Worship Services

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.

Rev. Kikanza Nuri-Robins, preaching; Sue Bickford, Worship Associate. What does the Universe call you to do? What is it that causes your soul to sing? If, indeed, each of us is here, on earth, for a particular reason, what might that one thing be? And how differently would you experience your relationships if you felt called to be in them? This morning you are invited to explore the yearnings of your heart and the songs of your soul.

Revs. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae and Amina Mu'mina Marie, preaching; Vilma Ortiz and Johnny Canales, Worship Associates. The season of the ancestors has arrived and we feel their presences in our hearts. In this autumnal multigenerational service honoring El Día de los Muertos (The Day of Dead) we will celebrate the season of Allhallowtide and the spirits that are said to now commune with the living. You may bring a photo of a loved one you have lost to set among the marigolds of our Ofrenda. Our annual Garden of Eternity Service will follow the regular Sunday service at noon to remember those who have died in the past year and all those who now have memorial bricks placed in our beautiful Garden of Eternity.

"The Year to Save the Earth" Join in welcoming back UU composer Jim Scott for a special service of his music — a multimedia, musical message. This is the pre-premier, sneak preview of “The Year to Save the Earth.” Jim’s powerful and poignant songs of Earth and Ecology are illustrated with beautiful and striking images shown on our big screen. Come celebrate our Mother Earth, the challenges, and the hope for the future! Our choir will offer several of the anthems, and there’s many opportunities to sing along. Across four decades, composer, poet, and activist Jim Scott has performed in more than 700 UU Churches. His much loved “Gather the Spirit” and others are included in our UU hymnbooks. Jim was one of the creators of the “Green Sanctuary” program, and he compiled The Earth and Spirit Songbook, 110 songs of ecology and peace. Longtime member of the Paul Winter Consort, Jim co-wrote their celebrated “Missa Gaia/Earth Mass.” He has gone on to create award winning choral works, PBS soundtracks, and nine CDs of original music. Jim received an NEA grant to create and produce “The Year to Save the Earth” multimedia concert. He hopes to take it everywhere. -- Daylight Savings Time ends, so we'll set our clocks back an hour.

"Holy Land" Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae, preaching. The home and meeting place of three of the world's great religions — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — is held to be a land of peace and it has endured centuries of upheaval, war, and violence. Join us as we reflect upon the Holy Land and we offer the longings of our hearts for justice, stability, healing, and a lasting peace. Join us for worship in-person and online.