In this service from August 7, Rev. Alan Taylor solicited questions from those in attendance to be written on note cards. His "sermon" consisted of his responses to many of those questions.
This service was organized by Diane Scott with the following personal reflections and a song presented by members of the congregation's Peace Committee (in order):
Why I Meditate, Marilyn Myles
Why I Study Non-violent Communication, Sue Piha
Why I Serve on the Oak Park-River Forest School Board, Ralph Lee
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize, folks song lyrics by Alice Wine, performed by Charlie Rossiter and Jack Rossiter-Munley
What I Learned About Peace While Working for Justice, Rich Pokorny
What War Taught Me About Peace, Stephen Jordan
Diane Scott has been a member of Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation since 1999 and has happily helped with 3rd Saturday Coffeehouse for the last eight years. Along with Marilyn Myles she has led writing workshops at the annual women's retreat. Diane is currently a member of the Unity Temple Board of Trustees. She has gone door-to-door for Harold Washington and Barack Obama, protests against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and believes it is good to speak what is in your heart. She can be reached at Dihome@comcast.net.
Readings and sermon delivered by Psychologist Madeleine Van Hecke on July 17, 2011. Madeleine and her husband, Greg Risberg, have been members of Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation for seven years. She is a Chalice Circle member and writes the Beacon column each month that describes possible Chalice Circle topics. Madeleine has conducted workshops on the topic of forgiveness at the adult education center, Common Ground, where she is a regular lecturer. She was an award-winning professor when she taught courses in psychology, critical thinking and creative thinking at North Central College in Naperville. Currently Madeleine provides workshops to businesses and other organizations based on her two books, Blind Spots: Why Smart People Do Dumb Things (Prometheus Books, 2007) and The Brain Advantage (Prometheus Books, 2010). She can be contacted at mlvanhecke@aol.com.
Sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Taylor on July 3, 2011. The congregation welcomed back Rev. Taylor this Sunday following his 6-month sabbatical.
Sermon delivered by Chris Nemeth on June 26, 2011. Chris has been a UTUUC member since 2010 and lives in Oak Park with his wife, Tara, and their two girls, Marie and Vivienne. Chris speaks to how our popular society --a society wedded to the notion that we should ultimately be able to "have it all"-- seems increasingly fearful of and unprepared for the inevitability of disappointment, tragedy and, ultimately, death and loss. Chris can be reached at lcnemeth@gmail.com. A printable copy of his sermon can be found at http://www.unitytemple.org/pdf/sermons/TheAlgebraofLoss.pdf.
Sermon delivered by John on June 19, 2011. John has been a member of our congregation for almost 50 years and currently serves as a Pastoral Associate. He is retired from Northwestern University where he was in research administration, and was formally the Co-CIO of the American Hospital Association. He and his wife Jane lead an active life within our congregation and local community and greatly enjoy their annual travels to visit with grandchildren. He confesses to a great affection for bad puns.
This worship service from June 12, 2011, honors the life of Unitarian minister Rev. Norbert Capek and the beautiful tradition he began that is still celebrated by U.U. congregations around the world. The podcast begins with the choir singing a piece composed for a past Flower Communion Sunday by former UTUUC Music and Choir Director Jonathan Miller. Following the choir is a play enacted by four children of the congregation. The service ends with a reflection by Rev. Emily Gage, Minister of Faith Development.
Sermon delivered by Reverend Dr. Qiyamah A. Rahman on June 5, 2011. Rev. Rahman shares her circuitous spiritual odyssey beginning with her childhood religion in the Baptist church, her God-is-Dead period, 10 years as a devout practicing Muslim, her non-denominational period, and now 19 years of service in the vineyard of Unitarian Universalism. "If Unitarian Universalism had not existed, I would have had to invent it," she laughingly states.
Mystical humanist/womanist/post-colonial feminist Unitarian Universalist is how she describes herself on a good day! She recently tackled the question, "How does my nationality, race, gender, class and sexual orientation shape how I make meaning of the sacred and holy in my life and how have I come to name that?"
Sermon delivered by Andrew Harvey on May 29, 2011. Andrew Harvey is an internationally acclaimed poet, novelist, translator, mystical scholar, and spiritual teacher. He has published over 20 books including The Hope, a Guide to Sacred Activism (Hay House) and Heart Yoga, the Sacred Marriage of Yoga and Mysticism (North Atlantic Books). Harvey was a Fellow of All Souls College Oxford from 1972-1986 and has taught at Oxford University, Cornell University, The California Institute of Integral Studies, and the University of Creation Spirituality, as well as various spiritual centers throughout the United States. He was the subject of the 1993 BBC film documentary The Making of a Modern Mystic. Harvey is the Founder of the Institute for Sacred Activism in Oak Park, Illinois, where he lives. His website is www.andrewharvey.net.