Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies. – Edward Bulwer Lytton
Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without. – Confucius
Music brings a warm glow to my vision, thawing mind and muscle from their endless wintering. – Haruki Murakami
Music can heal the wounds which medicine cannot touch. – Debasish Mridha
Our theme for the month of December is Opening to Joy. We will be posting about it and incorporating it into our services.
Here is a poem to get us started:
Joy is Hard by Rev. Joe Cherry (Permission secured by Soul Matters)
Joy is hard.
Joy requires us to feel safe enough,
to be safe enough, to open to vulnerability.
To feel joy, you must be brave.
Joy walks into a room after the space has been cleared
Cleared of shame,
Cleared of doubt
Cleared of self-recrimination.
Joy is hard.
Joy is hard
and joy is worth the hard work of preparation.
Preparing oneself and setting down all the defenses
all the shoulds and could’ves,
all the should not haves and might haves.
Joy is worth the work.
You are worth the work.
You can start small:
the simple pleasure of your favorite tea,
the grand freedom of a full belly laugh.
Invite Joy to be your companion.
Here is a song:
We all love music and what it does to liven up our congreagations. Sometimes, though, there is more meaning behind the music than we know or realize. Here are two good examples.
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.
Hopefully within these is something for everyone.
Music is so very important to our lives and our worship services. But it is also important to our history. Here are reflections about two songs that we use in worship and what they have meant historically and what they mean today. Listening to voices of color is part of building the Beloved Community.
We are forgoing meeting in person during the coronavirus epidemic. But just because we are meeting online, doesn’t mean we can’t have guests.
This Sunday we are joining the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Morgantown as we worship with special musical guest Andrew McKnight.
The service he will present is called “Beyond These Walls, Beyond These Broken Hearts” Even as we navigate the daily uncertainties of pandemic life, we are bound by threads of grief and gratitude connecting across our physical isolation. Drawing lessons from our history and our ancestors, Andrew’s words and music help us reaffirm our empathy and our strength during our time of turning and metamorphosis.
We will be meeting on Zoom. The “doors” will open at 10:45am and the service will begin at 11:00am. 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.
Photo Credit: Christi Porter
“Music once admitted to the soul becomes a sort of spirit and never dies.” – Edward Bulwer Lytton
“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.” ― Maya Angelou
“Music is like a dream. One that I cannot hear.” ― Ludwig van Beethoven
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” ― Plato
“Music has always been a matter of Energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel. I have always needed Fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio.” ― Hunter S. Thompson
Why They Sing by Carie J Johnsen
“Music once admitted to the soul becomes a sort of spirit and never dies.” – Edward Bulwer Lytton
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” ― Plato
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. There are classes for children and adults 10 to 10:45 am, and a coffee gathering before the service. More about us.
Classes and worship are replaced by Spiritual Outings on the first Sunday of each month during the summer, with brief worship, a potluck picnic, and outdoor activities. The schedule is in the sidebar.
We would love to have you come worship with 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.
The schedule for the current adult religious education class is here.
Email westforkuu@gmail.com or use our contact form for more informationor write to us at PO Box 523, Clarksburg WV 26302
West Fork Unitarian Universalists 