Our festive Intergenerational Christmas Eve service will revel in the Spirit of Christmas. What does celebrating Christmas as Unitarian Universalists involve? How can we honor our past as a Christian faith and stay true to the inclusive, pluralistic faith we are now?
As we approach the Winter Solstice and the darkest time of year, a time that can be difficult for many as they mourn losses or remember brighter days, we find what might nourish our spirits. Where can we find light in the midst of darkness? Where can we find joy for the season, when our spirits are heavy? Join us in community to find light in the dark.
Where does the spirit of Buddhism lie? Is it something we can define or just feel? Visiting Buddhist monk, Kusala Bhikshu, will explore these questions and more in defining the spirit of Buddhism.
Have you ever felt like the outsider, a stranger in a new place or community? What helps you feel welcome and at home? As Unitarian Universalists we aspire to radical hospitality towards strangers and outsiders. As we welcome new members to our congregation today, we look at the spirit of welcoming and what it takes to be a truly inclusive congregation that embraces the strangers in our midst.
Sometimes we miss the greatest beauty because we are looking in the wrong places. Our attention is too easily distracted by the noise and flashing images of our media-drenched culture. We are swamped and a little brain-washed by the ideals Madison Avenue uses to sell, sell, sell. But then certain people and experiences cut through the din. They can show us what true beauty is and how to create a beautiful life that affects all who come near its orbit. Merlin Snider will talk about such moments and lives, and one life in particular that has deeply touched him.
As we celebrate the harvest and honor Thanksgiving, this service will pay tribute to our precious earth. How can we serve and revere our earth, so that we may maintain her beauty and bounty for many generations to come? Today, we will be celebrating our communal Thanksgiving with a bread communion and enlivening music.
This Sunday we will come together to support one another post election. Through ritual, music, silence and sharing we will draw on the power of community to serve one another and offer comfort in confusing times.
As we begin our month looking at Service, we explore what it means to have a shared ministry at CVUUF. Ministry is so much more than one ordained Reverend pointing the way. For a congregation to thrive, ministry involves every member of the Fellowship serving and sharing their own ministries or talents with one another.
To mark the Day of the Dead and All Soul’s Day we honor our ancestors, those who came before us in this community and in our families. Rev Dr. Jonipher Kwong, Congregational Life Staff for the Pacific Western Region will have spent the weekend with CVUUF leading our community’s new ministry Start-Up workshop. He will share his further insights with us, inspired by our stories. We invite you to bring photos of your relatives and friends who are no longer with us, both from this community and your families, to place on our community altar of remembrance.
Megan Dowdell teaches Ethics and Society at Starr King School for the Ministry and is pursuing a Ph.D. in sociology while seeking to become a UU parish minister. Her scholarship focuses on the spiritual needs of people coping with chronic health conditions. Megan’s preaching aims to bring joy, love and compassion to the world. She invites us to practice generosity within our own hearts and bodies, so we can give gorgeously of our gifts and treasures out into our communities and the world.
