"The Ecology of Generosity"
Sunday, March 6, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
Our preacher this week, The Rev. Vail Weller, has served congregations as parish minister in West Virginia, Michigan, and most recently San Mateo, California, where she still resides. She is also the Congregational Giving Director at the Unitarian Universalist Association and we are so grateful to have her with us on this Sunday when we kick off our 2022-23 annual giving/pledge drive for this community. This week's sermon "The Ecology of Generosity" draws deeply on the thoughts of Robin Wall Kimmerer and her book βBraiding Sweetgrassβ and explores the cycles of nature and the cycles of generosity.
Rev. Vail Weller, Guest Minister; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Sam King & βWonder Daveβ Crady, Canvass Co-Chairs; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir led by Mark Sumner, Music Director
Eric Shackelford, Camera; Shulee Ong, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Judy Payne, Flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
The world right now looks scary and its easy to imagine enemies around us. But the math says otherwise.
Are there any online UU different religions discussion groups? I'm not entirely sure if this even is a thing, but the congregation where I'm at in the world isn't very interested in the discussion of it very much and focuses way more on secular humanism (which is great for sure). I just want to talk with others more about our spiritual journeys, topics in different religions, etc. Is this something that exists?
What is the ministry we do in the wider community? Join Live Oak members Joel Bercu, Audrey McCann, Chris Milhealsick, and Judy Reynolds, as they discuss taking action with school board issues, reproductive justice and anti-racism, voting, and climate justice.
"To Change the World, with Love" Sunday, February 27, 10:50 am, Worship Service
In her book "Pleasure Activism" author adrienne maree brown questions whether activism needs to look like suffering and opens up the invitation for this piece of what we do to be not just more sustainable but life-giving, pleasurable!! What does she mean by "pleasure activism" and how can it change more than just our social justice work but our lives?
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist & Bell Choir Director; Richard Fey, Baritone; Brielle Marina Neilson, Songleader; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader; Michele Kennedy, Soprano; Allen Biggs, Percussionist; Mark Sumner, Pianist & Music Director
Eric Shackelford, Camera; Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Judy Payne, Flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
Edit: Just to clarify, I never meant to be disrespectful or anything, i am an universalist and didnt mean to be offensive. I was drawn to UU because it seems more free to believe whatever you want to believe, and mix and match between different religions. I love this, and would like to spend some more time in UU circles. Thought this might be appreciated here, but if i offended anyone, I am sorry and it was not my intention. I an open to people having different religious views, an open way of looking at faith and religion. Just wanted to spread some love β€οΈ
Luke 3:6 "And all people will see God's salvation." (NIV)
John 17:2 "since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him." (RSV)
1 Corinthians 15:22[28] "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." (ESV)
1 John 2:2 "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (NIV)
Romans 5:18 "Then as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man's act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men." (RSV)
Romans 11:32[28] "For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all." (NIV)
Johnβ¬ β1:16β¬ βFor from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.β (ESV)
All people shall be saved, jew and gentile, man and woman. We are all saved by the grace of God.
Hello all! I have been greatly heartened by the last time I posted here regarding spiritual issues. When I post on Christian subs, it is kind of...conservative most of the time. God is big!
To clarify, I identify as UU and believe all Gods are one. However, my therapist is Christian and so when I speak to her, I use God for the ease of communication. I learned about the Christian idea of discernment from a Christian minister with UU experience - essentially if you feel calm and at peace, that would be discernment. Unease = not.
(I understand that all these are big ideas, I am simplifying so I don't write an entire novel here. I have been UU for about 15 years now.)
I am at an in-between space in my life where I need to make clear choices about certain things, including careers and choice of residence. Understandably these are not easy to make! I have done some good work with a UU spiritual director - in our conversations, a certain career choice felt "right" and gave me great peace of mind.
While working on this with my therapist before (this was before the UU director) she once asked me "what does God want you to do?" While God has occasionally answered with thunder and trumpets before (most of my many spiritual experiences have been numinous in nature) I felt peace in contemplation.
Putting the two and two together, I was wondering if God was answering because discernment = peace with a certain decision?
I am well aware that the spirit cannot be fully comprehended with the mind, yet we all have minds, which is how I am writing this. Since I am not part of any congregation at the moment, I thought I would ask here. I am continuing to pray on it.
Helping others often brings to mind feeding the homeless or digging a well in another country. But there are different needs right in our own neighborhood.
"To Sondheim, with Love" Sunday, February 20, 2022 Livestream Worship Service
This morning we celebrate the great composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim who recently passed away at the age of 91. His cool cleverness and skeptical, often ironic, intellectual character have long been commented on. It is not hard to find articles with titles like "The Case for Sondheim as Existentialist," or an obituary describing him as a "philosopher of music." A number of philosophers have taken it hard over the loss of so marvelous and so philosophical an artist. Cornel West: "His genius shall live forever! He was profound in content, subversive in form and always beautifully lyrical."
To honor his passing, and too feast on what he has "served up," we have chosen a couple of his beloved, familiar songs and, for some, adding a few more new favorites to cement and enlarge his fanbase. No matter how many times you listen to Sondheim, you find yourself taken to new places emotionally. Because of his singular command of music and lyrics, the second you absorb any of what is there, what was first intellectual immediately cuts straight to the heart.
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Dr. Mark Sumner; Music Director; Carmen Barsody, Worship Associate; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; UUSF Choir; Nancy Munn, Soloist; Richard Fey, Soloist; Brielle Marina Neilson, Soloist; Leandra Ramm, Soloist; Asher Davison, Soloist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Soloist; Gilead Wurman, Soloist; Wm. Garcia Ganz, Pianist
Eric Shackelford, Camera; Shulee Ong, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Amy Kelly & Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Alex Darr, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour