Here are all our previous service posts; some are the full text of the service.
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, January 2, 2022 - So yes, we have facts. And yes, we have information. But we also have experience to think about. We have to use ALL of it to find that truth and meaning. Being free and responsible doesn’t mean just looking at the numbers. Being free and responsible means looking at the entire picture, the bigger picture, talking about hearts and people. It is my goal in the new year, and I hope that it will be one of yours as well, to focus on being intentionally responsible. That it is not just “oh I am doing this responsibly,” but more “it is my duty to do this responsibly.” Because we cannot make change, we cannot live up to our principles without an intentional free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
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, 2021
Sunday, October 10, 2021 - Welcome: Good morning and welcome to West Fork Unitarian Universalists. I’m Cricket 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. [If guests] I’d like to welcome our guests. Thank you for taking a chance and taking the … Continue reading Sunday, October 10, 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, August 8, 2021 - Welcome: Good morning and welcome to West Fork Unitarian Universalists. I’m Cricket Hall 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 are … Continue reading Sunday, August 8, 2021Sunday, 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
Sunday, February 7, 2021 - Welcome: Good morning and welcome to West Fork Unitarian Universalists. I’m Cricket 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. [If guests] I’d like to welcome our guests. Thank you for taking a chance and taking the … Continue reading Sunday, February 7, 2021
Sunday, January 31, 2021 - Welcome: Good morning and welcome to West Fork Unitarian Universalists. I’m Cricket 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. [If guests] I’d like to welcome our guests. Thank you for taking a chance and taking the … Continue reading Sunday, January 31, 2021
Sunday, January 17, 2021 - Welcome: Good morning and welcome to West Fork Unitarian Universalists. I’m John 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. [If guests] I’d like to welcome our guests. Thank you for taking a chance and taking the … Continue reading Sunday, January 17, 2021
Sunday, January 10, 2021: Where Are We Going? - Unitarian and Universalist ideas have a 2,000-year history. Lisa deGruyter will review where we have been, what is meaningful to her from that history, and ways forward. Please Join us for Worship. We are forgoing meeting in person during the coronavirus epidemic, meeting on Zoom. We share music, readings, and hymns on our usual presentation … Continue reading Sunday, January 10, 2021: Where Are We Going?
Sunday, January 3, 2021 - “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” – This Sunday, John Hall will give a lesson titled “Expect the unexpected.” J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan We are forgoing meeting in person during the coronavirus epidemic, meeting instead through the magic of ZOOM. We share music, readings, … Continue reading Sunday, January 3, 2021
Sunday, December 27, 2020 - “The Joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others’ burdens, easing each other’s loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of the holidays.” – W. C. Jones This Sunday, Cricket Hall will give a lesson titled “Putting the Holy back in the holidays.” We are forgoing meeting in … Continue reading Sunday, December 27, 2020
Sunday, December 13, 2020 - “The culture is telling us to go faster and faster, cram more and more into less and less time. One of the main benefits of slowing down is we start to get to know ourselves better; we find and forge the right path for us through life.” – Carl Honoré This Sunday, Cricket Hall will … Continue reading Sunday, December 13, 2020
Sunday, December 6, 2020: Creating Christmas - Can you in your Conscience think, that our Holy Saviour is honoured, by Mad Mirth, by long Eating, by hard Drinking, by lewd Gaming, by rude Revelling; by a Mass fit for none but a Saturn or a Bacchus, or the Night of a Mahometan Ramadam? You cannot possibly think so. — Cotton Mather, Grace … Continue reading Sunday, December 6, 2020: Creating Christmas
Sunday, November 29, 2020 - “When we become aware that we do not have to escape our pains, but that we can mobilize them into a common search for life, those very pains are transformed from expressions of despair into signs of hope.” – Henri J. M. Nouwen This Sunday, Cricket Hall will give a lesson titled “Letting Go of … Continue reading Sunday, November 29, 2020
Sunday, November 22, 2020 - “Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.” — Maya Angelou This Sunday, John Hall will give a lesson titled “Thanksgiving of Healing” We are forgoing meeting in person during the coronavirus epidemic, meeting instead … Continue reading Sunday, November 22, 2020
Sunday, November 8, 2020: Chop Wood, Carry Water - The secret of life is to have a task, something you devote your entire life to, something you bring everything to, every minute of the day for the rest of your life. And the most important thing is, it must be something you cannot possibly do. Henry Moore Much advice over the last four years, … Continue reading Sunday, November 8, 2020: Chop Wood, Carry WaterSunday, November 1, 2020: 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 sixth outing, we will return to Deegan & Hinkle Lakes Park in Bridgeport for a celebration of nature, fellowship, and All Saints Day, the beginning … Continue reading Sunday, November 1, 2020: Deegan and Hinkle Lakes, Bridgeport
Sunday, October 25, 2020 - “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” – Anne Lamott This Sunday, Cricket Hall will give a lesson titled “Listening to yourself – the difference between maintenance and indulgence.” We are forgoing meeting in person during the coronavirus epidemic, meeting instead through the magic of ZOOM. We … Continue reading Sunday, October 25, 2020
Sunday, October 18, 2020 - “Listening is an art that requires attention over talent, spirit over ego, others over self.” – Dean Jackson This Sunday, John Hall will give a service on the 5th principle titled “Listening to the least heard voices.” We are forgoing meeting in person during the coronavirus epidemic, meeting instead through the magic of ZOOM. We … Continue reading Sunday, October 18, 2020
Sunday, October 11, 2020 - “Through consciousness, our minds have the power to change our planet and ourselves. It is time we heed the wisdom of the ancient indigenous people and channel our consciousness and spirit to tend the garden and not destroy it.” – Bruce Lipton This Sunday, Cricket Hall will give a lesson on the Spiritual practice of … Continue reading Sunday, October 11, 2020Sunday, October 4, 2020: 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. For this year’s fifth outing, we will gather for a celebration of nature, fellowship, and the end of Summer on Sunday, October 4, at Deegan & Hinkle Lakes Park in Bridgeport. During … Continue reading Sunday, October 4, 2020: Deegan and Hinkle Lakes, Bridgeport
The Courage to Be Disliked: Sunday, 20 September 2020 - "In a world the human inhabitants of which are currently being polarised into either the fiery or the ice-bound there often seems no longer to be any point in adopting a more temperate approach. After all, at the moment, those of us who do try to make temperate points in the public space often quickly find their arguments (and nearly always themselves) simultaneously attacked by the fiery from one side and the ice-bound from the other. It can be — indeed, it often is — highly dispiriting. So, what on earth are those of us with a more temperate spirit to do?" - Andrew J. Brown
Sunday, September 13, 2020 - Welcome: Good morning and welcome to West Fork Unitarian Universalists. I’m Cricket 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. [If guests] I’d like to welcome our guests. Thank you for taking a chance and taking the … Continue reading Sunday, September 13, 2020Sunday, September 6, 2020: West Virginia Wildlife Center, French Creek - We have Spiritual Outings on the first Sunday of each month during the summer. For this year’s fourth outing, we will gather for a celebration of summer, nature, and fellowship on Sunday, September 6, 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 6, 2020: West Virginia Wildlife Center, French Creek