UUCCI

We begin this Sunday with the first of a series of services around the theme of "Becoming Bridge Builders." Rev. Nic Cable will offer reflections on the many ways various world religions define God, Gods, Goddess, and Spirit. He will reflect on the limitations of language to express the mystery and wonder billions of people across time and place have had regarding divinity and the power...

Like the chicken and the egg, we might wonder what came first sexuality or spirituality? Often seen as oil and water, a conversation has been unfolding for millennia between these two forces of the human experience. Rev. Nic will bring the new into conversation to consider how we might exorcise our aversion to either or both in our individual and shared lives. Doing so, may bring new understanding...

With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the topic of bodily autonomy is front and center more that it has been in decades. At the core of controlling, predominantly, women's and trans people's bodies is not only misogyny and transphobia, but the hatred and narrow defining of the value and purpose of bodies in general. Through an exploration of the influences of diet culture, social media, and...

Music represents and impacts so many facets of human existence. From history, culture, and religion, to identity, struggle, and social justice movements, music and its unique vibrations across time and culture holds the key to our interdependence and liberatory future. Rev. Nic concludes his three part series on how the artistic mediums of film, literature, and music with a focus on how music may...

Alfred North Whitehead believed "It is in literature that the concrete outlook of humanity receives its expression." In turning toward the world of writing and reading, we discover an important question: 1) how does literature relate to our ability to communicate and imagine across time and place? Rev. Nic will explore the power literature can play in our lives and our emerging future. 0...

For the next few weeks, we will explore various mediums of art and the impact they have on our sense of self, place, and purpose, and our relationships to others and the world. We begin with a dive into the world of film with an inclusion of TV/Streaming services which have blurred the line between the industries. Rev. Nic will consider how film can shape our values, our understanding of the world...

Throughout the last several decades, our congregation has been committed to the social justice concerns of our wider community and world. We have focused on different issues and initiatives, as well as cultivated different partnerships to meet the demands of the day. Led by members of the UU Courageous Action Network, this service will articulate some of our past commitments and those opportunitie...

As we begin 2024, we pause for a moment of letting go and picking up. We will gather to burn away the things that no longer align with our values and needs; we will pick up the fire of commitment for those things to which we will hold in the coming year. Through a Fire Communion, we will find a way to acknowledge our fears, disappointments, hopes, and courage in community. 0:05 Welcome 1:19 Openin...

This summer, Rev. Cecilia Kingman offered the 203rd Annual Berry Street Essay on the shifting theological and practical uses of power in Unitarian Universalism. Are there limitations to a liberal religious understanding of power (e.g. freedom) and would a shift toward a more liberationist view of power (e.g. love) be a better path? For this year's auction sermon, purchased by the Barnards, Rev...

0:05 Opening Words 3:09 Wonderbox 8:23 Reflection 13:27 Reading 15:16 Reflection 16:47 Reading 17:36 Reflection 20:29 Reading 23:18 Reflection Follow us on Facebook to see what exciting events and projects are happening in the UUCCI community / uucci Receive weekly updates in your inbox when you sign up for our Friday Reminders! Send an email to admin@uucci.org to join the mailing list!

The “work to overcome injustice in all its forms” is like Hercules trying to defeat the many-headed Hydra; as soon as you attack one injustice, three more injustices emerge beside it. It can be demoralizing and leave one feeling hopeless. Rev. Nic ends his six-part sermon series calling upon us to unleash the abundant multitudes within our hearts, so that we can grow the resources of our ministry...

Every year at UUCCI’s Annual Meeting, we acknowledge our shared ministry and congregational life together. Beyond approving a budget, electing board members, and acknowledging the achievements of the past year, we are in essence recommitting to upholding our values, embodying our purpose, and moving forward in love for another year. This year, the pain of the world is loud, clear, and constant. Re...

Remembering and talking about our loved ones who have died can be very painful, even decades after a death. Many struggle to process or transform one’s relationship with the dead, preferring instead to not acknowledge what may feel like the elephant in the room. Rev. Nic Cable will guide our annual memorial service that aims to assist our community in acknowledging “those who have died have never,...

