by Rev. Sara Lewis The General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association was held last week in Portland, and it was pretty great to gather in person with UU’s from around the country (and beyond) again, even as it was also strange and different and cautious – Covid is still very much here. The gathering […]
General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association – What Is That?
by Rev. Sara Lewis This week I’m away from OUUC, attending “GA” (General Assembly) which is in Portland this year. What is that all about? Let’s start with what the UUA (Unitarian Universalist Association) is. The UUA is an Association of the member congregations, so OUUC is a member congregation of the UUA. It is […]
The Flower Communion
Unitarian Universalism is a tradition with fewer rituals and regular liturgical elements than many other traditions, but we do have a few. The most common liturgical ritual for us is, of course, to light a chalice. This is a ritual element that began sometime in the 1970’s, as UU’s were inspired by the symbol that […]
So What Is an Interfaith Chaplain, Anyway?
by Rev. Sara Lewis As many of you know, I have recently been ordained by the Chaplaincy Institute as an Interfaith Chaplain. This was a two year seminary education and ordination process that included classwork in: global spiritual traditions, comparative theology, spiritual psychology, ministerial ethics, “ministry basics” (preaching, praying, etc), deep listening, being with death […]
May Is Mental Health Awareness Month
by Rev. Sara Lewis The month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to combat stigma, raise awareness, and take action and advocate to improve our nation’s mental health care system. In thinking about mental health this month, I’m reminded again of the ways that our spiritual journeys and religious communities relate to […]