Sunday Services
Our Sunday Services are held at our beautiful UU Center, at the corner of Pomona Road and Liebig Street in Galloway, near the North entrance to Stockton University.
Sunday Services start at 11:00 am and last until about 12:00 pm.
Child care for infants and toddlers and programs for pre-K and school-aged children are provided.
A coffee hour for socializing follows the service, with coffee, bagels and other refreshments including dairy-free, gluten-free, and peanut-free options.
YouTube recordings of services can be found at our YouTube channel.
Sunday Services Archive – 2022 through 2015
2023 Services
This Month and Upcoming…
June Theme: DELIGHT
Sunday, June 4, 2023
Always Use Your Best China…
Rev Charlie Dieterich
This is not a tale of magical bowls and enchanted chalices. This is a story about awareness, and subways. Come join the party.
Bio: After a first career as a television system designer, Charlie Dieterich changed directions, attended Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley California, and then interned for two years in New Orleans. He was ordained by UUCSJS on September 30, 2012, serving the congregation for three years. He then moved to Norfolk, VA and Erie, PA, then retired home to Kingston in central NJ. Although no longer a parish minister, Charlie remains active in the UU Trauma Response Ministry, uutrm.org.
Sunday, June 11, 2023
Unsung Story
Rev. Carol Haag
We tend to celebrate a person who speaks long and loudly, who makes waves, who causes visible change. However, often it is another who has plowed the ground and prepared the way for the well-known person to become famous. Together we’ll explore the story of a man named Thomas and see if there is anything we can learn from him.
Bio: Carol retired after 13 years as the religious educator (DRE and MRE) with The Unitarian Church (now Beacon) in Summit, NJ. Since then, she has served on the Murray Grove board, as member, President, and currently chairs its Development Committee. She is a strong advocate for Universalism as the central, vital force in our Unitarian Universalist movement. She believes that Universalism embodies the critical message of inclusion for our time.
Sunday, June 18, 2023
Love is Love No Matter What
Interweave
Interweave will give insights into the LGBTQIA world. Part educational, informative and also entertaining. Here it from the people who have interacted with all the letters (the letters will be defined and explained) which adds diversity to all our lives. The music will be great!
Bio: Interweave is an organization dedicated to ending oppression based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Sunday, June 25, 2023
A Poetry Fete
Organized by Deb Dagavarian
Join members of UUCSJS as we come together and share poetry that provides us with meaning in our lives. Poems and readings will be both original and previously published.
Previously…
May Theme: CREATIVITY
Sunday, May 7, 2023
Creativity and Connection
All-Ages Service
“The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need those who can dream of things that never were.” (John Keats) Bring your doubts, your worries, and your insecurities to this all-ages makerspace service. Creativity can be difficult when done alone and the world’s problems look so big. The secret to creative self-expression? Staying connected to each other! So join us for a service of problem-solving, creativity, and community building.
Bio: Jessica Dunn-Safonof has been a member of UUCSJS for 10 years and has served our congregation in many ways, including as an RE volunteer, RE Committee Chair, and as Secretary of the Board. She worked as a mental health case manager in children’s residential treatment facilities before leaving that field to homeschool her children. She has been the Director of Religious Education at UUCSJS since 2018.
Sunday, May 14, 2023
The Dangers of a Static Faith
Pauline Nijander
One thing that remains constant in our world is change. What happens when we, or our faith traditions, don’t change with an ever changing world? What are the dangers that a static faith can pose to those inside and outside of a faith tradition?
Bio: Pauline E. Nijander just began her fifth year as a Master of Divinity student at the Drew University Theological School in Madison, NJ where she is studying for the Unitarian Universalist ministry, and where she was recently awarded the Dorr Diefendorf Award for excellence in homiletics. Pauline has been a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton since 2013, where she has served in various leadership roles, including being the ministerial intern in the 2019-2020 academic year, and now, as the Seminarian. As a proud transwoman and lesbian, Pauline has spoken often to different community and student groups about her perspective and life in hopes of educating people through honest and engaging conversation about trans* life and issues. For this work, she was awarded the 2017 Triad House LGBTQ+ Champion Award from LifeTies. Along with her wife, Michelle, and their sweet pitbull, Ingrid, Pauline resides in Ewing, NJ.
