This week we honor the United Nations’ International Day of Peace by exploring what it means to become peacemakers in a world that so desperately needs them. Through the story and creation of Peace Poles, Rev. Nica and Susan Seats invite us to consider how peace begins within us, takes root in our relationships and communities, and ripples outward into our world. How might each of us become an instrument of peace?
Come home to Chalice for our annual Ingathering celebration and Water Communion as we begin a new congregational year together. We’ll explore what it means to be fully alive. Come celebrate this one precious life, the waters that connect us, and the joy of being together again, and join us for a community picnic at Borchard Park after service.
Core values are something most people have. This service will allow 3 of our members – Katie Sachs, David Jackson, and Matt Chapa to share theirs with the congregation and give all those attending an opportunity to reflect on their own.
What does it take to see a new world before others can imagine it? Through the lives of 3 women visionaries: Malala Yousafzai, Joan of Arc, and Lee Miller, we will explore the courage to trust our vision, speak when silence feels safer, and act on behalf of a future still waiting to be born.
A quote by Albert Einstein says: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” What could it mean to us as UUs if we believed in the possibility of miracles in our current social justice climate? We are not talking about supernatural intervention, but beloved community in action. And that could change everything!
On August 16, we mark ten years to the day since Rev. Nica began her ministry at Chalice. Together, we will honor all we have accomplished and weathered, and celebrate the thriving community we have become.
In Hinduism, Shakti is the Divine Feminine, the primordial cosmic energy that animates the universe, while Shiva is the Divine Masculine, pure consciousness. The Divine is a perfect balance of both. We will explore what it means to honor, celebrate and cultivate both within ourselves in our journey toward becoming our whole selves.
From the first breath until the last, our lives are framed by beginnings and endings. Most of us do better with the beginnings than the endings. Yet ancient wisdom teaches us that there is a time to gain and a time to lose. We confront losses of many kinds in the course of a life. Accepting the impermanence of all things and learning to say goodbye to everything, one sweet piece at a time, puts me in the here and now, which can be a surprisingly happy place to be.
In a time of uncertainty, conflict, and emotional exhaustion, many of us wonder how to stay compassionate without becoming overwhelmed. Drawing on personal story, spiritual wisdom, and the UUA’s invitation to “meet the moment,” Rev. Nica reflects on how we can face life’s heartbreak and hurt with honesty and compassion, while still making room for joy, wonder, and hope.
We become what we revere. In a world competing constantly for our attention and allegiance, what is truly worthy of our devotion? Together we’ll explore how reclaiming reverence can awaken us to the sacredness already woven through everyday life.
