“Orthopathy: Right Suffering in The Great Unraveling”
with Peter Jabin and Rev. Mary Gear
Sunday, March 24, 2024
If we are to know anything of resilience or hope as humanity collectively collides with the climate crisis, it is essential that we remember the central importance of grief for the human soul and recover the lost art of grieving. Moreover, we need to expand the embrace of our compassion such that the more-than-human becomes fully grievable. This service will be a meditation, in poetry and reflection, on these ideas, and will provide a global context for the afternoon’s grief workshop.
“Good Enough”
with Rev. Sara Lewis
Sunday, March 17, 2024
When perfect isn’t possible and we are surrounded by choices and options, how do we decide what is good enough? When do we know that we are good enough?
“Question Box Service”
with Rev. Mary Gear
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Back by popular demand, Rev. Mary explores your questions and wonderings. Congregants were invited to email her in advance with their theological, philosophical, or spiritual questions, and to send in last-minute questions during the service. If you have more spiritual questions you’d like Rev. Mary to consider addressing in future services, please email them to her at minister@ouuc.org
“Stories of Transformation”
with Rev. Mary Gear
Sunday, March 3, 2024
The invitation to be part of a faith community is an invitation to transformation. Today we share stories of transformation at OUUC.
“Singing of Honor and Glory”
with Phoenix bell-shelton biggs
Sunday, February 25, 2024
CONTENT WARNING: This sermon includes significant reference to suicidal ideation. If you need extra support after listening (or if you are ever in need, for any reason!), please don’t hesitate to reach out to Rev. Mary (minister@ouuc.org) or the pastoral care team (pastoralcare@ouuc.org). You can find out more about Pastoral Care at OUUC here: https://www.ouuc.org/getting-connected/getting-and-giving-help-in-a-time-of-need/
Sermon Intro: Drawing inspiration from Revelation 5:13, where every creature in heaven and on earth proclaims praise and honor to the Lamb, and Judges 5:4-5, which speaks of the righteous singing to the Lord, this sermon invites us to explore the profound connection between worship and divine glory. In a world filled with turmoil, we’ll uncover the power of song as a spiritual weapon and a path to unity. We’ll delve into the eternal anthem echoing through the heavens and its relevance in our lives today.
Speaker bio: Phoenix bell-shelton biggs is a Queer, BIPOC, non-binary seminarian and aspiring Public Theologian. Phoenix serves as intern minister for the UU Fellowship of Fredericksburg, VA, while they continue their studies and seminary education at Meadville Lombard Theological School.
Phoenix is called to lead Radical Love, care, and Sanctuary Movements, simultaneously disrupting patriarchy and all systems of oppression that plague our world. They are healing, growing, and learning to love themselves, trying to find their place on this topsy-turvy journey that we call life.
Prior to answering the call to ministry, Phoenix earned degrees in Media Production and Religious Studies from Pellissippi State Community College and Middle Tennessee State University. When Phoenix is not working or studying, they love being out in nature, traveling, eating good vegan food, all things theater, and coffee.
“When Justice Starts With Just Us”
with Rev. Monica Jacobson-Tennessen
Sunday, February 18, 2024
It’s sometimes said that the solution to despair about the world is to find a small, often local way to make a difference for the better. In the same vein, as our justice-making efforts call us to challenge systems of oppression, we can find spiritual sustenance in our roots. Rev. Monica will share about the practice of “ancestral recovery” – reconstructing, as best we can, what life was like for our ancestors so we can find our own stories inside the larger history. Our legacies can help us find past wrongs to address, and give us connections to others who have worked for justice in the past.
“If Not Now”
with Carrie Newcomer and Gary Walters
Sunday, February 11, 2024
We explore the spiritual theme of “Justice” with original music and spoken word meditation offered by the artist.
View the Order of Service here.
“On Justice”
with Rev. Mary Gear
Sunday, February 4, 2024
We explore the February spiritual theme of “Justice.” What does justice mean for Unitarian Universalists, and what’s love got to do with it?
View the Order of Service here.
View the Sermon and Readings here.
“What Does Faith Mean?”
with Rev. Mary Gear
Sunday, January 28, 2024
The Christian Bible says that the three gifts of the Spirit are faith, hope, and love. We explore the last of these by asking what faith means for Unitarian Universalists.
View the Order of Service here.
View the Sermon and Readings here.
“Labors of Love”
with Rev. Sara Lewis
Sunday, January 21, 2024
How do love and work intertwine, and can we ever pay for love?
View the Order of Service here.
“What is Hope?”
with Rev. Mary Gear
Sunday, January 14, 2024
The Christian Bible says that the three gifts of the Spirit are faith, hope and love. We draw on the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to explore the gift of hope and how we hold hope in hard times.
View the Order of Service here.
“The Greatest of These is Love”
with Rev. Mary Gear
Sunday, January 7, 2024
The Christian Bible says that three gifts of the spirit are faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love. Our spiritual theme for the month of January is “Love.” This month, we’ll explore the meaning of all three gifts: faith, hope, and this Sunday, the greatest of these, love.
