Sunday Morning Worship
Sunday morning worship begins at 10:30 a.m. at UUFA and online on the zoom platform.
Find links to join the service, submit a Joy, Sorrow or Milestone, fill out a visitor’s card, and access past services on the View Services Page.
December 1 “For Such a Time as This” with Rev. Misha Sanders
How can we about find joy in the midst of fighting oppression, rest when we’re tired, and be fully present with the people we love, no matter what’s going on around us?
December 8 “Triaging Presence” with Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker
What should you focus your attention on? Amid the hurry of the holidays and a never-ending fear-inducing news cycle, knowing what to pay attention to is hard. Let us join in worship as we expand our capacity to be present to what is most important.
December 15 “I’m Gonna Lift My Neighbor Up” with Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker
The hymn says that no one is too heavy for us to lift, and that if we don’t, we will fall. Deep and ancient meaning underneath these lyrics was declared three thousand years ago. What do these ancient words offer to guide us today?
December 22 “The Gifts of Winter: Music and Readings” with Amber Fetner
This worship service explores the gift of winter with music and readings. Join the Chalice Choir, musicians, and guest participants in this musical service.
December 24, 6:30 p.m. “Evening Holiday Service” with Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker
Many holiday traditions visit us this time of year. Join in this all-ages service, delighting in joyful music, wise teachings, and a holiday cookie exchange afterwards. All are invited to bring holiday treats to share–the more the merrier! Please label cookies for allergens or list ingredients.
December 29 “Gifts, Presents, Presence” with Chaplain Michelle Leebens-Mack
What does going from boxes and ribbons to being present in our giving look like?
Reflection Ideas and Questions
Are you seeking more ways to explore the practice of presence?
Consider reflecting on these quotes:
At the end of the day: do others feel loved in your presence? This is the spiritual bottom line. – Masin Kipp
Presence is removing judgment, walls and masks so as to create a true and deep connection with people or experiences. – Amy Cuddy
You could ask what would be a good use of my life, thinking the answer is going to be a career choice or something, but I would say the most important thing is using your life to train in being present—in being here with an open heart. – Pema Chödrön
Stop measuring days by degree of productivity and start experiencing them by degree of presence. – Alan Watts
Some questions you may use as a prompt for conversation or for a journal entry follow:
- How do others most often feel in your presence? Loved? Accepted? Heard? Held? Judged? Unimportant? Understood? And how do you want others to feel in your presence?
- Do you long to be more comfortable with solitude and with being in the presence of just yourself?
- Are your efforts to ensure future security costing you the richness of your current days?
- Would you be more present to your life if you weren’t trying to perfect it or win at it?
Reflection Ideas and Questions
The UUFA monthly theme for January is story. The Fellowship offers many opportunities and invitations to explore and practice the theme. We will be exploring the meaning of story and practice of storytelling in the following Sunday services:
January’s Theme is Story.
January 5 “Our 2025 Story: Who are We to One Another?” with Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker
When someone asks you what it’s like being part of this Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, what’s your story? And moreover, what do you want the story to be? Let’s explore who we need and want to be to one another in 2025.
January 12 “Our 2025 Story: Who are We to Athens?” with Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker
What does it mean to be a Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in 2025? Our Unitarian Universalist faith guides congregations in covenantal action to bring about love, justice, and interdependent flourishing. Who are we called to be, or to become, in the year ahead?
January 19 Pre-Rev Phoenix Bell-Shelton Biggs
January 26 “Miles to Go Before We Rest” with Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker
When a long and difficult journey lies ahead, it is easy to become overwhelmed or to focus on putting it behind you. Yet, what about all the beauty along the way? In this service we explore the stories we tell ourselves about long and difficult tasks, and the power of stories that appreciate each movement along the way.
Are you seeking more ways to explore the theme of Story?
Consider reflecting on these quotes:
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
– Maya Angelou
When we deny our stories and disengage from tough emotions, they don’t go away; instead, they own us, they define us. Our job is not to deny the story, but to defy the ending.
– Brené Brown
At some point we have to understand that we do not need to carry a story that is unbearable. We can observe the story, which is mental; feel the story, which is physical; let the story go, which is emotional; then forgive the story, which is spiritual.
– Joy Harjo
Stories are told as spells for binding the world together.
– John Rouse
Some questions you may use as a prompt for conversation or for a journal entry follow:
- In your family of origin, what story was told about you? Were you the talented one? The troublemaker? How has that story about you lived on, or faded?
- What story told by or about your ancestors has shaped or supported you the most?
- What do you leave out of the telling of your life story that wants to be let back in?
- When it comes to the story of your life right now, which best describes you: A character in it? The author of it? The editor of it? The bookseller/promoter of it?
- Have you ever been healed or saved by a story?
