A.C.E.’s High – Understanding the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences Lay speaker Bud Smith Just how do the traumatic events of childhood change us? What can we do to alter the effects of toxic stress within? Is there a pathway to a healthier way to live, love & learn? (spoiler: YES there is!)

A UU Take on Faith and Miracles Melanie Davis, PhD Language can trigger emotional responses related to a listener’s spiritual journey. Faith and miracles are two hot-button words relevant to the lives and beliefs of religious liberals. Anecdotes and scientific facts build appreciation of these constructs from a non-theist perspective.

Feed My Sheep Rev. Dawn Fortune The week before Thanksgiving is when many Americans think about those who do not have enough food. Studies have reported that United States residents eat more food on Thanksgiving than on any other day of the year. (The second most gluttonous day is Superbowl Sunday.) As a faith devoted … Continued

The Harvest Rev. Dawn Fortune The air is crisp and cool, beach days are finally behind us for the year, and our thoughts turn toward the coming winter. As farmers harvest their fields, what is it we reap from this time of the year? What do we name as the products of our growing season? … Continued

Pay Attention! Rev. Dawn Fortune The news of the day shouts at us from electronic devices and the newspaper that lands on our front step. What does it mean to pay attention to our larger world, and how do we balance that with attention to our own emotional and spiritual health? Join us for a … Continued

With Attention, Forward and Back Rev. Dawn Fortune This is the Sunday of the year when we set our clocks back an hour and get one hour added to our day. What will you do with that hour? How will you spend it? What does it mean to have extra time? Join us as we … Continued

The Passing of Time Rev. Dawn Fortune In the season of Samhain, All Saint’s Day, and Día de los Muertos, we feel our connection to those who have passed from this world into whatever comes next. Contemplating loss and mortality prompts us to examine our relationships with one another and how we fit together in … Continued

Samhain Lay speaker Theresa McReynolds Theresa considers Samhain one of the most high holidays in our pagan tradition — it is the New Year, and the time when the veil is thin between the world of the living and the dead. If we pay attention, our ancestors can return to visit us and give us … Continued

What Have We Wrought? Rev. Dawn Fortune On the weekend of Indigenous People’s Day, we consider the effects of exploration by Europeans on this continent and how those foundational patterns affect us today – in our culture, our government, and our spiritual practice. In the context of our monthly theme of “Belonging,” how do the … Continued

We Belong Together(ish) Rev. Dawn Fortune In a denomination rooted deeply in individual freedom and integrity, Unitarian Universalists can experience tension between that independence and the very human need for deep connection. What does it mean to belong — to a congregation, a town, a global community?