All Services

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, 19 March 2023: No Sunday Service This Week - I do believe in the priesthood of all believers, and I do believe in the worth and the valor of all artists, and we are all artists. There is clearly a hierarchy, and one does not confuse the brilliant child whose work hangs on the refrigerator with Picasso, but you praise the child and you … Continue reading

Sunday, 12 March 2023: No Sunday Service This Week - He was a lonely ghost uttering a truth that nobody would ever hear. But so long as he uttered it, in some obscure way the continuity was not broken. It was not by making yourself heard but by staying sane that you carried on the human heritage. He went back to the table, dipped his … Continue reading

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

Love is an action, Never simply a feeling. -- Bell Hooks

Sunday, 26 February, 2023: On Love and Loving - To begin by always thinking of love as an action rather than a feeling is one way in which anyone using the word in this manner automatically assumes accountability and responsibility. We are often taught we have no control over our “feelings.” Yet most of us accept that we choose our actions, that intention and … Continue reading

Sunday, 19 February, 2023: Weighing Principles - The good thing about principles is that they make life easy. I have heard it said that when someone bases his life on principle, 99 percent of his decisions are already made. — Dave Ramsey, Total Money Makeover But will principles always lead us to good decisions? Are there never conflicts? If there are conflicts, … Continue reading

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, January 29, 2023: Personal Centering Practices - This Sunday, Phoebe Durst will present a service on “Exploring Personal Centering Practices.” We will also have some time to share our own experiences with centering. Please Join us for Worship. Our services are Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time on ZOOM and in person at the Progressive Women’s Association Event Center, 305 Washington Ave. in … Continue reading

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

Silver cup with skeletons of Greek poets and philosophers; Epicurean

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, 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 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, 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 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 11th, 2022: “They Should Have Sent a Poet” - Exploring the Power of Poetry in UU History

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, 20 November 2022: Seven Pillars of Wisdom? - Wisdom has built her house;she has set up its seven pillars.She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;she has also set her table.She has sent out her servants, and she callsfrom the highest point of the city,“Let all who are simple come to my house!” — Proverbs 9:1-4 (New International Version) Unitarian Universalist congregations … Continue reading

Sunday, 14 November, 2022: Stoic Practices - stoic: a person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining Oxford Language stoic: one apparently or professedly indifferent to pleasure or pain Miriam-Webster When considering the doctrines of the Stoics, it is important to remember that they think of philosophy not as an interesting pastime or even a particular body … Continue reading

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, 30 October 2022: The Veil - There was a Door to which I found no Key; There was a Veil past which I could not see: Some little talk awhile of ME and THEE There seemed — and then no more of THEE and ME. — Edward FitzGerald, translation of a poem attributed to Omar Khayyam We are told that there … Continue reading

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 16, 2022 - What principles inspire courage? Is there courage without risk? What does it mean to take a risk for our principles.

Sunday, 9 October, 2022: Why Practice? - Unitarian Universalism has gone even farther than its Protestant forebears in trimming spiritual practice to the bone. Lisa deGruyter will consider what spiritual practices – exercise – might do to build skills and strength, and suggest some suitable for UUs. Our services are Sundays at 10:30 a.m. at the Progressive Women’s Association Event Center, 305 … Continue reading

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, 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, 18 September 2022: NO SERVICE - Due to scheduling conflicts this weekend, there will be no in-person or ZOOM service at WFUU on Sunday, 18 September 2022. Regular Sunday services will resume at 10:30 a.m. on 25 September 2022. Have a wonderful weekend. Email westforkuu@gmail.com or use our contact form for more information or write to us at PO Box 523, … Continue reading

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 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, 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

Black and white image of fish and birds blending into each other

Sunday, 21 August 2022: Live the Questions Now - Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point … Continue reading

Sunday, August 14, 2022: Audra State Park - Swimming at Audra We have Spiritual Outings on the first Sunday of each month during the summer, but due to other scheduling issues our August Outing will be on the second Sunday (14 August). For this year’s fourth outing, we will gather for a celebration of summer and fellowship on Sunday, August 14, at Audra … Continue reading

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, 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

