Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington's Podcast

Apologies for the lack of episodes, our entire tech team took a greatly needed break for the first two weeks of July and our congregation paid visits to other churches in that time.  The reading for today was What Kind of Times Are These?  by Adrienne Rich. 
This week, Rev. Brian Chenowith remarks on the meaning of Place- where we happen to be at any moment but also particularly our church building. 

If you would like to learn more about us, please visit https://www.uucl.org/ where you can find information about our grounds, staff, and upcoming events. You can also subscribe to our eNews there and learn about our virtual service offerings.

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For the end of June we have a service dedicated to the history of the celebration of Pride. This is also a landmark week for our socially distanced services as our Music Director and Minister were in the sanctuary together today for the first time in so many months. The reading for this week is Ordinary Time by Tim Dlugos. Rev. Brian Chenowith recounts the history of Pride celebrations and the reasons why we celebrate this month. History that is sometimes forgotten in the tide of face level support from entities like corporations. 

If you would like to learn more about us, please visit https://www.uucl.org/ where you can find information about our grounds, staff, and upcoming events. You can also subscribe to our eNews there and learn about our virtual service offerings. 

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For this week we spent time recognizing and lifting up celebrations of Juneteenth.
Our reading was taken from this video which I encourage you to watch (or listen to) as I will not be including it within the podcast. Free At Last, as written and narrated by Sojourner Kincaid Rolle. 

Rev. Brian Chenowith teaches us of the history of this holiday which marks the end of slavery- but emphasizes that this tradition did not begin with the recent acknowledgement as a federal holiday. 

If you would like to learn more about us, please visit https://www.uucl.org/ where you can find information about our grounds, staff, and upcoming events. You can also subscribe to our eNews there and learn about our virtual service offerings.

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For this Sunday it is the time of year once again for the Flower Communion service. Our Reading is “The Delight Song of Tsoai-talee” by N. Scott Momaday. This week Rev. Brian Chenowith was elated to be bringing us the sermon from within the church building. We return to remember the story of the Flower Communion service and why it is that we celebrate this unique service each year. If you are joining us on this audio only journey, you might feel greater connection in having or observing some flowers as some were presented as visual aids in this service. 

If you would like to learn more about us, please visit https://www.uucl.org/ where you can find information about our grounds, staff, and upcoming events. You can also subscribe to our eNews there and learn about our virtual service offerings. 

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This podcast begins with a reading from Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford entitled Every Third Thursday. For this week's podcast Rev. Brian Chenowith returns to the topic of two weeks prior, What Good is a Church? It's a big enough question to think about for a few weeks. This installment focuses on aspirations and goals of what our church could be. 

If you would like to learn more about us, please visit https://www.uucl.org/ where you can find information about our grounds, staff, and upcoming events. You can also subscribe to our eNews there and learn about our virtual service offerings. 

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This episode begins with a reading from Frank X. Walker entitled "Stormy Forecast". This week Rev. Brian Chenowith closely examins a horrible event in American History that is often overlooked. On May 31st in 1919 the Tulsa Race Massacre, also known as the Black Wall Street Massacre, or as the Greenwood Massacre began. The eyewitness accounts and many of the references used in this podcast come from the book: The Nation Must Awake by Mary E. Jones-Parrish. 

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This week our Rev. Brian Chenowith tells us a story of a unique aspect of Ministry. That it isn't something that ends at the pulpit. Which begs the question of what a church actually is. 

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This week we honored our high schoolers who will be graduating in the following week. The reading is from Hakuin Ekaku, titled "Praise Song for Meditation". This week Rev. Brian Chenowith shines a light on a unique connection between Unitarian Universalism and a specific sect of Buddhism- RRK Buddhism. There was a slight technical error in the middle of the homily, but nothing was lost. I left in the point when Rev. Chenowith rejoined our zoom call because it is so thematically on brand for the message of today's service. 

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For this week's service Rev. Brian Chenowith brings us an area of content that is contentious material for Unitarian Universalist sermons- the reading of the entire bible. But you don't have to take my word for it. The podcast opens with a reading from Brother Richard Rohr.

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(Or: Help, Thanks, Wow, This stinks)
For this first weekend in May we are fortunate to have lovely musical visitors from Providence Rhode Island, Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly. They regale us with all manner of stories and songs to celebrate and contemplate this time of year and the new world we are slowly traversing. Also speaking is our community minister Rev. Diana Hultgren. This is a more complete service than we normally upload, as a treat and to reflect the special nature of this particular Sunday. Some of the songs were garbled by Zoom in our recording but I assure you they were all as lovely as those which made the cut. 

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