UUCCI

Pete Seeger saw his mission in life to speak truth to power. We can do it in a thousand ways,” he answers. “I’ve tried it with banjos and boats. Others are doing it with cooking, clothing, quilt-making, paint and paper, games and gardens, swimming and science. We just have to be aware that it is a struggle all the way. We invite you to join us and special musical guests for a music filled service for All Ages. We hope to implore you to find your voice and join us in singing. “Songs,” Pete said, “can penetrate hard shells, proliferate in prisons. If we bring life to them, they will bring life to us and our children. . . . Songs can help us explore our past and our present, and even speculate about our future.”

Join us to remember the importance of community and belonging and the simple joys of the holiday season in this service for UUs of All Ages!

Every year, Rev. Nic leads a service that includes the mysterious Question Box. Those in attendance can submit any questions they want about subjects ranging from theology, history, ethics, politics, and personal curiosities, which Rev. Nic will collect during the service and answer during his sermon. So bring your wonderings as we wander through our wandering questions together in community.

In 1841, Unitarian minister and abolitionist, Rev. Theodore Parker, offered what became the defining manifesto of Transcendentalist Unitarianism. At 31 years young, Parker was in the midst of a short but impactful career that continues to shape Unitarian Universalism today. But who was Theodore Parker and why was he so influential? What can we learn from his life and radical reformer ways that will aid us in this chapter of our lives in the 21st century. This year's Auction Sermon topic will focus on the life and teachings of Theodore Parker and invite us to consider anew what is transient and permanent in UUism today.

With Scott Russell Sanders and Rev. Nic Cable

In this time of political and military strife, it’s good to be reminded of our capacity for kindness and cooperation. That’s what Scott Russell Sanders seeks to do in Small Marvels, his book featuring the Mills family, three generations from kids to grandparents, who live under one roof in the quirky town of Limestone, Indiana. He will share a story from the book about people coming together peacefully and creatively to defend what they love.

On April 19, 2020, Rev. Nic offered a service titled Never Turning Back. One year later, a part two was offered. Now four and a half years since the original, Rev. Nic will reflect on the courageous journey we have been on in the years that have passed, the threshold we will cross in the coming days, and the future that is before us. On this day in which we will hold our 57th Annual Congregational Meeting, we will cast forward a vision for justice worthy of 57 more.

Every human and living thing has ancestors. We were born not out of thin air but as a part of a lineage, biological and spiritual, that accompanies us through our lives. That is, only if we are willing to recognize it. Perhaps one way to understand this more deeply is to consider that we are all ancestors in training. How then will we live our lives knowing we are leaving this world for generations to come? Together we will hold our annual memorial Sunday to welcome in the ancestors that came before to make this day possible.

Rev. Nic will continue the fall sermon series by suggesting that saying "All Are Welcome” is not as welcoming as we may first imagine. Indeed, we will consider how our value of equity invites us to move beyond welcome to becoming a community of radical care and belonging.

Join us as we kick off the 2024 Fall Sermon Series with the Dr. Elias Ortega who serves as President of Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago. Dr. Ortega will begin our six-week series on the new UUA Values that were adopted at this year’s General Assembly by reflecting on the topic of Transformation as it relates to our living tradition and society today. His sermon, "Embracing Transformation: Love as the Catalyst for Justice" will explore what it means to embody love as a force for our transformation and the world. We will examine how the value of Transformation, centered on love, invites us to imagine a world where justice is not just a goal but a reality. Dr. Ortega will invite us to confront the ways in which we have been complicit in systems of oppression and to work towards a world where all can thrive.

Eric Riddle lives in Columbus, IN, his hometown since 1996. His young adulthood was shaped by natural disasters. Beginning with leading 2 mission trips to Gulfport, MS after Hurricane Katrina in 2006-2007, Eric has focused his volunteer life, and now his professional life, on environmental projects. Eric will speak about how the 2008 Columbus flood was a pivotal moment in shaping the trajectory of his life and his understanding of environmental justice.