Rebuilding Our Broken Bridge

Unitarian Universalists, as a denomination, have a very hard time retaining our young people into adulthood. Mary Shelden, UCE Director of Lifespan Religious Education and a lifelong UU, will explore some of the common barriers to bridging, and some of the practices congregations can adopt to help foster a lifelong path of faith development and UU identity.

Beloved Conversations – Moving from Lament to Intention to Commitment – Beloved Conversations is a program developed by the Fahs Collaborative of Meadville Lombard Theological School. Three groups of UCE members have participated in this transformative experience. Beloved Conversations are designed to transcend politeness and civility and to build true Beloved Community through loving, honest, and brave dialogue. By engaging in these conversations, we recognize that every conversation between two people is a cross-cultural conversation and we commit to the challenging work of growing a thriving multicultural community of faith. Join us this Sunday to hear about Beloved Conversations within our church and our movement.

Rev. Eileen and members of Beloved Conversations will lead the service.

Dwelling in the Tragic Gaps

Community activist Parker Palmer and nature writer Annie Dillard both reflect on the power of “gaps” in their writing. Palmer addresses the tragic nature of gaps between the worlds we live and the world we wish for while Annie Dillard names “gaps” as the dwelling place of the holy. This Sunday will look into the gaps to discover how Palmer and Dillard may be both right about the nature of in-between spaces.

Our Worship Leader will be Rev. Dr. Nicole C. Kirk and our Worship Associate will be Heike Eghardt.

Queer(ing) Theology

After the celebrations of Pride month in June, we will come together to reflect on the gifts offered by a queer theology. We will also reflect together on what happens when we use “queer” as a verb – queering church, queering faith, queering theology. As we build new understandings about what is required of us to create radically welcoming spaces such as challenging gender binaries, celebrating new expressions of gender and sexuality we may never have known before, and understanding LGBT struggles beyond marriage, let us worship together.

Our Worship Leader will be Rev. Jason Lydon and our Worship Associate is Heike Eghardt.

Restoring Balance in Yourself and the World

The Summer Solstice has just occurred and it is Pride Sunday! It is a time for honoring who we are. It is a time for reflecting on our connection to other people and to the Earth. This week we will reflect on how service within our communities is a form of spiritual practice that can help us feel more balanced as we attend to the numerous connections in our lives.           

Susan Frances, Ministerial Intern.

This Sunday, we celebrate our congregational life in multiple ways. We will recognize the faith development of children in our religious education program, we will honor and appreciate those who have taught them, we will welcome new members, and we will partake in our annual flower communion. Don’t forget that we move to one service this Sunday at 10 a.m. Following the service we will hold a brief congregational meeting to affirm the Black Lives Matter sign and then we’ll enjoy our annual picnic. If you can, bring a flower or two from your garden (or the store), bring a dish to share, and come celebrate our vibrant faith community.

Rev. Eileen and Dr. Mary lead the service.