Auckland Unitarians

with Catherine Delahunty
Guest speaker Catherine Delahunty has had a lifetime of working for justice. She is an ally and champion of the people of West Papua, who live under occupation.
Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 3 May 2026
For more information see:-https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/west-papua-justice-for-our-neighbours/

00:00 Welcome
02:30 Karakia timatanga
02:46 Opening Words
04:11 Chalice Lighting
05:35 Covenant
06:13 Joys and Concerns
07:32 Reading
10:21 West Papua, justice for our neighbours
32:58 Extinguishing the Chalice
33:26 Discussion Questions / Closing Words
34:09 Meditation or Discussion Questions

with Keola Whittaker

What if fear is not a flaw to be fixed, but an invitation to be answered? This sermon explores stories of courage – what it means to take trembling steps into the unknown and what holds us when we do. If you have ever stood at a threshold you did not choose, wondering whether you had what it takes to cross it, this one is for you.

Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 19 April 2026

For more information see:-
https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/courage-to-change/

00:00 Prelude & Titles
03:54 Welcome
04:30 Chalice Lighting
05:22 Opening Words
06:04 Covenant
06:40 Joys and Concerns
08:08 Video: Let’s see the good in whakamā
09:03 Courage to Change
26:22 Closing Words
27.34 Extinguishing the Chalice
28:08 Meditation / Discussion Questions / Postlude
32:14 2026 Pledge Drive, Why I Pledge

with Ted Zorn

As a community, we have momentum that we want to build on and ultimately be able to hire a new minister. This talk focuses on the power of our community striving together, building on success, and creating virtuous circles.

Recorded by Auckland Unitarian Church 26 April 2026

For more information, Including links to the videos mentioned in the service, see:-

https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/building-virtuous-circles/

00:00 Welcome

02:50.Opening Words

04:01 Opening Song

04:40 Chalice Lighting

05:50 Covenant

06:47 Joys and Concerns

07:49 Koha Hymn

09:17 Reading: The Clubhouse

12:21 Building Virtuous Circles

26:18 Closing Song

27:00 Closing Words

28:16 Extinguishing the Chalice

28:39 Meditation / Discussion Questions

with Rachel Mackintosh
In the Monty Python film, The Life of Brian, set in the time of Jesus, Brian’s mother confesses to Brian that his father was not Jewish, but was, in fact, a Roman. She reminisces: “Promised me the known world, ’e did.”
This is funny.
Although it is generally fatal to a joke to explain it, I now risk killing the joke by pointing out that it is funny because it plays on the catch-cry of disappointed lovers, “… promised me the world”. But is also calls us to contemplate our own known world.
The Life of Brian is about Brian, not about Jesus, although Brian does almost get the gold, frankincense and myrrh in a brief moment of mistaken identity, because he and Jesus are born at the same time in the same neighbourhood in the Jewish homeland, and so even wise men can get confused. So the known world of Brian is also the known world of Jesus.
In this context, the Easter story occurs — in a world of Imperial Roman occupation.
Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 5 April 2026
For more information see:-https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/resurrection-2026/
00:00 Titles & Prelude
02:22 Welcome
03:58 Opening Words
05:25 Chalice Lighting
06:33 Covenant
07:15 Joys and Concerns
08:58 Resurrection 2026?
24:09 Extinguishing the Chalice
24:48 To Come
25:32 Closing Words
26:39 Postlude
29:18 Meditation / Discussion Questions

with Ruby Johnson
Today’s service is part one of what we are aiming to be an ongoing series on spirituality, and addressing the question of what the spiritual needs of our congregation might be. I wanted to launch this series, because I think that a lot of us have a complicated relationship with spirituality, with religion, and with the concepts and language that surrounds them – I include myself in that group. Some people here are longtime members of either this congregation, or of other progressive religious traditions. Others, like myself and several of the other service leaders, come from backgrounds where religion was a painful and oppressive part of life.
Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 29 March 2026
For more information see:-https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/grappling-with-spirituality/
00:00 Titles & Prelude
03:12 Welcome
03:55 Chalice Lighting
05:07 Introduction
06:36 Covenant
07:12 Joys and Concerns
08:28 Grappling with Spirituality
25:29 Closing Words
26:12 Extinguishing the Chalice
27:00 Postlude
31:38 Meditation / Discussion Questions

with Maria Hayward

Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 15 March 2026

Discovering the essence of humanity from stories – seminal moments in a teaching career.

