Service Topics Archive for 2004-2005
June 2005
Sunday, June 5,
10:30am-
“The Gay Bible?”
In observance of Pride Month, Dr. Waun will question the
Bible. Is there a “Gay Bible” along the lines of the Woman’s
Bible or the Jefferson Bible?
Where are the exegetical sticking points for the mainstream churches, and what
biblical resources are being used to affirm our LGBTQ friends?
Sunday, June 12,
10:30am-
“Blooming Where We Are
Planted” This is our annual
Flower Communion Sunday where you are invited to bring a stemmed flower to share
in a group bouquet. We are also
recognizing our wonderful Sunday School teachers that Sunday—plus we will be
doing a Child Dedication ceremony for Torin Pottinger.
It will be the last Sunday of our regular program year.
Dr. Waun officiates.
Sunday, June 19,
10:30am-
“UU Roots in
Western PA
” Join Kathleen Parker,
PhD for this presentation, beginning when Unitarianism
first came to
Pittsburgh
in 1820 with English immigrants. The early
congregation remained small and after the Civil War, it collapsed. In the
1890s, a dynamic and gifted minister, the Rev. Charles St. John, came to
Pittsburgh
from
Massachusetts
and helped to revive the
church. Following him came the Rev. L. Walter Mason, who served the church
until his death in 1929. Together, these two leaders established
Unitarianism on a firm foundation in
Pittsburgh
. The story of their
work and their lives is played out in a service of dramatic readings that draws
on letters, newspaper accounts, and the minutes of congregational meetings from
their time.
This
service is part of a history project that has been undertaken at the First
Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh to research our Unitarian and Universalist roots
in this region and produce a book, an exhibit, and an oral history archive.
It is also hoped that this project will help make historical connections between
the Unitarian Universalist congregations in
Western Pennsylvania
.
Sunday, June 26,
10:30am- “Paper Bag Skits”
Join Marylyn Devlin and
Leona Dunnett
in an intergenerational program
involving the always-popular and fun paper bag skits.
Everyone gets involved, and we always have a good time with this
program.
May 2005
Sunday, May 1,
10:30am-
“May Day:
From Play Day to Pay Day” May 1 may be the date of the oldest
holiday in the northern hemisphere, when Maia presided over festivities of
fertility and mirth. Over the
centuries, May Day became associated with honoring labor.
Dr.
Renee Waun
will reflect a bit on both, and also allow time for a traditional May Pole,
weather permitting.
Sunday, May 8,
10:30am-
“Celebrating our Mother” Facilitated
by Maureen McHugh. Among the ancient Celtic People mothers were held in
special awe; the woman with child was seen as strong and fulfilling her purpose.
Based on ancient traditions, we will celebrate the Mother as representing
the cycle of life, the ethics of care, a human connection, and a force for
peace. Bring a picture or symbol of
your mother to display on the altar.
Sunday, May 15,
10:30am- “Labyrinth” Cheryl
Andre will present a labyrinth walk. A labyrinth is a walking meditation
open to people from all faith traditions. Its purpose is to activate the
intuitive side of the brain. Benefits may include: stress reduction, renewal of
physical energy, enhanced intuition and creativity, and more effective community
building.
Sunday,
May 22,
10:30am-
“Is a Secular Religiosity
Possible? A Discussion of the Views
of Paul
Tillich” Theologian Paul
Tillich claims that American society has lost its religious dimension.
By that he means that we have lost our "dimension of depth,"
that is, we are no longer willing to ask questions about the meaning of life.
This talk will examine the works of Tillich, investigating the
possibility of a religiosity that does not require belief in the supernatural.
Led by Dr. Bill Pamerleau, Associate Professor of Philosophy,
University
of
Pittsburgh
at
Greensburg
.
Sunday, May 29,
10:30am -
East Suburban Unitarian Universalist Church will host a series of activities
recognizing Memorial Day. Starting at 10:30am- retired Marine Corps Master
Sergeant Ken Noble will facilitate "Honoring Our Veterans".
As Memorial Day approaches, it is time to pause and consider the true meaning of
this holiday. Memorial Day represents one day of national reverence, honoring
those who died while defending our nation and its values. Ken will facilitate a discussion on the true meaning of
this holiday. Please bring a picture and memories of veterans you have
known to share with all of us.