View the Order of Service here.
“Silent Night: A Christmas Eve Candlelight Service” with Rev. Mary Gear, Rev. Sara Lewis, Troy Fisher, and the OUUC Choir
Sunday, December 24, 2023 – 5:30 pm
View the Order of Service here.
“Holiday Stories and Songs”
with Rev. Mary Gear and Rev. Sara Lewis
Sunday, December 24, 2023 – 10 am
On this Christmas Eve morning, we celebrate the season with songs and stories of the winter holidays.
View the Order of Service here.
“What Carries Us”
with Rev. Monica Jacobson-Tennessen
Sunday, December 17, 2023
In times of change and transformation, from the personal to the global, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and lost in all that is happening. Let’s acknowledge that change is often uncomfortable, and then ask: what is it that we can hold on to in such times to help ourselves meet what comes next?
View the Order of Service here.
“At This Point on the Journey”
with the Adult Coming of Age Class
Sunday, December 10, 2023
Featuring credos shared by jasper llee, Woody Moore, Josie Solseng, and Janet Spencer.
View the Order of Service here.
“Transforming Conflict”
with Rev. Mary Gear
Sunday, December 3, 2023
There are many ways to address conflict–avoid it, deny it, suppress it, manage it. We begin our reflection on the monthly spiritual theme of “transformation” by exploring how conflict can be transformed and transformative.
View the Order of Service here.
View the Sermon and Readings here.
“Guest At Your Table: Pursuing Liberation”
with Rev. Julián Soto and Rev. Mary Gear
Sunday, November 26, 2023
The alarming rise of fascism, authoritarianism, and nationalism in the United States and in many places around the world is putting the lives of people, and the sustainability of the planet, in critical danger. We join the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) in their outreach to grassroots partners in communities the world over on the path toward justice and liberation for all.
View the Order of Service here.
“Walking in the Footsteps of our Ancestors”
with Rev. Adél Ngay and the Partner Church Team
Sunday, November 19, 2023
November is the month when many remember our loved ones who have passed away. The 1st of November is the day of the dead in Transylvania and a great occasion for every individual to remember their family members. But it is also the month of remembering our Unitarian ancestors. Francis David the founder and first bishop died in mid November. What do they teach us? How do we walk in their footsteps?
View the Order of Service here.
“Accountable Generosity”
with Rev. Mary Gear
Sunday, November 12, 2023
We explore the difference between charity, service, and justice, and what it means to be accountable in our generosity.
View the Order of Service here.
“Generous Accountability”
with Rev. Mary Gear
Sunday, November 5, 2023
Unitarian Universalism is a covenantal faith, meaning that we don’t tell each other what to believe but we agree on how we will be together. We create covenants and hold each other accountable to them. In this month when we explore the spiritual theme of generosity, what does it mean to be generous in our accountability?
View the Order of Service here.
View the Sermon and Readings here.
“Remembering Our Heritage”
with Rev. Mary Gear
Sunday, October 29, 2023
At this time of year, some say that the veil between worlds is thin and we can connect with those who have gone before us. Today, we make space to remember our ancestors as we claim our individual and collective heritage.
View the Order of Service here.
“Yours, Mine and Ours”
with Rev. Mary Gear
Sunday, October 22, 2023
We speak often of shared ministry. What is the work of a minister? What is the work of a congregation? And what is our shared ministry?
View the Order of Service here.
View the Sermon and Readings here.
“That All Souls Shall Grow Into Harmony with the Divine”
with Rev. Monica Jacobson-Tennessen
Sunday, October 15, 2023
Our Unitarian Universalist heritage includes the practice of covenant – something that comes out of our religious ancestors who were Pilgrims and Puritans. What challenges, and what gifts, does this heritage offer us for our congregational life today?
View the Order of Service here.
View the Sermon and Readings here.
“A Tapestry of Accountability”
with roddy bell-shelton biggs
Sunday, October 8, 2023
As Unitarian Universalists, we are called to be the weavers of a Tapestry of people. To be such weavers takes courage. Join us as we explore how being the weavers of such a tapestry might transform our faith, community, and ourselves. Where might we still need some work, and where might we find the courage to continue the work?
View the Order of Service here.
“Claiming Our Heritage”
with Rev. Mary Gear
Sunday, October 1, 2023
In order to be fully and wholly who we are, we must know our whole story and history, even the parts that we don’t like so much. This applies to individuals and communities and nations seeking to heal and move into an unknown future. How do we recover and reclaim our heritage?
View the Order of Service here.
“Killing Monsters: What do our monster stories say about human nature?”
with Rev. Sara Lewis
Sunday, September 24, 2023
What do the stories we have created about monsters, like Medusa, Frankenstein, Godzilla, and zombies, say about how we perceive good and evil, human and monster, acceptable and not?
View the Order of Service here.
View the Sermon and Readings here.
