Poetry. Painting. Fabric Arts. Sand-sculpting. Song. Dance. Dinner. A garden. A curated display shelf of aesthetic trinkets. Make something, because the act and practice of making is a spiritual practice, regardless of the marketability or "professionalism" of the finished product. Sherri Randall presented an encore presentation of this timeless message.

Renée Brill continues with "Defensiveness & Denial" as we begin to wrap up our current discussion of "What is White Supremacy Culture Anyway?"

Ian Zabarte, Principal Man of the Western Band of the Shoshone Nation, spoke about tribal land taken and still used by the Nevada Test Site for testing US nuclear weapons...and the resulting contamination of the land and people. Zabarte is Secretary of State for the Western Shoshone National Council and has been recognized by the National Alliance for Nuclear Accountability for his outstanding resistance work!

Observing the Season of Samhain with Sarah Ricke

Renée Brill presented a centering Guided Meditation as part of an abbreviated service preceding our Fall 2023 Parish Meeting & Potluck Brunch.

Long-time community activist Olinka Green joined us for a special service. Olinka is a fierce crusader for justice. She has been directly involved in activism for over 20 years, most recently focused on the issue of police brutality and the Black Lives Matter Movement.

Covenanting and Re-covenanting: Participating in covenanted community is perhaps the central spiritual practice of Unitarian Universalism. With Renée Brill

What does it mean to form a covenant? How long does a covenant last? How is it maintained? What happens when it breaks? How might it change your relationships? Or change the way you live? Or change you?

Sarah Ricke presents a special service in recognition of the Autumnal Equinox.

This Sunday was our annual InGathering celebration. Sarah Ricke led with service centered on water and life.We had our traditional water communion as well as people brought water from their homes, travels, or special places to share.

With Sarah Berel-Harrop, Intern Minister at the Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry The 8th principle calls Unitarian Universalists on a journey toward spiritual wholeness through accountable, anti-racist and anti-oppressive action. Ethicist Walter Earl Fluker characterizes spirituality as an action and further states, “In its active, dynamic expression, spirituality is life-generating and disfiguring.” This type of dynamic spirituality challenges us to be vulnerable and to hold the heart open to others’ experiences. We’ll explore the potential of such vulnerability to transform ourselves, our communities, and the world.

About Sarah Berel-Harrop:

Sarah Berel-Harrop is the Intern Minister at the Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry and a seminarian at Meadville Lombard Theological School. She grew up UU in Houston, Texas and has been engaged in congregational life in Houston and the Dallas Fort Worth area in many capacities - religious educator, social justice chair, and board leadership. She is passionate about nurturing groups and communities grounded in relationship and trust that offer alternatives to organizations based in domination and control.

About Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry (TXUUJM):

Guided by Unitarian Universalist principles, TXUUJM educates & organizes member congregations, and partners with sympathetic organizations in order to advocate effectively for public policies that bend Texas toward justice. Your justice ministry adopted the 8th principle last year.

With Renée Brill

Sarah Ricke takes us on a mental nature walk.

With Renée Brill:
Look, our plans to bulldoze your neighborhood to make way for a freeway have been on public display [in the basement of your library] and published in the local paper [on the bottom of the middle page in between the lonely hearts column and the used car ads] for the required 40 days and you've had plenty of time to raise an objection [via filling out the 100 page form found in the basement of the town hall]. You only have yourselves to blame. * * For all fans of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Renée did not recite any Vogon poetry during the service!

What is it we do to nourish our souls? What feeds us on our spiritual journey? With Sarah Ricke

Eric Wallace presented a guided meditation on inner spiritual life using the metaphor of a garden.

With Rev. Peter Johnson & Rev. Don Robinson Peter Johnson was only 23 when he came to Dallas, but he was already a civil rights veteran. (Jerome Weeks, MetroNews) His early career included work with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the movement to establish Freedom Schools, and the Southern Leadership Conference, where his colleagues and supervisors included Andrew Young and John L. Lewis. In the mid 1960s, he was heavily involved in voter education and registration in the South, and in the anti-war movement.

Rev. Johnson arrived in Dallas in 1969 to organize the showing of a movie on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was immediately faced with the knowledge that out of 800 cities in which the movie was to premier around the world, Dallas would be the only city to say "no." Rev. Johnson’s decision to remain in Dallas laid the foundation for a series of highly successful and historic events that occurred in the city over the next 40 years. These ranged from addressing food insecurity to bias inherent in the Dallas City Council to establishing the most successful gun buy-back program in the country.