At 12 o'clock noon, Annapolis graduate and former Navy Special Operations
officer Gerard Katilius will facilitate a private viewing of the Academy Award
winning documentary "The Fog of War", featuring Presidents Kennedy and
Johnson’s Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. Included
are the declassified military radio transmissions which triggered U.S. bombing
of North Vietnam. Robert McNamara authored the cover story of the current issue
of Foreign Policy magazine, Apocalypse Soon. Forty years
ago, he helped the Kennedy administration avert a nuclear war. Today, he
believes the United States must no longer rely on nuclear weapons as a
foreign-policy tool. To do so he says, is immoral, illegal, and dreadfully
dangerous. For more information see,
http://www.sonyclassics.com/fogofwar/
April 2005
Sunday, April 3,
10:30am- “Loveable Heretics, Part III”- In parts I and II we have
looked at great men and women who have gone against the “Church” and popular
culture in times past to be labeled heretics. Now we will look at the 19th century Bibles of Thomas Jefferson and Elizabeth Cady Stanton who did
their own cut and paste versions for different reasons. Too recent to be burned
at the stake, these two still deserve to be called loveable heretics.
Sunday, April 10,
10:30am- “Success Without
Victory” - Professor Jules Lobel will be speaking on his book
“Success Without Victory.” In this book, Professor Lobel looks at legal
cases that were important, but lost in court, to question the preeminent focus
in American life and law with winning or losing. He will argue that we have to
look beyond winning and losing, as many other cultures do, if we are really
seeking spiritual and personal meaning in life.
Sunday, April 17,
10:30am- “Reinventing
God" - Many of the world's Christian theologians are writing about the
changing nature of God, as science influences our perceptions of the world.
The changes are affecting worship services at many Christian churches all over
the world, and even in the
United States
. What role does
Unitarian Universalism play in this changing relationship between God and
humanity? Rev. Kate
R. Walker will
present this topic.
Sunday,
April 24, 10:30am- “Important UUs from the Past and Present” - This
special intergenerational service honors important UUs from the past and
present. The students in the RE
classes have worked very hard to put this program together and invite you to
join us for this entertaining and informative event.
March 2005
Sunday, March 6,
10:30am-
“I Want to do What They Are
Doing”- Can we be the kind of place that people out there can look at and
make that statement? Dr.
Waun will help us to celebrate who we are and
the difference we are making in people’s lives inside and outside the church.
Today is Canvas Kickoff Sunday.
Sunday, March 13,
10:30am- "Self/No-self and
the end of Fear “
- Dependent origination is one of the central concepts of
Buddhism. Rev. Kyoki Roberts, Head Priest of the Zen Center of Pittsburgh, will
first lead us in Zen meditation and then speak on the means by which spiritual
practice is the end of all fear.
Sunday, March 20, 10:30am- Easter Day- "Oestre” - Celebrate
the vernal equinox and the turning of the wheel of the year in the earth based
tradition. Celebrate Spring, honor
the goddess, Oestre, and reflect on the renewal/rebirth of the green earth.
This festival is interactive and welcomes all ages.
Sunday, March 27,
10:30am-
Easter Day- "Trusting Life"- For this year's Easter
theme, Dr. Waun will reflect upon whether or not we can be assured
that life is good, in spite of everything. Is this not another way of
talking about "resurrection"? You are invited to bring a potted
spring plant for decorating the worship area, and then to take it home, or leave
it for planting in the church yard. Sunday School will be on spring recess
this Sunday, resuming on April 3.
February 2005
Sunday, February 6,
10:30am-
“Loveable
Heretics, Part II”- Not all
heretics were theologians or preachers. Some
were artists, writers or scientists who in ways that just happened to conflict
with established church teaching. Join
Dr. Waun as we will have a look at scientists who defied the church with
their teachings, and what happened to them as a result.
This program does not assume that you attended Part I.
This is also the Sunday we will be unveiling and dedicating our new
tapestry, with an artist’s reception for Adrienne Heinrich following
the service.
Sunday, February 13,
10:30am-
“Francis
of
Assisi
: Poverty, Peace, Prayer & Patron of
Animals” - Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) is celebrated within the Catholic
tradition as the patron saint of animals, as a nature-lover, and as an advocate
of peace. The founder of the Franciscan order, Saint Francis also practiced
radical poverty and left us a legacy of prayer.
