Soulful Sunday, led by Rev. David Carl Olson with The Cosmic Orchestra
Our Perceptions Create Our Objective World: The interplay between the subjective and objective world is more complicated than we think, even as, is the interplay between the individual and collective ego. We will explore this interplay to answer the question posed in a song in A Chorus Line: "Who am I anyway, am I my resume?"
Questions of the Heart: A Real-Time Q&A with Rev. Israel, led by Rev. Israel Buffardi
You are invited to let your curiosity and wonder take center stage! Do you ever stop and wonder: What does it mean to live a life of purpose? How do we find hope in challenging times? How can we live out our values more fully in our daily lives? During the service, you will be invited to pose your questions of meaning, wonder, and discovery to Rev. Israel, who will then respond in real time. Come with your curiosity and leave with new insights.
A Future Worth Remembering, led by Rev. Dr. Gregory C. Carrow-Boyd, CRE–LL (UU Hawaii), Guest Minister
Unitarian Universalism invites us to work together to create a future that can hold each of us in our wholeness and complexity with compassion. In this service, we take time to imagine this bold future that we often call the Beloved Community, the starts and stops along our journey there, and the lessons we learned along the way. Come explore a future worth remembering.
Rev. Dr. Gregory C. Carrow-Boyd, CRE–LL (UU Hawaii) (he/him) is a Religious Educator Credentialed at the Leadership Level. He serves our UU congregation in Honolulu, HI, as Executive Minister of Religious Education. He also serves our wider Association as a LREDA Good Officer and Religious Education Credentialing Program Mentor.
Breaking New Ground, led by Rev. David Carl Olson and UUCSR Green Sanctuary Committee
We must change how we source energy, what we eat and the way we use land. What are we doing to make the transition here at Shelter Rock? What can you do at home? Join Rev. Olson and the Green Sanctuary Committee for this service. Music provided by Any Given Sunday Band!
Rest, Review, Renew! led by Dana Moore, Student Minister
In her final offering as UUCSR's 2023-24 Student Minister, Dana N. Moore explores the ritualistic process of Renewal as a vital element of sustainability in systems that champion transformation and change. Along with Claire Deroche, UUCSR Social Justice Coordinator of 17 years, we'll celebrate and consider values, principles and practices that inspire faithful work and support the future of Unitarian Universalism.
Weaving Our Lives, Led by Rev. Israel Buffardi
Sunday Worship Service, Weaving Our Lives, in the Social Hall.
There will be a screening of the UUA General Assembly service at 11:00 AM, following which there will be an opportunity for discussion during the Sunday Cafe.
Embrace the electrifying spirit of the year's largest UU gathering, where we come together in unity for an awe-inspiring Sunday worship celebration like no other! It's a vibrant, communal worship experience that promises to uplift your soul and ignite your passion.
Summer Solstice, led by Rev. David Carl Olson
Summer Solstice Service, led by Rev. David Carl Olson and the Exploring Earth-Centered Spirituality Group.
Outdoors on the Patio
We gather to celebrate the longest day of the year and to bless the sun and the earth and each other. This is also the first day of the Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly, which is meeting online this year. We’ll bless our association, too, with songs and prayers, poetry and even a few spoken selections from the theater.
Pride Service on Father's Day, led by Rev. David Carl Olson
A celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride, and a morning to thank our dads. Recognizing, too, that we only days away from Juneteenth, we will hear from diverse voices in our congregation. Rev. Olson will share thoughts about parenting and pride.
Soulful Sundown, led by Rev. David Carl Olson
Come for Supper, stay for Soulful Sundown! Soulful Sundown offers poetry and reflection by Rev. David Carl Olson and live music from The Cosmic Orchestra, onsite AND online. Special guest artist Walter Finley will perform at an ONSITE-ONLY coffee house/concert afterward. All are welcome; never a charge!
Where music resides at the heart of religious experience.
Come early at 6:30 PM! All are welcome to simple supper prior to Soulful Sundown. A voluntary donation of $10 covers soup, salad, artisanal bread, cookies, and beverages.
Bridging, led by Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore
Our annual Bridging Worship Service celebrates transitions of the young people in the UUCSR Religious Education Program.
All are welcome to a picnic celebration immediately following Worship.
Appreciation and Renewal, led by Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore
The work and ministry of a congregation requires many hearts and hands. In this service we offer appreciation for all those who give life to this community. We are renewed each year by the commitment of members and friends. Let’s celebrate.
Near and Far, led by Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore
This Sunday, UUCSR worships in two locations. Our community is gathered onsite and also at the All-Congregation Retreat in Pennsylvania. We are both together and apart. We remember this for Memorial Day—we may be physically separated from those who have died but we are together in our hearts.
