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Sermon Archive

"Where Do We Come From ...?” Wy'east Members & Friends

Date

This time of year when we are focused on the future of our congregation, seems like the perfect moment to pause and look back. The seeds of our community were planted in 1995 and our charter Sunday Service was in April 1997 -- 26 years ago. Wy'east Member Hank Hadaway will share a timeline of our journey and has assembled some reflections from a few of our charter members to offer a brief history and story of the founding of our congregation. How might this look at "Where Do We Come From" help us answer the questions: “What Are We?” and “Where Are We Going?” 

 

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"Gratitude and Appreciation: An Antidote to Scarcity and Despair” Rev. Leslie Becknell Marx

Date

It matters that we come together each Sunday. Together we nourish each other’s spirit and help heal the world. As economic concerns spiral and dire warnings abound, it is easy to succumb to a sense of despair and worry. Let us consider the spiritual practice of gratitude which is simple but not easy. Even with no change in circumstances, we can generate a sense of abundance and appreciation within our own lives and the life of Wy’east.

 

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"What Moves You?” Wy'east Members & Friends

Date

When we asked this question of some of our members, we heard back about poetry and music. So this service will feature exactly that: stanzas read and melodies performed by several of your fellow Wy'easters. And not just any compositions, but ones that have made an emotional impact on them. What moves you?

 

Virtual Service Sunday at 10:30 AM

This service will be offered only as a virtual Social Hour.

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

"Our Sacred Promises - Covenantal Community" Rev. Leslie Becknell Marx

Date

Unitarian Universalists are bonded together by the sacred promises – covenants -- we make with each other.. We are not defined by affirming creeds, confirming beliefs, or honoring external authority. Each week, we honor the Wy’east covenant which was created and is sustained by this gathered UU community. What does it mean to you individually and to Wy’east communally to be known by our covenants?

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“Democratic Process Beyond Majority Rules” Roni Wiener

Date

Often the concept of democracy is assumed to be each person getting one vote, tallying votes, and following the path supported by the majority of votes. The roots of democracy are Greek dēmotikos "of or for the common people" and  Greek -kratia "power, rule, authority." We will hear from Roni Wiener and Rev. Leslie Becknell Marx about engaged collaborative forms of democracy very different from "majority rules."

Roni Wiener leads and supports interdependent collaboration. They advocate for personal empowerment and social change through coaching, teaching, and activism. Roni grew up in Israel, lived in the US for many years, and currently lives in the Netherlands.

 

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"Forgiveness: ‘To err is human, to forgive, divine’ - Alexander Pope. Can you be Divine?” Rev. Sue Matranga-Watson

Date

Forgiveness is the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense; letting go of negative emotions such as vengefulness, with an increased ability to wish the offender well."  Would you be able to do that?  Is the relationship with the other worth forgiveness?  Will forgiveness heal/help you? What if you are the one you need to forgive? Rev. Sue Matranga-Watson will look at the complex issue of forgiveness.  How might it change your and others' lives?  And should we ever forgive?

Rev. Sue Matranga-Watson is a Unitarian Universalist Minister and has been a chaplain for over 23 years.  Her chaplain ministry has been in Health Care (hospitals, long term care & Hospice), the last 13 years has been in Prisons.  She is retiring this Spring and looks forward to her next adventures.

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"Women in Iran" Sara Houranpay

Date

Sara Houranpay (who-ran-pay) is a local Iranian American who values educating and elevating people's perspective of the Middle East through storytelling and empowering women who have been oppressed to stand up for their rights.  Sara will share her perspectives and the context on what is currently happening in Iran -- who is protesting, what sparked those protests, and the Government's response.

Sara brings a unique perspective on the current deadly protests in Iran. After being born in Iran and experiencing her formative years there, her parents decided to immigrate to the United States and pursue their American dream. At 13, she returned to Iran for a summer visit and was politically detained for 5 years. She has experienced first hand the restrictions and punishments that follow the Islamic Republic's constitution and law, and the "extrajudicial" actions by the morality police, such as the beating, torture, rape, and killing of civilians that don’t follow that law. Sara currently has an exhibition at the Oregon Historical Society called, “ I am American, Stories of Exclusion and Belonging.” She also works with the Immigrant Project through live storytelling about the Middle East and her experiences in Iran. Sara currently works as a dental hygienist in NW Portland. She has 3 generations of French Bulldogs and 2 boys, 5 and 7. Her husband is also Iranian, and they work hard to pass down the Iranian language and traditions to their boys and dogs too!

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"The Ordinary Sacred" Kent Nerburn, author & spiritual teacher

Date

Kent Nerburn has been called “one of America’s living spiritual teachers” by the prestigious web magazine, Spirituality and Practice, and “one of the few writers who can respectfully bridge the gap between Native and non-Native cultures” by Harper Collins publishers.  He is the author of 16 books on spirituality and Native American subjects, including the acclaimed trilogy, Neither Wolf nor Dog, The Wolf at Twilight, and The Girl who Sang to the Buffalo.  His books on spirituality include Small Graces, Simple Truths, and Make Me an Instrument of your Peace.  Kent holds a Ph.d. with distinction from Graduate Theological Union and the University of California at Berkeley and spent 30 years working among Native American communities.  He says his work, at heart, is always "a search for an authentic American spirituality."  He will speak to us this morning on what he calls the "Ordinary Sacred" -- finding the spiritual in the everyday and how we too often underestimate the importance of life's difficult moments on our spiritual journey. 

There will be a Special Collection during this service benefiting "Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette"

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"Community of Love: A Soul Circle Service" Wy'east Members & Friends

Date

Each Sunday that we gather for worship, we reaffirm our purpose by saying together the words of our congregational covenant which begins: "We Covenant with each other as a community of love." Today we put that call into action by exploring deeply with one other what it means to be a community of love with each other, with our broader faith movement and with the wider world.

This participatory "Soul Circle" service is based on the small group ministry concept of Chalice Circle. We will offer some inspiration, a time for quiet reflection and an opportunity to share deeply with one another in small groups. This service will be facilitated by Wy'east Members & Friends.

 

Join Our Virtual Service Sunday at 10:30 AM

This service will be offered ONLY as a virtual service.

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833