Francis lived during the time of the Crusades, and came to distrust
violence and war. In the year 1219 he sought a non-violent way to solve the
conflict between Christians and Muslims. A
Catholic by birth, Dr. Maureen McHugh will review the stories of Saint
Francis for meaningful messages about our relationship to the world, our
relations with other beings including animals, and our part in the peace
process.
Sunday, February 20,
10:30am-
“Living Our Diversity” - At a recent Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Service, Joan
M. Sabatino gave the
Benediction based on a 1956 pastoral prayer of King’s in which he asks us to
“seek the unity in our diversity.” These are words often spoken and
written in UU churches and communities. This morning’s sermon will
reflect on the hard realities and ultimate benefits of living our diversity.
Sunday, February 27, 10:30am- “Concerning
the Spiritual in Art” - Adrienne
Heinrich, the
noted
Pittsburgh
artist who created our wonderful tapestry, will speak about
the spiritual motivation for her artwork, past and present, illustrated with
slides. Named
Pittsburgh
's Artist of the Year in
2001, her work is in the permanent collections of
Carnegie
Museum
, Southern Alleghenies
Museum, and the
Contemporary
Museum
,
Montecatini
,
Italy
. We are honored
to have her latest work become the focal point for our Sanctuary.
January 2005
Sunday,
January 2, 10:30am- “Loveable
Heretics, Part I”- The word
“heretic” in Greek means “choice”, so heretics are people who choose
their own way, rather than the way prescribed by orthodoxy or the institution.
Dr. Waun will begin a three-part series today with an historical
introduction that includes the early founders of Unitarian Universalism who were
persecuted and even killed for being heretics in the established church.
Sunday,
January 9,
10:30am-
“War
and Peace”- Mehernosh
Khan and Marylyn Devlin will
be performing one of Mehernosh's poems of peace, plus other antiwar pieces.
NOTE: Church members and friends are invited to bring similar pieces to
read aloud and, of course, to share their thoughts and opinions.
Sunday,
January 16,
10:30am-
“to
‘Be a Man’”- Len
Caric will talk about our image of masculinity and its role in promoting what
many call the "culture of rape" in our society. Len is chairperson of
the local chapter of Men Against Sexual Violence (MASV). Initiated by the PA
Coalition Against Rape and
Westmoreland
County
's
Blackburn
Center
, MASV provides a forum for men and boys
to examine what it takes to "be a man" and to join with women in
ending sexual violence.
Sunday, January 23,
10:30am-
“Annual
Pancake Breakfast”- Each year male
members of the church come together for a special bonding experience -- to
prepare and serve breakfast for the church! If you would consider helping to
prepare and serve this special meal, please plan to arrive around
9AM
. Members and friends are invited
to participate in the feast, starting around
10:30AM
, which will be in lieu of the regular
Sunday service that day. Your Sunday breakfast or brunch menu can include
pancakes, coffee, orange juice and sausage. Come and enjoy!
Sunday, January 30,
10:30am-
“Opting
Out of Suffering”- We
welcome Rev. Carol Meyer,
Minister of the UU Church of the North Hills.
Buddhism teaches that pain is part of life, but suffering is optional.
What does this mean? What kind of suffering is unnecessary, and how might
we liberate ourselves from such unnecessary suffering?
December 2004
Sunday, December 5,
10:30AM-
“Crossing Spiritual Boundaries”
Rev. Dr. Renee Waun has
participated in many different religious traditions as part of her world travels
and interfaith work. Is it possible
to truly engage another’s spirituality or religious practice?
Or can we only reverently observe? Can
we be bi-religious in the same way as some people are bi-lingual?
Sunday, December 12,
10:30AM-
“The Seven Days of Unity”
Come one, come all to a very special
Intergenerational Service introducing "The Seven Days of Unity".
As UU's, we are encouraged to explore the beliefs and convictions of many
religious groups, and during the month of December we often celebrate the
special days sanctified by other religions.
This year, we are taking a different path.
The Seven Days of Unity are based on our Seven Principles.
We offer the concept, and this day’s celebration, as an alternative to
the many other festivals that we are likely more familiar with.
This is UUniquely ours. The
Seven Days of Unity are not celebrated in a rigid way.
They can be celebrated in as many different ways as there are UU's!
We offer suggestions and invite you to join us as we present our version
of the celebration.