“Welcoming All”
with Rev. Mary Gear
Sunday, September 17, 2023
In a time of great change, how do we embrace what is, what has been and what could be? How do we belong and matter when things change so quickly? Plus, a preview of plans for this congregational year.
View the Order of Service here.
“Keep Your Heart Wide Open”
with Rev. Mary Gear
Sunday, September 10, 2023
We gather for our annual water communion service, coming together again from near and far, bringing water from where we have been, looking forward to where we are going. Though the waves of change may have pushed us around, may we return with our hearts wide open.
View the Order of Service here.
“The Power of We”
with Rev. Carol McKinley
Sunday, September 3, 2023
Labor Day offers a time to affirm the contributions of those producing and providing goods and services upon which we all rely, and to celebrate the movement that gave us the weekend. Religious values nurtured the struggle for worker justice, and remind us of the work that is yet to be done to achieve true equity in the workplace.
View the Order of Service here.
“And How Are the Children?”
with Rev. Mary Gear and Rev. Sara Lewis
Sunday, August 27, 2023
This Masai greeting places importance on the health of children as an indicator of the health of a community. Rev. Mary & Rev. Sara have a conversation about how the children are at OUUC and in our larger community.
View the Order of Service here.
“An Unexpected Gift”
with Rev. Jennifer DeBusk Alviar
Sunday, August 20, 2023
Imagine a creative, innovative approach toward disability justice – one that uplifts and empowers the cultural arts community – a more accessible, inclusive world where all people can enjoy museums, theaters, parks, zoos, libraries and other cultural venues. Through collective advocacy work and intentional design strategies, let us make this vision a reality in celebrating the arts with greater equity for congregations and the larger community alike!
View the Order of Service here.
“Love Accountably”
with Rev. Crystal Zerfoss
Sunday, August 13, 2023
Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values. We are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love. Inseparable from one another, these shared values are Interdependence, Pluralism, Justice, Transformation, Generosity, and Equity.
Join us as we explore this collective Unitarian Universalist understanding of liberating Love, part of the proposed Article II revisions, and what it means for how we live and love accountably.
View the Order of Service here.
“What is Necessary for Love?”
with Rev. Victoria Poling
Sunday, August 6, 2023
Author and scholar bell hooks [who uses a lowercase spelling] observes, “While ours is a nation wherein the vast majority of citizens are followers of religious faiths that proclaim the transformative power of love, many people feel they do not have a clue as to how to love.” Today we’ll explore a variety of perspectives on what is necessary for love.
View the Order of Service here.
“Chaplaincy: Heart-Wrenchingly Painful Holy Work”
with roddy biggs
Sunday, July 30, 2023
If nothing else, chaplaincy is heart-wrenchingly painful holy and spiritual work that leaves one to explore and make meaning of human suffering while believing in, praying to, and questioning everything they know about the very essence of all that is named and perceived as holy. Join us in worship as Seminarian and Aspiring Public Theologian, roddy bell-shelton biggs, shares their experience interning as a summer chaplain at a level one trauma center in the hills of East TN.
View the Order of Service here.
“An Evolving Faith”
with Rev. Carol McKinley
Sunday, July 23, 2023
Nearly 2,500 years ago, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus is believed to have said, “The only constant in life is change.” No one today can deny the truth of that statement, although many try! After all, there is great comfort in having everything remain the same. But change is inevitable, and it opens doors to a more expansive view of the world and our place in it. Unitarian Universalism continues to open doors as it lives into being a faith that believes that this tradition, like life, continues to evolve.
View the Order of Service here.
“The Art of Language to Liberate & Empower”
with Rev. Jennifer Alviar
Sunday, July 16, 2023
Language holds both power and possibility for liberation, healing and wholeness. Yet such liberation depends on who wields the power and how this power is used. Come join us as we seek to redefine and expand our understanding of language in leading to greater equity and inclusion within the disability justice movement.
View the Order of Service here.
“Joy with a Capital J”
with Rev. Crystal Zerfoss
Sunday, July 9, 2023
This joyous service will invite you to joyfully explore your own inner joy as well as revel in the ways in which we grow joy together as a community. Even if you are not feeling particularly joyful at this time of the year, this service is for you.
View the Order of Service here.
“Make the Wounded Whole”
with roddy biggs
Sunday, July 2, 2023
We often hear the wounded narrative painting over the painful reality hidden in the shadows we dare not look. How can we heal as a nation and Make the Wounded Whole if we are always running from a dark and shameful past? Can We Make the Wounded Whole? In the words of bell hooks, “How do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet, at the same time, remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed?” As we “Do Justice and Love Mercy” -Micah 6:8, roddy bell-shelton biggs, a Queer, bipoc, Nonbinary seminarian, and aspiring Public Theologian, challenges us, invokes us, and leaves us with a powerful call to be a transformed accountable faith.
View the Order of Service here.
CCO Interfaith Pride Gathering
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Concerned Clergy of Olympia’s annual Interfaith Pride Gathering was hosted by the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation and led by clergy from multiple faith communities.
View the Order of Service here.
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