Sermon Archive

We continue exploring spiritual practices by participating in a workshop led by Colette Gardiner, a witchcraft practitioner. Colette will share the symbolism and meaning behind spring equinox according to her practice, and lead us in a ritual that can be repeated at home with household objects. We will strive to work from a place of inclusion without appropriation and honor the web of connection, and as we empower ourselves, we need to ensure that all people are empowered.

Colette has taught and worked with witchcraft and spirituality for almost 50 years. She is an earth-based practitioner who works with spirits from other realms. Colette currently runs the Golden Web Mystery School and has a Youtube channel called Witch Ways. She strongly believes that witchcraft is about relationships and spirituality, linking us to empowerment, justice, and the well-being of all.

Online (Zoom) Only Worship

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

Our Social Justice Speaker Series, focused for this church year on Building Beloved Community, continues this month with Kimonti Carter. He is both the former president and a current member of the Black Prisoners’ Caucus, plus the founder of TEACH (Taking Education and Creating History). While incarcerated, Kimonti led a movement to create a model of education seeking to transform prisoners’ lives and their communities – our prisons and our humanity. His story is featured in the film “Since I Been Down,” and it invites us who are Unitarian Universalists to live deeply into our shared values, which call us to create diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where everyone thrives.

Kimonti Carter is both the former president and a current member of the Black Prisoners’ Caucus (BPC), plus the founder of T.E.A.C.H (Taking Education and Creating History), the BPC’s higher education program for the incarcerated. This program was inspired by the idea that education is foundational to the elimination of inter-generational poverty, debt and homelessness, plus building stronger communities and an improved quality of life – even for those serving long (often unjustly long) prison sentences. Since his release in 2024, as a result of a landmark Washington Supreme Court decision, he has worked tirelessly to expand access to educational opportunities for the incarcerated. 

We will be doing a Special Collection to benefit BPC T.E.A.C.H. (Black Prisoners’ Caucus: Taking Education and Creating History)

Immediately after the worship service (at Noon), we will have a screening of the film ”Since I Been Down” followed by a Q & A discussion with both Kimonti Carter and the Filmmaker Gilda Sheppard. (The run time of the film is 1 hour and 45 minutes – bring a sack lunch to eat during the film). Preview a trailer of the film HERE.

Special Collection: BPC T.E.A.C.H. (Black Prisoners’ Caucus: Taking Education and Creating History)

Multi-Platform Worship (both in-person & online)

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

Unitarian Universalism affirms the worthiness of every person, yet systemic ableism and exclusion persist even in our most well-intentioned spaces.  Too often, physical limitations, mental health struggles and invisible disabilities create barriers to true belonging. Our faith calls us to radical inclusion—challenging ableism, listening deeply, and ensuring our communities truly welcome and uplift all people. Together, we will explore how to foster a culture of curiosity, compassion, and accessibility.

This week we invite disability advocate Leo Chatterjee, who will be engaging in a conversation about disability with Rev. Leslie Becknell Marx. Leo is a non-binary, Asian American person living with multiple disabilities and chronic illnesses. They join us to share their experience, talk about the importance of being conscious of disability, how organizations can be more inclusive of disabled and marginalized populations, and why doing so is so imperative to the values of truth, justice, and Love.
 

Online (Zoom) Only Worship

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

Ramadan begins this week for our Muslim friends here and around the world. We will take a look this Sunday at what the heart of that practice is. We will also reflect on how approaching our meals with intentionality and attention can enrich our spiritual lives and connect us to the divine and to one another. 

Rev. Stephani Skalak is a hospital chaplain at Providence Portland Medical Center. For many years, she taught media literacy and documentary film production to youth in high schools, community centers, and drug rehab programs. Along the way she co-founded the Portland Women's Film Festival (POW Fest), meaning that she has watched many, many hours of amateur films. She spent most of her twenties working for the Peace Corps in both Washington, DC, and in Mali, West Africa. She earned her Master of Divinity from Meadville Lombard, a Unitarian Universalist seminary in Chicago, and her BA in International Relations from The American University in Washington, DC. She lives in Portland with her spouse Mark, their two children (Ukiah and Seneca) and two very squirrely cats (Agatha and Brimstone). 

Service Recording

First-Sunday Monthly Potluck after Service!

Multi-Platform Worship (both in-person & online)

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

We continue our monthly exploration of spiritual practice with an introduction to and an opportunity to practice with the “Revolutionary Love Compass.” Created and shared by Valerie Kaur at revolutionarylove.org, this is a spiritual practice that places love at the center and invites us to “point the compass toward whomever you want to practice loving – another, an opponent, or yourself.”

Online (Zoom) Only Worship

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

Our Social Justice Speaker Series for this church year focused on Building Beloved Community continues this month with Angela Swan and the work of the Pacific Refugee Support Group. Angela will share how the universal values of compassion and the shared responsibility to support vulnerable individuals guides the work of building community. She will share stories of staff and community members' experiences and how their lives have been impacted by the relationships they've built.  

Angela Swan currently works as the deputy Director of the Pacific Refugee Support Group (PRSG). She began her journey into the nonprofit sector nearly four years ago, and though she arrived here by accident, she is deeply grateful for the path that led her to PRSG. With a background as a recruiter for a major tax firm and later for an international direct placement agency, Angela witnessed firsthand the systemic biases that prevent qualified individuals from accessing opportunities. Time and again, she saw talented candidates being overlooked—often those with “funny” names that were difficult to pronounce or degrees from non-U.S. institutions. While never explicitly stated, the patterns were unmistakable, and the injustice fueled her desire for change.

