Rev. Ritchie recounts the many institutions and practices, from rural cemeteries to cremation to memorial societies and green burials, that Unitarian Universalists have put in place to make sure that the dying, the dead and those in mourning are not exploited, but rather granted the maximum of agency and dignity in their hour of need. … Continue reading The Good Death, Unitarian Universalist Style
In honor of Women’s History Month, Rev. Ritchie explores some snapshots from Unitarian Universalist history where women creatively subverted gender myths and conventions, and what lessons we might carry forward from that work into the current day. Attend in person or online. Congregational meeting to immediately follow worship, stay on the worship link to attend. … Continue reading Myth America, UU Style
Rev. Ritchie shares how critical race theory, with its emphasis on the frank presentation of vulnerability accompanied by the resistance to privatization of pain, restored her sense of wholeness in a trying time in her personal life. Similarly, it can offer a path forward for a wounded nation. And yet Critical Race Theory is currently … Continue reading True Confessions of a Critical Race Theorist
Taking a leap of faith can be terrifying. It requires courage, trust and just a bit of stupidity. No one does it better than cartoon characters. We can learn a great deal about the art of leaping and falling from them but what they cannot teach us is what happens after the fall. Intern Minister … Continue reading What Saturday Morning Cartoons Did Not Teach Us About Leaping and Falling
Rev. Ritchie explores the religious convictions of President Jimmy Carter, especially as they relate to love, democracy, and the role of religion in public life. Inspired by Carter’s definition of faith, we’ll also delve into what faith means in an explicitly Unitarian Universalist context. Current Covid Policy: Vaccines are strongly recommended. Masks are not required, … Continue reading The Faith of a President
Rev. Ritchie recounts the radical origins of the self-care movement to explore how the duty of love we owe ourselves is far more complicated and less selfish than we might think. Attend in person, or online, Zoom link below. Current Covid Policy: Vaccines are strongly recommended. Masks are not required, but please consider that … Continue reading How Not to Be a Jerk (to Yourself)
Intern Minister Jacquie Zarley revisits Jane Elliott’s Blue Eye/ Brown Eye exercise and examines how far we have come in the 50+ years since the exercise was first presented to a third-grade classroom. Have we fully grasped the point of the exercise; the utter absurdity of discrimination and prejudice based on skin color? Can we … Continue reading What If We Have Blue Eyes?
Rev. Ritchie introduces the monthly theme of “Love” by reflecting on the complicated history of love, and how Universalists, first, and then Unitarian Universalists, have placed love at the center of our theology. And yet, what exactly does this love mean and require? What if most the narratives we’ve internalized about love are unhelpful. Attend … Continue reading Strange Loves
As Unitarian Universalists, we have many ways of naming those things in life that inspire wonder, awe, and reverence. Whether or not we believe that there is divinity at work in our universe, we experience moments of what our Unitarian Universalist Principles name as “transcending mystery and wonder” and “an openness to the forces that … Continue reading Spirit of Life
Rev. Ritchie explores how making spaces with intentionality can enhance our spirituality and even promote faith. We’ll cover literal physical spaces, the spaces that define our relationships to others, and making space in our schedules for reflection. Attend in person, or online, Zoom link below. Current Covid Policy: Vaccines are strongly recommended. Masks are … Continue reading Making Space