Rev. Johnson was joined by Rev. Don Robinson, Executive Director of the Peter Johnson Institute for Non-Violence. You can learn more about their work on their website: https://www.pjinv.org/

Renée Brill asks: What is progress? Success? Growth? Who gets to define it?

Either/Or and the Binary: Even more restrictive than thinking inside the box. With Renée Brill

The significance of the solar holiday and how you can celebrate it. With Sarah Ricke.

Upon the shoulders of the ancestors, looking to the pathways ahead -
With Ernest McMillan

Which qualifications "count" and which don't? With Renée Brill.

With Eric Wallace in our pulpit.

Alex Kennedy provided a guided meditation to help center our congregation as part of the abbreviated service we held before our Spring 2023 Parish Meeting.

With Renée Brill

On April 30th Sarah Ricke honored the past and embraced the future of a sacred UU tradition, The Flower Communion. The Flower Communion is an act of community and everyone was invited to bring a flower to share and exchange with our fellow church members.

Stephen Silva Brave will touch on various topics important to the Native American community including the Indian Child Welfare Act, Land Rights, and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

Stephen Silva Brave is an enrolled citizen of the Sicangu (pronounced She-Shan-Gu) Lakota Nation, also known as the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. He was born and raised in Oak Cliff and currently resides in Grand Prairie, where he is a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor Intern and a consultant for Texas’ first statewide Native American Studies course. Stephen is currently enrolled in UTA's Bachelor of Social Work Program, where he won the Outstanding Student Activist award in 2022. He is conducting undergraduate research on grassroots Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women organizations. He is also a member of MMIW TX Rematriate, in which he facilitates Uncle Time, an innovative community gathering for male-identifying members of the local Native American community to bond and support each other.

Objectivity? Is it actually possible to be neutral and is that a good thing?   With Renée Brill. 

Member Leah Pittmon recounts her struggles with her religion of origin, her discovery of Unitarian Universalism, and what it means to be a Christian Unitarian. (Hint: It’s about radical love.)

One Right Way... How "one right way" thinking and paternalism support white supremacy culture.  With Renée Brill

With Sarah Ricke and featuring our Two Cookie Communion.

Renée Brill continues discussing elements of Tema Okun's paper - "White Supremacy Culture - Still Here"

We are tempted to think of being a perfectionist as a good thing, who wouldn't want to be perfect? But perfectionism dehumanizes us while stifling growth and learning. With Renèe Brill

The qualities of white supremacy culture harm us all and make the work we are trying to do even harder. This week we will start to talk about the characteristics of white supremacy culture named by Tema Okun in "White Supremacy Culture - Still here." With Renée Brill in our pulpit.

Joy and Joyness with Alicia Kalich
It's time to reconnect in JOY as a blessed community! Joy unites us, feeds us, and gives us the strength to make it through dark times. Joy will help us as we fight together, grow together, and love together. Join us as we discuss the benefits of a small church and the joys we can all contribute as we move forward.

In the pulpit: Renée Brill

For more information: https://nmaahc.si.edu/sites/default/files/downloads/resources/racialhealinghandbook_p87to94.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1PyB3wmUAzHUYcl463_TXVaDPVIohlxwp4Jd4ZuQe80hEBQV

Saying Goodbye: Grieving old versions of the self and celebrating new beginnings. With Rev. Deneen Robinson

During the holidays there is an expectation of celebration; but for those grieving it's probably the most difficult time of the year. Beth Ferree presented this sermon on honoring and letting go. This Sunday's service featured our two cookie communion.

Microaggressions with Winter Dunn: Growing Up as a Black Woman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAtXZ9SKmuw

Susan Ammons and Jim Klipp presented a special sermon on Sunday, December 4th. This was a Not to be Missed! service as two of our church elders discussed a topic that effects all of us, young and old, and the future of our church.

Change is inevitable. What can you do? With Bobbi Blanch

"I Am" - A Special Meditation Event
With Rev. Dr. Autumn VanVolkinburg

“Who do you think you are? What makes you think you’re special?” Together we meditate on these things.

What is it we call darkness?
Myths and musings on the holy nature of the dark. With Sarah Ricke.

Living Through Our Legacies: Stories handed down from the ancestors. With Beth Ferree. And stories shared by our members and friends.

