Here are all our previous service posts; some are the full text of the service.
Sunday, 2 April, 2023: Our Universalist Roots - The early Universalist Hosea Ballou said “Man, being not only a religious, but also a social being, requires for the promotion of his rational happiness religious institutions, which, while they give a proper direction to devotion, at the same time make a wise, and profitable improvement of his social feelings.” Universalism has a long history … Continue reading Sunday, 2 April, 2023: Our Universalist Roots
Sunday, 5 March 2023: We Are One - The seeming lack of animation and organization in earth, air, liquids, and metals is, as Leibniz guessed long ago, an illusion of our senses. Furthermore, the strict determinism of classical physics is now seriously challenged or rejected by many, perhaps most, physicists. For all we can know, when an atom of uranium turns into an … Continue reading Sunday, 5 March 2023: We Are One
Sunday, 12 February 2023: What is love and how might we practice it? - Without saying it in so many words, often the thread holding all our thoughts and activities together is: “What’s in it for me?” We wonder how we can survive, get ahead, win, succeed , overcome, take over, grab something, be recognized, appreciated, rewarded…you name it, the list is endless. In lojong practice, the idea is … Continue reading Sunday, 12 February 2023: What is love and how might we practice it?
Sunday, January 22, 2023 - “When someone deeply listens to you, your bare feet are on the earth and a beloved land that seemed distant is now at home within you.” – John Fox This Sunday, John Hall will present a service on finding our center within the first principle titled, “The Challenge of the First Principle.” Please Join us … Continue reading Sunday, January 22, 2023
Sunday, 15 January 2023: Epicurean Practices - Luxurious food and drinks, in no way protect you from harm. Wealth beyond what is natural, is no more use than an overflowing container. Real value is not generated by theaters, and baths, perfumes or ointments, but by philosophy. Epicurus, from the esplanade wall at Oenoanda, now in Turkey, as recorded by Diogenes of Oenoanda … Continue reading Sunday, 15 January 2023: Epicurean Practices
Sunday, January 8, 2022 - “An epiphany enables you to sense creation not as something completed, but as constantly becoming, evolving, ascending. This transports you from a place where there is nothing new to a place where there is nothing old, where everything renews itself, where heaven and earth rejoice as at the moment of creation.” – Abraham Isaac Kook … Continue reading Sunday, January 8, 2022
Sunday, January 1, 2023 - Potluck Brunch! New Year’s Potluck Brunch! We are resuming our tradition of a brunch on the Sunday after Christmas, resuming this year after two years of Zoom. Bring food to share, or just bring yourself! There will be a Zoom session, if you can’t attend in person, where we will share the conversation but sadly … Continue reading Sunday, January 1, 2023
Sunday, December 25, 2021: NO SERVICE - We are taking Sunday, December 25, off. There will be no Zoom service and no in-person service, while we celebrate with family and friends. Please join us January 1, 2023, when we will have our traditional Sunday after Christmas brunch, also available on Zoom (minus the shared food, unfortunately.). We have resumed in person services, … Continue reading Sunday, December 25, 2021: NO SERVICE
Sunday, December 18, 2022: Joy to the World - No more let sins and sorrows grow,Nor thorns infest the groundLet righteousness its glories showAs far as love is foundFar as the love is found,Far as the love is found,Far as, far as, the love is found. In these dark times, there will be singing. We will gather to light a candle and look forward … Continue reading Sunday, December 18, 2022: Joy to the World
Sunday, December 4, 2022 - “Wonder is where love begins, but the failure to wonder is the beginning of violence. Once people stop wondering about others, once they no longer see others as part of them, they disable their instinct for empathy. And once they lose empathy, they can do anything to them, or allow anything to be done to … Continue reading Sunday, December 4, 2022
Sunday, 6 November 2022: Planning and Brunch - “What’s the point of coming to this free religious church?” I say we come, firstly, to live our deepest questions so as to allow the meaning of our lives slowly to dawn upon us, and, secondly and equally importantly, to rehumanize ourselves through wit, decorum, story-telling, fellowship, conversation, courtesy, and sociability, so as be able … Continue reading Sunday, 6 November 2022: Planning and Brunch
