Author Archives: magicvalleyuu

December 10: Guest Speaker: Steve Thompson

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Guest Speaker: Steve Thompson

Our guest speaker this Sunday is Steve Thompson. Steve Thompson is the Political Director of Marcy’s Law for Idaho, a victims’ advocacy organization.

Steve recently moved to Idaho from northern California where he worked in legislative placement assistance for foster youths transitioning to adulthood and in public relations campaigns for various local efforts. His experience included developing a $90 million bond measure for Butte Community College.

Steve Thompson is a US Army veteran and served as a drill sergeant and is married with three children.

He has authored the children’s book series: “The Daughters Daring” which was written for his own daughters to assist them in finding the courage they need to excel in their lives.

Please Note:  Thank you to those that attended the congregational meeting December 3rd. We will not have a meeting December 17th as previously announced.

Unitarian Universalists covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equality and compassion in human relations; and acceptance of one another.

Newcomers of all religious paths or none at all are always welcome. We are handicapped accessible. Please park in the rear of the building. Child care is usually available.

 

December 3: Make of Yourself a Light

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candlesIn the poem, “The Buddha’s Last Instruction,” by Mary Oliver, we learn it is possible to become something of inexplicable value when we make of ourselves a light: a light of hope, compassion, peace and joy, a light that brings healing by falling first upon our own story and then spreading out to all stories.

As we enter the Yuletide season, a celebration of warmth and light in many traditions, may we take time to consider, appreciate, welcome and open our hearts to light in all its forms.

 

Reminder for members:

We have a congregational meeting immediately following the service this Sunday to vote on next steps regarding the possibility of purchasing of a permanent home. 

 

Unitarian Universalists covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equality and compassion in human relations; and acceptance of one another.

Newcomers of all religious paths or none at all are always welcome. We are handicapped accessible. Please park in the rear of the building. Child care is usually available.

October 5: Meeting People Where They Are

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Presented by: Jen Blair, Guest Speaker

In a world that often appears divided by ideology, how can we recover the lost art of civility and truly engage with people and ideas that are different?

Having the attitude and skills to truly engage doesn’t mean we will all agree or that every moment is a kumbaya moment. But meaningful change can’t come from shrill social media fights or constantly being aggrieved and offended – or from constant attack, because studies show that making someone feel defensive is the quickest way to make sure that we are NOT heard.

As individuals, we are each walking a unique path that is greatly influenced by our own life experience. Finding common ground is most beneficial to all of us.

Join us and special Guest Jen Blair as she discusses some of her experiences with Mama Dragons as it relates to the important subject of dialogue, engaging, and social justice work.
Unitarian Universalism honors the differing paths we each travel. Our congregations are places where we celebrate, support, and challenge one another as we continue on our spiritual journeys.

Unitarian Universalists covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equality and compassion in human relations; and acceptance of one another.

Newcomers of all religious paths or none at all are always welcome. We are handicapped accessible. Please park in the rear of the building. Child care is usually available.

October 25: Explore Love, the Mystical and the Spiritual

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Unitarian Universalists by definition have declined traditional religious structs and dogmas, although our religion does look for value in other religious traditions. While our paths to the spiritual and mystical are diverse and individual, we believe that we can all agree that there is great power in love.

In our experience, love, the mystical, and the spiritual have been intertwined. How we access the mystical and spiritual powers of love is less clear. What has become clear to me is that Love may be the closet thing to God that we will ever experience. Could they be the same thing?

Most of us do wish to explore spirituality and fellowship in a supportive environment. Please join us at the Magic Valley Unitarian Universalist to explore Love, the Mystical and the Spiritual this Sunday.

Unitarian Universalism honors the differing paths we each travel. Our congregations are places where we celebrate, support, and challenge one another as we continue on our spiritual journeys.

Unitarian Universalists covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equality and compassion in human relations; and acceptance of one another.

Newcomers of all religious paths or none at all are always welcome. We are handicapped accessible. Please park in the rear of the building. Child care is usually available.

October 22: Stepping Forward

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How willing are we to be vulnerable? To engage, to show up, to be seen? We may try to make ourselves safe by making our lives small but that path seldom leads us anywhere we’d really like to go.

When we draw upon courage and faith to step in the direction of what is meaningful to us, even when we feel afraid, our lives become more afraid.

We learn to live in wholeheartedness, not because we have banished fear but because we have discovered something greater within us.

Unitarian Universalism honors the differing paths we each travel. Our congregations are places where we celebrate, support, and challenge one another as we continue on our spiritual journeys.

Unitarian Universalists covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equality and compassion in human relations; and acceptance of one another.

Newcomers of all religious paths or none at all are always welcome. We are handicapped accessible. Please park in the rear of the building. Child care is usually available.

October 15: Based on Science, So What?

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Presenter:  Don Morishita

One of the Unitarian Universalist Principles is a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. This is applied not only to our spiritual journey but also our everyday lives. How we each form our truths is based on how or what kind of effort we put into finding the truth. Faith is certainly one form that we find truth but for some people having hard evidence of the truth is more critical than having faith.