July 17, 2022 Service – UU History: Secular Humanism - “Of moral purpose I see no trace in Nature. That is an article of exclusively human manufacture – and very much to our credit.”– T H Huxley Unitarian Universalism is a young religious tradition, but much of its purpose and focus for the early decades were rooted in secular humanism. Indeed, some UU churches with a … Continue reading

Sunday, July 10, 2022: Abundance and Hope - Welcome before Prelude Good morning and welcome to West Fork Unitarian Universalists. I’m Lisa and I feel blessed to serve this congregation as a lay leader. I’m glad to see all of you here today. Thank you for joining us. Let us use the prelude for centering. We are about to enter sacred time. We … Continue reading

Sunday, July 3, 2022: Watters Smith Memorial State Park - 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 and fellowship on Sunday, July 3, at Watters Smith Memorial State Park. We will meet at 11 a.m. in the Pioneer shelter in the picnic area near the … Continue reading

Sunday, June 26, 2022: Self-Defense as Self-Care - This Sunday, Stacey Elza will discuss how the principles of resourcefulness, improvisation, and grace that underpin hapkido — the Korean martial art she practices — can have implications for our own spiritual practices, especially when the world seems intent on beating us down Our services are Sundays at 10:30 a.m. at the Progressive Women’s Association … Continue reading

Sunday, June 19, 2022: How We Worship - The primary benefit of practicing any art, whether well or badly, is that it enables one’s soul to grow. — Kurt Vonnegut Worship, simply put, is an art, one that Unitarians and Universalists have sometimes failed to understand. This Sunday Robert Helfer will explore some of the history of Unitarian Universalist worship and spirituality. Our … Continue reading

Sunday, June 12, 2022: Living Our Principles - It is always easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them. Alfred Adler What is a principle, and how do we live it? Our Principles services are usually about a particular principle, but this Sunday, Lisa deGruyter will explore what a principle is, where our UU principles came from, and our … Continue reading

Sunday, June 5, 2022: Prickett’s Fort State Park - We have Spiritual Outings on the first Sunday of each month during the summer. For this year’s second outing, we will gather for a celebration of summer on Sunday, June 5, at Prickett’s Fort State Park. During this time of continuing covid-19 pandemic we are following current CDC guidelines (see https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/gatherings.html). Fully vaccinated people are … Continue reading

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 22, 2022 - “Our task is to be who we are, in every way we can be; our salvation proceeding in putting ourselves back together after each tumble…We irridesce, shine, and radiate. We exclaim and roar: we are.” By Kenneth L. Patton … Continue reading

Sunday, May 15, 2022: Annual Meeting - This Sunday is our Annual Meeting. We will gather as usual at for coffee, check-ins and informal discussion, and the Annual Meeting will begin at 11:00. Everyone is invited to participate in the discussion; decisions are by consensus of members. If you’d like, bring a snack to share. Annual Business Meeting. The annual business meeting … Continue reading

Sunday, May 1, 2022: Valley Falls State Park - We have Spiritual Outings on the first Sunday of each month during the summer. For this year’s first outing, we will gather for a celebration of spring, flowers, and the challenges of labor history on Sunday, May 1, at Valley Falls State Park — picnic and hiking on the banks of the Tygart Valley River. … Continue reading

Sunday Service – April 24, 2022 - "With great power, comes great responsibility." - Stan Lee

Sunday April 17, 2022: Flower Ceremony - Please bring flowers to share. Whatever is blooming, or a twig in bud, is fine. We have resumed meeting in person. Everyone is invited to lunch at Robert and Lisa’s after the service; ham, potato salad, and rolls will be provided. Other dishes to share are welcome. We will have our Flower Ceremony, which was … Continue reading

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 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, 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 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 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 6, 2022: A Crisis in Faith - Cherish your doubts, for doubt is the handmaiden of truth. Doubt is the key to the door of knowledge; it is the servant of discovery.A belief which may not be questioned binds us to error, for there is incompleteness and imperfection in every belief. — Robert T. Weston Unitarian Universalism has no creed, no specified … Continue reading

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 20, 2022: Solitude - Not all people are called to be hermits, but all people need enough silence and solitude in their lives to enable the deep inner voice of their own true self to be heard at least occasionally. — Thomas Merton (modified slightly) Each of us needs to make space for the “still small voice” of our … Continue reading

