In her last service as our Intern Minister, Alison Duren-Sutherland will reflect on all that has come to fruition in her time serving the three congregations of the Southern Oregon UU Partnership in this Zoom service for all three congregations: UUGP, UUFKC & RVUUF. On the longest day of the year, we gather to turn the wheel toward the harvest of all that we have sown together.
Today we join our fellow Unitarian Universalists from Klamath County for a morning of music and imagery, creating a bouquet of our beloved community. Flower communion began as an earth-centered ritual developed by Holocaust martyr Rev. Norbert Chapek, for his Unitarian congregation in Prague. With 21st century technology we’ll create a diverse bouquet of flowers grown and shared by members of our sibling congregations. meeting ID 891 7252 5222,
passcode 425816, https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89172525222?pwd=Z21rSjkzYUx2ZUdIQlFneTZOSW1xdz09
This Memorial Day weekend, as we honor those who gave their lives in military service, our intern minister, Alison Duren-Sutherland will lift up stories of civilians who also gave their lives in service to their country, and reflect on the gifts of service our faith calls on us to make.
Each month at the UU Fellowship of Klamath County (UUFKC), the chair of their Social Justice Committee, Courtney Neubauer, presents a social justice Sunday worship. This month our shared Intern Minister, Alison Duren-Sutherland, will team up with Courtney to present a service for both UUFKC and UUGP together.
Intern Minister Alison Duren-Sutherland draws from the New Testament and its historical context to identify the things that were important to Jesus as portrayed in the Gospels – and the things that weren’t. We’ll see that, unlike some of his contemporaries, Jesus had more to say about poverty and inclusion than about same-sex relationships and abortion.
On the Vernal Equinox, day and night are of equal length, with a promise of new growth and longer days to come. Intern Minister Alison Duren-Sutherland invites us to imagine the growth we would like to see in the months ahead. Bring an item that speaks to you of new growth, and an intention for what you want to see growing in your life, our community, and the wider world. We will share our items and intentions as we co-create a virtual altar to celebrate the arrival of Spring.
Honoring the Ghanaian concept of “sankofa”, reaching back into history to gain knowledge that helps us do better in the present, we’ll look at the Black Empowerment Controversy that rocked the UUA in the late ‘60s, and explore the lessons this moment in our history holds for us today.
We will share in ritual to honor the return of the sun and seek the gifts of darkness as we arrive at the longest night of the year.
This morning we will hear from folks in our community who do the work to make UUGP possible. We will have an opportunity to hear what lights up our volunteers about their service to this beloved community, and express our gratitude for all they do.
Southern Oregon UU Partnership Intern Minister Alison shares six poems she has written over the past two decades that trace her journey toward an anti-racist, Earth-centered Unitarian Universalist faith.
