Speaker:- Grant Williams of
Maritime Union of New Zealand
Worship Leader:- Rachel Mackintosh.

For more information see:-

https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/a-wharfies-story/

with Karn Cleary

Speaker:- John Maindonald
Worship Leader:- Shirin Caldwell

Recorded 8 October 2023 @ Auckland Unitarian Church

John Donne (1572-1631), who wrote the words that I want to ponder today, lived in England in troubled times. He was born to a staunchly Roman Catholic family at a time when it was illegal to be a practicing Catholic.

For more information see:-
https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/no-person-is-an-island-unto-themselves/

Speaker:- Peter Lineham

Worship Leader:- Ruby Johnson

I was very struck by an article in the Washington Post on 21 August of this year by Perry Bacon jnr....

Recorded 1 October 2023 by Auckland Unitarian Church

For more information see:-

https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/finding-your-home-in-the-church-community/

Recorded @ Auckland Unitarian Church 24 September 2023

Speakers & Worship Leaders:- Rachel Mackintosh & Betsy Marshall

In early 2014, our Unitarian community was coming to terms with the fact that after only eight months, due to visa issues, we’d lost the American minister we’d contracted for two years. Fortunately the Ministerial Search Committee wasted no time in resurrecting itself to identify what we might do to support our Church’s dual strategy of working towards a full-time ministry and strengthening lay leadership.

For more information see:-

https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/cornucopia-a-tribute-to-clay-nelson/

Speaker & Worship Leader:- Rev. Clay Nelson

Recorded @ Auckland Unitarian Church 17 September 2023

https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/pomp-and-circumstance-a-valedictory/

Speaker:- Paul Watson of Essentially Men
Worship Leader:- Ted Zorn

Recorded 10 September 2023

https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/a-new-way-of-being-men-being-real/

with Ted Zorn

I’ve always had a thing for language. I think I inherited this from my dad. Dad wasn’t highly educated, nor widely read – the only magazines he ever subscribed to were Reader’s Digest and TV Guide, and I never knew him to read a novel — but he loved to play with language.

He often used words that were either made up or some version of a word he’d learned while serving overseas in the military. He would latch on to words and phrases that were new to him.

When he came to New Zealand for the first time, the term flatmate caught his eye – it’s not a term used in the USA — so for his remaining years, he referred to my daughter, his granddaughter, as “my little Kiwi American flatmate”.

In fact, he had nicknames for just about everyone – or at least everyone he liked. They were not all flattering.

For more information see

With John DiLeo

Recorded @ Auckland Unitarian Church, 20th August 2023

As we were driving home from last Sunday’s service, I was thinking on what I should talk about this week.

During that service, we celebrated Clay’s years with this church as our paid minister, and we acknowledged that phase of our community’s life was coming to a close.

During the Notices that day, Ted reminded us all of the need for members to step up and fill the void Clay’s retirement has created. We can no longer sit back and let him come up with all the ideas week after week, because – simply put – it’s not his job any more.

The ‘theme’ or ‘slogan’ that popped into my head during last Sunday’s drive home was simple: “One Community – Many Voices.”

For more information see https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/mystery/

Speaker & Worship Leader:- Rev. Clay Nelson

Recorded @ Auckland Unitarian Church, 13th August 2023

As has been mentioned once or twice recently, and to my great sadness, I am retiring at the end of the month. Because I have loved all forty-one years of my ordained ministry in two denominations and my nine years with you, I want to scream, “Nah, this isn’t how I planned it.” But, ”Yeah, it is the reality I must come to accept…kind of.”

The expectation of ministers, when they retire, is to absent themselves for at least a year from the congregation they served to make room for the new minister. As trained UU ministers don’t grow on trees here or in Australia, and it will be a while before we can hire my replacement, I’ve been asked to help fill the vacuum on a voluntary basis while you figure out where you want to go.

For more information see https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/nah-yeah/