What does our Unitarian Universalist tradition have to tell us about the tension between the individual and the community? How do we decide how to act and how to be together? Rev. Mary Gear is serving as the Acting Assistant Minister at First Unitarian Church in Portland, OR, through this month and will begin as […]
Inspired by the Great Lakes, this Service outlines the evolution of the speaker’s naturalistic, theological humanism. Rev. David Kraemer serves United Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Waukesha, WI, as settled minister. He previously served for two years as interim minister in Sioux Falls, SD, and as intern in Rockford, IL.. He is a graduate of United […]
In this age of internet, relentless communication, and what Richard Louv calls “Nature Deficit Disorder,” we all need to reconnect with our world; to bridge the growing gap between the web of life, and with the world wide web that occupies cyberspace (and could preoccupy our lives). There are countless ways to connect with the […]
A former teacher and scholar, Jesus will share stories of working alongside his siblings and parents, of being part of the migrant community, and of the changes he experienced. His parents first came to Wisconsin in the early 1940s. By 1959, over 10,000 migrants were coming to the state yearly. During this time, agriculture changed […]
The words “white supremacy” conger up visions of shaved heads and tattooed necks. It’s no wonder that we white folks resist conversations where the term is applied. But if constructive conversations about eliminating racism in America are going to be had, we need to be able to talk about a system that privileges us… and […]
The subject comes from a book of the same title written by Ashley Montagu, a British American anthropologist. The qualities that may save us as a civilization I attribute to women: reverence, respect, gentleness, understanding, appreciation, willingness to submit without losing your integrity, capacity to serve without losing the spirit, concern for binding up wounds […]
We will explore the meaning of the words Islam, Muslim, salaam and the interrelationship of these key words as related to submission and peace. We will follow this with a brief outline of the 5 pillars and 6 principals of Islam. Previous to embracing Islam, Noor Saadeh (Saa-dee) (nee Sherrie Van Wyke) was a professional […]
April 22nd marks the 49th anniversary of the first Earth Day. Citing several water and climate change issues as examples of critical “inconvenient truths” facing our planetary environment, I will argue that most Americans are blind to reality: earth blind – lacking basic knowledge/understanding of the natural environment; (2) time blind – focused on the […]
Is the U.S. a scientifically advanced country? Of course it is. The U.S. claims far more Nobel Prizes than any other nation. Most of us carry our own personal computers in our purses or pockets and we would be lost without them. Yet, an unfortunate number of us question the safety and efficacy of vaccines, […]
In our media saturated world, it sometimes appears that there is no end to the problems of the world. As a result, people sometimes experience ‘compassion fatigue’ where they feel unable to impact change or make a difference at all. Is there an alternative to compassion fatigue? How can we as individuals and as a […]