Services

Hope as an Act of Rebellion

Hope as resistance is a powerful message, reminding us that holding onto hope is not passive it’s a radical act of defiance against despair. Professional Speaker and UU Seminarian, LaVonne Limpus, will present “Hope as an Act of Rebellion” at the Unitarian Universalists of Grants Pass 10:30 Sunday Service, June 1, 2025. Unitarian Universalists embrace justice, love, and the inherent dignity of every person and often see hope as an active force, and commitment to building a better world rather than merely wishing for change.  In her sermon, Limpus will explore how being hope-filled in a colonialized construct challenges systems of oppression.

Tobin Squires (Navy chaplain)

Chaplain (Lieutenant) Toben R. Squires, USN, will join us this Memorial Day to share stories about his work. He will address concerns about the importance of remembering our veterans and challenges the future may bring. Chaplain Squires graduated from our UUA Seminary, Starr King School of the Ministry in 2020. In 2023 he was recognized by the US Navy as a Chaplain. We will be recognizing our relatives who are now or did serve in the military.

Embracing the Interconnected Web

How we treat each other, how we engage politically, how we treat our planet, it’s all interconnected. Our Climate Justice Revival in September and our priorities from our new year service in December identify a number of challenging realities and opportunities for community care. This service will focus on climate justice and how this issue interweaves with so many others in our community.

Waking to the Tree: Aligning Our Consciousness and Ethics with Nature

It is well known that 2500 years ago, that after sitting under the Bodhi Tree, the Buddha attained enlightenment, came to realization of deep reality. This experience led to his extensive teachings on nonviolence and wellbeing. While western translations describe the Buddha “awakening” under the Tree, eastern traditions speak of his “waking to the Tree.” The Buddha’s insights occurred when he spiritually met and came into alignment with Nature. She will talk about how coming into alignment with Nature returns our species to harmony and peace with all beings and the Earth.

We Are All Bound Up Together

Two African American Activist Women both Unitarians, both born before the Civil War and living into the Twentieth Century and practically unknown today, made huge strides toward social justice and left us with big shoes to fill. We will review the contributions of Francis Ellen Watkins Harper and Fannie Barrier Williams and consider the lessons we can learn from them.

Easter at UUGP: A Celebration of Renewal and Resurrection

Join us this Easter as we gather in the spirit of renewal, transformation, and hope. In the Unitarian Universalist tradition, we honor Easter not only as a Christian story of resurrection but also as a universal story of life’s enduring capacity for renewal.
This service will invite us to reflect on the ways resurrection shows up in our lives and community—not as a distant miracle, but as an ever present source of healing, justice, and love. We will explore how communities rise after hardship, how hope can emerge even in the face of despair, how healing can arrive amidst grief, and how each of us is continually invited into new beginnings.
We will also honor new members and celebrate Intern Minister Eli Poore’s last Sunday this church year at UUGP.

This I believe

Diana Coogle returns as a guest to our pulpit to talk about her strong faith in nature as healer, companion, and spiritual center, and share readings from her published books, including earlier JPR commentaries, recent poems, and poems from her book about her late husband.

Land Acknowledgement

The UUGP Land Acknowledgment, started four years ago, has sparked a variety of responses in our members and friends. Is it a courageous act of truth telling, or an act of self-flagellation? A significant thread in the larger fabric of social change, or a misguided and ultimately empty gesture? Please join us to participate in conversation about our Land Acknowledgment, guided by our seven principles and with the goal of greater understanding and compassion for friends whose views differ from our own. As part of the service, you will be invited to share your thoughts about the strongest reasons for keeping the Land Acknowledgment the way it is and the strongest reasons for changing it. Can you articulate both perspectives with curiosity and compassion?

We’ve Only Just Begun (zoom)

This sermon will expand and build upon what Rev. Fristad presented to us in June of 2023, with his sermon “Universalism: Past, Present and Powerful”. This time the focus will be on universalism as it relates to John Murray and how he came to believe in universalism in England; the early history of universalism in the American Colonies; Thomas Potter and his chapel in New Jersey (where Murray preached in 1770); and the subsequent spread of universalism up until the present time.