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Our minister preaches three Sundays a month. We have a collection
of Minister's Sermons on another page.
The rest of the Sundays we have a guest speaker; a lay member
of our congregation, a visiting minister or someone from the wider
community.
All of the opinions expressed are those of the authors. We may not
agree with what they say, but we defend their right to say it.
If you would like to present one of these to your group, in any form,
please contact us. We almost
always give permission; we just like to know how many people use these.
What is a Devout Unitarian Universalist?
Ted Pack
Ted answers questions about Unitarian Universalists on Yahoo! Answers.
Some of the common misperceptions about our faith are that we're a cult,
that we are "the church that doesn't believe in anything" and that a
"devout Unitarian Universalist" is a contradiction in terms. See
how he spreads light in the darkness.
(November 25, 2007)
The Radical Bible
What is the Bible's message to the modern world? Eugene Conrotto has adapted
a Reader's Theater presentation from The Radical Bible, published in Germany
in 1989 under the original title "Bibel Provokative". Focus on this Labor Day
Weekend will be justice and the Third World.
(September 2, 2007)
How Do I Decide?
Dr. David Simons.
With ever-increasing discovery, development and information available,
we can't be experts on the many issues and questions that face us. We
still need to make decisions, though, and so we often depend on opinions
from people we trust. How do we choose those people? How can we be confident
about our choices? How do we make decisions on the issues that affect our
lives and our society? (August 19, 2007)
Our Four Natural Enemies
Rev. Bill Greer and Aynslie Frederickson.
Most of us see the approach to the end of our lives as primarily concerned
with two issues: memorializing our wishes with regard to the transfer of
assets we have accumulated; and bringing our relationships with
those we care about or love into a current condition by encouraging the
expression of important, as yet undelivered, messages (feelings and
conclusions). The ancient Yaqui wisdom considers a person's interior
preparation for this transition (death) as far more important!
(July 22, 2007)
The Morality of Atheism
Pam Loyd. It is common in our culture for "religious" people to claim that
"godless atheists" are not moral and that a belief in God is required in
order to be moral. But the truth is that atheists, because they don't believe
in a God, must search for their personal values from a different source -
which often results in a higher level of moral development.
(May 27, 2007)
Eve Was Framed
Lin Myers, a professor of psychology who specializes in human
sexuality, brings her considerable talents to bear on "the insidious
negative messages about women that are probably more a part of all our
thinking than we would care to admit." She quotes from Genesis and Freud,
just in time for Mother's Day. (May 13, 2007)
Health Care Insurance:
Working Together to Ensure the Inherent Worth and Dignity of all People
Julie Bates, AARP, spoke about health care for Californians. AARP is
coordinating a statewide coalition to ensure passage of a workable
health care proposal this year. Julie is a member of the UU Church in Stockton,
as well as the Assistant Director for AARP in California. (April 29, 2007)
Zen, UU and Me
The heart of Zen Buddhism is the practice of silent meditation. "Zen" means
meditation, and Jim Robison has been involved with this practice for about
forty years. About ten years ago, Jim's late wife Jerry "dragged" him into
Unitarian Universalism. Zen Buddhists who meditate sit for hours, days, even
weeks in virtual silence. UU's, on the other hand, are not exactly famous
for quietly watching the grass grow. Can you even get a UU to sit down and
shut up? It can get a little tense between Jim's inner Buddhist and his
inner UU. Can this marriage be saved? (April 15, 2007)
The Joke's on UU
We had an all-humor service on April Fool's Day.
A religion should be able to laugh at itself once in a while. (April 1, 2007)
The Path to the Goddess and Unitarian Universalism
Bernadette Burns traces her spiritual journey from Roman Catholosism through
the Girl Scouts and Wicca to our Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
(Delivered earlier, but posted here May, 2007)
Standing up to Fight Genocide in Darfur
Tim Nonn is the Director of Judgment on Genocide.
"The world cannot live with genocide," Nonn says. "A regime that is
criminal to its core, led by men responsible for 500,000 deaths of
innocent civilians and 3.5 million displaced persons, cannot be allowed
to commit crimes against its own people with impunity." Nonn works with
the Bay Area Darfur Coalition and many other key players.
(March 25, 2007)
What Can Americans Learn From the
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?