With Susan Ammons. For many years UUCOC has had a tradition of celebrating our 7th principle and the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Our members and visitors were invited to bring pictures, shells, feathers, stuffed animals, drawings, or the real thing (if they promised to behave - they did!). We shared our stories and a blessing.

With Leah Pittmon

In light of the upcoming return of Religious Exploration for our children, we are revisting veteran RE volunteer Leah Pittmon's look at the benefits and challenges of religious education and exploration at any age.

With Rev. Dr. Autum VanVolkinburg
Why forgive? Who is it for? How can I make forgiveness a vital part of my spiritual practice? These questions and more will be explored.

Trigger Warning: Sexual Abuse & Religious Trauma

Child Abuse: If you are a victim of child abuse or know someone who might be, call or text the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1 800-422-4453 to speak with a professional crisis counselor.

Domestic Violence: If you or a loved one are a victim of domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential assistance from trained advocates.

Sexual Assault: If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can contact the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to receive confidential support from a trained staff member at a local RAINN affiliate.

LGBTQIA+: If you are seeking support for issues with coming out, relationships, bullying, self-harm, and more, contact the LGBT National Hotline at 1-888-843-4564.

For additional information on one of the meditation techniques described:

https://youtu.be/P9w2ymuZoeE

With Rev. Dr. Autum VanVolkinburg
Why forgive? Who is it for? How can I make forgiveness a vital part of my spiritual practice? These questions and more will be explored.

Trigger Warning: Sexual Abuse & Religious Trauma

Child Abuse: If you are a victim of child abuse or know someone who might be, call or text the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1 800-422-4453 to speak with a professional crisis counselor.

Domestic Violence: If you or a loved one are a victim of domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential assistance from trained advocates.

Sexual Assault: If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can contact the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to receive confidential support from a trained staff member at a local RAINN affiliate.

LGBTQIA+: If you are seeking support for issues with coming out, relationships, bullying, self-harm, and more, contact the LGBT National Hotline at 1-888-843-4564.

For additional information on one of the meditation techniques described:

https://youtu.be/P9w2ymuZoeE

In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, concluding that there was no constitutional right to an abortion. This decision allowed TX's extreme anti-abortion legislation to go into effect almost immediately, limiting Texans' ability to obtain an abortion in practically all circumstances. This presentation will discuss the current legal landscape of abortion and reproductive rights in Texas and its present and future impacts on peoples' lives. It will also explore how we move forward as a community to not only protect a person's right to obtain an abortion, but also to build, or transition to a different legal, political, and cultural landscape to create a truly just and more equitable Texas for all.

Melissa Thrailkill took our pulpit to deliver this important update. Melissa describes herself as a lawyer and a lover of music, fashion, coffee, politics and running for days.

We as a society have become accustomed to defining how far a person has come on their journey through life by the measure of the successes they have achieved. But, as much as we may not like to admit it, our failures also have a lot to say about how far we have come...and often they have more to say about how we view life than success.

Matt Pargeter-Villarreal takes us through a sermon journey of some of the failures that he has encountered and have impacted his life...and how he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Water Shaman Lawrence Jordan presents the message that God is everywhere. Lawrence also talks about the Lion's Gate and forgiveness.

Stan Yoder takes our pulpit to ask: What if the search for Truth led us through laughter? An explorer checks out religions in a parallel universe and shares his thoughts. (Hey, nice shots from the James Webb Space Telescope on the way back,

Stan Yoder taught music for many years in public and private schools before switching to teaching science after getting into trouble for teaching students to think critically. (Not appreciated in North Texas music class, apparently.) However, teaching critical thinking is also not appreciated in high school science class in North Texas, either, if it's not specified precisely in the TEKS. So he retired early, tutored students, told jokes, and thought deep thoughts. Now he collaborates with folks who need a co-writer on their autobiographies—and still tells jokes. He also loves reading. Reading and thinking. Reading and thinking deep thoughts and hugging.

Daniel Polk returns to our pulpit with stories of the Highs and Lows at First Unitarian Church of Dallas.

From trans rights to reproductive justice, voting rights to the environment, this is a crucial time in Texans' fight for justice. Rev. Erin Walter, Minister & Executive Director of the Texas UU Justice Ministry, joins us to reflect on opportunities and challenges our statewide justice ministry is facing at its 10-year anniversary this year, and to invite us all to deepen our practice of showing up for justice.

To support the Texas UU Justice Ministry, please visit www.TXUUJM.org to join and/or to make a donation.

