Category Archives: Services

A List of Sunday Morning Programs

July 8, 2018: “Spiritual Paths”

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Presenter: Don Morishita

We each have our own spiritual path in our lives. For some, the path is quite straight and for others, the path may have some twists and turns.

Each religion has its own spiritual path; some longer than others. Each religion’s spiritual path is unique with many interesting events along the way. The same can be said of Unitarian Universalism. The spiritual path of Unitarianism began in the 1600s with the formation of the Unitarian Church in Romania.

Universalism was unofficially introduced years before that, but church hierarchy considered the beliefs of universalism as heresy. The Unitarian and Universalist religions combined in the United States in 1961. Join us this Sunday as we take a walk along the spiritual path of Unitarian Universalism from the 1600’s to present day.

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 available.

July 1 Service: “Spiritual Context”

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Guest Speaker: Mary Hester

Please join us for this service as we welcome our guest speaker, Mary Hester.

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 available.

June 17 Service: “Creative Soulful Simplicity”

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We are pleased to welcome Boise Fellowship’s Emmie Schlobohm & Will Smith, who will be presenting this Sunday’s service.

Discussion to follow service – Topic “A continuation of the service”

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 available.

June 10: “Much Ado About…”

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Guest Speaker: Kenneth Watts

For some individuals the unknown drives them to move back to something less anxiety producing and seemingly real. For others, not knowing causes an attitude of no longer asking questions. And, for still others, the unknown energizes and propels them to ask more questions and their doubts become the underlying force that drives their quest.

Our speaker for June 10 is Kenneth Watts, an ordained minister in a liberal Christian tradition. Rev. Watts has been working as a hospital Chaplain for the past twenty-plus years. Originally from the mid-west (Illinois and Ohio), he moved to Boise in 2012 to be a Staff Chaplain at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.

Before moving to Idaho he was associated with the Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio and worked in the McConnell Heart Health Center teaching classes in the Mind-Body Stress Management program for cardiac and pulmonary patients.

Rev. Watts has four children who continue to amaze him with their skill and wisdom. They are scattered from Tokyo to Dubai to Texas, following their own dreams and creating their own unique lives and families. He has one grandchild who resides in Texas, and two cats that reside here in Idaho with him.

In Ohio he was a member of the North Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Here in Idaho he is a member of the Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

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 available.

Sunday, June 2, 2018: “Buddha’s Brain”

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Presenter: Robyn Romney

So much has been written in past years that has exacerbated the rift between science and religion.

However, recently, there has been a refreshing parallel shift in the opposite direction. Buddhist contemplative practices are particularly amenable to this collaboration, inviting neurobiological explanations for the Buddhist philosophy.

Borrowing tools from the book, Buddha’s Brain, we’ll share ways to stimulate and strengthen our personal emotions and relationships toward a more fulfilling spiritual life.

This is your brain on dharma [the doctrine or the teaching of the Buddha].

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 available.

Sunday, May 27, 2018: “But How Do We Get There from Here?”

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Presenter: Patricia Heeb

It’s hard to get lost these days with Google and the like ready at the touch of a button to tell us how to go. But how do we best navigate our inner and interpersonal journeys? Happily, it is our own psychology that offers guidance.

Patricia Heeb is a retired psychotherapist, active in many ways in the Boise UU Fellowship for the past 14 years, including a just-finished term as co-director of Quest, a 19-month spiritual development program.

Patricia looks forward to meeting you and sharing.

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 available.

Sunday, May 20: Being Yourself

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Presented by: Robyn Romney

Not being yourself is exhausting and breaks you down from the inside out.

Citing “Words of Wisdom”, ideas and suggestions for resolutions from the book “Soulful Simplicity” by Courtney Carver refers to the process of letting go of the “shoulds” in our lives.

The process isn’t only about ridding ourselves of “physical stuff.” Courtney offers a practice of letting go in order to “Be Calm” and “Carry On.” From simplifying her lifestyle due to her MS diagnosis she learned to trust and know herself and dig down into her own spiritual questions.

By committing to do that which feeds our heart we willingly release FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). We are freed up to choose whatever means the most to us. We can give attention and energy to that which we truly enjoy.

May 13, 2018: Standing on the Side of Love

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Presenter: Karen Fothergill

Sunday, Karen Fothergill, will present a service titled “Standing on the Side of Love”.

As members of the Unitarian Universalist Association:

We believe in the inherent worth and dignity of all people. All people deserve respect and love for who they are.

Right now love and fear are rising up in our nation. We stand on the side of love. We harness love’s power to stop oppression, exclusion, and violence against people who are targeted because of their identity.

We believe elected leaders have a responsibility to unify and advance our communities, not engage in scapegoating or dividing neighbor against neighbor.

We are working to build a society where the color of our skin, the conditions of our birth, who we love, how we worship, and how we express our gender do not determine our worth, rights, and opportunities.

We are all created in God’s image. People of every faith honor God by honoring the diversity of God’s creation.

We believe that the essence of the individual is not based upon outward appearances. No one should be judged based on the size, shape, or functionality of his or her body. We celebrate the diversity of creation, including intersex bodies and transgender identities.

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 available.

May 6, 2018: Reflecting on Matters of Worth, by Rev. Elizabeth Greene

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The word “worship” has a lot of different meanings for different people. The most common one may be the one that involves worshiping—perhaps adoring—a certain thing, being or person. But the word is much larger than that, harking back to its original meaning of worthiness, acknowledgment of worth or highest value. How do we create and participate in communal worship, an experience that moves the hearts of all, leaving room for the Holy in all its forms?

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 available.

April 29, 2018: “Emerging as a flower or a weed”

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Presenter: Don Morishita

The level of happiness and satisfaction in our lives depends a lot on how we see the world, how we see another race, another culture, another religion, and how we see other people. It is too easy to lump a race, culture or religion into one group or type of behavior to mollify our own insecurities. Using plants as a metaphor, the beauty of wild flowers and the detrimental effects of weeds are like those groups of people we like and dislike.

But there is more to a wild flower or a weed than its appearance. What may look beautiful may actually be harmful and what may appear ugly may actually be beneficial.

The first principle of Unitarian Universalism is to respect the inherent worth and dignity of every person. One of the meanings of this principle is that we treat each person individually and consider who they are as individuals and not as a group.

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 available.