Dan Onorato visited the area under the sponsorship of the Fellowship of
Reconciliation in 2005. He shares the insights he gained from his experience.
(August 27, 2006)
God-Awful Religion
Dr. David Simons gives
a short treatise on the critical need to proliferate a rational religious
world view independent of any particular understanding of deity. "The End
of Faith" by Sam Harris has catalyzed my thinking on the appropriateness
of "doctrine based" understanding of the Human place in the Universe and
our relationship to the rest of "creation". I will explore the dangers that
doctrine-based thinking presents in our shrinking modern world, and compare
the doctrine-based world view to a possible rational religious world view,
which I believe is inherent in our developing Unitarian Universalist approach
to religious understanding. (20 August 2006)
Safehouse: Leaving Prostitution
Sister Rosina Conrotto writes: ". . . that is what we try to do at
SafeHouse: to love our women, to let them know that they are not judged
or condemned, to restore within them a sense of self worth. We respect
their feelings and emotions." (9 July 2006)
Bill Petersen: an Eulogy
Fred Herman tells us about our first full-time minister. He spoke at
Rev. Petersen's memorial in Santa Rosa in October 2003, but it took us
until February 2006 to get a copy up.
Relationships
Ted Pack is one of those agnostics we mention on our
FAQ page.
He discusses the nature of God, his relationship with the Lord, the
nature of our church and our relationship with each other. He uses two
vivid metaphors and an underwear joke.
(27 November 2005)
Musings on income disparity in America today
Dr. David Simons examines income trends over the past fifty years and discusses the
implications for inter-generational class mobility and their social and ethical
implications. Are we becoming a more rigidly stratified society and should we care?
(21 August 2005)
What Does Being a Unitarian-Universalist
Mean to You?
After we nailed what America meant to us, we tried for what UUism meant to us.
Our coordinator read some quotes about being a UU, then asked the congregation what
being a UU meant to them. Not all faiths ask their members about their beliefs.
Cotton Mather, for instance, never asked his congregation about predestination.
(31 July 2005)
What Does America Mean to You?
Five of our members discuss our country, in honor of the Fourth of July.
(03 July 2005)
Lessons Learned from an Old Dying Dog
Debra Heins: A lifetime is more than the sum of its parts. As beings touch
each other, they leave indelible prints that become a part of each other's
psyche, and each print becomes incorporated as our own. The past many months
have been intense for me with new and renewed experiences. I will share what
I've learned.
(22 May 2005)
Riptides and World Religions
Kathleen Ennis. The instructions for surviving a rip tide may help if
a personal catastrophe threatens to sweep you away.
(09 January 2005)
Global Warming - Why Should We Worry?
Dr. David Simons: We still hear differing opinions from scientists about global
warming. David is a physicist with an interest in the topic. He gives the
reasons for dispute and likely results. If worry is warranted, so are some
definite actions. (15 August 2004)
Religious Language: Reclaiming and Making It Our Own
Sharon Arpoika. Many UU's feel uncomfortable with or resist the use of traditional
religious language. Sharon explores the idea that a re-examination of this language
might add meaning to our lives. (25 July 2004)
America's idols: Empire and Security
Dan Onorato on the morality of war in light of the conflict in Iraq. (13 June 2004)
Hetch Hetchy Valley: A Grand Landscape Garden
Ron Good, Executive Director of Restore Hetch Hetchy, makes an eloquent,
impassioned case for restoring a second Yosemite Valley. (18 April 2004)
Adventures of a UU Web Master
One-eyed, two-eyed, three-eyed and four-eyed geeks.
Elly Mae at Redneck.com, who wanted "pitchers from the Bible".
An underwear joke.
Humbling questions. Spiritual growth. It is all here. (30 November 2003)
Confessions of a Liberal
Malcolm Warren examines his life and beliefs. (28 September 2003)
Patriot Act(s) - Tempest In A Teapot Or Handbasket To Hell?
Fred Herman blasts the Patriot Act. (17 August 2003)
Does Science Have Anything To Say About God?
Dr. David Simons talks about physics and God. (3 August 2003)
From Whence Cometh My Strength?
Sharon Arpoika talks about losing her teen-aged son. (22 October 1995)
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