An 18th Century physician, farmer and Deist regularly ate oysters and swilled claret with Scottish Enlightenment contemporaries economist Adam Smith, chemist James Black, inventor James Watt and others on his way to formulating a theory that placed the age of Earth many millions of years older than the 6000 years calculated by Calvinist Archbishop Ussher … Continue reading Sunday Service-James Hutton (1726-1797), The Scotsman Who Found Time

March 4 is the birthday of Jacob Beilhart, a man who organized a “communitarian” group in Ohio during the upheavals of the 1890s.  The group was based on principles of hard work, tolerance and peace.  Most of us have not heard of the Spirit Fruit Society.  What can their story teach us today?  Come join … Continue reading Sunday Service-Bringing the Soul to Fruition: Jacob Beilhart and the Spirit Fruit Society

Join us at Hopedale as we welcome members of the Talawanda Diversity Club and learn of their courage and dedication to the ideals of equality and acceptance in our local high school.  Service leader:  Drew Ruther

Luminescence has been created as a distinctly UU holiday, to honor the many paths our faith offers for attaining spiritual fulfilment and to celebrate the freedom our faith provides each individual in seeking their own personal truth. Come and celebrate our own religion’s wonderful, distinctive identity.  Service leaders: Linda Amspaugh and Susan Thrasher  Join us … Continue reading Sunday Service – Luminescence: A Unitarian Universalist Holiday

Come join us as Diane Wright shares some of the history and controversy of Lourdes, the small town in France where, in 1858, a teenage girl claimed to see the Virgin Mary.  For over a hundred years, pilgrims have flocked to Lourdes to seek healing from the waters of the spring. Service leader: Patty Klingenberg. … Continue reading Sunday Service – The Miracle Commission: Reflecting on healing and science of the Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes

Dr. Bennyce Hamilton is the Director of Diversity & Multicultural Services for Miami’s Regional Campuses. She will share with us some of the strategies she uses as she works with faculty, staff, and students to encourage diversity and to welcome people from all backgrounds who may have widely differing perspectives.  Service leader:  Linda Amspaugh

What might a Buddhist UU look like?  When committing to a belief in concepts but hesitant to commit to a religion, one may find that alignment among different traditions offers a place to be. Let’s explore the Seven Principles and how they align with Buddhist thinking.  Service leader:  Susan Thrasher.

Guest minister Chuck Collins grew up in the wealthiest 1 percent and has spent the last 30 years working on issues of racial and economic justice. He has come to appreciate the power of “coming home” as an essential ingredient in reducing inequality and building healthy communities. Service leader: Jennifer Blue. All are welcome to … Continue reading Sunday Service – Coming Home: A Pathway to Reducing Inequalities

Let’s bring together a wide variety of instruments and other objects (including voices) with which we can produce sounds.  We’ll seek ways to bring forth different sound textures.  Each will be unique to the moment, reflecting the combined inspirations of every participant.   Key will be deep listening asked of each of us, so that … Continue reading Sunday Service – Creating our own Soundscape

Seventy years ago, on January 7, 1948, just a few hours away from us in Southwest Kentucky, Captain Thomas Mantell died when his airplane crashed during his pursuit of an unknown object in the sky.  The incident was a turning point for many people fascinated by sightings of unidentified flying objects.  Come join Diane Wright … Continue reading Sunday Service – Mysteries and Believers: Reflections on the Curious Case of Thomas Mantell