8.9.15, A Harvest of Grace, Rev. Daniel Gregoire

We owe a debt to our planet, our community, our families, our ancestors that we can never hope to repay. This unending debts is not a cause of sorrow, but rather a call to celebrate and a call to receive the many gifts of life and community as a harvest of grace.

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8.2.15, Race Matters: Reflections of a White Parent of Black Children, Eli Scearce

I always thought I had been antiracist in practice, living as an adult in Germantown for over 20 years. The last ten years I have come a long way in my understanding of race and how it affects my children and how I have been complicit by not understanding my white privilege and biases.  I will share my learnings so far on this incredible continuing journey.

Eli Scearce is a furniture maker and teacher at Germantown Friends School.  Having attended countless hours of professional development work on anti-racism and White privilege she works at both GFS and USG to help create more multicultural and inclusive communities. She is also raising her two children with her wife, partner of more than 20 years.

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7.19.15, Accepting Change, Maria McCabe

Human beings are hard-wired to resist change, especially rapid change that occurs beyond our control. Should our faith help us stay comfortable in the knowledge that some things never change? Or should it encourage us to change the things we can? We will explore how the principles of Unitarian Universalism and the vision of Beloved Community can guide us in this process.

María E McCabe is delighted to serve the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Restoration as intern minister. She graduated from Lancaster Theological Seminary in May 2014.

María fell in love with Unitarian Universalism almost ten years ago, after a lifetime of spiritual seeking. She has been a television journalist, Leadership Communication consultant, homeschooling mom and lifelong social activist.

She brings to ministry a deep passion for the work of social justice, especially in the areas of economic and racial justice. A native speaker of Spanish, María grew up in a bilingual, bi-cultural and biracial home. Her personal history fuels her vision of inclusive and just community.

She lives with her husband Mike, her daughters Morgan and Alix, and her elderly cat Nemo in Kennett Square, PA.

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7.12.15, Perspective Therapy, Lori L. Tharps

Change is often difficult and met with fear and anger. It’s only natural to want to take refuge in the comfort of the familiar, but with just a tiny shift in perspective, change can be embraced and appreciated.

Lori L. Tharps is an assistant professor of  journalism at Temple University, an author and mother of three. A resident of Mt. Airy, she is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She can say ‘I love you’ in seven languages.

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6.28.15, What Does the “Inherent Worth and Dignity of Every Person” Really Mean? Alan Windle

Our first UU principle states that we affirm and promote the “inherent worth and dignity of every person.” But what does that really mean? When do we first get it? Do those who torture or commit other evil acts lose it? This sermon wrestles with the challenge of understanding the first principle and ends with an affirmation that it is best understood as religious language calling us to greater depths of engagement with others.

Alan Windle has been a member of USG since 2004. He has been both chair and co-chair of the Green Sanctuary Committee, chair of Worship Arts and Worship Associates, and has given in countless other ways of his time and talents. He is a software engineer by profession and a longtime practitioner of Buddhist meditation.

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6.21.15, Fatherhood, Rev Kent Matthies

Wonder is the spiritual theme of the month.  Fatherhood opens a window to much awe, humility and wonder.  Paying attention to the little moments (eating breakfast together or telling jokes) as well as the big moments (the child grows up and leaves the home or gets a job) can open us up to receive life’s gifts.

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6.7.15, Fading Light, Rev. Kent Matthies

Life, Love and Death are fundamental elements of religion.  Dying and death can involve wonderful experiences.  Yet, many ways of thinking in modern society attempt to push away death as much as possible.  How can we feel wonder for death and dying in ways that allow us to be fully human?

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5.31.15, Return to Our True Song, Rev. Daniel Gregoire

What is your “lullaby”? Parents everywhere sing songs of comfort to soothe both their children and themselves. Each of us has experiences that can offer us comfort, like a lullaby, and bring us back to life. If only we could recall them in times of distress and remember to sing our true song. This service will invite us to relive those lullabies, to cultivate and curate them, and most importantly to reach for them when our busyness has carried us away.

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