It's Alive!!! Dr. Frankenstein, His Monster, and Our Not So Secret God Complex With Rev. Nic Cable and Sondra Bolte There is irony and yet import in our often confusing Dr. Frankenstein and his Monster. Both have monstrous tendencies and both are aching for human connection and happiness. Yet, it is Frankenstein who seeks to be The New Prometheus and play God with the power of technology. Rev....

Dracula in Drag: Recognizing Our Humanity through a Vampiric Lens With Rev. Nic Cable and Lesley Reuter Dracula specifically and vampires generally symbolize many aspects of society’s discomfort with topics related to sex and gender. From the hypersexualization of gay men, to the projection of predatory behavior on members of the LGBTQ+ community, to the linking of disease and sexual deviance espe...

Are We Living through a Zombie Apocalypse? Tools for Surviving the End of the World With Rev. Nic Cable and Chris Kevitt We begin a six-week series of Facing Our Monsters by exploring the metaphor and meaning of Zombies. Since 1968, when The Night of the Living Dead released in theaters, zombies have been depicted in many art forms and become a central figure in the pantheon of monsters in popular...

We apologize for the technical difficulties. A video of this service with closed captions is available on our Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf4RFoadWi8 Forgiveness is a complicated and fraught topic. Looking to wisdom found in Jewish teachings on forgiveness, we will explore how we think, feel, talk about, and engage in this delicate journey of the human heart. 0:05 Opening...

The Unitarian Universalist community meets at the intersection of our history, theology, and ethics. How we gather matters. Or as Unitarian Universalist educator, Angus MacLean put it, "The Method is the Message." What is unique, meaningful, and transformational about UU community? What is that je ne sais quoi, that x-factor, about our congregation at UUCCI? Rev Nic will conclude our fou...

Universalist minister, professor, and seminary president, Lewis Beals Fisher wrote in his 1921 book—Which Way? A Study of Universalists and Universalism—"Universalists are often asked to tell where they stand… The only true answer to give to this question is that we do not stand at all, we move.” Our liberal religious history is shaped by theological convictions that inspire us to act in the...

Universalist minister, professor, and seminary president, Lewis Beals Fisher wrote in his 1921 book—Which Way? A Study of Universalists and Universalism—"Universalists are often asked to tell where they stand… The only true answer to give to this question is that we do not stand at all, we move.” Our liberal religious history is shaped by theological convictions that inspire us to act in the...

School's Back in Session! As our children return for another year of learning and growth, we begin a month-long series: UU 101. Join Rev. Nic Cable as he launches this series that will explore our history, theology, ethics, and community life together as UUs. Today, we will be diving into the rich, winding history of Unitarian Universalism, which transports us from here to Transylvania across...

The stories we tell shape how we see ourselves and the world. As we weave together our stories as a congregation, it is important to understand the narratives that we tell and how they help or hinder us in becoming who we want to be 0:05 Opening Words 1:04 Wonderbox 8:34 Reading 10:53 Reflection 17:00 Sermon Follow us on Facebook to see what exciting events and projects are happening in the UUCCI...

With Adrienne Summerlot In this service we will reflect on how Unitarian Universalism has adapted over the years to be a living faith. We will delve into the proposed changes in Article II which include purposes, values and covenant, inspirations, inclusion and freedom of belief. We hope to begin to imagine what it could look like to be accountable to one another for doing the work of living our s...

With Elizabeth Valencia-Gutierrez and Cynthia Scott   As part of multicultural welcome, Unitarian Universalists attempt to acknowledge different holidays. We will explore holidays celebrated by various religions at this time of year.   0:06 Opening Words  2:55 Wonderbox  12:01 Reading  15:28 Reflection  19:50 Message   Follow us on Facebook to see what exciting e...

Join us this Sunday as our sabbatical preacher, Elizabeth Valencia-Gutierrez, shifts the conversation to seeking and mysticism. As we’ve reflected on what it is time to let go of, what is it that still seeks us on our path? How do we continue to welcome our authentic seeking, even if it means rooting us in more than one place?   0:06 Gathering Words  1:13 Wonderbox  10:09 Reading&nb...