Speaker & Worship Leader:- Rachel Mackintosh.

Recorded 6th August 2023 at Auckland Unitarian Church.

I met Clay 10 years ago at a residential training for community organising. The basis of the training was storytelling.

At the opening of the training, all participants were asked to tell stories about a time we had spoken truth to power. Clay’s story was about taking the Anglican Bishop of Auckland to the Human Rights Commission for violation of the Human Rights Act because he refused to ordain a gay priest.

My story was about standing up to a union leader who, to a largely but not totally white male audience, had used the phrase “dirty girls of the Philippines” to refer to migrant sex workers. I confronted him privately and told him I had been offended at his use of language that was imperialist, misogynist and anti-worker. He went back to that audience and apologised, even though many of them had found his language perfectly acceptable.

As all the people in the room told their stories, we began to see that all of us had not only identified injustices but had also had moments of courage where we had spoken up. Some of our stories had had successful outcomes, but many had not. Many of us had acted alone. All of our stories had promise. When one person shows courage in the face of injustice, that act holds the kernel of transformational change.

For more information see:-

https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/were-gonna-sit-at-the-welcome-table/

Recorded @ Auckland Unitarian Church, 30th July 2023

Speaker & Worship Leader:- Rev. Clay Nelson

My father loved words. The Oxford English Dictionary and books on etymology, the study of the origin of words and how their meanings have changed throughout history, were never far from his fingertips. If he couldn’t find just the right word for the book he was writing, he had no reluctance in just creating a word that captured his intent. He passed on his love of words to me. That was to my benefit in seminary, where I was required to take two semesters of word study. It was essential to preparing sermons. Our task was to fully understand biblical words in all their meanings, translations and uses in biblical times so they could be applied relevantly in our modern and cultural context. I know it sounds boring and tedious, but thanks to Dad, I loved it.

For more information see:-

https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/organic-generosity/

With Rev. Clay Nelson

Piano:- Frank Chen

Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 23rd July 2023

For more information see:-

https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/whiteness-the-gift-that-keeps-on-giving/

With Kate Lewis

Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 16th July 2023

Many of us have lost a sense of belonging in one place or another, having made a life around the world from where we were born and grew up. There is a longing for a beloved past and people, and despair when we realize that when we go back everything has changed and feel grief at what has been lost.

For more information see:-

https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/coming-to-a-sense-of-belonging-matariki-in-our-time-and-place/

With Paul Henriques.

Recorded 2nd July 2023 by Auckland Unitarian Church.

As many of you know, with Auckland Unitarian Church support, I initiated a pilot programme to help dyslexic children in Samoa in a joint programme with their Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. While there I came across information on Samoa’s nonviolent struggle for independence from New Zealand. Back in New Zealand, I began to read up on the subject and in asking friends and family about it, found few knew much about it and some nothing at all. I find it a very sad but interesting story, that certainly deserves knowing about, and thought I would share a bit of it with you this morning.

For more information, including links to the photographs and references, see:- https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/samoas-nonviolent-struggle-for-independence-from-new-zealand-colonial-rule/

with Rev. Clay Nelson

Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 25th June 2023

Over a long life, I often think about the choices I’ve made or were made for me. How have they determined who I am now? How have they pointed me in a positive direction or made my life a personal hell? They have surely done both. Has my life followed a script with little input from me, or has it been totally of my own making? These are the musings I’d like to explore this morning.

For more information see:-

Speaker & Worship Leader:- Rev. Clay Nelson

Recorded 11th June 2023 @ Auckland Unitarian Church

I keep getting enquiries about and objections to replacing principles with values (Here are links to the earlier talks on this topic:- 1, 2, 3 & 4). I thought I’d dealt with this issue but, apparently, not satisfactorily for some. So, let me try again.

These changes did not come out of the blue. There are a couple of stories behind them. They tell stories about UU principles and values.

For more information see:- https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/a-ministers-work-is-never-done-and-neither-is-yours/

with Alix Geard.

Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 4th June 2023.

I wanted to share something about what the future might look like: especially something new about what’s going on in the space around climate change and degrowth. I’ve been finding that quite depressing, though.

I admit that I even asked ChatGPT for some examples of what I might say. The homilies it came up with were familiar, reassuring, anodyne and almost completely pointless. They did sound good, though.

Instead, I want to throw some ideas at you about what people are like, and how we work together. The ideas are all a bit flawed – they’re working notes and patterns to look out for – but I’ve found them useful.

For more information, including links and discussion questions, see:-

https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/beyond-growth/

Speaker:- Peter Lineham

Worship Leader:- John DiLeo

Recorded by Auckland Unitarian Church 28th May 2023.

Perhaps the simplest way to introduce this Pentecost theme is to ask you to visualise this scene.

The narrow streets of Jerusalem were in those days dominated by the huge temple on which King Herod the Great had lavished his attention, and was regarded as one of the greatest sites of the Roman world, and the Roman battalion’s barracks and palace for the governor on his infrequent visits, for this was occupied territory, and the fear of public disturbances was a constant imperial fear in a province like Judea which was so distinctive in its fanatical religiosity.

So when any disturbances happened, the regime wanted stability, they wanted to clear the streets, and Roman and Jewish leaders took the same approach.

For more information, including all the discussion questions, see:-

https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/pentecost-sunday/

Speaker:- Marlon Drake of Te Ohu Whakawhanaunga,

Worship Leader:- Rachel Mackintosh.

Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 14th May 2023.

Marlon attended Western Springs College and then moved to Wellington where he was a student activist at Victoria University, serving as President of the students association, campaigning against sexual violence and in favour of mental health support for students. He also worked part time as an organiser in the Living Wage Movement during his time as a law student at Victoria. Marlon is now the full-time community organiser for Te Ohu Whakawhanaunga, a broad-based coalition in Auckland working for social justice.

For more information, including all the discussion questions, see:-

https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/the-thrill-of-participatory-social-justice/