For more information see:-

https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/the-power-of-stories/

00:00 Titles & Prelude

04:05 Welcome

05:48 Chalice Lighting

06:24 Opening Words

08:09 Covenant

09:04 Joys and Concerns

10:14 Reading

11:54 Discovering the essence of humanity from stories

27:27 Meditation / Discussion Questions

27:46 Closing Words

28:41 Extinguishing the Chalice

29:20 Postlude

33:45 Meditation / Discussion Questions

with Rachel Mackintosh
Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 8 March 2026

Today is International Working Women’s Day

In 2017 the tide was in.

It was a tide of transformation.

One small second-hand car dealer in Invercargill sold 40 cars in a month.

In Invercargill.

The women who bought those cars each had one less worry. The stress of wondering if the car would get them to their next job without breaking down evaporated. The tension leading up to the six-monthly warrant of fitness check eased. They could all breathe more easily. They could replace a tyre if it went bald. It was a transformation.

The second-hand car dealer also experienced transformation, as his income increased dramatically in that month. Because he and we are all part of an interdependent web. And he went out to dinner more often, and the local restaurants’ takings increased, and so on, and so on …

The tide was in because the government had agreed to fund the transformation after the Supreme Court ruled that care and support work had been historically undervalued because it was predominantly performed by women. The ruling was the final decision from a claim for pay equity under the Equal Pay Act 1972.

For those women who bought new cars, and for other care and support workers, there were other transformations.

For more information see:-

https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/nothing-is-permanent/

00:00 Titles & Prelude

03:50 Welcome

05:32 Karakia Timatanga

05:48 Opening Words

07:30 Chalice Lighting & Covenant

09:01 Joys and Concerns

10:47 Reading

11:35 Bread & Roses

14:22 Nothing is Permanent

29:52 Extinguishing the Chalice

30:42 Closing Words

31:50 Introduction & Postlude

38:12 Meditation / Discussion Questions

with BarbaraThomborson

In a continuation of the service done on Mental Health Awareness Week last October, this one focuses more on dealing with your own mental illness stigma and understanding mental health for anyone.

Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 1 March 2026
For more information see:-https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/mental-health-awareness-part-2/

and from last October:-

https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/mental-health-awareness-week/

00:00 Welcome
01:37 Opening Words
02:20
Chalice Lighting
03:12 Joys and Concerns
04:11 The Personality Disorder in You
18:19 Happify Yourself
24:59 Extinguishing the Chalice
25:35 Closing Words
26:06 Meditation / Discussion Questions

with Ted Zorn

So much can be achieved if we share honestly and listen deeply to each other. But what if we do so and find that our beliefs, needs or values are fundamentally at odds?

Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 22 February 2026

For more information see:-
https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/listening-into-the-difficult-places/

00:00:00.000 Titles

00:00:35.000 Prelude

00:03:43.000 Welcome

00:06:34.000 Opening Words

00:07:55.000 Chalice Lighting

00:08:38.000 Covenant

00:09:18.000 Joys and Concerns

00:10:30.000 Reading

00:13:18.000 Listening into the Difficult Places

00:32:06.000 A Meditation

00:35:49.000 Extinguishing the Chalice

00:36:40.000 Postlude

00:38:50.000 Meditation / Discussion Questions

00:40:25.000 Credits

Please accept our apologies for the poor sound quality on this recording.

The video mentioned @ 5:03 can be found at https://youtu.be/f8J9WssSj7Q

with Dr. Tof Eklund
Reflection on Rainbow Flags:- Maria Hayward
Worship Leader:- Rachel Mackintosh

If you find nonbinary gender(s) confusing, want to understand what it means to be nonbinary, or are nonbinary, this one’s for you. Dr. Tof Eklund (they/them) speaks about being nonbinary, the challenges and prejudices nonbinary folks face, and the profound implications of nonbinary thought and spirituality.

Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 15 February 2026For more information see:-20260215_TofEklund_NonbinaryNondualistNonreductive

00:00:00.000 Welcome

00:02:22.000 Opening Words

00:02:58.000 Chalice Lighting

00:04:25.000 Covenant

00:05:03.000 Musical Interlude (Linked)

00:05:46.000 Joys and Concerns

00:06:42.000 Reflection on Rainbow Flags

00:12:54.000 Introduction to Dr. Tof Eklund

00:15:41.000 Nonbinary, Nondualist, Nonreductive

00:39:03.000 Closing Words

00:39:36.000 Extinguishing the Chalice

00:40:13.000 Meditation / Discussion Questions