First Unitarian Church of Chicago

Inside a season of joy is also a season of loss and grief. A sermon for anyone not feeling merry and bright to acknowledge and hold that reality with grace, humor, and honesty.

Prayer is the third service in a 5-part series on spiritual practices that you can do in your home during the pandemic. Join this service to learn more about what prayer is and might be. Prayer can be a practice for anyone and everyone—of any belief and no belief—and it might just be a practice for you.

Among the ten thousand things that try to claim your time and energy and outrage, we pause to slow down: to notice the vast and interconnected web in which we have our lives. Take a walk with Rev. David: to Promontory Point and back into his kitchen, with gratitude for music from the Rev. Christopher Watkins Lamb.

Thanksgiving is a holiday that is filled with family and connection while also having a complex history of division and violence. How can we hold both realities as we celebrate gratitude? This Sunday, we will explore the history of Thanksgiving and all its traditions through the perspective of an unexpected guide: the cranberry.

Disability advocate, Christine Miserandino, developed the Spoon Theory metaphor in 2013 on her blog, www.butyoudontlooksick.com: the stories behind the smiles. People who live with disability and chronic illnesses often develop perspective, resilience, and wisdom. While these blessings come at a steep price, we can all benefit from this collective understanding. This is a service to grow our compassion and understanding for others—and it’s for anyone who’s experienced setbacks, injury, or pain—which means it’s for everyone.

Gathering for worship in the aftermath of the 2020 election, our work remains the same: to face reality, to grieve loss, and to be a people of hope and action working to make our values real in the world. After the homily, Rev. David reads Alberto Rios' poem "A House for Tomorrow" with Music That Makes Community singing "From This House"

In Unitarian Universalism, we are not limited to one sacred text, but instead use the wisdom from many sources for our chalice lightings and readings. During this experiential worship service, we will learn and practice together the practice of Lectio Divina - deep and repetitive reading of those texts we find most important. Join us this Sunday with something to write with and an open mind as we move through this meditative reading together. Schug Ministerial Intern Monica Kling-Garcia preaching.

Telling the stories of Black UU women from Chicago, compiled over time from interviews, surveys, sitting at dining room tables; on trains; in public and private spaces capturing the sacred words of Black women.

Last June, the Unitarian Universalist Association released a report three years in the making on the past, present and future for people of color in our congregations. Their findings, drawn from over 1,100 respondents, is a map of the future territory that lies ahead: sometimes challenging, sometimes startling, fundamentally hopeful. You can read the full report online at https://www.uua.org/uuagovernance/committees/cic/widening