UUMKE Sunday Service Podcast

Our world moves in seasons, grief and winter always giving way to spring and joy, and back again. Death is part of the cycle of life, making way for new life as well as nourishing it. The earth is a powerful teacher about life, death, and resurrection, and bearing witness to her beauty can help us journey through the grief and fear of our finitude. Join us for this Easter and Earth Day service whe...

Was Jesus a revolutionary, healer, wisdom teacher, Spirit-filled person, Jewish renewal leader, cosmic Christ or all of the above? Why were people so joyful when Jesus came to town during the Passover festival? How can we embrace that joy even though we know what happened to him at the end of the week? Join us this Palm Sunday when we explore the relevance of Jesus’ life to our times

Talking about joy in the midst of political repression is complicated: how can we celebrate in the midst of devastation? And yet, resistance movements all over the world have rooted themselves in love and yes, joy, energizing the movements by reminding us what we’re fighting for. Join us for this service where we explore what gives us joy, and what joy gives us.

Becoming trustworthy is a lifelong process. Engaging with life means continually growing and learning. My soul may never get it right, but the journey is the destination. Join us this Sunday for a ritual of letting go and reflections on trusting transitions.

In Unitarian Universalism, we have humanists, atheists, agnostics and religious naturalists in our congregations. What does it mean to talk about faith if we are not talking about God? What does it mean to trust in something larger than oneself if that trust is conditional, or complicated, or the larger thing is fuzzy? Join us for this worship service where we explore trust in the universe as a no...

Relationships are built at the speed of trust and are based in mutuality and reciprocity. How can we be intentional about building trust in our relationships? What do we do with our baggage? Join us this Sunday when we explore the value of trustworthy relationships of many kinds.

I trust you with my heart, but you’re not my cardiologist. Oof! Trusting fallible humans can be tough. What does trust mean, and what does it mean when we know it will be broken? How can we trust people with our tender hearts knowing relationship ruptures are inevitable? Join us for this service where we explore intent and impact, rupture and repair, and the long-haul work of people trust among im...

2025-03-02 ● The Rev. Jennifer Nordstrom ● Practicing Trust in Community by First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee

Finding belonging is a central hope when we explore any new community. We enter with questions that drive our search: Do my values align here? Can I be myself here? Can I connect with others? Will this be a home and safe harbor? Will this community help me grow? We can join a community, but it may take time to feel rooted in belonging.

What do we owe one another? Are there limits to inclusion? Join us this Sunday as we explore how to balance the goals of radical welcome with the boundaries of covenant.

This Sunday features a time for our young people to create a unique service that reflects their hearts and minds. This year our youth will be exploring the theme of inclusion. Their inspiration will come from their own lived experience as well as a storytelling workshop with Dasha Kelly Hamilton. Dasha Kelly Hamilton is a writer and performance artist, who applies the creative process to facilitat...

Inclusive spaces enable liberation for us and other people. Relationships with people lead to personal and collective growth, inciting transformation in our souls and our communities. In Unitarian Universalism, inclusion is the practice of our belief in the sacred worth of every human being, and the interdependent web of all existence. Join us for this worship service where we draw the circle wide...

In the body wisdom practice called InterPlay, we have a saying that repetition is our friend. When we rewatch our favorite movie, reread our favorite book, retell our favorite family stories, we reweave our connections and give each other a place to belong. Which stories ground you and give you a sense of tradition? Join us this Sunday when we reflect on how shared stories repeated through time he...

2024-12-24 ● The Rev. Jennifer Nordstrom ● A Mostly True Christmas Story by First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee

This Sunday Service, Kelly-Hamilton cuts into a cake, revealing what its history and ingredients can teach us about race, class and equity in America. Experience the live performance by Dasha and First Church bakers, plus a delicious conversation and—your favorite—cake.

What is a story and why do we tell stories? Whether we hear stories in person, through a book, movie, podcast, reel or TikTok, they fascinate and compel us to listen. Stories help us make sense of the world, understand others’ experiences, and make meaning from our own lives. Sometimes a good story is all we need to keep going. Join us this Sunday when we begin the new year by exploring the purpos...

All of creation lies in the space between imagination and action. When we listen deeply to one another, to impacted communities, and to the earth, we generate the care we need to respond to the climate crisis.

We all have invitations we have turned down. What if we had said yes to that learning opportunity, that trip, that date? Our lives are as paved by our “no’s” as they are by our “yes’s.” Join us for this worship service where we explore the road not taken, and how the things we have turned down made space for the lives we are living today

2024-09-22 ● The Rev. Dena McPhetres ● Inviting Relationship by First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee

At every potluck planning session, there is a moment when someone worries, “what if all we have is jello salad?” We can choose how we respond to that concern: assign everyone a dish; dole out entrée / salad / dessert categories; or let it flow. Which potluck planner are you?

So many people long for community, and yet have never received an invitation to one. It can be difficult to make friends as an adult, let alone build an entire community. The loving, values-based, multigenerational community we have here at First Church is a sacred treasure, but it doesn’t need to be a secret treasure with a complicated map and decoder ring. Join us for this celebratory Ingatherin...

Full presence in this season, our lives, and ourselves requires connection to both mind and body. In all the busyness, how can we be present to our lives and loves? Join us for this worship service where we engage practices that allow us to feel, play, and process.

In this time of heightened concern about democracy, our deepest values and beliefs can still ground and guide us. What theological perspectives keep our country from living up to its promise, and how might Unitarian Universalists act with hope and love?

What if suffering is not only a catalyst for joy, but necessary to experience joy in its fullness? Just like salt is harsh on the tongue alone, suffering in and of itself can feel unbearable. Suffering can also intensify and highlight joy, just like salt enhances flavors in a dish! Join us on Sunday as we explore transforming suffering, and finding circular joy.

America is a nation formed around the idea that the best government is that which gives the individual liberty to govern themselves. As lofty as that sounds on paper, in reality it is difficult to implement. On this Labor Day weekend, we will explore the relationship between the individual and the group. We’ll offer some examples of how the “right of conscience” might supersede “group norms.” And...