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 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, 30 January, 2022: Right Intention: Justice, Equity and Compassion - Three Pure Precepts I vow to refrain from all evil.I vow to make every effort to live in enlightenment.I vow to live and be lived for the benefit of all beings. – from the Sixteen Bodhisattva Precepts Buddhist psychology teaches that intention is what makes the pattern of our karma. Karma, the cause and results … Continue reading

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, 16 January, 2022: Does Our Past Matter? - Our age is retrospective. It builds the sepulchres of the fathers. It writes biographies, histories, and criticism. The foregoing generations beheld God and nature face to face; we, through their eyes. Why should not we also enjoy an original relation to the universe? Why should not we have a poetry and philosophy of insight and … Continue reading

Sunday Service, January 9th, 2022 - Your spiritual journey can be better with friends.

Sunday, December 26, 2021: NO SERVICE - We are taking Sunday, December 26, off. There will be no ZOOM service and no in-person service, while we individually celebrate Saint Stephen’s Day/Boxing Day/The Second Day of Christmas/The First Day of Kwanzaa or perhaps to prepare for tomorrow’s International Day of Epidemic Preparedness. Please join us January 2, 2022, when we resume regular Sunday … Continue reading

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 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 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, 28 November, 2021: Making Inroads - I see the Anthropocene as something that demands that we humans see ourselves in a different way, as a partial cause of those changes. But I also see the Anthropocene as an interpellation to challenge the human as the key subject of history. — Joanna Zylinska This Sunday Phoebe Durst will be using Joana Zylinska’s … Continue reading

Sunday, 21 November, 2021: On What Authority? - The authority of Jesus, as of all teachers, one would naturally think, must rest on the truth of his words, and not their truth on his authority. — Theodore Parker, The Transient and Permanent in Christianity On what authority have we Unitarian Universalists built our beliefs? And by what tests do we determine their Truth? … Continue reading

Sunday, November 7, 2021: Deegan and Hinkle Lakes, Bridgeport - Little Blue Heron at Deegan & Hinkle Lakes Park We have Spiritual Outings on the first Sunday of each month during the summer and into the winter. For this year’s seventh outing, we will return to Deegan & Hinkle Lakes Park in Bridgeport for a celebration of nature, fellowship, and the beginning of the holiday … Continue reading

Sunday, 31 October, 2021: Cultivating Relationships - The typical expression of opening Friendship would be something like, “What? You too? I thought I was the only one.” — C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves This Sunday, Phoebe Durst will lead us in a service on cultivating relationships. Please Join Us for Worship. We are forgoing meeting in person during the coronavirus epidemic, meeting … Continue reading

Sunday, 24 October, 2021: Joy in the Moment - Look to this day:For it is life, the very life of life.In its brief courseLie all the verities and realities of your existence.The bliss of growth,The glory of action,The splendor of beautyAre but experiences of time.For yesterday is but a dreamAnd tomorrow is only a vision;But today well-lived, makesYesterday a dream of happinessAnd every tomorrow … Continue reading

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 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, 26 September, 2021: The Possibility of Forgiveness - … not to shirk responsibility, but in honest expectation of the possibility of forgiveness. This Sunday, Phoebe Durst will lead us in a service on the possibility of forgiveness, a meditation on part of our Sunday morning welcoming words. Please Join Us for Worship. We are forgoing meeting in person during the coronavirus epidemic, meeting … Continue reading

Sunday, 19 September 2021: Bread and Roses - As we go marching, marching, unnumbered women deadGo crying through our singing their ancient call for bread.Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.Yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too. “Bread and Roses” – James Oppenheim, inspired by Helen Todd “Bread and Roses” came from the labor … Continue reading

Sunday September 12th, 2021 Service – Spiritual Practices - This Sunday’s service is present by John Hall which is about how important it is to refocus our spiritual perceptions. Join us for Worship: After a year of virtual services, West Fork Unitarian Universalists were excited to resume in-person services the end May. In light of the current surge in Covid-19 infections we resumed Zoom … Continue reading

Sunday, September 5, 2021: Valley Falls State Park - We have Spiritual Outings on the first Sunday of each month during the summer. For this year’s fifth outing, we will gather for a celebration of the end of Summer and the beginning of Autumn on Sunday, September 5, at Valley Falls State Park — picnic and hiking on the banks of the Tygart Valley … Continue reading