Sunday, October 23, 2022 - Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will be having church on ZOOM this week. If you are interested in attending please email us at westforkuu@gmail.com This Sunday Cricket will be doing a service titled “The Courage to be Authentic: coming out of all of our closets.” “What if this darkness is not the darkness of the … Continue reading Sunday, October 23, 2022
Sunday, October 16, 2022 - What principles inspire courage? Is there courage without risk? What does it mean to take a risk for our principles.Outing Cancelled – Sunday, October 2nd 2022 - Due to some unforseen circumstances and the chilly weather headed our way this weekend, we have decided to cancel this week’s Spiritual Outing. West Fork UUs will return next Sunday the 9th at the PWA in Clarksburg. Sunday, October 2, 2022: West Virginia State Wildlife Center, French Creek - We have Spiritual Outings on the first Sunday of each month during the summer. For this year’s sixth outing, we will gather for a celebration of summer, nature, and fellowship on Sunday, October 2, at the West Virginia State Wildlife Center at French Creek. Please note that unlike most of the parks we visit, the … Continue reading Sunday, October 2, 2022: West Virginia State Wildlife Center, French Creek
Sunday, September 24, 2022 - “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”— Hebrews 13:2 This Sunday, John Hall will present a Comfort & Inspiration service on chosen community in support of the September theme of Belonging. Join us for Worship: We returned to virtual services in August of 2021, but West Fork … Continue reading Sunday, September 24, 2022
Sunday, September 11, 2022 - “If the world had a front porch like we did back thenWe’d still have our problems but we’d all be friendsTreating your neighbor like he’s your next of kinWouldn’t be gone with the windIf the world had a front porch, like we did back then” – from “If the World Had a Front Porch” by … Continue reading Sunday, September 11, 2022Sunday, September 4, 2022: Ferguson Memorial Park, Shinnston - Ferguson Memorial Park, Shinnston We have Spiritual Outings on the first Sunday of each month during the summer. For this year’s third outing, we will gather for a celebration of summer on Sunday, September 4, at Ferguson Memorial Park in Shinnston We will meet at 11 a.m. in the picnic area for a short service … Continue reading Sunday, September 4, 2022: Ferguson Memorial Park, Shinnston
Sunday, August 28, 2022 - “A Caterpie may change into a Butterfree, but the heart that beats inside remains the same.” — Brock Join us for Worship: This Sunday, Loki Hall will present a service about Pokemon and Spirituality. SpecifIcally: Persistence and the power to not give up despite others unhelpful comments. We returned to virtual services in August of … Continue reading Sunday, August 28, 2022
Sunday, August 7, 2022 - “You are changing the situation of women within our denomination and, in so doing, you are opening up for all of us new ways of understanding and perceiving women and, we hope, men as well. And furthermore, this change is something the church, as an institution, could not do for itself. We might say it … Continue reading Sunday, August 7, 2022
Sunday, July 24, 2022 - “I don’t think outside the box, I think of what I can do with the box.” – Henri Matisse “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking that we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein This Sunday we are taking the service “Out of the Box.” This will be an … Continue reading Sunday, July 24, 2022
Sunday, May 29, 2022: Beginning From a Place of Self-Love - Let nurturing beauty be our spiritual practice. On Sunday, Phoebe Durst will help us see how, “beginning from a place of self-love.” Our services are Sundays at 1030 a.m. at the Progressive Women’s Association Event Center, 305 Washington Ave. in downtown Clarksburg, behind the Courthouse. A coffee hour, a time for discussion and socializing, will … Continue reading Sunday, May 29, 2022: Beginning From a Place of Self-Love
Sunday, April 10, 2022 - “What does it mean to be in covenant? How do we handle the mutual accountability of living in love? What do we need from our shared agreements now and in the future?” Join us for worship and a potluck lunch. We will be discussing the Article II Study Commission and our values as they apply to our … Continue reading Sunday, April 10, 2022
Sunday, April 3, 2022 - “What does it mean to be in covenant? How do we handle the mutual accountability of living in love? What do we need from our shared agreements now and in the future?” Join us for worship and a potluck lunch. We will be discussing the Article II Study Commission and our values as they apply … Continue reading Sunday, April 3, 2022
