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RT @SeanRauchut: Just played the first unitarian church for the first time and it was everything I hoped it would be. I love you Philadelphia.
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Has anyone else gone to a unitarian universalist church just to find out that nearly everyone that goes there is fake? I'm only asking because I may try a different uu church some day but if they're all like this then I know to avoid them.
I' m not going to go into too much detail just in case someone from my old church is on here but I had been going since I was a teenager, I live in a very conservative state and wanted to go somewhere accepting. My church had always acted very open minded, very welcoming of everyone etc. But it's turning out that that isn't true. They have been discriminating against my mom and I just because we do not have as much money as the rest of them do and despite claiming to be into equality for all and supporting women's rights, they are protecting a man that's been obsessed with me since I was a teenager.
Just to keep it short, I'll sum it up, the head of the care them bullied my mom repeatedly for needing help with a bill, and the man that's been obsessed with me has a long history of harassing women, even violently harassing them and no one at the church sees anything wrong with any of this despite being aware of it all. We have no minister and we've told the president and the entire board of the church about this, they don't see anything wrong with it. They know how severely this man's obsession with me messed me up emotionally, they don't care, they've defended him repeatedly and told me it was my fault for it happening even though my mom and I have been trying to get it to stop for years.
“A Hope Worth Fighting For”
Sunday, October 2, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
Exploring hope and despair in the context of the work the Dallas UU community has done for reproductive dignity and what you might ponder as you consider your callings to make a difference.
Rev. Dr. Daniel Kanter, Guest Minister; Rev. John Buehrens; Susan Anthony, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; UUSF Choir; Mark Sumner, Music Director; Jon Silk, Drummer; Wm. Garcia Ganz, Pianist; Adam Luftman, Shofar
Jackson Munn, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Sam King, Live Chat Moderator; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Amy Kelly, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
I'm recovering from a bad religious experience and haven't been to church in 6 months,.but I miss being part of a community. From what I've read, UU sounds like it might be a good fit.
More generally, does your UU community have a liturgical calendar of the year? What's in it?
I’ve been attending my church since early this year. I started out lurking in online services and then started coming in person when we opened back up for that. I grew up with no religion in particular. I never felt much of a need for it in my life. But now I’m in my late thirties and after the isolation of the pandemic I felt a real need for community, and a welcoming place for open spiritual inquiry.
So now I finally found a weekend Journey to Membership class that works with my schedule. I would have done it sooner—I’m not having cold feet or waffling on commitment—I just have a conflict with the usual dates they’re held. And I’m kind of excited. Membership isn’t a prerequisite for most church activities, but I feel like I want to more meaningfully participate in the community. I’ve started to really appreciate having ritual, and even social obligation, in my life. I see it less as a burden and more about contributing to the larger human project.
Guess I just wanted to put that out there. I’m a little introverted and I want to be more of a “joiner” in general but I also don’t want to overcommit to things and lose interest when the novelty wears off. So I think I’m taking a good step.
Last week several members from our local UU had our first unofficial atheist meeting. We all had a great time, and have decided to meet every few weeks and try to build a secular community in our congregation. The problem is we have no idea how this will look in practice. We all enjoy the social aspect of hanging out with like minded people, but as far as possibilities for affinity groups or ways to contribute to a service we don't have any refrence of how that looks. If anyone has a humanist group at their UU I would love to hear about your experiences.
So I've heard of this church and the jist I've gotten is that it's very human rights oriented and open minded but I don't exactly understand the particulars.
Atheist here but I respect peoples' faith (as long as they don't use it to hurt others) so I'm wondering if it would be a good community for me and my family.
Hi are there any unitarian churches on the united states territories like Guam and Puerto rico?
I just saw a big "Flatch Unitarian" sign on a promo for a new Fox sitcom. Anybody else notice?
https://sports.yahoo.com/locally-shot-welcome-flatch-premieres-182135669.html ... I guess that's what this show is about.
Could be good, could be terrible. It is weird seeing mainstream culture acknowledge that UU's exist, outside the random Simpsons joke.
“Ordinary Days”
Sunday, August 14, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
Life is made up of ordinary days. And they are often some of the best days we have. A sermon musing on the ordinariness of a sweet life.