Bio: Rev. Erin J. Walter (she/her/hers) serves as the Minister & Executive Director for the Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry, our UU state action network. Winner of the 2017 Sermon Award from the UU Women’s Federation and a former YMCA director, Rev. Erin is the singer/songwriter /bassist for band Parker Woodland and teaches dance as a joy practice. Erin is the Affiliated Community Minister of Wildflower (Unitarian Universalist) Church in Austin. You can find more about her music and ministry at ErinWalter.com and ParkerWoodland.com.

"I Don't Believe In Monsters"
- The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and the First Principle

Tanner Trask returns to our pulpit this week. As UUs, we covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. It is a lofty goal, and an important one.

It is also the principle that many UUs struggle the most with. What about those who seek to do violence, physical or otherwise, to us and ours? What about the people that don't seem like people at all - what about the monsters?

UUs believe in the words and deeds of prophetic people. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl may be a comic book character, but even she can show us how to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love.

The links mentioned by Rev. Deneen Robinson in her parting words are here:

Abortionfunds.org - NNAF
theafiyacenter.org - The Afiya Center
teafund.org - TEA Fund

Beth Ferree takes our pulpit to discuss a number of aspects of ableism. Please visit www.invisibledisabilityproject.org for more details on this important topic.

Beth Ferree and Susan Ammons were in our pulpit to present ways we acknowledge who we were while embracing who we are becoming.

Jim Klipp returns to our pulpit to ask, and to attempt to answer the question -  What is a Unitarian Universalist, and What, if Anything, Do you Guys Believe In?

Guest in our pulpit, Rasheed Hooda presents the lessons learned, beliefs formed, values adopted through 68 years of adventure called Life, and it’s a Trip.

With Beth Ferree in our pulpit.

Finding Balance: Creation Must Guide Our Critique

Paul Fucile returns to our pulpit.

"The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new." - Socrates

Sarah Ricke honors the traditions and shares hope for a new Spring.

March is Women’s History Month! We are celebrating by revisiting a service from May 2019 with our own Susan Ammons, Mavis Belisle, and Elaine Wildman, speaking on different aspects of the fight for women’s rights.

Revisiting: "Anticipating Joy"
Renée Brill updates her message from last April - Getting ready for change with our feet on the ground, head in the sky, and our heart on our sleeve.

Paul Fucile continues his message from his last time in our pulpit where we discussed that there was no separation of church and state. What was science in the Ancient World and how did science contribute to the indoctrination of dualism? What is the impact of this dynamic today?

Honoring Our Volunteers - A special service to thank everyone who keeps our church going through thick and thin. Congregational President Beth Ferree will be in our virtual pulpit.

Doubting Thomas - Thomas Torlincasi
This the true story of a death penalty case and the infinite hope of a wrongfully convicted man who never stopped believing that God is good. Thomas Torlincasi shares how faith and goodness carried a man through an amazing test and that sometimes the arc of justice bends slowly toward salvation.

The Groundwater Approach
Dr. Head-Dunham will examine the nature of racism in the United States by use of the groundwater metaphor. When one fish is floating belly-up, you look at the fish. When several are, you look at the lake. But when many fish are dying in multiple lakes, you must look at the groundwater connecting all the lakes.

Rochelle Head-Dunham MD, DFAPA, FASAM, is the Executive Director and Medical Director for the Metropolitan Human Services District and Associate Professor of Psychiatry, LSU and Tulane Schools of Medicine.

Disclaimer:
The information provided in the presentation of the “Groundwater Metaphor” is the proprietary content of the Racial Equity Institute, LLC. Its emphasis is in helping organizational systems advance racial inclusivity and diversity.

Groundwater graphics:
Artwork: Jojo Karlin (jojokarlin.com)

Hayes-Greene, Deena, v and Bayard P. Love. The Groundwater Approach: Building a Practical Understanding of Structural Racism. The Racial Equity Institute. 2018.
https://www.racialequityinstitute.com/

Dr. Camara Phyllis Jones:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camara_Phyllis_Jones
https://sph.emory.edu/faculty/profile/index.php?FID=camara-jones-8843

Prison Policy Initiative:
https://www.prisonpolicy.org/
Prison Policy Initiative data from Sundaresh et al., 2021
https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2021/07/12/family-incarceration/

Opiod Crisis:
June 23, 2021, Jonathan S. Jones, PhD
Psychiatric Times, Vol 38, Issue 6 (June, 2021)
https://jonathansjones.net/portfolio/publications/

Business taking action - Say Something:
Be a Better Ally
by Tsedale M. Melaku, Angie Beeman, David G. Smith, and W. Brad Johnson
Harvard Business Review, (November-December 2020).
https://hbr.org/2020/11/be-a-better-ally

"Summary - The Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements have forced people in positions of power—namely, the white men who dominate institutional leadership roles—to realize they must personally step up to make organizations more fair and inclusive. That means playing a truly active role in helping marginalized colleagues advance (instead of just delegating diversity efforts to human resources).

