The concept of community can become so well worn that it is taken for granted as a social phenomenon and, perhaps, hardly considered spiritually. Recently, as the result of much work and discussion, USG was presented with an elegantly written statement of what community can mean to our religious Society. The document combined with a […]
Author Archives: usguu
Remember Trayvon Martin: Dr. King Sunday, Rev. Kent Matthies
It was less than one year ago when 17 year old Trayvon Martin was tragically and fatally shot dead. This violence happened within a landscape author Michelle Alexander has prophetically labeled “The New Jim Crow”. We have a raging prison-industrial complex, public school systems like ours in Philadelphia gasping for breath, and a multitude of […]
Be Still and Know Compassion, Joan Javier-Duval, Intern Minister
The practice of mindfulness calls us to pay attention to and embrace what is and who we are now. Self-acceptance, however, does not come easily for most of us. As we begin again a new year, how can we mindfully cultivate deeper compassion for self and for the world?
New Orleans Jazz Funeral, The Barbone Street Jazz Band and Rev. Kent Matthies
Come celebrate with the energy of this six-piece Dixieland jazz group. In the New Orleans tradition, we will have a wake for the Old Year, lay down our burdens and lift our possibilities for the New Year. The spirit will be alive with great music including “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” and “When the Saints Go […]
Beloved Community: 2012 in Review, Anaiis Salles
Anaiis will explore Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s definition of beloved community and events in 2012 in which this beloved community perspective may be a deepening call and response process for UUs.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, Rev. Kent Matthies, Joan Javier-Duval , Mark Daugherty and USG Choir
Making Room for the Holy Finally, the sacred child was born. As we know the stories leading up to the birth weren’t that easy. It rarely ever is. Every night a child is born is a holy night. Every day we have a chance to make space for the holy in our lives.
Christmas Eve Family Service, Rev. Kent Matthies, Jody Whelden, Joan Javier-Duval, Mark Daugherty and USG Choir
“No Room at All” by Bernice Webb The innkeeper’s children, Aaron and Sarah, are curious about the guests that have arrived at their family’s inn. Do they have enough light in the stable? Will the baby get cold? The unexpected arrival of these guests challenge Aaron, Sarah, and their family to show true hospitality and […]
Kwanzaa with Rev. Kent Matthies, Queen Nur, & Abayomi Awodesu
We will have a joyous time lighting candles, telling stories, and moving to the beats of African drumming. Queen Nur and Abayomi Awodesu, two superb story tellers will bring us on journeys not to be missed! We will celebrate the principles of Kwanzaa: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.
A Ceremony of Carols performed by the USG Choir, directed by Mark Daugherty with Kimberly Rowe, harpist
Come hear a holiday musical classic – Benjamin Britten’s charming “A Ceremony of Carols.” Written in the darkest year of World War II, somehow Britten managed to find joy and beauty during that time and he produced a classic Christmas choral work of unparalleled sophistication and craft. It’s wonderful music that engages the mind as […]
Tend the Spirit, Joan Javier-Duval, Intern Minister with the USG Klezmer Band
In the Christian tradition, today marks the second Sunday of Advent, a time of spiritual preparation and hopeful anticipation. And, in the Jewish tradition, we celebrate Hanukkah, commemorating the miracle of light. In the midst of the busy holiday season, how might we prepare the way for the coming of new revelations and miracles in […]