Sunday Services

Meeting Times:
We had one service, at 10:00 am, for the summer. We shifted to two services, at 9:30 and 11:00 am, on September 13, 2009. (One service on the Sundays after Thanksgiving and Christmas.)

We leave some previous sermon topics here, to give you an idea of the things we talk about. We have the complete text of some sermons on-line, by our Minister, our Intern, and our Guests.

Deeply Religious
March 28, 2010
Rev. Keith Kron
Rev Kron returns to our pulpit this morning. He writes, "I was asked by someone upon learning I was a minister, if I were "deeply religious." Not surprisingly I gave her multiple answers to the question. In 25 years of being a Unitarian Universalist having been in over 400 UU congregations, I've learned a lot about our faith (Not only how we live it and what do and don't do well) and about me. How have we changed in 25 years and where do we need to go? What has a minister (who may or may not be deeply religious) who's been from Fairbanks to Miami and from Newfoundland to Hawai'i learned about what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist ?"
(Rev. Kron is the director of the UUA's Office of Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Concerns. He tells us it started out as the UUA's "Department of Gay Affairs". After they realized what they'd done, stopped laughing and used up the letterhead stationary, they changed the name to the current one.)

Justice in the Fields Around Us?
March 21, 2010
Lloyd Carter, Esq.
Join us for this annual Justice Sunday event as Attorney Lloyd Carter, former Fresno Bee and UPI reporter, and long time advocate for sensible water policies, family farmers and farm workers will be our guest speaker. Following the Service, eat a pizza lunch at a workshop with Mr. Carter to explore these issues.

Evil in the 20th Century
March 14, 2010
Rev. Lucas Hergert
The Rev. Hergert, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Livermore, will be our guest in the pulpit. He will examine the problem of evil in the context of events that have shaken our trust in the world. How can liberal religious persons, with our optimistic portrayal of human nature, come to grips with genocide, nuclear war, and widespread suffering? This sermon will propose a way for us to hold on to hope in a sometimes hopeless world. Rev Grace will be preaching at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Livermore.
Daylight Savings Time begins today. Set your clocks ahead an hour!

Have We Grown Up?
March 7, 2010
Rev. Grace Simons
This Sunday's sermon topic was bought at last year's Spring Auction. John Swearingen was the successful bidder and he's been inspired by Mike Durall's latest book. Durall says that developing spiritual maturity is the underlying purpose of our congregations. What do you suppose that means? How can we encourage spiritual growth if we accept each other the way we are? Do we ever grow up completely, except that we stop getting taller? Should our congregations adopt that old Army slogan - "Be all that you can be!" - as spiritual advice? What would that look like?
Read the sermon.

It's Basic
February 28, 2010
Rev. Grace Simons
A recent opinion column in the New York Times says that our basic human pleasures are food, sex and giving. Maybe that last is a surprise to you. But when you look more closely, we all want to be generous people - people who share the gifts of life in their many forms. I suspect it's actually about love - which we only get when we give it away. So let's talk! Our annual pledge drive starts today. Our long term goal is to get rid of it. How is that possible without a rich benefactor or winning the lottery? Well, better be there to find out!
Read the Sermon.

Well Intentioned, But ...
February 21, 2010
Rev. Grace Simons
"Well Intentioned, but sometimes clueless." I have to admit that even though I think I'm fairly well informed about Black History, every now and then something really surprises and shocks me. The latest? An explanation of why the phrase "brown bag" can be offensive. (Some places choose to say 'bring your own lunch.') So let's talk about why Black History Month is needed and valuable -- even for those of us who think we're 'enlightened' in regard to racial issues.

Standing on the Side of Love
February 14, 2010
UUFSC Members
Love, we all know, can be incredibly powerful. It can influence us to behave selfishly or selflessly. It can transport us to the heights of ecstasy or push us to the depths of despair. On February 14th, Valentine’s Day, we plan to share stories, poems and music celebrating some of the poignant, amusing or inspirational aspects of love.

The Homestretch
February 7, 2010
Rev. Leroy Egenberger
My theme is inspired by a booklet by my colleague, the Rev. Tom Owen-Towle. The goal of ones "homestretch" is to "finish life well ... with grace, juice and dignity" This is of particular interest to us older folks. But even the young have been known to have this on their mind.

Culture Mentality
January 31, 2010
Paula Braxton, Ministerial Intern
How does a group of people justify abhorrent actions because those actions are accepted as a part of their culture. Groupthink, mob mentality, culture mentality. A discussion of how these aspects of culture can distort a groups world view.