Sunday, 29 August 2021: … and Repeat - Wet hair thoroughly Massage shampoo into your scalp Lather, leaving on your hair and scalp for several minutes Rinse and repeat — Directions on a bottle of shampoo The thing about spiritual practice that I get wrong most often is that, well, it’s a practice. Spiritual practice, like practicing a musical instrument, requires repetition. Robert … Continue reading

Sunday, 22 August 2021: … and Repeat - Wet hair thoroughly Massage shampoo into your scalp Lather, leaving on your hair and scalp for several minutes Rinse and repeat — Directions on a bottle of shampoo The thing about spiritual practice that I get wrong most often is that, well, it’s a practice. Spiritual practice, like practicing a musical instrument, requires repetition. Robert … Continue reading

Sunday August 15th, 2021 Service – Comfort & Inspiration - “Today is a good day to die! Follow me!” – Ogala-Lakota Chief, Low Dog. This Sunday’s service is present by John Hall and about how we can live our lives with greater passion and authenticity by embracing non-attachment and impermanence. Join us for Worship: Our services are Sundays at 11 a.m. at the Progressive Women’s … Continue reading

Sunday, August 1, 2021: Audra State Park - Swimming at Audra We have Spiritual Outings on the first Sunday of each month during the summer. For this year’s fifth outing, we will gather for a celebration of summer and fellowship on Sunday, August 1, at Audra State Park. We will meet at 11 a.m. in the picnic area for a short service followed … Continue reading

Sunday, 25 July, 2021: Punishment and Universal Salvation - (Image: the old two-cell strap-iron jail in Kelso, California) If I don’t believe God would punish people after death and send them to hell, because God is so loving and because punishment is not salvific, then why would I think punishment would be salvific on earth? That makes no sense. It’s just theologically inappropriate. — … Continue reading

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 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, 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, June 6, 2021: Watters Smith Memorial State Park - We have Spiritual Outings on the first Sunday of each month during the summer. For this year’s second outing, we will gather for a celebration of summer and fellowship on Sunday, June 6, at Watters Smith Memorial State Park. We will meet at 11 a.m. in the Pioneer shelter in the picnic area near the … Continue reading

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, 23 May, 2021: Love is the Doctrine - Our covenant, which is more than a hundred years old in one form or another, may be the only thread that runs through the last century of Unitarianism and Universalism essentially unchanged. Love is the doctrine of this church,The quest of truth is our sacrament,and service is our prayer.To dwell together in peace,To seek knowledge … Continue reading

Sunday, 16 May, 2021: Love is the Doctrine - Our covenant, which is more than a hundred years old in one form or another, may be the only thread that runs through the last century of Unitarianism and Universalism essentially unchanged. Love is the doctrine of this church,The quest of truth is our sacrament,and service is our prayer.To dwell together in peace,To seek knowledge … Continue reading

Sunday 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, May 2, 2021: Prickett’s Fort State Park and Flower Ceremony - We have Spiritual Outings on the first Sunday of each month during the summer. For this year’s first outing, we will gather for a celebration of summer on Sunday, May 2, at Prickett’s Fort State Park. We will have our Flower Ceremony, which was created by Dr. Norbert Čapek for the Liberal Religious Fellowship he … Continue reading

Sunday, May 2, 2021: Prickett’s Fort State Park - We have Spiritual Outings on the first Sunday of each month during the summer. For this year’s first outing, we will gather for a celebration of summer on Sunday, May 2, at Prickett’s Fort State Park. During this time of continuing covid-19 pandemic we are practicing appropriate social distancing; please wear a mask. We will … Continue reading

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, 18 April, 2021: How Did I Get That So Wrong? - I’ve spent most of my life being wrong. Not about everything. Just about most things. — Chuck Klosterman, But What If We’re Wrong? Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past Robert Helfer will lead the service. Please Join Us for Worship. We are forgoing meeting in person during the coronavirus epidemic, meeting … Continue reading

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 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, 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, 21 March, 2021: Committed to What? - Today, conventional wisdom too often teaches that people who disagree with us are obstacles; we must coerce others to follow our wishes; happiness is supposed to come from getting exactly what we want. In contrast, the Dalai Lama asks us to treat others gently as sisters and brothers, even if they disagree with us; to … Continue reading

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 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