Sunday Mornings at Cedars

Alan Miller, Cedars Guest Speaker Gregory Cook, Worship Associate Learn more about her work at http://www.gretchenyanover.com/ Late second temple Judaism poses the question of God's fairness in the Book of Job, a question that is finally answered in Jesus' preaching of the coming Kingdom of God; The Bhagavad Gita presents the Hindu system of (hidden) fairness in the caste system and reinca...

Rev. Margo Rinehart, Cedars Minister Johanna Munson, Worship Associate Featuring music by pianist Nicholas Colletto and vocalist Moira McGregor At this time of year, Lent, Ramadan, and Passover fill the spring days with opportunities for contemplation, meditation, and even prayer. What can we learn from the great religions about paying attention and bringing our emotional and spiritual growth into...

Rev. Rose Edington and Rev. Mel Hoover, Cedars Guest Ministers Nancy Philip, Worship Associate Featuring music from Kids in Concert In the present, we can look back and see how the seeds of thoughts and actions — both positive and negative —planted back then are now part of our lives. We might have influenced someone or an event without even knowing it. What kinds of seeds that we plant now would...

Rev. Margo Rinehart, Cedars Minister David Thomas, Worship Associate Humanists and Unitarians have been in conversation for over a century, learning from one another and partnering to create a belief system that strives to create circumstances in which all might flourish. Let's explore together how Humanism might guide our daily practices and increase our capacity for wonder, awe, gratitude, a...

Nate Kremer-Herman, Guest Speaker  Gregory Cook, Worship Associate Artificial intelligence is the latest in a long line of tools that shape how we relate to our world and to each other. As we grapple with how AI is changing us, it is important to ground ourselves in our uniquely human experiences to cultivate closer communities and a healthier planet.  Nate Kremer-Herman teaches computer science...

Rev. Tessie Mandeville, Carrie Koehnline and Judith Kaftan, Guest Speakers  Su Livingston, Guest Musician Nancy Philip, Worship Associate Our speakers will share a recently rediscovered story, "Grandmother Waits." They'll reflect, as the elders they are now, on its messages of autonomy, depth, creativity, and what it takes to be a healthy, diverse community. Led by Carrie and Judith...

Rev. Deanna Vandiver, Guest Minister Johanna Munson, Worship Associate Join us in co-creating worship that skills us up and roots us sustainably in place for faithful living within the context of the Holocene extinction and the violence of empire. Rev. Deanna Vandiver is affiliated with the Church of the Larger Fellowship, Unitarian Universalist, as a Community Minister of Love and Liberation. She...

Rev. Margo Reinhart, Minister Liz Motter, Worship Associate Music by: Rick Barrenger On this Presidents' Day weekend, we will explore the commitment by many of our Founding Fathers to the separation of church and state and the imperative of protected religious expression. From atheism to theism, let freedom ring! Reverend Margo Rinehart serves Cedars by welcoming people from diverse theologica...

Rev. Margo Rinehart, Minister Nancy Phillip, Worship Associate Through the work of grief guide Frances Weller, and the practices of Buddhist Pema Chodron, we will explore how to prevail in a life that is for more than ourselves. Reverend Margo Rinehart serves Cedars by welcoming people from diverse theological and religious backgrounds and spiritual beliefs on their journeys to learn from one anot...

Rev. Bill Comfort, Guest Minister Gregory Cook, Worship Associate An exploration together of some of Russian painter and art theorist Wassily Kandinsky's thoughts about how spiritual and emotional truths are communicated through shapes and colors in painting. We will reflect together about how these spiritual and emotional truths might manifest in our own experience. Reverend Bill Comfort is a...

Rev. Margo Rinehart, Minister David Thomas, Worship Associate Thich Nhat Hanh and Martin Luther King, Jr. came from different cultures and religions and from countries at war with one another. Let us experience how they influenced one another through deep friendship and a shared commitment to justice and peace.

Rev. Jennifer Alviar, Guest Minister Liz Motter, Worship Associate How do we hold the bittersweetness of life in all its beauty and pain? “Days of honey, days of onion,” as an Arabic proverb puts it. Come join us as we explore the spiritual practice of ritual and renewal as a healing balm in troubled times. Rev. Jennifer Alviar is a Unitarian Universalist minister who designs rituals for healing a...

