Water Gathering Rev. Cynthia Cain The annual water “communion” is a ritual held each fall, in which UUCSJS members bring a small vial of water, collected during summer outings or travels, to pour into a shared container. Always a joyful, musical, and delightful time of re-connecting.

Singing Our Sources Lay speaker Barbara Miller, UUCSJS Music Director Most Unitarian Universalists are aware of our Seven Principles. For many of us, the Principles are what first drew us to this faith. On the first Sunday in September we will explore the lesser known Six Sources of our living tradition through songs in Singing … Continued

Swimming Lessons Rev. Cynthia Cain Probably the most important quality for spiritual transformation (change) is TRUST. Is trust something we can learn? Using swimming lessons as a metaphor, we will go into the places we sometimes avoid… the parts of us that resist change and growth, because we fear and feel resistance, because we lack … Continued

CHANGE: Can We Take It? Rev. Cynthia Cain This year’s theme. Actually CHANGE is the theme of every year, whether we like it or not. What is ours to control is how we respond to it, and that alone is a spiritual task.

Journey Toward Wholeness Lay speaker Karen York Karen shares her experience with a Courage & Renewal® retreat series based on the work of Quaker author and educator, Parker Palmer. The retreat series explored the issues of life purpose, vocation, transition, and how to live with integrity and authenticity in alignment with our deepest values.

The Gospel of Thomas (Merton) Rev. Cynthia Cain This summer I have delved further into Merton’s late writing on race and war. Some feel he was assassinated for these radical thoughts. I had a chance to take part in discussions of his writings on violence and faith, and to compare his prescient thoughts with our … Continued

Race, Religion, Sex, Politics… Deeds, Not Creeds, is Our Challenge Lay speaker Stephanie Garrett A brief historical overview of this society, where we are today, and what role we as UUs should play for positive change.

Persecution of the Disabled during the Holocaust Guest speaker Lillian Hussong Jews, gypsies, and gays were not the only groups that suffered at the hands of the Nazis. Ms. Hussong will cover the perceptions of the disabled in the Third Reich, the laws the Nazis enacted to discriminate against them, and the state-sponsored extermination of … Continued

Be Transported and Disoriented Various congregational members “Poetry is my cheap means of transportation. By the end of the poem the reader should be in a different place from where he started. I would like him to be slightly disoriented at the end, like I drove him outside of town at night and dropped him … Continued