Reminder: Due to the annual campout, no regular service will be held at the Senior Center on the 18th.

This is an online service from Reverend Aaron White of the First Unitarian Church of Dallas, Texas.  Reverend White reflects on what makes us powerful and able to change lives. Often it is the very thing that makes us uncomfortable. Rev. White’s academic concentration was comparative religious ethics, with a focus in Sanskrit and Indian studies.  Rev. White is grateful for this intense exposure to a variety of faiths, as it has added richness to his approach to religious practice and dialogue.

A discussion will follow on the topic of what world faiths say about mental illness as well as our own thoughts about this topic. Karen Fothergill will host this service. Susanna Terry will provide music. The Magic Valley Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship meets every Sunday beginning at 10:30 AM at the Twin Falls Senior Center, 530 Shoshone Street West in Twin Falls. Newcomers are always welcome. Childcare is available. We are handicapped accessible. For information, please contact Ken Whiting at 734-9161.

The Soul’s Journey: Edgar Casey’s Concept of Reincarnation. This Sunday, we will explore Edgar Casey’s concept of reincarnation as well as our own belief or disbelief in reincarnation. According to Casey: All souls come to Earth to test their spiritual ideals to see if they are real. Only by becoming subject to the physical influences of the flesh and the laws of the Earth realm can a soul know for certain if it really possesses that spiritual ideal. Through this process, the soul is tested and the result is self-realization. This is the purpose of the Earth realm…

Please join us this Sunday when we view a video explaining Casey’s beliefs followed by a lively discussion. The Magic Valley Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship meets every Sunday beginning at 10:30 AM at the Twin Falls Senior Center, 530 Shoshone Street West in Twin Falls. Newcomers are always welcome. Childcare is available. We are handicapped accessible. For information, please contact Ken Whiting at 734-9161.

What makes a quality worship service? From a Unitarian Universalist perspective, what does it mean to worship? What are we worshiping and how should we do it so that almost everyone feels uplifted and enlightened. This Sunday we will be having a question and answer discussion session where we can all delve into these and other questions about worship.

The Magic Valley Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship meets every Sunday beginning at 10:30 AM at the Twin Falls Senior Center, 530 Shoshone Street West in Twin Falls. Newcomers are always welcome. Childcare is available. We are handicapped accessible. For information, please contact Ken Whiting at 734-9161

Ray Cross will present a video from “The Great Courses” series by Professor John R. Hale. This video will explore the very early religious activities of mankind. Hale will discuss the Neanderthals and their surprisingly familiar way they dealt with their dead at Shanidar Cave. This lecture comes from the course titled Exploring the Roots of Religion.

The Magic Valley Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship meets every Sunday beginning at 10:30 AM at the Twin Falls Senior Center, 530 Shoshone Street West in Twin Falls. Newcomers are always welcome. Child care is available. We are handicapped accessible. For information, please contact Ken Whiting at 734-9161.

It’s amazing how simple changes in body gestures and thought processes can lead to transformation of action, health and life. Don’t wait any longer! Be a part of the inspiring movement toward Transformation. You have it within you to affect the world in a positive and massive way. Join us at the Magic Valley Unitarian-Universalist fellowship for the Body Language Show and come away with a new understanding of how to be a force for good (Good). Come learn how you can make a difference, improving all areas of YOUR life, as well as the lives of others, with simple and effective Body Language tools.

“Bill & Maria Jensen have owned and operated Options Counseling in Burley, for 16 years.  Bill has nearly 24 years of counseling experience for addictions and related issues.  He has assisted numerous clients handle physical and emotional issues through the use of an energy tapping process called EFT or the Emotional Freedom Technique.  Bill has recently moved into the field of life coaching and mentoring. In conjunction with that he is also teaching Body Language at no charge for a very fast-growing company in Salt Lake City called 3 Key Elements. Bill’s mission is to touch people’s lives by using his experience, training and passion to assist individuals to discover their true life purpose and experience their full potential.”