Science has brought us many answers to the wonders of nature, our lives and beyond. But is it the purest way of seeking answers? Join us for a presentation and discussion of the fourth principle of Unitarian Universalism.

As Unitarian Universalists, we have a proud tradition of responding to the imperatives of love and justice to work with those of us who are marginalized and oppresses in society and the world.

Unitarian Universalism honors the differing paths we each travel. Our congregations are places where we celebrate, support, and challenge one another as we continue on our spiritual journeys.

Unitarian Universalists covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equality and compassion in human relations; and acceptance of one another.

Newcomers of all religious paths or none at all are always welcome. We are handicapped accessible. Please park in the rear of the building. Child care is usually available.

October 8: What is White Privilege?

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Guest Speaker, Candise Ramsey from the Southern Idaho Humanist Alliance

inherent worthWe hear terms like ‘white privilege’, ‘inclusion’, and ‘unconscious bias’ a lot these days in the ongoing struggle for racial equality in this country. What do you think and feel when you hear those terms?

Whatever our reaction to the terms or to the endless discussions and debates about anthem protests, Charlottesville, or the acquittal of yet another white policeman in the killing of a black man in St. Louis, it is a fact that racial oppression exists in this country. White privilege is a fact. Our own awareness of what it is and what we can do about it is another matter altogether. It may come in stages, it may come slowly, and when it does we may want to distance ourselves from it, deny it, or explain it away.

How can we confront our own denial and responsibility? How can we turn our awareness into concrete and constructive action rather than let it degenerate into white guilt or white fragility?

These are hard questions for hard times. You may be thinking “we don’t have that problem here.” It’s true we don’t have a large black population here in Southern Idaho. But our communities include a large number of Hispanic brothers and sisters, and many refugees and immigrants from all over the world. For those of us that are white, our awareness of white privilege and how it affects everyone in our community is an important first step.

We will have a guest speaker this week, Candise Ramsey from the Southern Idaho Humanist Alliance. Join us as we explore these questions together.

As Unitarian Universalists, we have a proud tradition of responding to the imperatives of love and justice to work with those of us who are marginalized and oppresses in society and the world.

Unitarian Universalism honors the differing paths we each travel. Our congregations are places where we celebrate, support, and challenge one another as we continue on our spiritual journeys.

Unitarian Universalists covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equality and compassion in human relations; and acceptance of one another.

Newcomers of all religious paths or none at all are always welcome. We are handicapped accessible. Please park in the rear of the building. Child care is usually available.

October 1, 2017: Art and Spirituality

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Presented by: Karen Fothergill

Art and Spirituality are closely linked for many people especially for artists, musicians, singers, actors and dancers. Karen Fothergill will be share stories from “Soul Matters” a Unitarian Universalist resource for worship this Sunday.

Several members will speak about their connection to the arts and their connection to spirituality and how they complement each other.

As Unitarian Universalists, we have a proud tradition of responding to the imperatives of love and justice to work with those of us who are marginalized and oppresses in society and the world.

Unitarian Universalism honors the differing paths we each travel. Our congregations are places where we celebrate, support, and challenge one another as we continue on our spiritual journeys.

Unitarian Universalists covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equality and compassion in human relations; and acceptance of one another.

Newcomers of all religious paths or none at all are always welcome. We are handicapped accessible. Please park in the rear of the building. Child care is usually available.

September 24: The Balm of Gilead

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Where do we find healing? Where do we go to be comforted, blessed, restored? In biblical times, there was a high-quality ointment called the balm of Gilead. It had healing properties and the term became a metaphor for a universal cure grounded in spirituality.

Beautiful hymns, prayers and teachings reflect this idea and call us to open our hearts to love and be made whole.

As Unitarian Universalists, we have a proud tradition of responding to the imperatives of love and justice to work with those of us who are marginalized and oppresses in society and the world.

Unitarian Universalism honors the differing paths we each travel. Our congregations are places where we celebrate, support, and challenge one another as we continue on our spiritual journeys.

Unitarian Universalists covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equality and compassion in human relations; and acceptance of one another.

Newcomers of all religious paths or none at all are always welcome. We are handicapped accessible. Please park in the rear of the building. Child care is usually available.

September 17: The Hope at the Heart of Our Faith

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Presented by: Rev. Greene

EGreene

This Sunday, Rev. Elizabeth Greene will approach the difficult topic of race, in our society and in the Unitarian Universalist Association. She will reflect on how the issue has developed over time, and how it seems currently.

Rev. Greene will also bring perspective and hopefully some optimism to the situation most of us find ourselves in: mostly white folks in a mostly white area, concerned about justice, equity and compassion.

(9-23 2017) Here is the text from this sermon Rev, Greene has shared with the fellowship, in PDF format: 20170917 Hope at heart of faith (race)

Unitarian Universalism honors the differing paths we each travel. Our congregations are places where we celebrate, support, and challenge one another as we continue on our spiritual journeys.

Unitarian Universalists covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equality and compassion in human relations; and acceptance of one another.

Newcomers of all religious paths or none at all are always welcome. We are handicapped accessible. Please park in the rear of the building. Child care is usually available.