“Our third UU principle says we will affirm and promote acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations. Are there some ways to encourage one another that don’t sound like judgment or advice?”
These words were a part of the sermon delivered by Rev. Meg Barnhouse this past Sunday. For me it it was a needed reminder that we have to remain true to ourselves and how we can still do that while upholding out principles. Below are links to the podcast and the transcript of the sermon.
“Don’t get me wrong, the safety pin is a good idea but if you are going to wear it, you need to know that it is more than an idea. It is a visible, tangible announcement of your commitment to defend the rights and dignity of your fellow human. If you are not willing to follow that announcement up with action, rethink making the announcement.”
Uncertain Future – Peaceful Present presented by John Hall. We live in a world where things can go wrong at any moment. the future is uncertain, but we can gain peace now.
We would love to have you come worship with us.
Our services are Sundays at 11 a.m. at the Progressive Women’s Association Event Center, 305 Washington Ave. in downtown Clarksburg, behind the Courthouse.
Our Religious Education/ Life Long Learning Class will meet at from 10am to 10:45 am with a coffee gathering before the service. More about us.
Children are welcome. There is childcare and an activity for young children during the service.
The building is wheelchair accessible, with an accessible restroom.
This week’s Braver/Wiser message comes from Rev. Daniel Gregoire.
“I hope we choose our elected officials wisely, because much is at stake this time around. In the sanctuary of the voting booth, I hope we choose the power of Love above all else. Whatever the outcome on Tuesday—and the next day—we are one nation; one family whatever our political views.”
Take heart. Take a deep breath. But please get out there and vote.
“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
Kenneth Leo Patton (August 25, 1911-December 25, 1994), identifed as one of the major poets and a prophet of contemporary liberal religion, was a voice for a poetic, naturalistic humanism at a time when most humanists were defining a religion of reason. Minister and scholar David Bumbaugh has summed up Patton’s work: “It was he who taught a monotone rationalism how to sing; it was he who taught a stumble-footed humanism how to dance; it was he who cried ‘Look!’ and taught our eyes to see the glory in the ordinary.”
We would love to have you come worship with us.
This Sunday we will explore Kenneth Patton and his legacy within our faith.
Our services are Sundays at 11 a.m. at the Progressive Women’s Association Event Center, 305 Washington Ave. in downtown Clarksburg, behind the Courthouse.
Our Religious Education/ Life Long Learning Class will be from 10am to 10:45 am with a coffee gathering before the service. More about us.
Children are welcome. There is childcare and an activity for young children during the service.
The building is wheelchair accessible, with an accessible restroom.
Our service this week will be about the pagan sabbat of Samhain. The harvest had ended. Fall has begun. Winter is coming. And yet, this is the time of hope as we connect to our past and look foward to our future .
We are Unitarian Universalists. We are people of many paths who are brave, curious, and compassionate thinkers and doers.
Every day, people are inundated with information, overwhelmed by demands, and pulled by a culture that seeks to divide us from the web of life. Unitarian Universalism reconnects, bringing people together with meaning and inspiration. We are a house without walls, a congregation without spiritual limits, and a movement that calls you to put more faith in yourself, your community, and your beliefs. We are a faith that honors your mind, your heart, your journey. Simply put, we are a guided path towards a better you and a better world.
Grounded in more than two hundred years of thoughtful, spiritual communities, we are people of many generations, ethnicities, genders and sexualities, and spiritual backgrounds. People engaged in making the world a better place. People focusing on what really matters – love, justice, integrity, and hope.
Unitarian Universalists have different beliefs. but shared values. We are Unitarian Universalists, and at the same time we may also be agnostic, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, humanist, Jewish, Muslim, pagan, atheist, believers in God, and those who just let the great mystery be. The diversity of beliefs you’ll find in a Unitarian Universalist community is one of our strengths – we’re always learning how to see the world from a different perspective.
What unites us are our core principles that uphold seven real-world values:
Believing in the worthiness of every person.
Showing compassion and fairness.
Accepting others for who they are.
Growing through a personal search for truth.
Leading with democratic spirit.
Working for justice.
And understanding that everything is interconnected.
Seven days a week, Unitarian Universalists live these principles by doing. When we gather we worship, reflect and remind ourselves what matters most in life. Whatever our age, we learn to live with more wisdom, more awareness, more gratitude and more soul.
We show our values by showing up to answer the call for social justice. We have a track record of standing on the side of love for civil rights, LGBTQ equality, immigration reform, environmental sustainability, reproductive justice, racial justice, and more.
Find what it means to live your deepest values out loud. Join us on this extraordinary adventure of faith!
“We can make this kind of outreach an integral part of our mission, a manifestation of our third and fourth Principles in which we covenant to support one another’s spiritual growth and searches for truth and meaning. The leap here is in seeing families who aren’t necessarily interested in joining our congregation as worthy of this effort, to see our faith grow not in membership numbers but in the dissemination of our ideals and values, and in the friends we make and the service we do in our communities.”
She [Karen Van Fossan] has three recommendations for UUs everywhere who want to join the fight to protect the sacred lands and water rights of the Standing Rock Sioux.
Raise awareness of the struggle among UUs wherever you are.
Encourage UUs to travel to Standing Rock, if they can, to bear witness and take the story back home.
Build solidarity at home—wherever home is for you—and organize actions to stop the pipeline.
West Fork Unitarian Universalists 