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Laurel Sprigg, Soprano; Mark Sumner, Pianist; Richard Fey, Songleader
Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Max Benbow, Camera; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
“Retraining the Dragon”
Sunday, August 7, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
When threatened some of us fight - even "breathing fire" if provoked, others freeze or retreat. We all know life is better when we are not stressed all the time, but some seem more resilient and able to shake off strife and difficulty than others. Recent brain science points to the limbic system as the place filtering our experience and deciding whether to act on a threat or choose to go with the flow of life. Rev. Sonya Sukalski has found that resetting the switch that sends the mind, body and spirit into rest and digest chemistry rather than fight or flight to be a satisfying spiritual practice. Her practice includes elements of prayer, meditation, movement, and employs theology UUs might find useful and life-affirming.
Rev. Sonya Sukalski, Guest Minister; Kat Liu, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Maria Roodnitsky, Mezzo Soprano; Mark Sumner, Pianist; Richard Fey, Songleader
Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Max Benbow, Camera; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Carrie Steere-Salazar, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
“Are We Normal?”
Sunday, September 25, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
What is it about the human condition that is normal? And what is normal anyway? By taking lessons from our time in the pandemic, from my time as a hospital chaplain, and from our collective experiences as humans, we can explore how normal is not a concept to compare ourselves to others, but rather a way to build a shared understanding of what it means to be human. This shared understanding can then be the cornerstone to create a lifespan religious education program.
Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Mari Magaloni Ramos, Worship Associate; Mark Sumner, Pianist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader; Eric Hamilton, Guitarist
Eric Shackelford, Camera; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Thomas Brown, Sexton; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
“Good Trouble”
Sunday, July 31, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
In March of 2020, the late John Lewis called on everyone to "get into good trouble, necessary trouble and redeem the soul of America" as he spoke from the Edmund Pettis bridge in Selma Alabama commemorating the tragedy of Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965. Join us on Sunday July 31st for a special service led by worship associate Mari Magaloni Ramos: “Good Trouble”
Our collective values of democracy, privacy and bodily autonomy are under active attack and we have suffered setbacks. And as is always the case, it is our BIPOC and LGBTQ folx that will be most negatively impacted in the coming years if we do not act. One of the most powerful things that we can do to stem this tide is to support and motivate our fellow Americans to vote. We can do that by meeting hate and grievance with love and beloved community.
Mari Magaloni Ramos, Guest Preacher; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate Cal Ball, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Tommy Kesecker, Percussionist; Ben Rudiak-Gould, Songleader
Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Max Benbow, Camera; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
“What am I going to do?”
Sunday, July 24, 10:50 am, Worship Service Livestream
This is the question we ask ourselves at major pivotal points in our lives: graduation, career choice, retirement. “What am I going to do?” is also the question we ask ourselves when there are decisions to be made about: relationships, medical options, questions of moving and choosing where we will live. I find it useful to distinguish between what I can do, and how I can be in the world. I will try to explain what that distinction means to me, and how I have found it helpful in making my choices in life.
Rev. Margot Campbell Gross, Minister Emerita; Sam King, Worship Associate; Reiko Oda Lane, Organist; Giacomo Fiore, Guitarist; Richard Fey, Songleader
Shulee Ong, Camera; Eric Shackelford, Camera; Donald Shearer, Camera; Jackson Munn, Camera; Joe Chapot, Live Chat Moderator; Remigio Flood, Sexton; Kelvin Jones, Sexton; Athena Papadakos, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher; Ralph Fenn, Les James, Tom Brookshire, Zoom Coffee Hour
I have gone back and forth about pursuing a M.Div. for nearly 20 years. I had once gotten to the point where I was applying to several programs but rescinded my applications and pursued doctoral work in Psychology instead (I'm a Psychologist, by training and practice).
That said, I read, most often, about Unitarian and Universalist history and often find myself writing and drafting sermons but never delivering them anywhere, even as a layperson--mostly because we don't have a Congregation or CC in my Rural area.
I'm happy in my role as a Psychologist, but often wonder if it'd be possible to "do both" [i.e., become a part-time UU minister or associate AND practice as a psychologist].
If I pursued the M.Div., I'd want to complete via a part time option online at either ML, SK, or HDS (I know HDS is a FT program, and unlikely to work out).
Any thoughts? Any seminarians with advice? Comments about their own experiences with PT M.Div at ML or SK?
