Article 2 of our UU bylaws, newly revised this summer, lists the first of our shared values as interdependence, proposing, “We honor the interdependent web of all existence. With reverence for the great web of life and with humility, we acknowledge our place in it.” When you contemplate the interdependent web of all existence, how do you think of it? How expansive is it? What does it mean to “honor” it? What is “our place” within it? And how do we acknowledge that place with “reverence” and “humility?”   Join Katie Williams as she explores these questions in the quest to make this web of all existence less abstract and more concrete by considering the place that factory farmed animals occupy in the anthropocentric world we live in. Facing this culturally-induced, culturally-enforced problem is neither easy nor comfortable, but, with an open heart and an open mind, challenging the mindset that underlies it can help us make a more compassionate world, even as it enlarges and liberates us spiritually.   In 1988, when Katie Williams first saw the term speciesism—the belief system that orders species in a hierarchical order of value and importance, placing humans at the top—she scoffed. Two years later she was in the streets of Washington, D.C., protesting the exploitation of animals in the March for the Animals. She’s been passionate about and ever mindful of the plight of animals living in a speciesist world ever since.

  A UU-wide Climate Revival is taking place this weekend, organized by UU Ministry for the Earth (UUMFE). Come be part of our own celebration of the environment and environmentalism. Our service will celebrate and deepen our love for Nature and the Earth.   The service will contain a blessing of backpacks. Bring your backpack/book bag for a back-to-school blessing from our chaplain.

  Unitarian Universalists are generally optimists and idealists. Yet striving to build a better world and beloved community can be exhausting. What do we do when we find ourselves drained? Join us as we explore tips for coping with moral fatigue. 

  The League of Women Voters has been empowering voters and defending democracy for over 100 years. The values that birthed the League of Women Voters are bedrock not only to the League but to our democracy and to several of our UU Principles. We’ll explore the circumstances that drove women to seek the vote, their understanding of the necessity for nonpartisanship, and their awareness that they must educate themselves —and others—before entering the voting booth.

Former Unitarian minister, Ralph Waldo Emerson, delivered a speech to the graduating divinity class at Harvard in July 1838. In his address, Emerson described the errors of historical Christianity and instead promoted a natural religion of the soul. The address has grown famous as one of the best articulations of Transcendentalist thought. Join us as we explore the address and what it means for UU history.

  Join us this morning for “Protecting and Restoring Land: For Wildlife. For You. For the Future,” with guest speaker JoAnna Darda. Jane Goodall once said “Only if we understand, can we care.” Red-tail Land Conservancy believes that learning to understand and care for our environment is the first step towards preserving and restoring the lands that we and wildlife call home. Red-tail offers opportunities to find joy, knowledge, and connection with our natural lands to people of all ages and levels of experience.

  Join us this morning for “Gnosticism,” with Rev. Joel. Gnosticism refers to an early form of Christianity that emphasized gnosis (knowledge) as the path of salvation. Join us as we explore Gnosticism’s theology, their place in the evolution of early Christianity, and why it matters.

  Join us Sunday for “Gnostic Gospels,” with Rev. Joel. Gnostic Gospels refers to a collection of scriptures discovered in the 1940s. Join us as we examine two gospels from the collection and what they mean for our understanding of early Christianity.

  Join us this morning for “Matter + Quantum = Mind + Consciousness,” with Chris Nelson & Kevin Purrone. Entanglement (‘spooky action at a distance’) and non-locality (the probability of matter existing in many places simultaneously) are two central concepts of quantum mechanics. Physicists and neuroscientists recognize that both occur in biological systems, including in our brains, and that these processes involve our consciousness. We will first discuss these topics and then we will facilitate a conversation with the congregation.

  Join us this morning for “Haitian Revolution,” with Rev. Joel Tishken. The Caribbean nation of Haiti became independent in 1804, following a 13-year revolution. The creation of an independent black nation echoed across the Americas, including the U.S. Join us as we learn about the history of Haiti and the impact it had on world history.