bring your lunch and meet up with your All Souls friends, have lunch, and just catch up.

Please join us to celebrate the ordination of Tina DeYoe into UU Ministry!

A short  “ thought for the day” was offered to the Cambridge Unitarian Church as part of the Sunday Service of Mindful   Meditation.  (Click on this link to hear a recorded version of the following piece)   —o0o— In the dark and darkening days we find ourselves entering ever more deeply into — both geopolitically, environmentally and in terms of the season — a perennial question arises for a small community such as this one which is attempting to offer the world a contemporary, creative, “free-spirituality” or “free-religion,” what the twentieth-century Japanese Unitarian, Imaoka Shin’ichirō-sensei (1881-1988) called “jiyū shūkyō” (自由宗教). The question is: what of immediate benefit can be found b...

Today is international repair day, celebrating the idea that things should be fixable by the end user, and that we and the things we own should not be held hostage by the companies that manufacture stuff. The idea of course, is that if something can be fixed and is useful, it should be fixed rather than disposed of and replaced.  Fixing things not only extends the life of the things we think are important to us, it also builds confidence and competence in society at large, and by doing so, extracts us from slavery to stuff and the folks who supply it. It also alleviates some of the burden borne by our landscape, which currently suffers from abuse. Make, fix and create...

            (A dharma talk delivered on October 21st, 2023, during sesshin at the North Carolina Zen Center.) About five years ago I was contacted by people who ran a spiritual tour group. While they visited several locations around the world, they specialized in trips to Bhutan. They were planning their […]

Places can hold our memories in special ways. Some of us have special places where we can feel our ancestors close–our physical or our spiritual ancestors. Sometimes that’s a place we shared with them, other times it is a place that reminds us of some characteristic of theirs. Where do you go that you feel … Continue reading Sense of Place

The October 2023 building and grounds work day has moved to 21 October 2023 from 1000 AM to 200 PM. We usually have the monthly building and grounds work day on the second Saturday of each month.  However, we had a wedding on the second Saturday of October 2023. If you aren’t going to Baton … Continue reading "Monthly Building and Grounds Work Day (21 October 2023)"

Please join us on Saturday (21 October 2023) at 10:30 AM for our weekly meditation group with Larry Androes. This group will be meeting via Zoom and not in person. This is a sitting Buddhist meditation including a brief introduction to mindfulness meditation, 20 minutes of sitting, and followed by a weekly teaching. The group … Continue reading "Meditation with Larry Androes (21 October 2023)"

A short excerpt from The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism by Katherine Stewart. In this excerpt, the author and Rev. Chris Liles, a Bible-believing Southern Baptist preacher, have just attended a meeting of the Family Research Council, a Christian nationalist group. Neither one of them felt comfortable at the meeting. As … Continue reading "Noted without comment"

In terms of a Queer Craft, it is important to form a relationship with figures from queer history, and not just those within the Craft or occultism. Figures like Sappho, Oscar Wilde, Alan Turing, James Baldwin, and Edith Windsor each offer us an opportunity to forge spiritual bonds with those who helped to move the queer experience forward. Continue reading Column: The Nebulous Rainbow at The Wild Hunt.

Tonight our annual Mad Hatter's Ball will be held at the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs. It is a fund raiser for the Eureka Springs School of the Arts, now celebrating its 25th year. You can view and bid on auction items through this link: https://www.silentauctionpro.com/bidonlinegrid.php?groupId=3567 The event is sold out, but you can still bid. And you will likely be impressed by the creativity in our community. Yesterday I inlaid 43 boxes, so hinging and assembly comes next. Make, fix and create...

Holidays in my family are some of the best memories I have. We didn’t have many traditions, but one thing my aunt did every year was celebrate Christmas from another country that our ancestors were from. We would study the … Continue reading →

“They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.” -Isaiah 61:4 (RSV) How are you connected to the devastations of many generations ago?