Sunday, May 21, 2023
The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
Andy Cowgill and John Sherfey
In 2015, all nations agreed on a goal statement for sustainable development. By 2030, the goals the world would have achieved include ending poverty and hunger, gender equality, affordable and clean energy, climate action, and more. Unfortunately, our federal government, across multiple administrations, has done little to publicize the goals, and even less to implement the recommended targets. To take a single example: our commitment was to END poverty in the U.S. by 2030, but the gap between rich and poor has reached an unprecedented level! Eastern Service Workers Association’s organizing efforts — in which many UUCSJS members play an important part — are uniting people across south Jersey to build a groundswell of involvement and action demanding full implementation of the goals. Learn additional steps you can take to fight for our collective future. If we don’t do it, who will?
Bio: Andy Cowgill grew up in Minnesota. After gaining a variety of experiences in community service, political organizing and activism in Ecuador, San Jose (CA), Boston and elsewhere, he became a full-time volunteer organizer in 1999. For the last 13 years, Andy has been the Operations Manager of Eastern Service Workers Association (ESWA) in Pleasantville.
John Sherfey grew up in Williamstown in a family with deep roots in the South Jersey agricultural industry. John graduated from Stockton University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. John began organizing full-time in 2021, after working as a chemist and running a small business. He now serves as ESWA’s Administrative Assistant and Educational Coordinator.
Sunday, May 28, 2023
Wholly Music Service
Gina Roche
Featuring our music director Gina Roche and her wonderful band. Get ready for an all music service, complete with a few singalongs, new compositions and well loved favorites. This “wholly music service” will lift you up, leave you feeling connected, wholly contented and inspired.
Bio: Gina ROCHÉ (vocalist/guitarist/songwriter/uke player/vocal coach/tap dancer and most recently music director for UUCSJS and loving it!) Gina studied voice with opera singer and teacher Frank Capelli in Philadelphia. Gina is known for her exciting live performances and imbues a Brazilian twist into her unique blend of pop, jazz, blues and original compositions. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she has toured with her band, The Gina Roché Group in Grand Cayman, Aruba, Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Philly, the West Coast, UK and Japan and has also performed on Good Morning America and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. An original member of the all-female Latin group “Ellas,” Gina sings in 4 languages; English, Portuguese, Spanish and French….ok she knows a few songs in French! *smile* The most beloved part of Gina’s bio is that she married her best friend John Rosenberg 21 years ago. Together they are raising two daughters and continually learning how to “”go with the flow.”
April Theme: RESISTANCE
Sunday, April 2, 2023
The Path of Resistance: An All Ages Pickup Service
Jess Dunn-Safonof
As we discover what it means to be on the path of resistance this month, we will explore the ideas of joining together, speaking truth to power, and the radical idea of self care as an act of resistance. In this all ages pickup service, you get to craft the service. What songs will we sing? What readings will we hear? What stories will we learn from together? The decisions are in your hands as you work with your group to put together all the worship elements.
Bio: Jessica Dunn-Safonof has been a member of UUCSJS for 10 years and has served our congregation in many ways, including as an RE volunteer, RE Committee Chair, and as Secretary of the Board. She worked as a mental health case manager in children’s residential treatment and mental health care facilities before leaving that field to homeschool her children. She has been the Director of Religious Education at UUCSJS since 2018.
Sunday, April 9, 2023
Art as Prayer/Poetry as Meditation
Elinor Mattern
Poet Elinor Mattern will invite those gathered into an experience with poems that touch on the spiritual realm, looking at the fine, or non-existent line, between poems and prayers, experiencing moments when poems cross over into mystery. “Journey far enough into the terrain of language, it seems, and the heart will begin to speak.” – Jane Hirshfield
Bio: Elinor Mattern is a poet, artist, and educator, whose twin joys of poetry and the spiritual path come together in her own writing and in her teaching and speaking. She currently teaches many aspects of writing and poetry on a freelance basis, after retiring from teaching English at Atlantic Cape Community College. She earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and her poems and non-fiction have appeared in numerous journals and newspapers, including the Philadelphia Inquirer, The Boston Globe, Paterson Literary Review, and Tiferet, A Journal of Spiritual Poetry.
Sunday, April 16, 2023
Love and Universalism
Dana N. Moore
This homily celebrates the diversity of our spiritual lives as “Organic Multi-Religiosity,” acknowledges our heritage of Universalism and calls us to consider our commitment to inclusivity as an act of welcome and love. Corresponds with Principles 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8.
