Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation's Podcast

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on May 21, 2017. How shall we embody hospitality as a congregation? Rev. Taylor shares his experience of first visiting what would become his spiritual home and encourages us all to do the same, especially as we return to Unity Temple so soon. The theme for the month of May is how to be a community of embodiment. To read about our theme-based mi...

This service from May 14, 2017 was presented by the senior class of the UTUUC Youth Group. Youth Group Coordinator Heather Godbout presents a brief introduction. She is followed by each senior delivering his or her bridging statement. In order, they are Isabella Andries, Leo Boler, Alec Ubogy, Samantha Michaud, Dan Jones, Blair Ripley, Grace Van Note, JT Sandoval, Jovan Williams, Gabe Lewis and Ju...

In this service from May 7, 2017, the first homily is delivered by Intern Minister Kellie C. Kelly. Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor follows with his homily. As our wider Unitarian Universalist community grapples with how our faith tradition perpetuates institutional racism, Intern Minister Kellie Kelly and Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor reflect on the discomforting reality that many Unitarian U...

This service from April 30, 2017 was presented by the 9th graders of the Coming of Age (COA) program. Dan Crimmins, one of the COA facilitators, gives an introduction. Then, each of the 9th graders presents his or her personal credo. In order, they are Brooke Bellmar, Kevin Cawley, Alex Cleofe, Nic Ubogy, Joey Alvestad, Jeremiah Boyd, Ryan Michaud, Elly Freehand, Isabelle Meyer and Collin Waco. Th...

This service presents the Unity Temple Choir under the direction of Music Director Marty Swisher performing Ralph Vaughn Williams's "Dona Nobis Pacem." The choir is joined by soloists Rosalind Lee, soprano; Eric Miranda, baritone; Peter Storms on piano and a 12-piece orchestra. The theme for the month of April is how to be a community of transformation. To read about our theme-based ministry, plea...

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on April 16, 2017. Both "life before death" and "love after death" are causes for celebration. In this Easter sermon, Rev. Taylor shares his understanding of Jesus and how the metaphor of resurrection is relevant to our lives. The theme for April is what it means to be a community of transformation. To read about our theme-based ministry, please...

Sermon delivered by Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage on April 9, 2017. Rev. Gage shares that our theme for exploration this April is not safety or love or acceptance. It is transformation. Transformation. You know, those opportunities for growth and change that sometimes we welcome, and sometimes make us uncomfortable, and sometimes force us to shift our perspective and do new things,...

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on April 2, 2017. Reflecting on a "spirituality of imperfection," Rev. Taylor looks to the wisdom of the recovery movement which has a lot to teach us about the process of transformation. The theme for April is what it means to be a community of transformation. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit  http://www.unitytemple.org/fait...

Sermon delivered by Intern Minister Kellie Kelly on March 26, 2017. Unitarian Universalism calls us to our best selves and to our highest aspirations, our seven Principles. Kellie explores the "riskiness" of our first Principle: the inherent worth and dignity of every person. The theme for March is what it means to be a community of risk. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit  http:...

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on March 19, 2017. What do you do when your wider community, your nation, and your mental health are all in a precarious position? Rev. Taylor reflects on the prevalence of mental disorders and the need to cultivate a community of understanding and compassion.  The theme for March is what it means to be a community of risk. To read about our the...

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on March 12, 2017. What is the difference between a tourist and a traveler when it comes to a spiritual community? What journeys do conscience and spirit call us to? Rev. Alan Taylor reflects on that crucial role of the church: providing spiritual grounding for engaging the world. The theme for March is what it means to be a community of risk. T...

Sermon delivered by Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage on March 5, 2017. And here is the thing: sometimes the ideas you have and the things you do seem dangerous to other people. And so sometimes they try and stop you from sharing those ideas or living those actions. Sometimes--depending on the time and the place--you become a risk taker because of who you are and what you believe and h...

Sermon delivered by Community Minister Rev. Scott Aaseng on February 26, 2017. Rev. Aaseng says that we can keep on having half-conversations about who's right and who's wrong and further feed the brokenness that threatens to tear us apart. Or we can see each other as part of a larger We – a We that is broken, but a We that is in this brokenness together. Rev. Aaseng was a musician, a community ac...

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on February 19, 2017. Albert Einstein said, "Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind." What kind of religion is Einstein talking about? One similar to that of his contemporary, Unitarian minister A. Powell Davies who said, "The world is now too dangerous for anything but the truth and too small for anything but [love]...

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on February 12, 2017. Audre Lorde wrote, "It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate our differences." As Unitarian Universalists, we are prone to minimizing differences among us. But our faith, at its best, calls us to cultivate integrity and claim who we really are as individuals and live...

Sermon delivered by Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage on February 5, 2017. "Exactly" says Dumbledore, " It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. It is our choices, I would venture to say, that make us strengthen and shape our own abilities. What are the new choices we...

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on January 29, 2017. Rev. Taylor prophetically addresses our nation's current crisis, calling us all to use our voices, drawing from the wisdom of Audre Lorde and living into the call of James Luther Adams: "The prophetic liberal church is the church in which all members share the responsibility to attempt to foresee the consequences of human be...

Sermon delivered by Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed on January 22, 2017. Rev. Morrison-Reed shares a reflection on riding the Green Line as a youth from Chicago's south side in the 60s, as a seminarian, and now as a retired minister—and his awareness of the function of the church and our larger need for community. Mark Morrison-Reed served for 26 years as co-minister with his wife, Donna, in Rochester N.Y...

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on January 15, 2017. In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Taylor reflects on what it means to be a Community of Prophecy, especially in light of the current transition of the United States government. The theme for January is what it means to be a community of prophecy. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit  http://w...

Sermon delivered by Rev. Booker Steven Vance on January 8, 2017. Rev. Vance joined Faith in Place in February 2015 as the Policy Director working to promote renewable energy sources and energy efficiency in Illinois' implementation of the EPA's Clean Power Plan. He seeks to communicate a vision for environmental justice for all communities by affecting change at the policy level. Originally from H...

Sermon by Intern Minister Kellie Kelly on January 1, 2017. Kellie shares sources of inspiration that will help us become our own prophets in this new year of resistance and courage. The theme for January is what it means to be a community of prophecy. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit  http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections  on our website.

Reflections for this service from December 25, 2016 are given by Matt Meyer and Intern Minister Kellie Kelly. Matt reflects on a time when he found "Improbable Hope" and Kellie shares her journey to "Improbable Faith." Matt Meyer works professionally as an itinerant UU musician and preacher, having lead hundreds of services for UU congregations around the country. He is a founding member and Direc...

Sermon delivered on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2016, by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor who reflects on the meaning of Christmas in this time and place. The theme for December is what it means to be a community of presence. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit  http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections  on our website.

Sermon delivered by Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage on December 18, 2016. Emily says, "I believe, at our core, we are people of resistance. We are people of faith and hope. We are people who rise up and do what needs to be done even when there's always some reason not to. We show up and we are there." The theme for December is what it means to be a community of presence. To read abou...

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on December 11, 2016. Rev. Alan Taylor explores what it means to be emotionally present to others especially when anxiety is in our midst. The theme for December is what it means to be a community of presence. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit  http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections  on our website.