Readers contacted us with concerns about a rise in the term "Burn the Witch" and we looked into the term's use on the internet, by musicians, and game companies. Continue reading Readers raise concerns about the term, “Burn the Witch” at The Wild Hunt.

This installment of the Lives of the Spirit series focuses on the queer Chicana writer Gloria Anzaldúa and her concept of spiritual mestizaje. The post Borderlands: Gloria AnzaldúA appeared first on Colin Bossen.

            (A dharma talk delivered at the North Carolina Zen Center sesshin on the 19th of October, 2023.)   A couple of weeks ago I was privileged to attend the first in person gathering since covid of the now venerable American Zen Teachers Association. The meeting was held at Great […]

Raising 4 children in our home meant Christmas was a hectic time of gift secrecy, nonstop cooking and decorations everywhere. I always put up a traditional tree filled with the wonky ornaments my children made in grade school, ornaments given … Continue reading →

Our very far-back ancestors didn’t write their history, but they left us clues about what their lives may have entailed. People see these paintings and argue about what they mean, but they are amazing and beautiful whatever their interpretation. This beauty has survived for some 40,000 years. Leave something beautiful and mysterious behind today.

New research offers clues about the original colors used in the Parthenon and its statuary. Continue reading Marble of a Different Color: New Discoveries on the Parthenon Sculptures at The Wild Hunt.

How to Shake Up a Church Adapted from Meg Muckenhoupt and Dan Harper  It is the middle of October and the local Unitarian Universalist (UU) Director of Religious Exploration (DRE) is in a spooky mood! They want to have some fun in the season of remembering our dead. They begin to ponder: should we organise […] The post How to Shake Up a Church first appeared on Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada. The post How to Shake Up a Church appeared first on Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada.

By Jonathan Rosenblum | “I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel. Everything is closed. We are fighting human animals, and we will act accordingly.” Those were the chilling words of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in the wake of the murderous Hamas attack on Oct 7 that killed more than 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers.

Carol and I got the latest COVID booster on Monday evening. By mid morning on Tuesday, I had a headache. Carol texted me saying, “So tired.” After my last meeting ended at 2:30, I went home. We spent the day on the couch, went to bed at 8:30, and slept twelve hours. This morning we’re … Continue reading "Booster"

Sometimes we need someone to witness the pain in holy stillness. Continue reading "Loved without Words"

How far back do love stories go? In my family they go back to 1875, the story of Charles Bella Gyorke, my third great Grandfather, is a story passed down through generations.  Charles Gyorke (name later changed to George) from … Continue reading →

The great tornado strikes London in in 1091.  That's William the Conqueror's castle, better known to us as the Tower of London in the upper left.  The sturdy building avoided a direct hit and still stands. I don’t know how the people of London , England bear up under the sorrow of the anniversaries of two deadly disasters every October 17.   Yet they bravely soldier on.   Their slogan is “Keep Calm and Carry On [Sargent, Nurse, Etc.]” For the first of these unfortunate occurrences , we have to reach back all the way to October 17, 1091.   No that isn’t a typo.   On that date the first tornado ever recorded in the British Isles—and one of damn few since—stuck and destroyed the heart of London.   And it was a dilly, too....

Sometimes, in our rush to embrace new ways of doing things, we leave behind old ways that still work. Sometimes those old ways work better than the new ways we have taken on. Have you discovered an “old way” of  doing something that works for you?

The UUA joins the chorus of voices urging a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza, the admittance of humanitarian aid, and the restoration of power and water to Gaza to prevent the further loss of life. Continue reading "UUA Statement on the Humanitarian Catastrophe in Gaza and Israel"

A photo essay The only thing a professional hair stylist has ever done to my hair is cut it . . . until today.

