Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation's Podcast

This podcast showcases the Unity Temple Choir under the direction of Music Director Marty Swisher. The choir performed Dietrich Buxtehude's "Magnificat anima mea" and other pieces on December 4, 2016. They were accompanied by Peter Storms on piano; Becky Coffman, Karen Nelson, and Meg Lancer on violin; Naomi Hinder on viola; Franscisco Moleskin on cello; and Dominic Azkoul on double bass. The Magn...

Sermon delivered by Intern Minister Kellie Kelly on November 27, 2016. Kellie asks us to reflect on the parts we play in our own stories and to consider rewriting our stories with courage and hope. The theme for November is what it means to be a community of story. 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 November 20, 2016. It is preceded by a reflection on the Unitarian Universalist principles by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor. "How lucky we are to be alive right now," says Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the smash musical, "Hamilton." Lucky because life is a gift, and we keep on seeing these wonderful things around us even when...

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on November 13, 2016. With the presidential election just behind us, Rev. Taylor provides a reflection on hope, love, and resilience. For this is a time to grieve and connect with others to ward off bitterness and cynicism. The theme for November is what it means to be a community of story. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit  h...

Sermon delivered by Rev. Scott Aaseng and Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on November 6, 2016. Our 3rd UU Principle calls us to both accept each other and encourage each other to grow spiritually. How do we call each other -- including those who oppose our values -- to be our best selves after this election? Rev. Aaseng was a musician, a community activist, and a Lutheran pastor (among other thin...

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on October 30, 2016. Given there is nothing intelligent to say in the face of death, what is an appropriate response? Rev. Taylor shares how his family grieved for a recent loss and explores how to respond sensitively to those in grief. The theme for October is what it means to be a healing community. To read about our theme-based ministry, plea...

Sermon delivered by Intern Minister Kellie Kelly on October 23, 2016. Anger cannot be buried -- it must be healed. Yet, this simple truth is hard to achieve. In order to heal our anger, we must practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves and the world. The theme for October is what it means to be a healing community. To read about our theme-based ministry,...

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on October 16, 2016. Rev. Taylor reflects on what it means to be a healing community, both as a congregation and joining with others who share our commitments. The theme for October is what it means to be a healing community. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit  http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections  on o...

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on October 9, 2016. Rev. Taylor explores the healing wisdom of the Jewish High Holy Days and the role of forgiveness in the spiritual life.  The theme for October is what it means to be a healing community. 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 October 2, 2016. Emily doesn't think it's an overstatement to say that in some ways, we have fallen into divisions so deep that we don't even know how to engage in conversation. We're so busy thinking of people in particular categories as "other" that we can't hear their stories or truths or experiences. All that does is create m...

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on September 25, 2016. The sermon is preceded by a reading given by Membership Director Tina Lewis. Creating healthy beloved community takes a lot of work. There is much to learn from the ministry and leadership of Thomas Starr King, a 19th century preacher who held together not only congregations struggling with abolition but also the nation. T...

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on September 18, 2016. What binds us together as a community? There's a lot to criticize about the early Puritans. But their notion of covenant has been at the heart of who we are as a faith community and, for many, as Americans. The theme for September is what it means to be a community of covenant. To read about our theme-based ministry, pleas...

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on September 11, 2016. This was homecoming Sunday and the beginning of the 2016-2017 church year. What does it mean to live in covenant with others? This is a fun and poignant response by Rev. Alan Taylor as he addresses a worship for all ages. The theme for September is what it means to be a community of covenant. To read about our theme-based...

Sermon delivered by Heather Godbout on September 4, 2016. Heather has been an educator in public schools for 23 years. She spent the first two decades of her career teaching special education and currently serves as the literacy coach at an elementary school in one of Chicago's south suburbs. Ms. Godbout has also been involved in Unitarian Universalist youth ministry since 1997, currently serving...

Sermon delivered by Tony Mitchell on August 28, 2016. An Oak Park resident and Chicago area native, Tony joined Unity Temple in the spring of 2015. He currently is enrolled in the Masters of Divinity program at Meadville Lombard Theological School, where Tony is in formation to become a Unitarian Universalist Minister. A Soul Connections leader in the congregation, he plans to become a Unity Templ...

Sermon delivered by Kellie C. Kelly on August 21, 2016. Kellie is a student at Meadville Lombard Theological School, steering committee chairperson of UU Class Conversations, and Unity Temple's incoming ministerial intern. Before seminary, she built a career in the staffing industry as a sales manager and technical recruiter. Kellie's call to ministry began when she worked as a U.S. Navy family om...

Sermon delivered by Rev. Scott Aaseng on August 14, 2016. In this sermon, Scott wants us to ask ourselves if we are as good at receiving as we are at giving. Rev. Aaseng was a musician, a community activist, and a Lutheran pastor (among other things) prior to discovering his call to Unitarian Universalist ministry. Scott graduated from the St. Olaf Paracollege with a degree in Peace Studies, and s...

Sermon delivered by Rev. Brian Chenowith on August 7, 2016. Brian is a lifelong Chicagoan with roots in the South Side. His spiritual upbringing was Catholic and Anglican though he came to Unitarian Universalism in middle school. It was there, in that UU church where he spent his formative years, that he heard the call to ministry most clearly. He earned his degree in Theology & Religion from Elmh...

This service from July 31, 2016 was presented by members of the UTUUC Reproductive Justice Committee along with Dr. Cassing Hammond. Dr. Hammond, who delivers the sermon, practices General Obstetrics and Gynecology and also directs the Section and Fellowship in Family Planning & Contraception at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine where he is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecolog...

Sermon delivered on July 24, 2016 by Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage. "As I hear news that feels to me so overwhelming that it makes it hard to know how to keep going, I wonder about how we keep holding onto hope. And then, I think of Pat Summit, in sheer determination and finding some sort of faith out of despair: 'Right foot, left foot, breathe, repeat.' That's how we keep going."...

Sermon delivered by Rev. Colleen Vahey on July 17, 2016. In September 2015, Colleen joined the Unity Temple staff as our part-time  Faith in Action Coordinator.  She is an ordained UU minister who, over the past twenty-five years, has served as a hospital chaplain, a religious educator, a college lecturer and assistant minister. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Colleen has also lived in Australia, Sw...

This service was presented on July 10, 2014 by the Unity Temple Mental Health Awareness Team (MyHAT). Members of the team who offered their reflections here are, in order, LeeLee Ward, Aaron Grace, and John Tandarich. The Co-Chairs of MyHAT are Bonnie Jordan and Janet Holden. Other members of the MyHAT Planning Team are Joan Greene, Joan Vanderbeck, Alice Ocrey,  Beth Fisher, Lurana Brown and Kimb...

Sermon delivered by UTUUC member Christine Steyer on July 3, 2016. Soprano Christine Steyer was a recent winner of six national awards, including The American Prize in Art Song and The Johnny Mercer Award. Christine received critical acclaim for her operatic portrayals of the Marschallin from Der Rosenkavalier, the title role in Madama Butterfly and Violetta in La Traviata. She has performed roles...

Sermon delivered by Rob Breymaier on June 26, 2016. Rob has been working on fair housing policy for over 20 years. As Executive Director of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center, he leads the nation's most successful effort to promote integration and fair housing in the private housing market. Through the efforts of the Housing Center, Oak Park has established and sustained a racially integrated co...