Alec has been a practicing UU for 23 years, raised in a UU church chosen by his father, raised Quaker, and his mother, raised Jewish (though both Humanist in practice). Alec studied natural science at Creighton University, a Jesuit institution, and is now completing his Ph.D. at UC Riverside while serving as chair of the Worship Committee here at UUCR.
The Giving Tree is a popular but divisive children’s book from 1964, written by Shel Silverstein. Although the book was written and illustrated for children, the story isn’t just for children. Each person seems to have their own interpretation and feel a little differently about the story, and we can broaden our soul by exploring … Continue reading “The Giving Tree,” by Alec Peck
Excerpts from M. Scott Peck’s book, “The Road Less Traveled” from the second chapter, titled “love.” Dr. Morgan Scott Peck was born in New York, 1936. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy but was expelled ]for refusing to attend mandatory R.O.T.C. sessions. He transferred to Harvard, where he received a bachelor’s degree in 1958, and he … Continue reading “The Road Less Traveled: Love,” by M. Scott Peck
The Flower Ceremony, or Flower Communion, is an annual ritual that celebrates beauty, human uniqueness, diversity, and community. In this ceremony, everyone brings a flower to place in a shared vase. The congregation blesses the flowers, and then given back out, with each person bringing home a different flower than the one they brought. Our … Continue reading “Flower Communion,” by Alec Peck
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is once again destroying and ending lives of the people who live there, and so American citizens and politicians are once again turning their focus to this conflict. Much effort has been dedicated to determining who are the “bad” guys and who are the “good” guys, and what … Continue reading “Who’s Who in the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict ,” by Alec Peck
UUism is built on many religious traditions which describe some specific theology, like the Judeo-Christian God or Buddhist Nirvana; However, most UUs do not find any specific representation of god to be very convincing, and many identify as atheist or agnostic. UUism instructs us to “heed the guidance of reason” in our spiritual journey for … Continue reading “How would ‘god’ Manifest: A Rational Approach,” by Alec Peck
The daylight hours have been dwindling, and we are at the time of year where the night reaches its prominence. The earth swings around the sun and brings us with it into the new year. This is the season of Yule. Today, we celebrate this ancient, pagan tradition as an interconnected part of our world.
Service video Poetry is an act of human expression and emotional healing for both the writer and the reader. To make art is uniquely human; we transform the world through art, and we are transformed by it. Today, we share poetry which has changed and inspired us.
Service video We strive to build a world community of peace, love, and justice, where we each can grow into who we want to be and follow our dreams. Yet we are only as rich as the poorest of the poor, and this is a country which has built itself on leaving people behind. Let … Continue reading “Radical Love: We are in this Together,” by Alec Peck
Service video The Water Communion, also sometimes called Water Ceremony, was first used at a Unitarian Universalist (UU) worship service in the 1980s. Many UU congregations now hold a Water Communion once a year, often at the beginning of the new church year (September). Members bring to the service a small amount of water from … Continue reading “Ingathering (Water Communion),” by Alec Peck
Service Video The Atlanta Police Foundation, with local corporate donors, has proposed the construction of a $90 million militarized urban warfare training complex, deemed “Cop City,” in the heart of a predominantly Black neighborhood. Construction of the Cop City campus requires the destruction of 381 acres of land in the Weelaunee Forest, a sacred land … Continue reading “Rise Up to Stop Cop City,” by Alec Peck