Coming of Age, led by Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore
Join the annual celebration of our eighth grade Coming of Age class. Our young people will share their thoughts on what Unitarian Universalism means to them. They will share their gifts and talents with this community they love.
Nurture, led by Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore
This Mother’s Day we reflect on how mothers (and others) nurture and are in need of nurture.
Soulful Sundown, led by Rev. Israel Buffardi
Come for Supper, stay for Soulful Sundown! Soulful Sundown offers poetry and reflection by Rev. Israel Buffardi and live music from The Cosmic Orchestra, onsite AND online. Special guest artist Willy Porter will perform at an ONSITE-ONLY coffee house/concert afterward. All are welcome; never a charge!
Where music resides at the heart of religious experience.
Come early at 6:30 PM! All are welcome to simple supper prior to Soulful Sundown. A voluntary donation of $10 covers soup, salad, artisanal bread, cookies, and beverages.
Love’s Pronoun Is Plural, led by Rev. David Carl Olson
Unitarian Universalist minister Rev. Kathleen McTigue says, “Fear’s pronoun is singular... Love’s pronoun is plural.” We embrace a religious practice of pluralism in our Worship Room even as the greater UU Association considers naming Pluralism as a core value of our liberal faith. Come hear the choir sing a little Spanish, the minister give a blessing in Hebrew, as all of us share wonder at what the human heart-mind is discovering in diverse ways.
I Need You to Survive, led by Student Minister Dana N. Moore
Our lives are sustained by a mutual interdependence that extends far beyond our own lifetimes. Dana explores strands of shared history that weave compassion into our stories and joy into the future of social justice and collective survival.
Roots and Wings: The Practice of Belonging, led by Rev. Israel Buffardi
We explore the profound need for belonging that brings us together and the shared commitments to love and justice that move us to stretch and grow. We also mark the milestones of both new and longstanding members in our congregation to seek a meaningful celebration of the journeys that weave us together, as we honor our past, cherish our present, and look forward to our future with hope and purpose.
Music Sunday , led by Rev. David Carl Olson, The UUCSR Choir and Soloists with The Orchestra at Shelter Rock, Stephen Michael Smith, Music Director/Conductor,
Presented as a Worship Service celebrating music and the arts at Shelter Rock with The UUCSR Choir and Soloists with The Orchestra at Shelter Rock, Stephen Michael Smith, Music Director/Conductor. The Service will last one hour and fifteen minutes. Everyone is welcome to enjoy two extraordinary pieces: The Ballad of the Brown King, by Margaret Bonds, and Toward the Unknown Region, by Ralph Vaughan Williams. There will be an opportunity to contribute to the Edward Miller Memorial Music Scholarship Fund during the Service.
We Are One led by Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore
Unitarian Universalism honors our interconnection and interdependence, while respecting our individualism. We acknowledge that there is power in the ability to make individual choices which seek the common good. How can our individual actions move us toward collective peace and justice?
Easter: Lo, the Day of Days is Here! led by the UUCSR Ministers
Among the many ways we celebrate spring at Shelter Rock is the Easter Service featuring the Children’s Choir, Jazz Ensemble, and the Easter Bunny. Please join a Service that considers the Christian message of Jesus and the human message of perseverance and hope—and then hunt for Easter eggs on the lawn! Special music by soloists and an African anthem by the Choir, under the direction of Stephen Michael Smith.
Negentropy: Chaos Swallowed Up in Love, led by Rev. Dr. Fenimore and Senior Seminar Youth
As described by UUCSR Senior Seminar youth Juliet Mitchell, “Every year, the Senior Seminar class at UUCSR holds a service that is planned by high school youth. This year’s theme is Negentropy: Chaos Swallowed Up in Love, meaning that there is so much chaos in the world, and the way to solve all of the hatred is by unity and love, which is negentropy, or chaos coming back into order. This service contains self-written reflections and self-composed music along with other favorite songs and words that deeply resonate with the youth. It is very important for the congregation to be able to hear the thoughts and beliefs of the youth, as they are the future of our faith, and the youth are able to grow into their own faith by passionately exhibiting what is important to them in such a sacred space.” Please join us to hear the voices of the future of Unitarian Universalism!
Remember the Ladies, led by Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore and members of the UUCSR’s Women’s Group
As our Unitarian ancestor, Abigail Adams, famously asked her husband John Adams to do—we continue to ask for remembrance and appreciation of women’s needs, roles, burdens, and accomplishments this Women’s History Month.
Transformative Ministry, led by Rev. Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt
In this post-pandemic world, our UU congregations and communities have experienced change and considered what traditions we still value. Our ministries have to meet the challenges of these times.
Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt is the president of Starr King School for the Ministry, a Unitarian Universalist Seminary, was formerly the Senior Minister at Fourth Universalist Church in Manhattan, and is a leader in the development of Unitarian Universalist ministry for the future.
