If you missed this Sunday’s service, we missed you. The full service has been updated here:
The Courage to Be Disliked by Lisa deGruyter 20 September 2020
Sunday 27 September 2020: … but sometimes it’s difficult to see
“There is beauty everywhere,” said Big Panda, “but sometimes it’s difficult to see.”
— James Norbury
We live in a world of spectacular contrasts. At times the beauty we see overwhelms us, but other times the ugliness around us seems more than we can bear. Yet even in those times of ugliness we’re surrounded by beauty. This Sunday Robert Helfer will consider how we can see beauty when ugliness has made it difficult.
Welcome before prelude
Good morning and welcome to West Fork Unitarian Universalists. I’m Robert 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 about to make this time and this place sacred by our presence and intention.
Please silence your phones… and as you do so, I invite us also to turn down the volume on our fears; to remove our masks; and to loosen the armor around our hearts.
Breathe.
Let go of the expectations placed on you by others—and those they taught you to place on yourself.
Drop the guilt and the shame, not to shirk accountability, but in honest expectation of the possibility of forgiveness.
Let go of the thing you said the other day. Let go of the thing you dread next week. Be here, in this moment. Breathe, here.
Prelude: “The Worker’s Funeral March”, from Symphony of Factory Sirens, Arseny Avraamov
Welcome The Beauty of the Whole – Meg Barnhouse
https://www.uua.org/worship/words/welcome/beauty-whole
Continue readingWe gather to worship, our hearts alive with hope that here we will be truly seen, that here we will be welcomed into the garden of this community, where the simple and the elegant, the fluted and frilled, the shy and the dramatic complement one another and are treasured. May we know that here, each contributes in their way to the beauty of the whole. Come, let us worship together, all genders, sexualities, politics, clappers and non-clappers, progressive or conservative, may we root ourselves in the values of this faith: compassion and courage, transcendence, justice and transformation
Just a note to say …
If you missed last Sunday’s (09/13/2020) service, please know that we missed you too.
The full service has been upladed to the site here.
The VUU is Back
Aisha Hauser, Christina Rivera, Rev. Michael Tino, Quiana Perkins, Dawn Fortune, and Julica Hermann DelaFuente host this live Unitarian Universalist talk show discussing today’s topics from an anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and multicultural perspective. The VUU streams live on YouTube every Thursday at 12 pm ET. It is sponsored by the Church of the Larger Fellowship. Here is there most recent episode.
BLUU HAVENS
BLUUBerry Jam & Youth Open House
The Courage to Be Disliked: Sunday, 20 September 2020
Lisa deGruyter, Lay Leader
Welcome before Prelude
Good morning and welcome to West Fork Unitarian Universalists. I feel blessed to serve this congregation as a lay leader. I’m especially glad to have all of you here today.
Let us use the prelude for centering. We are about to enter sacred time. We are about to make this time and this place sacred by our presence and intention.
Please silence your phones… and as you do so, I invite us also to turn down the volume on our fears; to remove our masks; and to loosen the armor around our hearts.
Breathe.
Let go of the expectations placed on you by others—and those they taught you to place on yourself.
Drop the guilt and the shame, not to shirk accountability, but in honest expectation of the possibility of forgiveness.
Let go of the thing you said the other day. Let go of the thing you dread next week. Be here, in this moment. Breathe, here.
God Is A River- Peter Mayer
Opening
The world is holy. Nature is holy. The body is holy. Sexuality is holy. The imagination is holy. Divinity is immanent in nature; it is within you as well as without. Most spiritual paths ultimately lead people to the understanding of their own connection to the divine. While human beings are often cut off from experiencing the deep and ever-present connection between themselves and the universe, that connection can often be regained through ceremony and community. The energy you put out into the world comes back.
― Margot Adler, Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America
Continue readingGot a Minute?
Rev. Meredith Garmon has started a series of UU Minute videos on UU history and ideas. The first one is here: UU Minute #1: Heirs of Alternative Voices
There is a transcript, if you’d rather read, but the videos are worth taking a minute for.
Sunday, September 6, 2020: West Virginia Wildlife Center, French Creek
Elk at 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 Wildlife Center charges an admission fee from April 1 through October 31. Make sure you have cash to pay at the gate.
Adults 16 and over: $4
Children 6-15: $2
Children 5 and under: Free
During this time of covid-19 pandemic we are practicing appropriate social distancing; please wear a mask.
We will meet at 11 a.m. in the picnic area near the elk enclosure for a short worship service followed by a modified potluck picnic, conversation, walking, and touring the animal enclosures. We will be practicing social distancing and wearing masks. Bring food to share if you are able and wish to share; otherwise, just bring food for yourself and share our company.
We would love to have you come worship with us.
For a map, please use this link: https://goo.gl/maps/2DgtJDkMYHN2
Email westforkuu@gmail.com or use our contact form for more information or to carpool, or write to us at PO Box 523, Clarksburg WV 26302
Red Spotted Newt
The Foundations of Our Democracy Are Under Attack
We must mobilize now to defend our democratic rights and ideals in the upcoming election – and beyond.
Sunday August 30, 2020: The Great Showman
The noblest art is that of making others happy — P.T. Barnum
Welcome before prelude
Good morning and welcome to West Fork Unitarian Universalists. I’m Robert and I am 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 about to make this time and this place sacred by our presence and intention.
Please silence your phones… and as you do so, I invite us also to turn down the volume on our fears; to remove our masks; and to loosen the armor around our hearts.
Breathe.
Let go of the expectations placed on you by others—and those they taught you to place on yourself.
Drop the guilt and the shame, not to shirk accountability, but in honest expectation of the possibility of forgiveness.
Let go of the thing you said the other day. Let go of the thing you dread next week. Be here, in this moment. Breathe, here
Prelude: Entry of the Gladiators, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Band
Sunday, August 23, 2020: Once More with Feeling: Repetition as Spiritual Practice
The little chores in our kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, and outside surroundings become spiritual practices when they bring us back to ourselves. As Thorp puts it: “When you bring energy and attention to each of your activities, you are no longer engaged in maintenance. You’re involved in taking care of things.” – Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
We are forgoing meeting in person during the coronavirus epidemic, meeting instead through the magic of ZOOM. We share music, readings, and hymns on our usual presentation slides, have a story and a talk, and share joys and sorrows, as well as a virtual “coffee hour” discussion starting at 10:30, with the service at 11. If you prefer not to be seen, video is optional. If you would like to participate, please email westforkuu@gmail.com for details and a link, or for help with using ZOOM.
We would love to have you worship with us!
If you are a regular attendee, we have added you to our Google Group if we had an email address. If you have not gotten a group email already, please email westforkuu@gmail.com so that we can add you to the group, which we will be using for staying in touch with each other during this time. Public announcements will continue to be posted here on the website and on our Facebook page and Twitter account, as usual.
West Fork Unitarian Universalists 