UU Church of Annapolis Podcast

The  holidays can be  a  time of joy and also  a  time of struggle. This service will open space for all  the  complicated feelings we carry during this season of light and darkness.

Unitarian Universalists 5th principle encourages us to affirm and promote:  The  right of conscience and  the  use of  the  democratic process within our congregations and  in  society at large.  In   a  joint sermon following  the  mid-term election, Revs. John and Kathleen will reflect  on  the  meaning of democracy  in   a  nation divided by  the  threat of tribalism. Can this election serve as...

"Be welcoming" we are told.  It's actually hard to be truly welcoming. Why?  As religious people, however, it is what we do.  It's who we are. In this message, Rev. John tells the story of UUCA's Black Lives Matter sign and the confession of a young man who stole it.  He ends with the call for UUs to not think small and even though it's counter-intuitive, to open its doors even wider to welcome th...

In   the  midst of  the  fight for justice, how do we care for  the  spirit? This sermon will examine  the  history of armistice, and what that means for  the  ways we create sanctuary. - Leika Lewis-Cornwell, Intern Minister

In liberal circles being  woke  is a popular saying these days.  It's  in  to be aware-but aware of what? Rev. John delves into why there are woes and wows as we awaken to the true realities of what life really is.

There are plenty of misconceptions about the role of forgiveness in our lives.  Some of these are indeed grounded in religious teachings; others are secular attempts to express the need to forgive.  But what about the commitment of acts which are unforgivable?  What do we do with those?  Rev. Kathleen delivers a message that explores forgiveness, resentment, and moving through some of life's most...

Shauntee Daniels, Worship Lay Minister, examines the words of Frederick Douglass  It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men . Right now, children of color are at risk, we know that for sure. But when we examine the facts all children are at risk. What are the risks? How can we look at ourselves to help all children be strong?

Current science is discovering that trees and other organisms can and do communicate with each other. Hear how Lisa Fleeharty explores how this informs our understanding of our seventh principle and its connection to  the  first (and eighth!).  

Listen to UU seminarian and former DRE Dayna Edwards as she explores the ways in which life and death conspire to keep us in balance whether we like it or not.   Her words are timely given our recent tragedy.  

We all think about our own life and how it will change over time. It is prudent to think about how our church will change. Even though we are addressing our documents and taking an inventory of our activities today, we have taken  a  major step  in  adopting  the  8th Principle. How will this affect  the  church community and help us grow our faith? How will this expand  the  breadth of our reach?...

When our bodies are wounded, the body kicks into high gear to begin the process of healing. From the common cold to more serious diseases or injuries, our body intuitively knows how to heal itself.  When we are faced with trauma, grief and/or loss we need to pay equal attention to how our we heal emotionally and spiritually.  The good news is that healing can, does, and will occur.   As we seek to...

This interactive service will draw from multiple sources and traditions to examine the "golden rule" and what we can learn from each other about embracing the joy in life. Reading is by Whitney Houston, The Greatest Love of All Read by Worship Leader Alethea Shiplett       

Join Worship Leader, Jane Carrigan and she explores forgiveness, letting go and reconciling her relationship with her sister through the spiritual practice of "Ho'oponopono".  

This is the entire service save the first 15-minutes, unfortunately.  There is a live stream and also a videotape version coming soon.  This version is 2:22 minutes but worth every second.   Thank you Wendi for your bravery and love of what you do!

On June 28 at 2:33pm, We lost an incredible member of our congregation, Wendi Winters.  Her service was too large to be held in our sanctuary with a 250 capacity.  We moved the service to Maryland Hall which holds 726.  There were over 1000 in attendance (standing room only); and another 1,000 watching our live-stream.  "This is the biggest thing to happen in the life of our congregation to date,"...

In 1920, Olympia Brown gave her final sermon entitled, " The Opening Doors," a  few weeks after the passage of the 19th Amendment which gave women the  right to vote in America. This victory sermon was a reminder to the  Universalists in Racine, Wisconsin to remember their shared salvation and how they are called to be a blessing to others. A century later, this message may still ring true for us.

"It only takes a spark to get a fire going...That's how it is with love.." Kurt Kaiser's words guide this message about generosity--lighting the flame within; and the power giving has on people, places and things!  Check out Rev. John's message on Father's Day 2018. Note:  This message was not recorded live so this is a re-recording.      

Rev. Kathleen Rolenz & Leika Lewis-Cornwell What do you do when you find yourself between a rock and a hard place? As we look at the monthly theme of "Blessing" we find that many blessings aren't visible until we are going through troubled times. The Worship leaders reflect on blessing and struggle in this sermon. This was a multi-sensory service in which the entire worship team was involved so we...

SSECCUS with Rev. John Crestwell, Jr.    Is this title creative?  Creativity is our monthly theme.  I spelled success backward because I think many have it all wrong. Today I examine ideas and definitions of  success that may be opposite to what you may have considered success to be.    NOTE:  Sermon wasn't recorded live so Rev. John did a manual recording for this podcast.    

Surrendering is seen as cowardice by many but it actually is very courageous and is one of the hardest things in life to do. We hold on--sometimes too long--and in the process lose the very thing we wanted so badly. Using strategies from Dr. David Hawkins, Rev. John will help us with one of the hardest lessons of all--letting go. 

Mum's  the  word is British slang for "keeping quiet." Today, however, we're not keeping quiet about  the  role that our Mums (or moms) play  in  our lives. This multigenerational service celebrates Mother's Day and included our annual Flower Ceremony. 

We are restless souls yearning to be understood and evolve. What is emerging in ourselves and in humanity? Inspired by the words of the Chilean Poet Pablo Neruda, Rev. John explores how learning to understand our emerging selves and each other allows us to live into the Beloved Community.     

Heloise's household hints column was begun  in  1959 to help readers clean up life's spills, stains and stinks. Our greatest household -  the  planet - is desperately  in  need of action if we want to preserve  the  home for present and future generations. Rev. Kathleen Rolenz shares her thoughts in this Earth Day Sermon. 

This Sunday combines two seemingly opposite holidays; the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth from  the  tomb and April Fool's Day -  a  day of pranks, merriment and  the  opportunity for those  in  positions of power to be foolish or to be exposed as fools. Yet, much of Jesus' ministry was to show those  in  power how foolish they truly were.  Regardless if you identify as  a  Christian or not,  th...

Are you angry? Have you struggled with anger? There are many schools of thought about anger and its productive and counter-productive qualities. Rev. John Crestwell analyzes  the  many angles of anger and how we can balance our own internal fire, productively, before it becomes fury and does harm to ourselves and others.  This is a continuation of last week's message focusing on the success of the...