Bio: When not nurturing her two beautiful children, Dana Moore is committed to being a social justice warrior through her ministry work with youth and young adults. Dana is a member of the UU Congregation at Montclair and Professional Religious Educator at Beacon UU Congregation in Summit. In her daily work, Dana journeys with visionary leaders and business owners helping them to overcome leadership challenges, building strong teams and systems for success. As a second-year seminary student at Starr King School for the Ministry, one of only two UU theological schools across the globe, Dana is the recipient of the John Buehrens and St. Lawrence Scholarships. She delights in studying feminine leadership and world religion. After serving as the 2022 Summer Camp Director and Coordinator for their Annual UU Women’s Retreat, Dana has been invited into the role of Program Lead at Murray Grove. Dana is thrilled to develop and support robust programming that aligns with UU values and Murray Grove’s mission of Radical Hospitality. You can contact Dana at Programs@MurrayGrove.org.
Sunday, April 23, 2023
A Renewable Universalism for the 21st Century
Rev Dr Richard Speck
The Soul Matters theme for April is resistance. Our Universalist forebearers resisted the tragic conflicts of their days with ways of serving humanity in a loving way. Given our world today, what can we learn and apply in our lives the lessons from the past. We’ll have a little history as well as a call to new efforts to make the world more fair.
Bio: The Reverend Doctor Richard Speck is the retired District Executive for the Joseph Priestley District (JPD) of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. He was named Minister Emeritus in 2019. Previously, he served nine years as minister to the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach, FL, before coming to the JPD in 2000 as Acting District Executive. In his last two years in Florida he also served as the music director for the church. He graduated from Meadville/Lombard Theological School with a Doctorate in Ministry in 1990. He was hired as the regular District Executive in 2001. He served fourteen years as DE before retiring from full time ministry in 2014.
Richard continues to be active in social justice programs like the Black Lives Matters and The Coalition to Dismantle the New Jim Crow in Delaware. He is married to Janet Tillman and resides in Wilmington, DE. He enjoys making music, flying his own airplane, and creating stained glass art. Janet and Richard have two cats.
Sunday, April 30, 2023
A Pandemic of the Spirit
Rev Cynthia Cain
It’s been nearly seven years since I was last at UUCSJS! Trump hadn’t yet been elected and covid was four years away. So much has happened: wars, mass shootings, climate disasters. How do you keep the spirit of love and hope alive? How do you practice compassion for the world, for one another, and for yourself? I look forward to sharing time and a few reflections with you.
Bio: Rev. Cain attended Pacific School of Religion and ministered in California, Virginia, and Lexington KY before completing a two year interim at UUCSJS. From 2019-2021 she was a developmental minister with Greater Nashville UU Congregation where she often bragged about UUCSJS. A native of Burlington County, she also has an MFA in Fiction and is finally publishing some of her stories!
March Theme: VULNERABILITY
Sunday, March 5, 2023
Building Our New Way
Paul Utts
As with many religious denominations, the pandemic has affected our community. As the pandemic ends, we see our community starting to grow again. As we adjust to our new reality, what have we learned that will help us going forward? How can we each contribute our time, talent, and treasure to insure that a strong center for religious learning, social justice, and community support continue to not just survive, but thrive? How can a strong community here help support each of us as individuals? Charter member Paul Utts will discuss how an investment in this community has paid dividends for him and his family, and how we can share this blessing while enriching our own lives.
Sunday, March 12, 2023
What Does it Mean to be a Living Tradition?
Jess and Marty
Unlike creedal religions, our faith is a living tradition; it changes and grows over time. We covenant to support and assist one another in our ministries and to hold each other accountable for doing the work of living our shared values. But how do we define and describe those shared values? The seven principles? The six sources? Or maybe something totally new? Join us as we explore our UU values and learn about the work of the UUA Article II Study Commission and the possible upcoming changes to the stated values and covenant of Unitarian Universalism.
Bio: Jessica Dunn-Safonof has been a member of UUCSJS for 10 years and has served our congregation in many ways, including as an RE volunteer, RE Committee Chair, and as Secretary of the Board. She worked as a mental health case manager in children’s residential treatment and mental health care facilities before leaving that field to homeschool her children. She has been the Director of Religious Education at UUCSJS since 2018.
