UU Community Church of Washington County's Podcast

As we launch our stewardship campaign, we explore what church is for. What is it that garners your deepest commitment? What taps into the most meaningful life you could live? What is worthy of your time, your effort, your care? What keeps you coming back, and keeps us moving forward, together?

It has been 55 years since Dr Martin Luther King’s assassination.  His leadership during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s is well known, but sadly in 2023 it seems the progress made in our country then is now in regression.  Today we will give thought to how each of us sees our role in sustaining the Dream MLK left with us.

All ages welcome. We enter the new year with a fire ceremony.  Let go of what you don't want anymore, and bring with you what matters most.  This is especially meaningful if it feels like you have been passing through a storm.

Hanukkah, a word that means dedication in Hebrew, has become an important Jewish observance in part because its teachings can offer us such diverse wisdom. Is it an ancient lesson about wondrous mystery? A call to arms or political cautionary tale? A reminder about collective power, or perhaps just a story with which to entertain children? Join us to explore and appreciate some of these meanings.

Our search for truth and meaning expands our horizons, but what lies beyond? We'll explore what happens when we engage in our search with a sense of wonder.

In our service this Sunday we will present and reflect upon two important non-profits in our own area that provide food and shelter to those in need, and this congregation’s many years of support to both. 

Today’s service was created by Jay Hamlin and Mike and Denise Bruhl, three long-time members of this church who are also long-time givers of their personal time, labor, and financial help to Family Promise and Hillsboro Homeless Shelter.  With this service we had three main purposes:  introduce these local, worthy organizations to all, acknowledge and thank those of us who been a part of these 15+ year relationships, and to speak to the spiritual gains we can receive when we directly give. 

Life can be a series of eye-openings, becoming more aware of what brings meaning in life and how to live accordingly. We explore what it's like to learn more, while knowing that there is still more beyond our ken.

The UUA has released a draft proposal to replace the UU principles. In this service we will celebrate our principles, consider what problems the draft proposal is trying to solve, and consider any problems that the draft creates. This is the beginning of a conversation that will continue in heart-to-heart conversations.

The end of October and start of November mark Halloween, Samhain, and Day of the Dead celebrations.  When seasons change, leaves fall, and nature prepares for dormancy may be a fitting time to acknowledge the reality of our own inevitable death and dying.  Understanding hospice and palliative care as end-of-life options can help us plan for ourselves and others, but many misconceptions exist surrounding these services.  This sermon will dispel some of these misconceptions and answer some common questions about health care near the end of life.

Each year we do a service to highlight the work of the Unitarian Universalist Office at the United Nations, usually related to human rights and/or climate change. This year the theme is “Displacement & Human Rights: All In for Climate Justice” and it focuses especially on the impact of escalating climate change on vulnerable populations, an impact that can no longer be ignored. How are UUs engaging with this issue, and what can WE do?