At 1:00 PM, conversation will continue in an informal and interactive setting in the Art Gallery. Participants are welcome to bring their lunch from home or purchase at the UU Sunday Café and dine together while considering the future of Unitarian Universalism. Rev. Buffardi and Rev. Bray McNatt will facilitate the conversation
Change: The Only Constant, led by Rev. Jennifer Raffensperger, Guest Minister
There’s no question: 2024 is going to be a year of change. Of course—what year isn’t? When change feels unsettling or scary, how do we shift our relationship in anticipation of change? Our faith calls us to the work of transformation. How can we work to embrace the change that is coming? Can we, from our own relationship and reactions to change, find ways to deepen our call to transformation within ourselves and our faith communities?
Once Upon Another Time, led by Student Minister Dana N. Moore
The call to justice, equity, and compassion in human relationships requires that we address systemic implications and re-imagine our future communities to work toward a common goal. What hope does our storied past glean for the future? Will we see these changes in our lifetime(s)?
Creatively Maladjusted, led by Rev. Israel Buffardi
The ability to connect with others and understand their truths often lies at the heart of what calls us to become the change we wish to see in the world. Together we explore the power that communal storytelling and visioning has to transform movements for justice and equity through both empathy and compassion.
What Are We Not Seeing? led by Guest Speaker Cassandra Montenegro
This Sunday, we consider the life and legacy of Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz, Cambridge Unitarian and founder of the women’s educational institution that would later become Radcliffe College. She was the wife and close collaborator of Louis Agassiz, biologist and geologist whose approach to teaching revolutionized the study of natural history and whose scholarship simultaneously advanced theories in support of scientific racism. How do we practice a posture of spiritual humility when it comes to ancestral reconciliation? And, what is it in our own work, that we are not seeing?
Soulful Sundown, led by Rev. David Carl Olson
Soulful Sundown offers poetry and reflection by Rev. David Carl Olson and live music from The Cosmic Orchestra, onsite AND online. Special guest artist Leslie Mendelson will perform at an ONSITE-ONLY coffee house/concert afterward. All are welcome; never a charge!
Where music resides at the heart of religious experience.
February will mark the return of a regularly occurring simple supper prior to Soulful Sundown. A voluntary donation of $10 covers soup, salad, artisanal bread, cookies, and beverages. All are welcome to supper at 6:30 PM before Soulful Sundown.
Justice and Equity, led by Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore
Remember when you were a young person (or maybe you are still a young person) and you protested that it was not fair unless everyone was treated the same? We are usually taught to think that treating everyone the “same” is what is just but what about equity—the idea that it may be just to consider that different people have different needs in order to achieve fairness and justice?
Veatch Sunday Worship Service: Radical Connection: Building a Multiracial Democracy led by Deborah Scott, CEO of Georgia STAND-UP
Veatch Sunday provides an opportunity for all to hear directly from Veatch grantees. Join the Veatch Board of Governors to hear Georgia STAND-UP founder and CEO, Deborah Scott, deliver the sermon Love Lives Here. Veatch Annual Meeting will follow at 1:00pm. Deborah Scott and Rosemary Rivera, Executive Director of Veatch grantee Public Policy and Education Fund, will discuss Building a Multiracial Democracy. For more information visit the Veatch Blog | Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock (uucsr.org).
Love Unites, led by Rev. Israel Buffardi and Members of the Denominational Affairs Committee and Delegates to GA 2023
This year, Unitarian Universalists will gather for a virtual General Assembly to celebrate the profound impact of the love that transcends boundaries and builds connections in our communities. Members of our Denominational Affairs Committee will share their experiences of the impact of attending General Assembly along with thousands of other UUs committed to putting love at the center of all we do.
Marching, led by Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore
There is an old story: a Universalist was asked where they stand and answered, “We don’t stand, we move.” Moving and marching is a way of gathering energy to move a cause forward. Bayard Rustin—Black, gay, pacifist, Quaker—was an organizer of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. Rustin worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. and deepened King’s commitment to non-violence as practiced by Mohandas Gandhi. As King was at the center of the greatest civil rights march of its time, Gandhi led the Great March to the Sea in 1930. We’ll reflect on the stories of these movements and marches.
Soulful Sundown, led by Student Minister Dana N. Moore
Soulful Sundown offers spoken word by Student Minister Dana N. Moore and live music from The Cosmic Orchestra, onsite AND online. Special guest artist Brian Mitchell at ONSITE-ONLY coffee house/concert afterward. All are welcome; never a charge!
Liberating Love, led by Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore
Love is a central value in Unitarian Universalism. Love is a powerful force. Love can be defined in many ways in our faith community. Let us consider “Love” as a force for justice and liberation.