How can white men be effective allies to those employees? First, by taking responsibility for their own behaviors, educating themselves about racism and privilege, and getting and accepting feedback from people in underrepresented groups. They can also become confidants to and sponsors of women and people of color and insist on diverse hiring pools and practices. They can vigilantly watch out for bias at work, intervening decisively if they discover it. Last, they can work to build a community of other allies against racism and sexism."

Federal statistics:
African Americans are 2.3 times more likely to experience infant death (CDC).
African Americans are 1.9 times more likely to die of diabetes (CDC).
African Americans are 1.5 times more likely to be below “proficient” in reading in the 4th grade (NAEP).
African Americans are 3.7 times more likely to be suspended in K-12 (ED and OCR).
African Americans are 2.7 times more likely be searched on a traffic stop (BJS).
African Americans are 7.0 times more likely to be incarcerated as adults (BJS).
African Americans are 1.8 times more likely to be identified as victims by the child welfare system (DHHS).
African Americans are 2.1 times more likely to be in foster care (DHHS).
African American business owners are 5.2 times more likely to be denied a loan (SBA).
African American business owners are 1.7 times less likely to own a home (SBA).

Suggested readings:
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents - Isabel Wilkerson

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
by Dr. Robin DiAngelo and Michael Eric Dyson

From Tami H:
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
by Peggy McIntosh

Peggy McIntosh is associate director of the Wellesley Collage Center for Research on Women. This essay is excerpted from Working Paper 189. “White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming To See Correspondences through Work in Women’s Studies”(1988), by Peggy McIntosh; available for $4.00 from the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, Wellesley MA 02181. The working paper contains a longer list of privileges. This excerpted essay is reprinted from the Winter 1990 issue of Independent School.

https://admin.artsci.washington.edu/sites/adming/files/unpacking-invisible-knapsack.pdf

Dennis E. Wooldridge shares with us a profound thought, one that stopped him in his tracks. The source material is from James Michener’s novel “Space.” Our conversation centers around an event in 1054 that illuminates for Dennis what it means to be in a Dark Age.

An interesting follow up posted by Dennis for the discussion: https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/2103/2103.13290.pdf

We will be answering the question of how the dualism of the ancients invades our daily lives more than 2000 years later. With Paul Fucile in our virtual pulpit.

What Would Martin Do?
Susan Ammons leads us on a brief exploration of Black Lives Matter, Martin Luther King, Jr., and The 8th Principle OF Unitarian Universalism.

Revisiting Zen and The Art of Transcendence. We are revisiting and updating a previous message from Beth Ferree.
How our spiritual practices can allow us to find the wisdom and courage to deal with trauma and adversity.

A Very UU Christmas
Christians around the world, including Unitarian Universalist Christians, are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ this week. But what does Christmas mean for UUs that aren’t Christians? What can we take away from this high holy day, and what can we take away from a man born in a manger so long ago? Join Tanner Trask, of Westside UU Church, as we try to find our own reason for the season.

21st Century Christmas
Religion, consumerism, and spirituality—does it all fit in, or should it? Paul Fucile is in our pulpit to ask these questions.

Love Is ... We often say "Love is our doctrine" but rarely elaborate about what that love means. Daniel Polk thinks we need to practice more of our Fierce Love and asks if you have caught any bricks.

Turtle Island Languages: A Surprising & Enduring Heritage
Prof. Jonathon York talks about Indigenous influences on the contemporary American Vernacular English language - some of which may surprise you.

Awakening
BB Gafoor, licensed spiritual coach, will share information on the 4 states of consciousness and how we can use the information to assist us in life. For more on BB Gafoor, please visit: bb-gafoor.square.site

Creation as a Path to Authenticity
Creation language and narratives aren’t only about community and connection, they begin with our inner voice. With Paul Fucile in our virtual pulpit.

