This is a special time of year. We are celebrating the harvest of Fall while also preparing for the reality of Winter. This reflection will ask, what are we harvesting? What are we preserving? What are we letting go of? How will we respond when the spirit of faith, social justice, and community care hits?
One of our culture’s foundational myths is about ownership, security, and permanence. JD offers a bit of science, some personal experiences, and a Talking Heads song as puzzle pieces toward a new, more vulnerable humility.
This summer, Rev. Dennis and his wife Suzanne attended the annual General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association (GA) held in Portland. At GA, he was reminded, in hallway conversations, in workshops, and in worship, why he is proud to be part of this unique faith tradition. At one worship service the question of “why go to church” was lifted up. This morning let us all ask ourselves that question and look into our minds and heart and souls to deeply ponder how this faith serves us and how we might serve it.
The Eagle Staff is a tradition rich in spirituality and symbolism. Each element of the staff has its own meaning and each feather its own story. The story of the Rogue Valley Veterans Eagle Staff is unique to our local area and a memorial for many of our local community members.
Pastor QuianaDenae will share her coming-out story and many of the lessons she learned since coming out as Black Queer Woman. QuianaDenae’s sharing will attempt to look back and look ahead at this unique moment in time.
In our current and escalating culture wars – which are increasingly spilling over into political violence, we must learn to prioritize human connection and the respect that radical connection requires. This sermon will include stories and perspectives that can be challenging for liberals and progressives, but it’s a viewpoint stemming from a personal credo Rev. Landale once encountered, “I will let nothing stand between me and the person in front of me.”
UUGP’s Social Action Team will be presenting the Service. They will present the proposed 8th Principle, “articulating a commitment to the dismantling of white supremacy within the stated principles of our faith”. They will be sharing on-going activities they are participating in such as our Cooling Center and the Grants Pass Remembrance Project
Quin Collins Pehrson, Executive Director of the Redwood Foundation for Education, will share with us how the Foundation has invested over $9 million in grants and scholarships in our community since 1964. Formerly the Josephine County Educational Fund, the Redwood Foundation for Education has recently gone through a renaming and rebranding process to better represent their work and aspirations. Quin will share stories of high school students receiving scholarships, grants being awarded to community organizations, and how we can help support local students seeking higher education. Note: Our time for Joys and Sorrows during this service will be dedicated to remembering 9/11.
UUGP member Chas Rogers will share his personal story about growing up in a Christian family while experiencing the natural world through camping and hiking. Chas discovered the Science of Geology in college, which studies deep time and the evolution of Earth and provides answers to where humans fit in the history of our world.
Experts tell us that we are in liminal times and experiencing collective trauma that yearns to be healed. What can we learn from the Sufi Islamic embodiment rituals practiced to bring more healing into our own lives and communities? How can embracing embodied healing help heal and lead us to collective salvation, freedom, peace and love? Please join us as we welcome the Rev. Summer Albayati, our primary contact from the Pacific Western Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association and let us explore the answers in a spirit of love.
