Category Archives: Guest Speaker

November 8: “What Does Gratitude Look Like?”

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Our guest speaker this Sunday is Rev. Anne Spencer, Minister’s Assistant, Idaho-Oregon Buddhist Temple.

The Thanksgiving holiday is just a few weeks away. What does it mean to show gratitude? How do we sincerely say “Thank you” for all that we have received? The Japanese word for gratitude, “Arigatai,” literally means, “difficult/rare to become so.” This term reminds us that much of what we have received, including much that we have taken for granted, is indeed rare and special; this realization can inspire us to cultivate a sense of good fortune and humility for what we have received.

In her message, Rev. Spencer will share some history and insights into gratitude and thankfulness from Buddhist and Japanese perspectives and encourage everyone to try to get out of their gratitude “ruts” and find new things to be grateful for and new ways to recognize and express that gratitude.

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. As UUs, we 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. Please join us this Sunday!

Zoom Meeting Details:
Please Click Here or use the link below to join the meeting.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82743496726?pwd=WEgrbVFVUXQwMDJLVGswdE50NzR3QT09

Time: Nov 8, 2020 10:30 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Meeting ID: 827 4349 6726
Passcode: Chalice

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Meeting ID: 827 4349 6726
Passcode: 4497229

November 1st: “Turning the Tide: What Matters in This Moment” (Online Service)

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Presenter: Rev. Monica Dobbins (Guest Speaker: First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City)

Rev. Monica Dobbins,
First Unitarian Church, Salt Lake City

We’ve worked so hard to get to this moment: Election Day, 2020. It doesn’t feel real: millions of votes have already been cast, and many won’t even be counted until after November 3. Yet even though we’re moving in slow motion, we know that everything is about to change. What is worth saving in this democracy? And how do we go forward, no matter what the results turn out to be?

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. As UUs, we covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We seek to let justice, equality and compassion prevail in human relations and promote acceptance of one another.
Newcomers of all religious paths or none at all are always welcome.

Zoom Meeting Details:

Time: Nov 1, 2020 10:30 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Please Click Here or use the link below to join the meeting.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82743496726?pwd=WEgrbVFVUXQwMDJLVGswdE50NzR3QT09

Meeting ID: 827 4349 6726
Passcode: Chalice

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Meeting ID: 827 4349 6726
Passcode: 4497229

October 18: “Trust Yourself” (Online Service)

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Presenter: Heide Cottam [Member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ogden]

“Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”

C.G. Jung

Our work in this world depends on us trusting ourselves. But do we believe in ourselves or do we actually trust ourselves? Join guest speaker Heide Cottam in a service exploring the nuances between belief and trust and how deep listening serves both

Heide Cottam

Heide Cottam is a long-time Unitarian Universalist and member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ogden. She currently serves as Communications & Leadership Facilitator and Chair of their Worship Team. Heide is dedicated to this shared faith and has been excited to see the possibilities of growing relationships between congregations during this time of unrest and physical distance. Heide is also passionate about her long list of labels: mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, Unitarian Universalist, activist, poet, seeker, Executive Assistant, and witness.

Zoom Meeting Details:

Click here or use the link below to join the meeting:
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Time: Oct 18, 2020 10:30 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Meeting ID: 854 4500 0411
Passcode: Chalice

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Meeting ID: 854 4500 0411
Passcode: 7782327

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. Our congregations are places where people from different religious paths or none at all are always welcome.

October 11:”How can we create “Stillness of Heart” in a time of turbulence and cruelty?” (Online Service)

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Presenter: Debra Smith (Member of the Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship)
Worship Associate: Digger Zout

Is it even appropriate to long for a still heart when the world cries for action? Debra Smith will share her journey into the heart of social justice work–a journey into a deeper understanding of collective liberation that brought her face to face with her own fears and defenses. Aided by her Unitarian Universalist faith, Debra is beginning to grow into a fuller sense of stillness that accommodates the disquiet we are experiencing both in the world and in ourselves.

Zoom Meeting Details:

Time: Sep 13, 2020 10:30 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

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Meeting ID: 854 4500 0411
Passcode: Chalice

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Meeting ID: 854 4500 0411
Passcode: 7782327
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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. Our congregations are places where people from different religious paths or none at all are always welcome.

October 4: “The 8th Principle Project” (Online Service)

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Presenter: Rev. Monica Dobbins

Unitarian Universalism is a faith in which, it is said, “revelation is not sealed”. Our faith tradition evolves as we learn more about the world and our sense of justice expands. Now, our faith has an opportunity to grow once more, as some Unitarian Universalists propose adding an 8th principle to the seven we have now.

What’s the process for adopting an 8th principle, and what will Unitarian Universalism look like if we do?

The proposed 8th principle: “We covenant to affirm and promote – Journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”

Zoom Meeting Details:

Time: Oct 4, 2020 10:30 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Every week on Sun, until Oct 25, 2020, 4 occurrence(s)
Oct 4, 2020 10:30 AM

Join Zoom Meeting by Clicking Here, or by using the link below:

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Meeting ID: 854 4500 0411
Passcode: Chalice

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Meeting ID: 854 4500 0411
Passcode: 7782327
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcxDcUGa6D

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. Our congregations are places where people from different religious paths or none at all are always welcome.

August 16: “How to Dismantle an Empire and What Happens When We Become the Romans” (Online Service)

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Presenter: Wyatt Schroeder (Member Boise Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship)
Wyatt S.