Sarah Ricke is in our virtual pulpit along with three other members of our church family to share their observations on Samhain.

Into the Unknown with Renée Brill in our virtual pulpit to talk about the excitement and the fear of taking a leap of faith, of crossing thresholds, and standing at crossroads.

The State Fair of Texas, Donuts, and the UUCOC
Sally Jones returns to our virtual pulpit with a message about a piece of our church history, and about opportunities.

NTUUC: its history and possibilities. More than fifty years ago, the North Texas congregations formed an organization to work on housing. What else have we done and what could we do? NTUUC Executive Director, Daniel Polk is in our virual pulpit

Sunday, Oct 3, 2021: Creation Part 2: The Creation Experience
Paul Fucile seeks to answer the question: what is it to be good stewards that have dominion and multiply?

Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and Us
Westside Unitarian Universalist Church member Tanner Trask is in our virtual pulpit to ask What does it mean for Unitarian Universalists to be truly involved in the civil rights movement of the twenty-first century? What lessons can we learn from the movements of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries? And what does the proper use of adjectives have to do with it?

Community Care: building, protecting, healing and growing our collective power through relationship. Renée Brill is in our virtual pulpit.

The State of the Congregation
UUCOC Board President, Beth Ferree, presents "The State of the Congregation: the wonderful things we have, and are accomplishing."

August 29, 2021:  Creation, created, creators...
Paul Fucile returns to our virtual pulpit to ask what happens when we make a paradigm shift from critique to creators?

Reparations and the Church. What are reparations and how can we as individuals and a church take this on as a sprirital practice? Renée Brill will be in our virtual pulpit.

Leading in Challenging Times - or - Three Lessons For Leadership -  NTUUC Executive Director, Daniel Polk, is in our virtual pulpit. Daniel will be talking about being self-differentiated, and a non-anxious presence - which means not running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Dwelling In Possibility - Sally Jones returns to our virtual pulpit with a message inspired by the Emily Dickinson poem I dwell in possibility. The poem serves as an example of how the words of one person can reach and touch the lives of many. If you don't happen to remember the poem from high school English class, you can read it here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52197/i-dwell-in-possibility-466

Ableism: the language we use and what it means as we work on Widening the Circle of Concern. Beth Ferree is in our virtual pulpit.

Back to Normal: What do we mean by recovery, exactly? Renée Brill brings up ten questions about revolution, reconstruction and reparations we should ask ourselves and each other as quarantine restrictions ease. Please see the ten questions mentioned in the service, and the links to the reference materials from the sermon below.

10 questions asked in the sermon:
1) what makes you feel like you have come alive? What lights you up with excitement?
2) When do you feel confident valued and respected?
3) What parts of your life are precious and worth holding onto?
4) When do you feel connected and part of the community?
5) What gets in the way of your passion & excitement?
6) What are your highest and most important values? What do you hold so dear, and so holy that it is worth holding up in worship as worthy and important?
7) Where do you put these values into practice in your life, family, and community?
8) What makes you feel safe?
9) What makes you feel unsafe?
10) What resources, skills, experiences, and strategies do you have that can support you in practicing your values in the world?

June 27, 2021: The Fabric of Spacetime & The Church of Tomorrow
Woven in the Fabric of Spacetime is the Church of Tomorrow. If we build it, we will Become. Paul Fucile is in our virtual pulpit.

June 20, 2021: Father's Day
Jim Klipp takes to our virtual pulpit with a celebration of Father's Day.

Widening the Concern: Spiritual Practices for the Beloved Community.
Let's talk about who we want to become and the Spiritual Resources we have to help us on our way. Renée Brill is in our virtual pulpit.

The Last Full Measure Of Devotion
Kenneth Jackson is in our virtual pulpit with a special service honoring our veterans. He describes it as a little history and a lotof editorializing.

May 23, 2021: Beyond Our 60th
Beth Ferree was in our virtual pulpit with a brief message for our church family and friends before our Spring Parish Meeting and 60th Anniversary Celebration.

Ideal, Real, Surreal; What’s the deal? Being Beyond Material Concepts of Reality
Paul Fucile returns to our virtual pulpit exploring Indigenous cultures to unbind ourselves from material concepts of reality.

The Value of Honor
Former long-time member Sally Jones returns to our virtual pulpit with a special message for Mother's Day.

Self Care, Community Care, and Active Hope:
How we build resilience, act in solidarity, and enjoy the good life together. Renée Brill is in our virtual pulpit.