The ancient Hebrew people developed powerful values in order to preserve community in the midst of chaos. If re-examined and re-defined, these values could become powerful guides to healing our fractured national and local communities. A graduate of Union Theological Seminary in New York City and a retired United Church of Christ clergywoman, Rev. Schultz spent […]
In a wonderful book about the development of feminist consciousness before “feminism” arose in the 19th century, the historian Gerda Lerner gives credit to individual women who were warriors, artists, nuns and mothers for defending their principles and thereby laying important groundwork for later movements. On this Mothers’ Day, Estella Lauter will pay homage to groups of […]
“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” Aristotle 384-322 B.C. Should we be a little surprised that we can learn really important things from sources as diverse as Aristotle, Tiger Woods, and April-the-Giraffe? Hmmmm… Cynthia Johnson, a retired Unitarian Universalist minister who served UU congregations […]
A “brave new world,” but are we ready? Poetry Sunday has become a UUFDC tradition since it was begun over a decade ago. Last year, poets from among the members and friends of this Fellowship celebrated the 20th year of UUFDC’s existence. This year, we are responding to a request from the Racial Justice Task […]
Immediately upon the arrival of our newly elected government, many references to Climate Change were removed from various federal and state government websites. The ‘official’ position appears to be that any changes we are experiencing are not caused by human activity; this, despite 97% of climate scientists agreeing that climate-warming trends over the past century […]
For many in our congregations, the traditional theological meanings of Easter lay like sunken wreckage at the bottom of the lake of our lived experience. Should we care about mounting a salvage operation this year? Or is it better to just visit the point which overlooks the water where that ship went down, and enjoy […]
Sometimes peace requires change. Sometimes change requires defying authority. Unitarian Universalist history is filled with people who have acted as social change agents. Many of them questioned prevailing authorities. Join us as we consider the history and influence of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience in the face of injustice. Eric Severson, from La Crosse, Wisconsin, is currently serving […]
This talk is not an examination of anyone’s sleeping habits. Nor am I concerned whether or not some of us occasionally doze off at UU. Rather, we will consider whether our lives “bring us to the point where we become part of creation rather than merely observers of it.” The Benedictine abbess, Joan Chittister, an […]
Overcoming hatred is a noble goal. Its implementation can be challenging. Hate as a word, like its dualistic counterpart love, reflects a vast array of feelings. Hate can be as simple as hating a type of food or as extreme as violence against another person or group. Hating a type of food, such as beets, causes […]
Recent restrictions on arrivals in the United States have raised questions about the nature of refugee issues. Some people argue that refugees threaten the American way of life, while others maintain that assisting refugees is a democratic imperative and humanitarian obligation. While this debate rages nationally and globally, it is also taking place here in […]