Sunday, March 27, 2022 - “9 Then the Lord said to me, “Speak to the wind for me. Son of man, speak to the wind for me. Tell the wind that this is what the Lord God says: ‘Wind, come from every direction and breathe air into these dead bodies! Breathe into them and they will come to life again!’” … Continue reading Sunday, March 27, 2022
Sunday, March 20, 2022 - “As you start to walk out on the way, the way appears.” – Rumi “My coming to faith did not start with a leap but rather a series of staggers from what seemed like one safe place to another. Like lily pads, round and green, these places summoned and then held me up while I … Continue reading Sunday, March 20, 2022
Sunday, March 13, 2022 - “They asked, ‘If a tree should fall in the woods and one is not there, does it make a sound?’And the answer came, ‘If a tree should fall and no one is there, listen for the cry of mourningbirds who grieve the loss of their nests. They know where the tree lies. They call you … Continue reading Sunday, March 13, 2022
Sunday, February 27, 2022: The Id in Identity - But what if we are not icebergs, but waves? In the historical dimension we talk in terms of life, death, being, nonbeing, high, low, coming, going, but in the ultimate dimension, all these notions are removed. If the wave is capable of touching the water within herself, if the wave can live the life of … Continue reading Sunday, February 27, 2022: The Id in Identity
Sunday, February 13, 2022 - “American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.” – James Baldwin The same could be said for Unitarian Universalist History. This Sunday join us as Cricket Hall explores UU History through the lens of Widening Our Circle. Please Join Us for Worship. We … Continue reading Sunday, February 13, 2022
Sunday, February 6, 2022 - “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” – Lilla Watson This Sunday John Hall will explore themes of collective liberation and what that means as we widen our circle. Please Join … Continue reading Sunday, February 6, 2022
Sunday, January 23, 2022 - “The Sabbath is to time what the tabernacle and temple are to space: a cathedral in time. On the seventh day, we experience in time what the temple and tabernacle represented in spaces, which is eternal life with God in a complete creation.” – Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath This Sunday, Stacey Elza will give … Continue reading Sunday, January 23, 2022
Sunday, December 19, 2021: Joy to the World - No more let sins and sorrows grow,Nor thorns infest the groundLet righteousness its glories showAs far as love is foundFar as the love is found,Far as the love is found,Far as, far as, the love is found. In these dark times, there will be singing. In the darkest time of another dark year, we will … Continue reading Sunday, December 19, 2021: Joy to the World
Sunday, December 12, 2021 - “Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” – Hamilton Wright Mabie “This is my wish for you: peace of mind, prosperity through the year, happiness that multiplies, health for you and yours, fun around every corner, energy to chase your dreams, joy to fill your holidays!” – D.M. … Continue reading Sunday, December 12, 2021
Sunday, December 5, 2021 - “Joy is an act of resistance.” – Toi Derricotte “Feeling good is not frivolous, it is freedom.” – adrienne maree brown “Joy is the transformation of our suffering, not the escape of all we have to face.” – Mark Nepo This Sunday, John Hall will discussing “Finding a Unitarian Universalist Joy and How That Applies … Continue reading Sunday, December 5, 2021
Sunday, October 17, 2021 - “Herbie Hancock – Jazz musician and Buddhist – describes jazz as “a music of the moment”. Improvisation allows him to capture the essence of the present and express it; to provide for listeners an unmediated glimpse of the realm of the infinite.” This Sunday, John Hall will lead a service on different types of meditation. … Continue reading Sunday, October 17, 2021Sunday, October 3, 2021: West Virginia State Wildlife Center, French Creek - We have Spiritual Outings on the first Sunday of each month during the summer. For this year’s sixth outing, we will gather for a celebration of summer, nature, and fellowship on Sunday, October 3, at the West Virginia State Wildlife Center at French Creek. Please note that unlike most of the parks we visit, the … Continue reading Sunday, October 3, 2021: West Virginia State Wildlife Center, French Creek Sunday, July 11, 2021: Ferguson Memorial Park, Shinnston - Ferguson Memorial Park, Shinnston We have Spiritual Outings on the first Sunday of each month during the summer. For this year’s third outing, we will gather for a celebration of summer on Sunday, July 11, at Ferguson Memorial Park in Shinnston We will meet at 11 a.m. in the picnic area for a short service … Continue reading Sunday, July 11, 2021: Ferguson Memorial Park, Shinnston Sunday, July 4, 2021: SERVICE CANCELED - Because of scheduling conflicts during the holiday weekend, there will be no in-person or ZOOM service at WFUU on Sunday, July 4, 2021. Have a safe and festive Independence Day weekend. Email westforkuu@gmail.com or use our contact form for more information or write to us at PO Box 523, Clarksburg WV 26302
Sunday, June 27, 2021 - “From the Greek word selig (which means blessed) comes the English word silly. I like to think that there is something sacred about the ability to be silly – to play – to laugh and be child-like.” – June Mack Maffin Join us for Worship: This Sunday, Cricket Hall will present a service about Play … Continue reading Sunday, June 27, 2021
Sunday, 20 June, 2021: Thinking Too Freely? - Freethinkers were fine people, but they shouldn’t go around thinking just anything. — Terry Pratchett, The Last Continent In the turmoil of early 19th Century religious thought in the United States, the Universalist minister Abner Kneeland set a high standard for controversy. A supporter of radical social reform, women’s rights, birth control, and interracial marriage, … Continue reading Sunday, 20 June, 2021: Thinking Too Freely?
Sunday, May 30, 2021 - “Writers imagine that they cull stories from the world. I’m beginning to believe that vanity makes them think so. That it’s actually the other way around. Stories cull writers from the world. Stories reveal themselves to us. The public narrative, the private narrative – they colonize us. They commission us. They insist on being told. … Continue reading Sunday, May 30, 2021Sunday Service, May 9, 2021 - “The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation.” —James E. Faust This Sunday, John Hall will give a lesson on the spiritual benefits of Mother’s Day. Please Join Us for Worship. We are forgoing meeting in person during the coronavirus epidemic, meeting on Zoom. We share music, readings, and hymns … Continue reading Sunday Service, May 9, 2021
Sunday, April 25, 2021 - “In the end, reconciliation is a spiritual process, which requires more than just a legal framework. It has to happen in the hearts and minds of people.” – Nelson Mandela This Sunday, Phoebe Durst will give a lesson on Becoming Reconciliation. Please Join Us for Worship. We are forgoing meeting in person during the coronavirus … Continue reading Sunday, April 25, 2021
Sunday, April 11, 2021 - “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of it’s members.” – Coretta Scott King This Sunday, Phoebe Durst will give a lesson on Intentional Community. Please Join Us for Worship. We are forgoing meeting in person during the coronavirus epidemic, meeting on Zoom. We share music, readings, and hymns … Continue reading Sunday, April 11, 2021
Sunday, April 4, 2021 - “The path of awakening is not about becoming who you are. Rather it is about unbecoming who you are not.” – Albert Schweitzer This Sunday, Cricket Hall will give a lesson called “Easter, Resurrection, and Becoming New” Please Join Us for Worship. We are forgoing meeting in person during the coronavirus epidemic, meeting on Zoom. … Continue reading Sunday, April 4, 2021
Sunday, March 28, 2021 - We have been invited to join as special zoom church service and concert. Details below will also be emailed out to our google group. If you need help getting the zoom invite please contact us. 10:30 AM: “Music as Activism: Finding Your Voice.” Two activist musicians will be featured on the UUs of Greater Pittsburgh … Continue reading Sunday, March 28, 2021
Sunday, March 14, 2021 - “When the train stops, the woman said, you must get on it. But how will I know, the child asked, it is the right train? It will be the right train, said the woman, because it is the right time. A train approached the station; clouds of grayish smoke streamed from the chimney. How terrified … Continue reading Sunday, March 14, 2021
Sunday, March 7, 2021 - “Anything less than a conscious commitment to the important is an unconscious commitment to the unimportant.” – Stephen Covey Our MissionBe a beacon and a refuge for allWorship joyfullyGrow in spiritTouch our community This Sunday we will consider our history with covenant and commitment. John Hall will lead the service. Please Join us for Worship. … Continue reading Sunday, March 7, 2021