The audio from our sermons
Come hear the superb Mariachi Maya band with guitars, trumpet and great vocal renditions of Mexican ballads. Come to this happy celebration and reunion with memories of your deceased loved ones! For our 150th Anniversary we will also specifically honor past members of our church. Bring a photo of a deceased loved one to place on the altar.
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We must tend to forgiveness in the same way that we would care for a tree in a garden. In a garden we water our trees, add mulch, prune them, check for pests and diseases to keep our trees healthy, but what must we do to keep our forgiveness going strong? Join us as we consider what communities of people have done in such diverse places as New York after 9/11 and Beirut after the civil war to sustain a sense of forgiveness.
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As the US Presidential campaigns heat up, we all are called to consider America’s place in the world. Eighteenth century German philosopher Immanuel Kant said, “the greatest problem for the human species, the solution of which nature compels him to seek, is that of attaining a civil society, which can administer justice universally.” Ever since ancient Greeks and Romans and before, people have articulated the desire for a true world citizenship. We have made many important advances and have a long way to go. How do we respond spiritually and politically today?
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Recently, Rev. Kent Matthies initiated the celebration of the 150th birthday of the Unitarian Society of Germantown, highlighting some the extraordinary ways people have lived out the mission of our church, in the past. Reverend Dick Fernandez will look toward the future. What are the hopes, challenges, and opportunities that lie ahead? What is needed to fashion a new day for these challenging times, inside our spiritual community and beyond its walls?
Reverend Richard R. Fernandez is a minister in the United Church of Christ and until 2002, served for 22 years as the Executive Director of the Northwest Interfaith Movement (NIM). In 2004 he was among a small group of eight that founded the now flourishing Philadelphia Interfaith Center. Dick has also served as a consultant to congregations and nonprofits these past years and is active on a number of nonprofit boards.
Before coming to NIM he was involved in a number of peace and justice efforts including being the Director of Clergy and Laity Concerned, a national interfaith organization that arose in opposition to the war in Vietnam. It was in this role that Dick was then primary organizer for Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous speech at Riverside Church in New York.
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On his first visit to the United States, Pope Francis will visit Philadelphia to participate in the World Meeting of Families. On the morning of the day Pope Francis holds Mass on our Parkway, we honor his leadership. How can we all lead lives more akin to the true teachings and ministry of Jesus? How can we all do our part in healing with love, and reaching out with deep compassion?
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Come celebrate the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. As we acknowledge our personal and communal failures, we lift up our responsibility to make amends and come back towards wholeness. These Holy Days, often called the “Days of Awe,” remind us that it IS awesome to connect with heart and spirit by renewing our resolve to live justly with ourselves, our loved ones, and the broader community.
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There are many struggles today and many ways to get past them or through them. One of the main obstacles to a joyful, happy life has to do with our identities. Who are we? Who are we really? Who do we think we are? Who have we been told we are? This sermon will examine the concept of the 3 Is: “I” one, who we have been told we are; “I” two, who we think we are; and “I” three, who we really are.
Rev. Dr. John (Om Prakash) Gilmore is a writer, life coach, and licensed massage therapist. Om Prakash is a retired Unitarian Universalist Minister working to promote health and wellness in the Philadelphia area through his talk show at Blogtalkradio.com, through his massage therapy and life coaching practice, and through teaching others how to reclaim their power, their joy of life, and their own identities in a world where it can be so hard sometimes. Om Prakash was ordained here at USG in 1995 and received his final fellowship as a Unitarian Universalist Minister in 1997 while serving the Unitarian Universalist Church of Manchester, NH.
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Immigration Justice is not just an issue for Donald Trump! Harvest is the spiritual theme of the month in August. How much of the foods we eat are harvested by undocumented people? How fairly are the folks who harvest our food treated by the macro-economic and political systems in which we live? How can we bring immigration justice to all the people critical in putting food on our table?
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Eating is essential to life. In our modern multi-national economies it has become increasingly difficult to live our ethical values. For example; how do we justify importing fruit from Chile, South America that require great amounts of fuel to transport, hence hurting the environment? How do we deal with pesticides and unhealthy agricultural growth hormones, let alone salt, sugar and fat? When and how can we embrace local and organic products? How can we reconnect with harvest and take care of our bodies?
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Religious historian Karen Armstrong has said that in every one of the major faiths, compassion, the ability to feel with the other, “is not only the test of true religiosity, it is what will bring us into the presence of what Jews, Christians and Muslims call God or the divine.” So, how do we start leading a more compassionate life?
Sam Gugino has been a chef, restaurant critic, wine columnist, and author of four cookbooks. He has been a member of the Unitarian Society of Germantown since 2002, where he has served in a number of capacities including Chair of the Membership Committee, Founding Chair of the Stewardship Committee, and two terms as President of the Board of Trustees. Since his first sermon at USG in 2010 he has given over 30 sermons at 17 UU churches in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
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