The Magic Valley Unitarian Universalist fellowship welcomes people of all backgrounds to attend this interesting presentation.  We will include a brief welcome, hymn and closing words to this presentation. The Magic Valley Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship meets every Sunday beginning at 10:30 AM at the Twin Falls Senior Center, 530 Shoshone Street West in Twin Falls. Newcomers are always welcome. Child care is available. We are handicapped accessible. For information, please contact Ken Whiting at 734-9161.

Please join us this Sunday, June 9, 2013, for our second table discussion of our summer sessions. We’ll begin with our usual opening words, joys and concerns, and an opening hymn. From there, we’ll shift into a less formal setting for our second forum. Our discussion will be on tolerance: Unitarian Universalists are very big on being tolerant. We believe in accepting one another no matter what. Is it possible that we can be too tolerant?  Where should we draw the line?

The Magic Valley Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship meets every Sunday beginning at 10:30 AM at the Twin Falls Senior Center, 530 Shoshone Street West in Twin Falls. Newcomers are always welcome. Child care is available. We are handicapped accessible.

Please join us this Sunday, June 2, 2013, for our first round table discussion of the summer session. We’ll begin with our usual opening words, joys and concerns, and an opening hymn. From there, we’ll shift into a less formal setting for our first forum. Our discussion topic will be a spin off of a CLF (Church of the Larger Fellowship) sermon. We will address two questions.

1) What is the faith of a Unitarian Universalist?

2) How do we give expression to our faith?

As Unitarian-Universalists, we love to ask the questions and we often find intellectual stimulation in asking questions. It can be difficult to find answers to all our questions, but the discussion that follows our questions are often worth the effort of finding answers. We hope to see those who don’t go to Boise at the Twin Falls Senior Center. The Magic Valley Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship meets every Sunday beginning at 10:30 AM at the Twin Falls Senior Center, 530 Shoshone Street West in Twin Falls. Newcomers are always welcome. Childcare is available. We are handicapped accessible. For information, please contact Ken Whiting at 734-9161.

Free Will, Does it Exist? The question of free will has been hotly debated for centuries. Some people believe humans have the capacity for free will – the ability to choose their actions without being forced to follow a certain course by either by the influence of others or by natural laws. For many theists, free will is regarded as a special gift from God. The notion of human free will is also an important premise for a lot of what happens in human society.

Is free will is necessary for the notion of personal responsibility? Does free will exist? If people do not have free will, then it is difficult to argue that they are personally and morally responsible for their actions – and if that is the case, how can they be punished for their misdeeds? On the other hand, how can they be praised for the good things they do, if those actions were not also freely chosen? Does a person really have free will or does a person’s environment, experiences and so forth mask a person’s real ability to have free will? Members and visitors are encouraged to join the conversation on what constitutes free will.

The Magic Valley Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship meets every Sunday beginning at 10:30 AM at the Twin Falls Senior Center, 530 Shoshone Street West in Twin Falls. Newcomers are always welcome. Childcare is available. We are handicapped accessible. For information, please contact Ken Whiting at 734-9161.

Mother’s day has passed and Father’s Day is coming.  What makes a good father? Many think of their own fathers and remember their special qualities.  For others who may not have had a father in their lives or had a less than loving memory- they have had to look elsewhere.   “Atticus Finch” – hero of both Harper Lee’s Pulitzer prize-winning novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and in the film adaptation of the same name- has been for many, just such a role model.  

This story- told through the eyes of the child “Scout” – encompasses many other themes of society: racism, social norms and status, religious standards, roles of black and whites, men and women, school teachings, the haves and have nots, and of course- parenting roles.

All of our Unitarian-Universalist’s seven principles can be found at play surrounding Atticus, his children, and the small town in which he practices law; but perhaps none more than our second principle “Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.”  

Harper Lee published this story over 50 years ago.  Does it have any relevancy to our lives here in southern Idaho in our current times?  What can we take as inspiration from this fictional father and citizen – into modern times?  Please come and share your thoughts.

The Magic Valley Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship meets every Sunday beginning at 10:30 AM at the Twin Falls Senior Center, 530 Shoshone Street West in Twin Falls. Newcomers are always welcome. Child care is available. We are handicapped accessible. For information, please contact Ken Whiting at 734-9161.