“Earth is forgiveness school,” says Ann Lamott, but forgiveness is hard sometimes. We can learn a lot about it by considering the work of two great champions of forgiveness. Eva Mozes Kor was taken to Auschwitz as a child to be used as an experimental animal by Nazi doctor Josef Mengele. It took her fifty years, but she was finally able to forgive him for what he had done and experience a transformation from victim to victor. Lois Wilson is the co-founder of Al Anon, a group that supports the family members and friends of alcoholics as they try to heal the wounds that the alcoholics in their lives have inflicted. Al Anon has provided millions with wise counsel on the steps toward spiritual growth, resulting in their forgiveness of others and themselves.

So much of our world seems upended right now. Our government may not be what we had always thought, forests are burning, and even the terms with which we shape our justice priorities as a faith tradition are constantly shifting. We are in a period of deconstruction and it is uncomfortable while holding so much potential for generativity.  We’ll discuss what gives us hope and direction as we put into place foundations for how to begin the next phase of reconstruction – in our individual lives, our faith, and our world. The Rev. Sarah Gettie McNeill serves our Unitarian Universalist Association from her home in Bloomington, Indiana. Born and bred a Hoosier from rural Southern Indiana, Sarah Gettie was raised in the conservative Christian church before finding UUism after a long journey through many cultures and religions. After receiving her MDiv from Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, she has spent her ministry in hospital chaplaincy and religious education and now serves as the Professional Development Programs Manager at the UUA. In this role, she has the absolute joy of accompanying music leaders and religious educators through professional credentialing, certification, and growth. She lives with her partner, Landon (a professor at IU’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs), two sons, Elijah (7) and Lucas (3.5), and two felines, Kitsie and Cuzco – a kitten, all of whom make for a very lively household!

Many, if not most, Unitarian Universalists deny the existence of a hell in the afterlife. We say that people are too good to be eternally damned! Have we, however, truly lived into this belief in our own world and faith movement? What kind of hells exist right here? Join us this morning in exploring how we disrupt and dismantle oppressive behaviors in our faith, to then build up spaces of our own kind of loving, justice-fueled heaven.

This week’s service is Stewardship Kick Off Sunday with a homily from Eleanor Trawick. Elsbeth Fritz, John Taylor and Susan Taylor will give their reflections on why UUCM is significant in their lives. The congregation of this church is a caring and loving group. Our speakers will enlighten us on the importance for financial generosity. We will “Come Together” with additional wise Beatles music.

Join us this Sunday for “Muhammad Ali, The Greatest: His Journey with Integrity and Religion.” Come “Shadow Box” with Bill Frederick he shares ideas and stories of this journey that has had profound influence on America and the world. He was also a poet. If Ali says a mosquito can pull a plow, don't ask how! Hitch him up.

How do we prioritize where to focus our attention when the world is a literal dumpster fire? How do we move towards the beloved community that we yearn for? Join the middle and high school aged youth for an exploration of these questions and more. This service is completely planned and led by youth. 

As people of faith, we are called to recognize injustice and work to change it. We move toward suffering and come alongside it. Religion is also attention and openness to the totality of being human together in community. When it feels like the world is on fire, I sometimes struggle to pay attention to joy. How about you? What does our Unitarian Universalist faith teach us about holding this tension? How can we tell the truth about suffering and make room for beauty? Can joy be just? Let's give our attention to meeting the holy in just joy. Jessica James, MDiv, is a candidate for the Unitarian Universalist ministry. She serves on the board of the Church of the Larger Fellowship and is pursuing a master’s degree in restorative justice at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding of Eastern Mennonite University. She graduated from Andover Newton Theological School in May 2018 and served as the Ministerial Intern for UUAC First Parish in Sherborn, MA from September 2017-June 2019. Jessica and her husband Royce live in Dayton with their four children.

We are faced with daily reminders of how the world is changing, and what the world needs from us more than ever (compassion, risk-taking, and a commitment to justice). This is a critical time for each of us to live our Unitarian Universalist values, on Sundays and every day. The Reverend Scott McNeill is the Associate Minister of the UU Church of Bloomington (IN), with a portfolio that includes worship planning, social justice, and small group ministry. Beyond parish ministry, he has served the UUA in work related to anti-racism and anti-oppression, as well as governance and elections.

The UU Church of Muncie honors its Universalist history and is proud to recall a time when Universalism appealed to many people here.  Sadly, those times are gone, but can we articulate a modern Universalist message that could inspire 21st century folks?  Bruce will give you some ideas in his sermon. Rev. Bruce Russell-Jayne served UU in churches in Illinois, Utah and Ohio, and as a Chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and is now retired. He and his wife Cece are gardening thru their 7th summer in Carmel. They are members of All Souls Unitarian Church, Indianapolis. Bruce has preached here about once a year.