The video of the 250th anniversary service (delayed three years for the pandemic) of Murray’s landing in America, held at Universalist National Memorial Church on October 7, 2023 may be seen here. (Facebook)

Taken with a Fuji X-T2 and a Pentax SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4 using Luis Costa’s Kodak Tri-X Push recipe Just click on the photo to enlarge it  

By Rashid Khalidi | Why is the study of the failure to achieve Palestinian statehood important? It is important, first, because Palestinian history has significance in its own right. It is a hidden history, one that is obscured, at least in the West, by the riveting and tragic narrative of modern Jewish history. Where it is recognized at all, it tends to serve as an appendage or feeble counterpoint to that powerful story. Palestine is a small country—and the Palestinians even today number perhaps only 9 or 10 million people—and yet the people and the land of Palestine loom large in world affairs beyond all consideration of their size. Their drama has been a central one.

Pagan authors have been impacted by the rise of AI generated Pagan content. Continue reading Pagan authors impacted by AI services like ChatGPT at The Wild Hunt.

We’ll have regular sessions of RE for grades K-7 and 7/8 OWL. Senior High Youth does not meet this week Everyone in grades K-7 will gather in for the first part of the service in the Great Hall. After the story in the service, the elementary aged ... read more . The post Religious Education this Sunday, Oct 22 appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

In solidarity with Hispanic Heritage month (September 15-October 15), we read and honor a Dominican-American author, Junot Diaz, with The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, a 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner. Join us for a book discussion on this award-winning novel on October 30th at 6pm. We welcome all ... read more . The post BIPOC Book Group Discussion Monday, October 30th, 6-7 pm appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

We are hiring a “Floating” Religious Education teacher to work every Sunday and serve in the nursery or as a sub or extra hand wherever they are needed. Here’s the description. Please pass this along to anyone ... read more . The post We are Hiring appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Sunday, October 22 The Gift of Heritage The Unitarian Church of Marlborough & Hudson invites you into a time of spiritual reflection with our Soul Matters Sharing Circle . Once a month, in lieu of a formal worship service, we will gather to create safe, sacred space together, in a sharing circle format, so we may   [ … ] The post Sunday Worship: October 22 ~ The Gift of Heritage ~ 10:30-Noon appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

We were thrilled to accept a symbolic. Giant check for $500 from our old friends and supporters from Crystal Lake/Ridgefield Presbyterian Church at a Compassion for Campers event organized by Blossom  Broussard (seen on left.). The help was extremely timely as we are nearing yet another funding crisis. Note— This   post is based on my remarks yesterday at a McHenry County College Event   sponsored by the Student Peace Action Network (SPAN) and coordinated by Blossom Broussard, a young member of Tree of Life Congregation.   It presents an opportunity to explain the Compassion for Campers program and introduce it to those who might not be aware of our work. Compassion for Campers , the organization that supplies camping gear, surviva...

For two years I have been trying to get dual citizenship. On my last visit home to New York I found a treasure stack of immigration information from Ellis Island and my paternal grandfather’s naturalization process. Because he filed AFTER … Continue reading →

An old car, a quilt handed down through the generations, a great-grandmother’s cedar chest, a steamer trunk that held belongings while crossing the Atlantic. Sometimes, objects in our midst hold memories that are worth saving. What objects hold good memory for you?

I received a long email today from a research group called “Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations.” The email began: “Dear Pastor, Greetings! This past spring, you or your church completed a survey for the national study entitled Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations.  At that time you were willing to be contacted for follow-up questions. In … Continue reading "Poll"

In this week's Pagan Community Notes, new pagan gold foils found in Norway, send us your ancestor altar pics, sounds of the universe and more community events and announcements. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of October 16, 2023 at The Wild Hunt.

New bill dividing Congress could harm communities in migration.

This week we’ve had a flock of dozens of white-throated sparrows in our back yard and the field and trees next to it. I love their little striped heads and loud chirping. They are drawn by the water of the pond, and I’ve seen them drinking and bathing there. It is such a blessing to […]

Elaine McArdle A beloved folk song is now a children’s book, updated to remove binary language.