Join us as we tell the Christmas story, and celebrate 200 years of the beloved hymn, “Silent Night.”

A short concert of Christmas music, led by Nylea Butler-Moore and featuring members and friends of the congregation, precedes the service at 6:30 PM.

There’s never enough time to sing all the carols. Nylea Butler-Moore leads us in a program of holiday favorites and your requests. What would you like to sing?

[a service for all ages] Come help us tell the Christmas story in this no-rehearsal, cast-on-the-spot pageant. (And why not wear your favorite animal costume, if you have one?)

They say the waiting is the hardest part . . . but what are we waiting for?

We begin this month’s theme of “Mystery” with reflections on growing comfortable with not knowing.

December is, among many other things, Self Help month at the church. Self Help, Inc. was founded in 1969 by Bethlehem Lutheran Church, along with several other churches in town including our own. It was founded as a means to pool charitable resources and use them for assistance and outreach in our northern New Mexico communities. For many years, the first Sunday in December at the Unitarian Church was designated as “Self Help Sunday,” with a special collection taken up that day to fund our commitment to one of our oldest charitable partners. Over the years, as need has increased and we moved to a model of giving away the entirety of our collection each month, “Self Help Sunday” has transformed into “Self Help Month.”

The monies we collect and give to Self Help, Inc. assist in their vital work in the wider community on our behalf. Currently, Self Help manages an emergency relief fund for one-time assistance needs such as rent, utilities, or medical bills; self-reliance grants used to assist those in need with small business start-up costs, job training, or other projects that will lead to individual self-reliance (Crowfeather Cleaning, our current janitor service, was started with the help of one of these grants); the 2-1-1 resource referral line serving Rio Arriba, Taos, Mora, San Miguel, Santa Fe and Los Alamos Counties; and the Los Alamos Mental Health Access Project, connecting people to much needed mental health services.

Earlier this year, Maura Taylor began her tenure as executive director of Self Help. Maura grew up in Los Alamos, and in our church, and has returned to serve our community. She’ll join us later this month to talk about the organization and her work. During December, all cash and undesignated funds will be given to Self Help, Inc. We’ll also put out a free-will donation basket during our holiday potluck.

I personally consider Self Help, Inc. to be our most important charitable and outreach partner in the community. I know that this time of year brings many appeals for support, and I hope you will consider a generous gift to Self Help along with your other charitable gifts this year.

~ ~~ ~ ~

Please join me in welcoming Yelena Mealy as our new staff accompanist. Yelena will be assisting Nylea with choir rehearsals and accompaniment, as well as filling in for Nylea on Sundays when she’s leading her ensemble at Bethlehem Lutheran. If you were with us in church on November 11, you’ll know that Yelena is an excellent pianist. She comes to us most recently from Florida with a great deal of church music experience, and is already in high demand as an accompanist and teacher in Los Alamos. We’re incredibly lucky to be welcoming her to the staff team. Yelena will play for us next on December 9. Join us in church, and come say hello.

~ ~~ ~ ~

Don’t miss out on our December traditions here at the Unitarian Church. The Do-It-Yourself Christmas Pageant returns this year on Sunday, December 16. Our Solstice Celebration takes place on Friday, December 21 at 7:00 pm. And, Christmas Eve by Candlelight will take place Monday, December 24 at 7:00 pm, with a special concert of Christmas music preceding the service at 6:30 pm. Join us as we tell the Christmas story through the lens of the beloved hymn, “Silent Night,” which celebrates its 200th birthday this Christmas Eve. A special collection will be taken up for the minister’s discretionary fund, which allows me to provide emergency assistance to the congregation and the wider community.

Rev. John Cullinan

Join us for this multi-generational service of gratitude and stories about the breads of our families.

Every soul needs a reminder list. What’s on yours?

We begin November’s theme of “Memory” with an exploration and celebration of our ancestors and our history.

We begin November’s theme of “Memory” with an exploration and celebration of our ancestors and our history.

Rev. John returns to Terry Pratchett’s Discworld for a new lesson on truth-telling — the world may be make-believe, but the news is 100% NOT fake.

Africa feels to me like a sanctuary, sacred and safe, perhaps because I was raised by Cecelia, a Zulu woman, and I played with Nellie, a quiet and gentle elephant. Africa is not one place, it is a brocade, rich with diversity. It showed me a wealth of perspectives; it taught me to embrace diversity; and it taught me to accept what I don’t understand.

Crow is back, and she’s worried about her new friend’s safety. 

We begin October’s theme of sanctuary with reflections on how we find places of inner peace.

Who we were. Who we are. Who we want to be – Vision cannot be fulfilled without trusting in the unknowns of its outcome. What gives us courage to take a leap of faith?

“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” – William Faulkner

“Objects in mirror are closer than they appear”

To become who we choose to be, we must understand who we were – at our best AND at our worst – and know that we have not left those moments very far behind.