“I’ll bring you hope, when hope is hard to find…” Poetry can offer words of encouragement for all the difficult times in our lives. Join Rima Snyder and Judith Martin-Straw for an exploration of poems that can help us find hope and reassurance.
"Stories We Leave Behind" is the theme by Chaplain Bronwen Jones. Inspired by the lives of her oncology patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, she explores the notion of legacy, that we create our legacy whether we want to or not. Every moment we are alive has the potential to be remembered by our loved ones and friends, our colleagues and peers. It is a subject rich for contemplation and creativity. We can harness our awareness of what is most important to us and have some potency in how we are remembered. Worship Associate: Jo An Peters.
Inspiring Songs for Centering Love. Listen to the music, where the song lyrics are incorporated into the sermon itself. Feel free to sing along during this Soulful Sunrise. Each song represents an emotional/spiritual turning point in our lives when, in wisdom, hope, and faith, we may collectively turn to embrace love as a personal centering act of caring, sharing, serving, and forgiving. Johnny Canales, MDiv, MTS, Lay Community Minister, is an accomplished musician and a member of our congregation. Patrick Meighan, Worship Associate.
In April, James was officially designated a "Distinguished Alumn" at his seminary, the Pacific School of Religion. When he visited, he witnessed some of the consequences of the steep decline in mainstream religions, especially Christianity. He also witnessed some things that gave him hope for a vital and useful spirituality in our perilous times. We welcome back the Rev. James Ishmael Ford, who is a Unitarian Universalist minister, a Zen teacher and retreat leader, a blogger, and an author. He is minister emeritus at the First Unitarian Church of Providence, RI. For the past three years he has served as a consulting minister with the First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles. He is also an active member of the teaching circle of the Empty Moon Zen community. Sue Bickford, Worship Associate.
Amy Brunell explores the topic, "Your Body Is Welcome Here." We have been led to believe that only certain bodies are healthy and therefore valuable. We have been inundated with what "health" looks like. If we do not match the ideal, then we are called lazy, considered uneducated, and lacking self-care strategies. In addition, many of our Liberal folks still struggle with the unconscious bias of tattoos and piercings! Now our Trans folks, including children, are being attacked and denied medical care and acceptance. Let's gently consider some of the bias of bodies we may encounter or we ourselves have. Johnny Canales, Worship Associate
Pastor Stephen "Cue" Jn-Marie, preaching. Misplaced Love destroys the balance of the universe and throws everything off track & out of whack, it inhibits us from loving our neighbor effectively! We welcome Pastor Stephen "Cue" Jn-Marie this morning. Cue is the Pastor and founder of The Row LA – “The Church Without Walls” founded in 2006, in Downtown Los Angeles’ Skid Row community. Pastor Cue is also a faith-rooted organizer with Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE), since 2015 and is co-lead organizer of the Black Jewish Justice Alliance (BJJA) as well as Co-convener of the Black and Brown Clergy and Community coalition and is dedicated to helping address issues of public policy that are affecting the most vulnerable citizens and residents in the City & County of Los Angeles. Sue Bickford is our Worship Associate.
Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae and Rev. Amelia Mumina Marie, preaching. "Shall we gather by the river... the beautiful, beautiful river?" asks the hymn we sang at the Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly and will sing again this morning — a reflection upon all people gathering at the river of life. Like General Assembly, a time when congregations from all across the nation join together in worship, this annual service is a time for us to come together to inaugurate a new church year. We will pour libations of water and offer our hopes and dreams into the well of our common life. You may bring a small container of water that is sacred to you for the ceremony. We will also warmly welcome our newest members, so be sure to join us on this special Sunday morning! Johnny Canales is our Worship Associate.
Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae, preaching. We are greeted by the Days of Awe — the Jewish High Holy Days — with the arrival of Rosh HaShanah. This is a time for finding clarity within oneself and peace with one's neighbor and the divine. Join us as we reflect on this sacred time and read the chapters we've each written in the Book of Life. This weekend many in our congregation will be on retreat together at Camp de Benneville Pines.
Rev. Amelia Mumina Marie, preaching. Our new Ministerial Specialist for Religious Education and Community Life invites us to welcome wonder as we get to know her a little better and celebrate her new multigenerational ministry with us this morning. Chela Metzger, Worship Associate.
Revs. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae & Amelia Mu'mina Marie, preaching
Cassie Winters, Worship Associate
Join us for our annual service celebrating St. Francis Day — the Patron Saint of Animals and The Environment in many traditions — and the Blessing of the Animals. We honor the interdependent web of all existence and especially those animals who share our homes and planet in this multigenerational service. You are invited to bring your friendly furry friends (or a picture of them) to church with you to receive a blessing as they bless us all with their presences this morning. Join us for Sunday worship in-person and online.
Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae, preaching; Karen Hsu Patterson, Worship Associate. Ministry is at the heart of our liberal and liberating identity as Unitarian Universalists, and it is something we share among the gathered community. Everyone is called to the service of ministry in our tradition, but how do we define ministry and understand it in contemporary times? We will explore such questions together and also commission the members of our new Committee on Shared Ministry and learn more about their service to our congregation.
Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae, preaching; Patrick Meighan, Worship Associate. The mission and vision of a congregation are like the chart and compass that help us live into our collective commitments and aspirations as a beloved community. They help to keep us from being static and move us in the direction of continual growth and transformation. Renewing mission and vision statements is something congregations do to keep the living tradition alive and fresh and to ensure everyone is on the same page--or at least reading the same book--when it comes to why we exist and what we hope to achieve together. This work is one of our developmental ministry priorities this year and your input will be invaluable. Come learn about this exciting new endeavor and how you might be a part of this next step in our developmental progress.