Martin Quish was born and raised in Hartford CT, attended Central Connecticut State University, and worked in the financial/insurance industry. He wore many hats in his 42 year career with AFCO Credit Corp, a wholly owned subsidiary of Truist Bank. Marty started out in Marketing in the late 70s and early 80s, switched to operations, where he oversaw a standalone office and managed over 50 employees in the 90s. Then he spent almost twenty years in the sales office on Wall Street in NYC. He retired in 2020 from the company as a Vice President/Senior Business Development Officer. He lives in Galloway with his husband, Tony, and their 18-month-old Kerry Blue Terrier, Sadie.
Sunday, March 19, 2023
The Earth is Coming Alive Again!
Theresa McReynolds
The Earth is coming alive again. The Spring Equinox is a festival of awakening, and rebirth. The dark months are now over & we are moving into the warmth of the light. Now is a time of celebrating the freshness of life and of taking the time to raise our energy to regenerate abundance and manifest our dreams.
Bio: Rev. Dr. Theresa McReynolds, D.C. has spent the last 50 years of her life in the healing profession as a chiropractor, energy healer, wellness coach, crystal Healer, spiritual counselor, ritual facilitator and motivational speaker. She has dedicated her life to uplifting others. After many years of study, she was ordained a New Thought Christian minister in California at the Home of Truth Spiritual Center. She then went on to study with several teachers in the Goddess tradition and was ordained a High Priestess. Theresa has spent most of her life as an activist, she was one of the founding mothers of the Atlantic County Women’s Center, now known as AVANSAR, and the Rape Crisis Center. She is a mother, grandmother, great grandmother, gardener, farmer, a lover of this motherearth and a forever student of the mysteries.
Sunday, March 26, 2023
Vulnerability and Defensiveness
Michael Cluff
Last time, we discussed how “failure is always an option,” and how accepting our mistakes allows us to be fully human. This time, we explore the importance of vulnerability and how defensiveness prevents us from growing.
Bio: Michael Cluff has worn many hats in this congregation, including serving on the sound crew, playing guitar, teaching RE and more. He is also president of the South Jersey Humanists.
February Theme: LOVE
Sunday, February 5, 2023
The Act of Self Care
Laura Kushner
How do we truly care for ourselves, a personal journey. We are in the beginning part of the new year; how can a little grace help create healthier expectations for ourselves.
Bio: Laura Kushner currently attends Drew Theological School. She will be graduating in May earning her Masters of Divinity, with a focus on Social Justice Advocacy. This is her second year as intern minister at UU Faith Action NJ, which has been a rich and fulfilling experience. She is a long time member of UU Montclair where before seminary she wore many hats in her congregational life. Laura is also a nursery school teacher. For the better part of the past 29 years she has worked at the same school that she attended as a child.
Sunday, February 12, 2023
Rehumanizing the Other
Pauline Nijander
It can seem pretty difficult to build Community in a world where society tends to dehumanize the “other.” Is this particular pattern of dehumanization new, or has it been around for a while? Join us this Sunday as we explore the rehumanization of those who are different from us.
Bio: Pauline E. Nijander just began her fifth year as a Master of Divinity student at the Drew University Theological School in Madison, NJ where she is studying for the Unitarian Universalist ministry, and where she was recently awarded the Dorr Diefendorf Award for excellence in homiletics. Pauline has been a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton since 2013, where she has served in various leadership roles, including being the ministerial intern in the 2019-2020 academic year, and now, as the Seminarian. As a proud transwoman and lesbian, Pauline has spoken often to different community and student groups about her perspective and life in hopes of educating people through honest and engaging conversation about trans* life and issues. For this work, she was awarded the 2017 Triad House LGBTQ+ Champion Award from LifeTies. Along with her wife, Michelle, and their sweet pitbull, Ingrid, Pauline resides in Ewing, NJ.
Sunday, February 19, 2023
How to L.O.V.E.
Alison Maxfield
Alison Maxfield, LCSW is presenting, “How to L.O.V.E.,” a sermon on how to enrich your loving relationship with yourself and others. L.O.V.E. stands for Laughter, Openness, Veritas (Truth), and Enlightenment, which will be joyfully explored through multimedia. Please bring a picture of yourself to share. Why? ‘Cause if you don’t love your selfie, who can you love? xoxo
Sunday, February 26, 2023
Abraham and Sarah
Dr. Marcia Fiedler
Join Marcia Fiedler, Coordinator of Jewish Studies at Stockton University as we discuss the very first episode of “The Real Housewives” starring the patriarch Abram, his first wife Sarai, and his second wife Hagar, also known the first biblical baby momma. How could a relationship that was so right, go so wrong?
