May 1st (or May Day) was Beltane, a Celtic celebration which says goodbye to Darkness and Winter and hello to Light and Spring. We’ll learn a little about this day and how pagans honor it. Flowers are an important symbol of Spring, which bring us to the third part of our service—The Flower Ceremony, or … Continue reading “Beltane & Flower Communion,” by Wren Monsour & Tinka Friend
Gospel Music Part II: For Women’s Month, we will look at the life and legacy of Bernice Johnson Reagon and how Gospel music was woven so tightly throughout the Civil Rights marches and demonstrations on the 1960s. Tinka Friend and her husband, Nick, joined UUCR in 1996. After decades of trying to find the “right” church … Continue reading “Nothing But Love in God’s Water” Part 2
“Nothing But Love in God’s Water” Part 1: What constitutes Gospel music? Where and how does it fits into American history? And the legacy of Thomas A. Dorsey, who is universally considered to be the Father of Gospel music. Tinka Friend and her husband, Nick, joined UUCR in 1996. After decades of trying to find … Continue reading “Nothing But Love in God’s Water” Part 1
Love comes with responsibilities. It doesn’t matter which kind of Love it is: romantic love, sibling love, friendship, love for the stranger, etc. The biblical mandate to “love your neighbor as yourself” is frequently held up in Jewish sources as “the great principle of the Torah.” and Jesus said that to love Gold and to … Continue reading “Love’s Charge,” by Tinka Friend
Most UU’s generally know the 7 Principles of our faith “by heart”. What does knowing them “by heart” entail? We may know them by rote memory; some of us might even know how to recite them word for word. It is much more challenging to take these principles “to heart” and actively seek opportunities to … Continue reading “Learning the Principles by Heart,” by Rev. Leslie Becknell Marx
This is the 3rd installment of “Love in the Complicated Places” given by Tinka Friend and Nick Williams. Following the 2nd installment which focused on failures they both experienced while working with students with disabilities, in this section Nick will speak about another experience in a high school in Norco. He was placed with a … Continue reading “Love In the Complicated Places – Pt 3,” by Nick Williams
Service Video.
Service Video Easter Sunday sermon is always a tough one for most UU ministers and lay leaders unless the UU congregation is predominantly Christian. The usual default is to focus on the Spring season, the Spring Equinox or Ostara. That has shown to be pretty safe topics, and no one is usually offended by those … Continue reading “Is There a Place for Resurrection in the UU Faith?,” by Tinka Friend
Service Video Stewardship Sermon: Why do you [we] pledge?
Service Video What does it mean to matter? How do you know you matter? Today’s reading takes a hard look at systematic racism and how it affects all of us. Colorblindness is often well-intentioned, an attempt to see everyone as a human being and therefore as the same, without paying too much attention to race and … Continue reading “The Promise of All Lives Mattering,” by Amanda Udis-Kessler
