Step by step, we are making our way out of this time of constriction and anxiety. It has been hard in countless ways – and there are so many unknowns and unresolved issues all around. But this time has also yielded insights and gifts. Come hear reflections from a few Chalice members about what they have learned and find ways of bringing strength and joy into our shared future.
Most humans are notoriously resistant to change. But as we prepare to reopen and move towards our ‘new normal’ we will encounter change both within and beyond our congregation. In this service, Reverend Nica’s last before her summer break, we explore ways to ride, rather than resist, the waves of change. How might we embrace change as we envision and co-create our new normal.
This Independence Day, a week after our annual UU General Assembly, Rev Nica and Chalice members share stories about what’s going on in our wider faith tradition. Join us to start your July 4th holiday in a spiritually grounded way.
We were going to advocate for Juneteenth to become a national holiday this Sunday. But since this became law on June 17th, we now get to celebrate Juneteenth and learn more about its history and significance. How might we, as Unitarian Universalists, live our values by deepening our commitment to racial justice and equity. Reverend Nica and Ayanna Gaines will share their thoughts. Join us also to honor our fathers this Father’s Day.
As things start opening up and we return to life in a more normal way, we explore the importance of grieving what we’ve lost and assessing what we’ve learned. In this way we can make room for our new reality. In this service we get to reflect on our lessons of the last year and how we might build a new future informed by our learning.
In the Pixar animation, Soul, middle school teacher and jazz pianist Joe Gardner has a sudden near death experience that sends him to the Great Before where he is assigned to mentor the little ball of potentiality known as Soul 22. Cynical and ornery, Soul 22 has for eons thus far resisted entering life on earth with all its bittersweet possibilities. Soul 22 is a kind of alter ego for Joe Garner as he weighs the meaning of his own life hanging in the balance. Soul. What does it mean?Is it what you feel when you hear Aretha Franklin or Luciano Pavarotti? Do you have a soul? Are you a soul? Is soul the breath of life, and what does it mean for your journey here and now?
French author Marcel Proust said “Remembrance of things past is not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were.” Since our memories hold the stories of our lives, mysteries surround what we do and do not remember. Join us as we look at the precious gift of memory, our fears about losing it, and our hopes for holding onto it as long as possible.
We all have a mother – but there our similarities end. Our experience of motherhood is dynamic and can run the gamut from warm to reactive. Join us for a reflective service on this observation of Mother’s Day with readings, music, and the sharing of Chalice Mothers’ stories of motherhood.
The stories we tell ourselves shape our lives. Whether we repeatedly relive the stories from our past in our minds or actions, or we allow them to determine our future, these stories shape who we are in the present. They determine what we think of ourselves, how we show up, and who we can become. Join us to explore the cultural, personal and ancestral stories we tell ourselves, so we might become more aware of their impact in our lives.
UU Musician Lea Morris says: “Not only is there no time like the present. There is no time but the present.” Today we will share in a collaborative service with LEA and other Channel Cluster UU congregations.
