For security purposes and for the safety of everyone including our children, the front door does lock approximately 15 minutes after the beginning of our service.
To join our Sunday 10:30AM services online, Click here to participate via Zoom Meeting ID:845 801 170, Password:12345.
Freedom can mean many different things: the ability to do whatever one wants; the cessation of restraint or control; a mindset of possibilities; a physical state of being… Is “freedom just another word for nothing left to lose” (from the song “Me and Bobby McGee”) or is freedom a state of fiscal stability (i.e. “financial … Continue reading On Freedom
What would the world look like without possessions, countries or religion? John Lennon, in his 1971 song “Imagine”, imagined that a world lacking a few things would be more peaceful and loving. Are there beliefs or systems which humanity would be better off without? I hope, Sunday, you’ll join us…
In June 1923, Rev. Norbert Čapek created a worship service imagining a more loving and beautiful world. He invited his congregation to bring a flower to church, and exchange for a different bloom. Flower Communion is a celebration of individuality and a hope for unity in diversity. Bring a flower from your yard, from a … Continue reading Flower Communion
A lyric from the song “Pure Imagination” (written for the 1971 movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) says that if we want to view paradise, all we have to do is look around and view it. Gene Wilder / Willy Wonka goes on to say that to change the world, “there’s nothing to it.” … Continue reading Simply Look Around and View It!
The Christian holiday Easter (and the pagan festival it originates from) are celebrations of rebirth and life. They are also holidays of joy – joy in a faith that death is not the final end. Can we also find a sense of joy when thinking about our mortality? What can the joy of Easter teach … Continue reading The Joy of Easter
The ministry theme for April is Joy and our spiritual practice is to bring joy into the world. This begs a question: how do we “bring joy” when we aren’t joyous? How can we be authentic to ourselves and embody something we don’t necessarily feel? Come to explore through story and song. Then stay after … Continue reading Put Something In
I feel as if the highest form of love is practiced through accountability – the practice of truly wanting someone to blossom into their true and best version of themselves. Accountability is hard, and can easily be felt as uncaring judgment or chastisement. Before loving accountability, therefore; we must have a foundation of trust. How … Continue reading But First, Trust
In the words of Brené Brown, “I thought faith would say, ‘I will take away the pain and the discomfort.’ But what it ended up saying is ‘I will sit with you in it.’ ” What does it look like to trust our faith not to fix our problems, but to sit with us through … Continue reading Trusting Religion
Are DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) workshops, affirmative action and hiring/membership quotas helpful? Although classes may educate and initiatives may change populations, neither are great at shifting mindset. One way to increase personal and communal understanding and inclusion is experiencing the world from another person’s point of view – to walk a mile (or more) … Continue reading Perspective Taking
In 2007, TPUUF completed an accreditation process to be official recognized as a “Welcoming Congregation” – a community open and affirming to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. (See more here: UUA Welcoming Congregation.) TPUUF continues to be a loving community, but the work of welcome is never done. How can we make sure that … Continue reading The Work is Never Done