Today, Angela channels that passion into her role at PRSG, an organization founded on the belief that every person deserves dignity and the right to pursue happiness, safety, and belonging. She loves the opportunity to work with a team that values diversity and is committed to re-empowering refugees and asylum seekers. For Angela, this work is not just a job—it’s a mission to help build a community where everyone has a chance to thrive.

Click here for SERVICE RECORDING LINK 

Special Collection: Pacific Refugee Support Group

Multi-Platform Worship (both in-person & online)

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

The results of the November 2024 election and the inauguration of our new President have shown that many of our neighbors don't share the same vision of what kind of world we want to live in. Christian Nationalism has been on the rise and democracy is under attack.  In this service, we explore how the recently adopted UU Shared Values can help us model a compelling alternative. This service is part of our UUA Sermon Series Subscription and is presented by Rev. Reneé Ruchotzke, UUA Congregational Life Staff, Central East Region.

Rev. Renee Ruchotzke (ruh-HUT-skee) has served as a UUA Congregational Life Consultant since 2010.

She spends half of her time expanding the UUA Congregational Life Team's LeaderLab, UU Leadership Institute, and other online UUA resources for leadership development, organizational development, governance (including Sociocracy), growth, conflict transformation, congregational dynamics and other aspects of congregational life.

The other half of her time is with the Central East Region. She serves about 30 congregations (Greater Cleveland, OH, Western NY, and the Southern Tier of NY) as UUA Primary Contact.

Online (Zoom) Only Worship

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

Borders may divide us, but our shared humanity unites us.

Recent executive orders and policy shifts have heightened fear and uncertainty for millions of immigrants. In this service, we will explore the intersections of justice, equity, and compassion as they relate to immigration and other challenges emerging in recent days. 

Together let us seek to discover how hope can guide us in building a world where everyone belongs.

First-Sunday Monthly Potluck after Service!

Watch the Service Recording

Multi-Platform Worship (both in-person & online)

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

Working from a little-understood story in the Gospel of John commonly called "the woman at the well," this sermon explores what it might mean for the wisest of teachers to sit and learn from exactly the person they were meant to ignore or discount entirely.  In fact, this short text is the longest recorded dialogue the teacher named Jesus has in the entirety of the Christian scriptures.  How are we shaped by dialogue rather than monologue?  How are the relationships that shape us serve as living water in a dry land?  Presented by Rev. Nancy McDonald-Ladd, UUA Director of Communications and Public Ministry.

Rev. Ladd leads the development and implementation of the UUA’s communications strategy, ensures that strategy addresses the UUA’s intersectional justice priorities, and manages the UUA Communications staff. Previously, she served as Senior Minister at River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation from 2012 - 2024. Under her leadership, River Road became both a beacon and a beta-test for new forms of lay, staff and clergy collaboration within and across congregations.

Along with the Rev. Manish Mishra-Marzetti, she co-edited a new volume (published by the UUA’s publishing imprint Skinner House Books), Seeds of a New Way: Nurturing Authentic and Diverse Religious Leadership, which explores the unique demands and possibilities such collaboration can bring to leadership in the progressive faith traditions. She is also the author of After the Good News: Progressive Religion Beyond Optimism. 

She lives in Bethesda, Maryland with her spouse and two children.

Online (Zoom) Only Worship

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833

Join us as we explore the power of cherishing all generations and fostering generational solidarity. In this talk, we will reflect on the importance of building a strong, supportive community where neighbors help neighbors, and every generation finds purpose and meaning in connecting with one another. By embracing an intergenerational perspective, we can address the challenges of social isolation, promote health and well-being, and create thriving, resilient communities. A discussion of Bridge Meadows, intentional intergenerational communities will illuminate how these principles of intergenerational living are applied to build a beloved community. Together, we will discover how we can weave a safety net that strengthens our families, cities, and country, ensuring a vibrant future for all.

Bridge Meadows, Executive Director, Dr. Derenda Schubert, a licensed psychologist, leads Bridge Meadows, advocates nationally for intergenerational housing solutions to complex social challenges, spearheads strategic planning shaping Bridge Meadows’ expansive vision for the future.  She builds coalitions, works with Boards of Directors, manages $60M in assets and to date, raised over $50M to create affordable housing.

Bridge Meadows’ innovative community design intersects housing, child welfare, senior housing, and health in one model. The Bridge Meadows intergenerational housing developments include supportive housing wraparound services designed to address the needs of vulnerable children, families and seniors.

Under Dr. Schubert’s leadership, Bridge Meadows has received national and international recognition for the innovative, intergenerational housing model.  Bridge Meadows has been featured in the New York Times. Washington Post, Stanford Social Innovation Review and the World Health Organization as a housing model for addressing the social determinants of health across the age span.  Dr. Schubert speaks locally and nationally on these topics.  She has spoken nationally, internationally and at TEDxMtHood about the power of intergenerational solutions.

Dr. Schubert was been honored for her contributions to housing, community development and leadership locally and nationally. She is an American Leadership Forum Senior Fellow, an Encore Public Voices Fellow and a former Board Co-Chair for OregonServes.

Special Collection: Bridge Meadows

Watch the Service Recording

Multi-Platform Worship (both in-person & online)

Sunday at 10:30 AM

Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom

Meeting ID:  275 194 110

Phone In:  (669) 900-6833