June 12, 2016
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by Holly Mueller
Intern Minister
Shiny, new beginnings can be invigorating, and yet what can be more intimidating than a blank page, than the unfamiliar? How do we prepare ourselves for the unknown and become excited for the future even if we long for the past? As we look to the future of West Shore and the future of Unitarian Universalism, it is a powerful moment to be open to the unknown while cultivating a vision of what could be.
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May 29, 2016
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by Holly Mueller
Intern Minister
As we remember and honor the Americans who gave their lives in military service, do we know our own Unitarian Universalist history when it comes to war and peace? How do we interpret what it means to respect the inherent worth and dignity of every person when we balance human rights and the need for self-defense and response to aggression? The varied responses to war in our history and our present reflect the tension between pacifism and pragmatism, a tension we all must address for ourselves.
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May 22, 2016
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by Holly Mueller, Intern Minister
Every event, from momentous tragedies to idle conversations, is a part of creation. Whether these events have divine origins, are shaped from human hands, or result from chaos, they are the fabric of the present and the substance with which we will create the future. How do we purposefully play a role in creation? How do we incorporate the destructive or chaotic pieces of creation that we cannot discard? What, exactly, do we wish to create?
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April 17, 2016
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by Holly Mueller
Intern Minister and
Layne Richard-Hammock
Director of Lifespan Faith Development
Offered by Layne Richard-Hammock & Holly MuellerAs we celebrate Earth Day with Flower Communion, we reflect on the joys and responsibilities of our Big Blue Planet home. Do humans own the Earth or does She Own us? This All Ages service will allow for adults and children to contemplate what it means to be a strand in the interconnected web of existence and to value our responsibility in the web of life. We do after all, have the whole world in our hands. Fun morning with lots of singing, movement and celebration for all. Bring a flower to share for Flower Communion (yes we know it's a tad early and many garden flowers won't be abloom yet—do your best.
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March 20, 2016
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by Holly Mueller
Intern Minister with
Layne Richard-Hammock
Director of Lifespan Faith Development
A distinctive Lifespan Religious Education Program requires both continuity and innovation. The members of the Religious Education RE View team have been working for over a year to distinguish the strengths of the West Shore Religious Education Program as well as create a proposal for innovation and moving into the future. The team is excited to “raise the shades” and share a bit about our process, our conclusions and distinctive recommendations for the future! All ages will begin in service together to witness the dedication of some children into our collective care, music from both the Adult and Junior Choirs and celebrate together the future of religious education as an endeavor for and responsibility of all ages.
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March 6, 2016
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by Reverend Kathleen Rolenz and
Holly Mueller
Intern Minister
We hear conflicting messages about Islam from pundits,politicians and average citizens; such as “Islam is a religion of peace” and “Islam inspires terrorism.” What is often not discussed is the fact that every religion—including Unitarian Universalism—can succumb to the temptations of fundamentalism.This sermon will explore how fundamentalism can lead us into dangerous and destructive orthodoxies.The good news is that there is an antidote to this and the answer may surprise you!The Outreach Offering will go to the After School Basketball program at the Denison United Church of Christ, a church that offers grass-roots programs to members of the westside community. Rev. Nozomi Ikuta will speak. The Free Spirit Band will feature the music of Emmy Lou Harris,“Deeper Wells,” and the Dixie Chicks, “I Hope.”
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February 21, 2016
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by Holly Mueller
Intern Minister and
Layne Richard-Hammock
Director of Lifespan Faith Development
What is sanctuary? How does sanctuary look in community? Our West Shore CARE covenant stands for Courtesy, Acceptance, Respect, and Engagement—core elements of creating a shared space of comfort and challenge, a place in which we as a community can grow our spiritual selves. This service will include the Junior Choir and Time For All Ages.
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January 24, 2016
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by Holly Mueller
Intern Minister
As children we are taught that “sharing is caring,” but how do we give when we move beyond sandbox toys? It can be daunting to give time, money, or caring to others when we aren’t sure that we have enough for ourselves, yet community functions through giving. How can we move away from a framework of scarcity and into a framework of enough?
CAUTION: THIS RECORDING IS DISTORTED
December 27, 2015
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by Holly Mueller
Intern Minister
In the breath between Christmas and the New Year, we are suspended between the rush of shopping and cooking and the auto-pilot normalcy of January. If we listen in this moment of quietness, we can hear pains, joys, and questions that call to us from the past year. What do want to learn from and then let go of? What do we want to treasure and carry with us? What threads from the past do we wish to weave into the future?
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November 29, 2015
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by Holly Mueller
Intern Minister
What are we waiting for? What part of ourselves, our lives, our world calls to us from some future date, transformed? For Christians, today marks the beginning of advent and the expectant waiting and preparation for Christmas. What can we learn from periods of expectant waiting? What can we harvest from that expectant stillness?
Colin Hay plays "Waiting for my real life to begin"
October 25, 2015
by Holly Mueller
Intern Minister
We all wear masks. We wear different masks for various people and situations, conjuring up particular personas as surely as monster or super hero masks. Are these selves fake, or pieces of the whole? What are we trying to obscure and why? These masks can empower and hinder us, revealing the balance between vulnerability and self protection.
RECORDING COMING SOON--maybe not. It's broken.
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September 27, 2015
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by Holly Mueller
Intern Minister
One of the joys of being a Unitarian Universalist is that our theologies can be fluid and creative. We have the freedom to be responsive to and hold a conversation with sacred texts, personal and cultural tragedies, and our sense of the divine. How do we allow our views and understandings to be shaped by those who are different from us? How do we converse with painful and confusing truths in an honest and formative way?
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