This Sunday we’ll be digging into the story of Henry David Thoreau, one of our most famous Unitarian ancestors. He was an ecologist, an explorer, a prolific writer, and a protest activist. I’ve actually never preached about Thoreau before (one of my colleagues asked: can you even be a UU minister if you haven’t preached … Continue reading Friday News – May 15, 2026
This Sunday, we will come together to officially welcome our newest members into community. When someone signs the membership book, they sign their name to our First UU covenant, committing to engage with this community responsibly, with care and compassion, embrace our diversity as a source of communal strength, and continue growing and learning in … Continue reading Friday News – May 8, 2026
Fund for Immigration Legal Assistance (FILA) Welcome to FILA’s first periodic update. To those who have donated to the fund, we thank you for your generosity and your support of FILA’s work to defend our immigrant neighbors in Central Ohio. Today we want to share with you one of the people who we have been … Continue reading FILA Update
Sunday, April 26, 2026 “Belonging in Times of Trial: The Great Weaving” Board Welcome Betsy Smalley Opening Hymn #187 “It Sounds Along the Ages” Indigenous Land Acknowledgment Paisha Thomas Centering Words Rev. Dr. Terasa Cooley Congregational Greeting by Carol Sissel Bringing in the Light Nathan Hamm “Yes I Will” by Michael Franti Chalice Lighting by Hope … Continue reading Sunday, April 26 – Belonging in Times of Trial: The Great Weaving (Pablo DeJesus)
This weekend will be a great opportunity for us to learn more about organizing for Social Justice! UUs from across the state will gather to learn ways we can address the increasingly dire state of the country. Our keynote speaker, Pablo de Jesus, is the national director of UUs for Social Justice, and is an … Continue reading Friday News – April 24, 2026
On Wednesday morning I learned that one of my colleagues, Rev. Dr. Natalie Fennimore, died quite suddenly after a very short illness. Those of you who attended General Assembly in 2021 would have heard her give the sermon at the Service of the Living Tradition. She was the Lead Minister of the UU Congregation at … Continue reading Friday News – April 17, 2026
I’ve just returned from a glorious trip up the river Elbe from Prague to Berlin. It was a family trip to help celebrate my mother’s 90th birthday. We visited amazing cities and went past our ancestral homeland and touched Luther’s theses on the door of his church in Wittenberg. But we also saw the still … Continue reading Friday News – April 10, 2026
Springtime and Easter can be a time of celebrating the newness that the season brings. It can also be a struggle for some. For so long, I have had a tendency to silently cringe at the violent imagery of the crucifixion. I grew up in a world where I was supposed to believe that this … Continue reading Friday News – April 3, 2026
This Sunday, we’re going to explore the spiritual practice of paying attention to the little, often unseen, everyday moments in our lives. Poet Devin Kelly writes, “our attention is a gift because it reminds us, every waking second, that we are in the presence of so many somethings that exist without our permission and to … Continue reading Friday News – March 27, 2026
Spring flowers are blooming, and lots of special activities are coming into season at First UU! I hope that you will plan to join me for a joyful and colorful special service this week – where we will celebrate the power of our shared values and work together to make a difference! Working for justice … Continue reading Friday News – March 20, 2026