We live in a time of empire. Our Unitarian faith is based on the Judeo-Christian tradition, a narrative that is rooted deeply in the struggle against empire. Jesus was a protester, a counter-cultural force that spoke to the disinherited. His apostle, Paul, took up the charge and planted the seeds of a movement to rebel against an empire. And then that faith – then called Christianity – became the empire.

So too happened on our shores, a fledgling revolution created a country that would herald the American Empire. In our daily routine, how do we embrace the empire with its convenience, its charity, and our patient consent? Have we lost The Way? What’s our responsibility to overcome our own convenience for the sake of empowering others? For shirking off charity in the name of transformational change? How can we turn an age of empire into a time of rebellion?

Here is the meeting information for connecting with us online using Zoom:

Topic: Sunday Service
Time: Aug 16, 2020 10:30 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
(Please Click Here and You Should Easily Enter)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86461538537?pwd=cUZjcURsam1BMUhXV3hYSlZuVjVTZz09

Meeting ID: 864 6153 8537
Passcode: MVUUF

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Meeting ID: 864 6153 8537
Passcode: 086131

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.

August 2: “Sacrifice and Submission” (Online Service)

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Worship Associate: Digger Zout
Presenter: Rev. Monica Dobbins, First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City

Online Service (Beginning at 10:30 AM Mountain Time):

MonicaDobbinsOther countries have already beaten the Coronavirus and moved on with their national lives. That the United States continues to experience devastating losses says something about us as a nation. It’s especially surprising in a country dominated by a strain of a world religion with sacrifice at the core of its theology.

How do we live in such a time and place, and how do we cultivate the values we seem to be missing?

Newcomers of all religious paths or none at all are always welcome.

Zoom Meeting Details:
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Meeting ID: 870 0131 1709
Passcode: Sacrifice

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Meeting ID: 870 0131 1709
Passcode: 490073051

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.

July 19,2020: “Confidence has no color” (Online)

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10:30 AM Mountain Time (USA & Canada)

Presenter: Winnie Christensen
President of Culture for Change Foundation

Worship Associate: Don Morishita

Winnie“Growing up we are told and we see what beauty is supposed to look like in Africa”, says Winnie Christensen, President of Culture for Change Foundation. That is an image Winnie can relate to. When she came to the United States, the standard of beauty was different from what she had grown up with. “It is so important to remember that all women are great creations, and all are beautiful with different personalities”, Winnie adds.

So many refugee and immigrant women and youth come to America and are told what they should look like, what they should wear, and how they should style their hair. They are asked to give up the essence of who they are, and to merge into a society that doesn’t always accept them. The youth in the refugee community also face an identity crisis and strive to place themselves in spaces that enable them to train for success.

It is Winnie’s mission to help these women and youth in the refugee community to appreciate themselves, integrate with the community at large, not to undermine their ideas and process, and still see their true beauty. It is critical to understand that beauty is not only from within, but to also change the dichotomy of beauty standards.
Christensen feels that in order to polish up who they are, they have to have confidence in themselves — because confidence has no color!

For general help getting started using the Zoom online connection, please see our instructions (Click Here for Zoom Basics)

Zoom Meeting Details
Topic: Sunday Service
Time: Jul 19, 2020 10:30 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
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Meeting ID: 897 3822 2211
Password: Confidence
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Meeting ID: 897 3822 2211
Password: 5465479130

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.

July 12: “Rapid Response and Organizing for Agricultural Workers during COVID-19” (Online Service)

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Presenter: Samantha Guerrero

Please join us this Sunday to hear Samantha Guerrero.

SamGuerreroSamantha is the agricultural and food community organizer for the Idaho Organization of Resource Councils (IORC). Samantha will discuss how agricultural workers are able to be organized during COVID-19.

Samantha Guerrero is a first-generation Idahoan and a daughter of Mexican immigrants. She graduated in 2017 from the College of Idaho with her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology/Sociology and Political Economy. Before joining IORC, Samantha worked as an immigration law paralegal and personal injury legal assistant. As an activist for human rights and as a community organizer for IORC she hopes to connect with Idahoans who want preserve democracy, help improve the lives of our citizens and work towards a more sustainable Idaho. Samantha lives in her hometown of Caldwell with her son Joshua. She enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, and traveling.

Please join us online using Zoom on your device, even a telephone. For general instructions on getting started with Zoom, Click Here.

We suggest logging in a bit early to avoid workload for the person who needs to admit attendees. Once the meeting is underway you may have to wait a bit until that person has a free moment.

To join the meeting on Sunday, Click Here

Zoom Meeting Details:

Topic: Worship Service
Time: Jul 12, 2020 10:30 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

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Meeting ID: 883 3761 5980
Password: Chalice
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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.

July 5: “Light Breaking Through: Joy in Times of Grief” (Online Service)

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Presenter: Rev. Monica Dobbins

MonicaDobbinsJoy and grief don’t alternate in life – they often overlap or even crash into each other.

In turbulent times of life, whether in our private lives or on the world stage, why are we drawn toward beauty, and what purpose does it serve?

 

Zoom Meeting Details:

Topic: Sunday Service
Time: Jul 5, 2020 10:30 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting (Click Below and You Should be In)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83560633973?pwd=ZkMwNDd0WkNWMk9rU2tMUjlrQ3Q5Zz09
Meeting ID: 835 6063 3973
Password: Justice

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Meeting ID: 835 6063 3973
Password: 7272665

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.