Rev. Bruce Bode, Guest Minister Johanna Munson, Worship Associate As we embark upon 2026, we will explore how to step into the new year through Robert Frost’s familiar poem “The Road Not Taken,” which – hint, hint! – is not titled “The Road Less Traveled By.” Bruce A. Bode is Minister Emeritus at the Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (QUUF) in Port Townsend, Washington, from which he retir...

Rev. Margo Rinehart, Minister Johanna Munson, Worship Associate Join us for an early Christmas Eve service full of music, singing, and a reminder that the kindness we bestow assuages fear and creates hope.

Rev. Margo Rinehart Gregory Cook, Worship Associate This evening we will be celebrating the winter solstice, the shortest day and the longest night of the year. It is a time of both mystery and expectancy, as the longest dark leads to the return of the sun. Join us in this ancient celebration that still brings restoration and hope into our lives today.

Rev. Bill Comfort, Guest Minister Nancy Philip, Worship Associate In the book "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak, Max lets his primal nature loose upon the jungle of his imagination. We will explore the wild nature within each of us. How does your wild nature work for the benefit or detriment of your life?   Rev. Bill Comfort is a sort of retired UCC Pastor. He works part-tim...

Kathryn LaFond, Guest Speaker Nancy Philip, Worship Associate Featuring music by cellist Gretchen Yanover Find more of her music at https://gretchenyanover.com In order to create the vision of a more fair and equitable world we must first renew our sacred relationship with what has been invisible for far too long. Releasing the ideology of human supremacy is a critical starting point. But can we e...

Rev. Barbara Gilday, Guest Minister Gregory Cook, Worship Associate It feels like the world, our world, is going to hell in a handbasket, as my grandmother would say. And it is, but the pendulum is starting to swing. In our lives, in our country, in our world, we can still lift up our heads and hearts, and reach out to be a clear light for others and Be Thankful – and mean it!  Rev. Barbara Gilda...

Reverend Margo Rinehart, Cedars Minister Gregory Cook, Worship Associate David Thomas, Worship Associate At this time of year All Souls Day and the Day of the Dead provide ritual and ceremony that help us reflect on the gifts given to us by our loved ones who have passed on. Join us for this service of memory that includes building a communal altar to honor those whose inspirations and influence w...

Nancy Reid-McKee, Guest Minister Nancy Philip, Worship Associate After 50 years of throwing clay on a pottery wheel I have learned how art can be a practice of meditation and grounding, and I have learned to let go of perfection. One of the most important lessons has been the beauty found in our flawed and broken pieces. Rev. Nancy Reid-McKee was the minister at Northlake UU Congregation in Kirkla...

Reverend Margo Rinehart, Cedars Minister Nancy Philip, Worship Associate Liz Motter, Worship Associate Historically, Unitarian Universalists and Cedars UU Church have been passionate about issues of Social Justice. Join the members of the Social Action Committee to hear each individual share their passion for their "branch" of Social Action focus for this church year. We will break into...

Rev. Michael Walker, Guest Minister Gregory Cook, Worship Associate Intentions speak of our values and where we wish to put our energy and efforts. A Buddhist teaching about namasté is that we recognize the worthiness in others, very much in alignment with our UU principles, such as when we say we respect the inherent worth and dignity of every person. That is sometimes a challenge -- not every pe...

Mary Lou Sanelli, Guest Speaker Johanna Munson, Worship Associate Sanelli discusses her life and work as a writer. "Sanelli's writing is a fine mixture of literary nonfiction and memoir that often, and honestly, examines the act of writing itself." -The Stranger, Seattle. Mary Lou Sanelli is the author of fourteen titles of nonfiction, fiction, memoir, poetry, and a children's ti...

Rev. Barbara Cornell, Guest Minister Nancy Philip, Worship Associate The common understanding of mistakes is we'd rather not make them or that we are wrong or bad when we make them. How we respond after making a mistake is the story of our lives. Let's think about this together. Rev. Barbara Cornell has been a hospital chaplain for 15 years. She and her husband Dane are proud parents of tw...

Rev. Jennifer Alviar, Guest Minister Johanna Munson, Worship Associate In our global society of multiple faith traditions and diverse spiritual practices, what does the word “faith” really mean? Does one have to accept a particular belief system in order to belong to a community of faith? Or could we revision faith as a vibrant way of life that keeps us morally grounded, yet also open and adaptabl...