Kim Warman, Intern Minister My first writing of a Minister’s Message coincided with Rosh Hashanah, and though I am not Jewish, through proximity of friends and neighborhoods, I have found messages of the High Holy Days to be meaningful. The Birthday of the World reminds me of how enduring this planet is, how forgiving it … Read more
Rev. Dr. John Morehouse, Senior Minister Author and futurist David Korten writes in his book, Change the Story, Change the Future: “Choice-making beings of many possibilities, we humans live by shared cultural stories. They are the lens through which we view reality. They shape what we most value as a society and the institutions by … Read more
Rev. Dr. John Morehouse, Senior Minister Thanks to Stephen Polmar, who has been studying the Stoics, I cracked open my Epictetus, one of the great Greek philosophers, and I found this quote: “Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever … Read more
Rev. Dr. John Morehouse, Senior Minister We gather again as a congregation in a time of tremendous upheaval and challenge. The pandemic rages on, as pandemics do, and we are doing the best we can in living with this reality. This is the time in any crisis when we are at our lowest. Many social … Read more
Almost twenty years ago, our Associate Minister at the time, the Reverend Barbara Fast, started our Small Group Ministry program. The SGM has been a regular part of our congregational life for these many years, often led by faithful facilitators on topics meant to encourage deep spiritual conversations.
Rev. Dr. John Morehouse, Senior Minister After years of obscurity, the Black Lives Matter movement has exploded into American culture with a fierce urgency that has not been seen since the Vietnam War. The reasons why this movement has gained this urgency are many. The fear and response to the pandemic, the crash of our … Read more
Rev. Dr. John Morehouse, Senior Minister In the midst of this continuing pandemic, we have laid bare the rotten root at the base of the American tree. Racism, what many have called “America’s Original Sin,” is still all too alive and well. Racism built this country and made it great. The unpaid use of enslaved … Read more
Rev. Shelly Thompson My Beloveds, Please join us tonight at 8:00 pm for the UUA #WeCan’tBreathe Virtual Vigil (click here for more details). It is important that we support one another and have sacred places to lament and be angry together. You are not alone! In the ongoing aftermath of the recent deaths of our … Read more
Rev. Dr. John Morehouse, Senior Minister These minister messages began in part as answers to the “Question Box” sermon long before the pandemic struck. These were not answered in the service itself. One of those questions was “What’s your favorite part about being our minister?” It’s a great question and one I think about often. … Read more
Rev. Dr. John Morehouse, Senior Minister We often hear the words “pay attention” and slip back to some distant memory of being scolded by a teacher or a parent. In reality, this simple command has so much to offer us. When the student asked the Zen Master “What is the path to enlightenment?” the old … Read more
Rev. Dr. John Morehouse, Senior Minister Someone shared this little fable with me the other day and I thought it was very wise. We should all recognize that one of the downsides of this continuing pandemic and isolation is the grief we are feeling. Grief is a natural part of being human and it comes … Read more
Rev. Dr. John Morehouse, Senior Minister We are crossing so many thresholds. The time we are spending paused from the great race of our lives is changing us in ways both common and profound. The planet is the biggest winner in this terrible pandemic. She is resting and renewing each week in ways even our … Read more