Bio: Dr. Marcia Fiedler is Coordinator of Jewish Studies at Stockton University.
January Theme: FINDING OUR CENTER
Sunday, January 1, 2023
CLOSED FOR HOLIDAYS
Sunday, January 8, 2023
Breakfast Church: Potatoes, Eggs, & Coffee Beans
All Ages Service
In life, things happen around us and things happen to us. Finding your center during these experiences means understanding your choices about how you react and what you make of it. Will you learn, adapt, and choose to make the best of each experience?
Join us for this all ages service when we will gather together around one of the oldest and most important places of human connection – the table. Breakfast Church will include eating together as a central element, alongside music, stories, and learning how to find your center.
Bio: Jessica Dunn-Safonof has been a member of UUCSJS for 10 years and has served our congregation in many ways, including as an RE volunteer, RE Committee Chair, and as Secretary of the Board. She worked as a mental health case manager and behavior analyst in children’s residential treatment and mental health care facilities before leaving that field to homeschool her children. She has been the Director of Religious Education at UUCSJS since 2018.
Sunday, January 15, 2023
Practicing your Presence: East Coast Meditation
Teddy Costa
East Coast Meditation is all about the practice of being present in our own individual lives. The various forms and understanding of meditation are derived from Yoga, Buddhism, Kabbalah, and other spiritual traditions. The idea of utilizing an assortment of practices is to best find what is right for you, the individual practitioner, in working within the present moment. Some practices will resonate with one individual, such as a mindfulness exercise, while other persons may resonate with physical and/or emotional insight practices. You find what best serves you, and leave the rest for another day, if ever.
It is a great privilege, honor, and joy to be in the position of sharing these methods for being present for the purpose of living meaningful, integrated lives – all while being the hard working, peace loving individuals that we all have the power to be in this lifetime.
Bio: Ted Costa has been involved with mind-body-spirit integration work since 2017. He’s a Nondual Healer by way of training in a 500 hour nondual Kabbalistic healing school, and a meditation teacher by way of training in a 200 hour yoga teacher training program. Ted is still involved with ongoing healer education and yogic studies, and now teaches dozens of individuals throughout the week in personal meditation classes and other outlets. Where he practices his own personal presence can be found within his family with his wife, dog, and baby boy on the way, his co-owned coffee company “Keep It Real Coffee Company,” and also within his personal meditation circles. You can find him online at East Coast Meditation.com and on instagram with the same name.
Sunday, January 22, 2023
Let it Be a Dance
Rev Charlie Dieterich
A wise analyst once noted that there are only three fundamental stories: Someone went on a journey, a stranger came to town, and Godzilla vs. MegaShark. How is “Finding our center” like “Finding our story?” Retired Minister Rev. Charlie Dieterich has some ideas.
Bio: After a first career as a television system designer, Charlie Dieterich changed directions, attended Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley California, and then interned for two years in New Orleans. He was ordained by UUCSJS on September 30, 2012, serving the congregation for three years. He then moved to Norfolk, VA and Erie, PA, then retired home to Kingston in central NJ. Although no longer a parish minister, Charlie remains active in the UU Trauma Response Ministry, uutrm.org.
Sunday, January 29, 2023
Living the Twelve Steps
Tracey Catino
Growing up, Tracey Catino was surrounded by alcoholics and other kinds of addicts. She spent over twenty-five years in Al-Anon, recovering from the effects of addiction in her family members. Tracey will share her experience, strength and hope through the lens of the 12 steps of recovery.
Bio: Tracey Catino has been a member of UUCSJS for over 13 years. She grew up in Philadelphia in a working class Irish Catholic neighborhood in the 1970’s where there was a church on every other corner and a bar across the street. She went to college in Lancaster, PA, where she became a single mother of her son, Nick. Tracey moved to south Jersey to be close to family while she raised her son. Tracey has been a high school English teacher for over twenty years and a principal for five years. She currently lives in Linwood with her husband, Bill, and daughter, Kassidy.