Sunday, December 19,
10:30AM-
“A
Message for a Mestizaje People: The Story of the Nuestra Senora de
Guadalupe,
Mother to the
Americas
”
There are more than 12.6 million
people of Mexican descent in the
United States
and everywhere Our Lady of Guadalupe is
known to them since her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531: a brown-skinned woman,
a mestizo surrounded by the sun, cloaked in a blue mantle covered with stars,
standing on a crescent moon held by an angel. She looks down, and the expression
on her face is one of kindness, compassion, and strength.
To be of Mexican descent is to recognize the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Her
image has given an oppressed people dignity and she has been with them in their
greatest sorrows and joys. In the barrios and businesses of Mexican Americans,
Our Lady of Guadalupe has a home. The name "Guadalupe" is given to
both girls and boys and is bestowed not only on parishes and churches but also
on streets, towns, cities, rivers, and mountains.
A Mestizaje People: The Spanish word mestizaje has no precise equivalent in
English. To be a mestizo/mestiza is often translated as being of mixed race or
mixed ethnic origin. In English this has often had a negative ring. However, in
Spanish the word mestizaje has a richer connotation, meaning "to
intermingle, to synthesize while maintaining the sense of one's origins."
Join Wanda Guthrie and
Leona Dunnett
in a discussion of what the message to the "new people", the
mestizaje in the
Americas
, means today.
Friday, December 24,
7:30pm
- Candlelight
Christmas Eve Service
This is a traditional service for gathering with family and friends in the
spirit of joy and love. Dr.
Renee Waun will read the story of Ukrainian Jewish family members who bring
Christmas to their ill neighbors and discover new miracles of meaning and
friendship. There will be an old fashioned Christmas carol sing, ending with
Silent Night and hand held candles.
Sunday, December 26,
10:30AM-
“Creative Spirit”
Facilitated by Maureen McHugh and guest,
Linda Fleming
. Join us for this
intergenerational hands-on celebration of the creative spirit.
We will explore the connection between community and creativity as we
produce handiwork that celebrates and serves members of our community.
We will collaborate in the creation of a fabric “quilt” that is a
gift to the community. (Individuals with portable sewing machines, please
contact
Linda Fleming
: 724-325-3492)
November 2004
Sunday, November 7,
10:30AM
– “Radical Neighborliness”
Rev. Dr. Renee Waun will reflect
on what it means to live in an interdependent community with people who are very
different from us. This applies to
so many categories of “difference” but perhaps most relevant in the
political arena in the aftermath of a close election.
It can feel “radical”.
Sunday, November 14,
10:30AM
– “Her Royal Highnesses:
Jezebel and Esther” (Part 1 of 2)
Join Sue Lau in a 2-part discussion of two biblical
queens, living in different times and in different places and different in
temperament as well. Part 1: Jezebel:
Her name has become a veritable synonym and symbol for all evil women.
But was she really as wicked as the Bible claims? What picture do we get
when we read between the lines about this remarkably powerful woman?
Sunday, November 21,
10:30AM
– “Her Royal Highnesses:
Jezebel and Esther” (Part 2 of 2)
Sue Lau concludes a 2-part discussion of two biblical
queens, living in different times and in different places and different in
temperament as well. Part 2: Esther:
This biblical woman is credited with saving her people (the Jews) from wholesale
annihilation at the hands of a foreign monarch—to whom she is married!
And it all begins with a beauty pageant.
Sunday, November 28,
10:30AM
– “How to be Nobody”
Nancy Fitzgerald
, Commissioned Lay Leader, says, “I
affirm that I believe in God and want to experience that daily—by my
understanding, I’m a theist and a mystic.
I am currently working on being aware of my ego so I can let it go and
claim my one Self. This talk draws
from an article by Rev. Jon Mundy from Miracles Magazine.
A Course in Miracles is it’s inspiration and mine.
We end with some humorous thoughts.”
October 2004
Sunday, October 3,
10:30AM
–“Priests,
Pastors and Prophets”
- From the Parliament of the World’s Religions come some insights about
how religions are established and organized.
Some rely more so on the priestly archetype, some more on the pastoral,
and others on the prophetic. Rev.
Dr. Renee Waun will share some of her most interesting experiences from the
PWR in reflecting on this topic.
Sunday, October 10,
10:30AM
– “emma's revolution” -
We will celebrate Welcoming Sunday with a musical uprising of truth and hope
from emma's revolution, the new duo of award-winning, activist musicians,
Pat Humphries & Sandy O. Partners in life as well as music,
their songs "Peace, Salaam, Shalom" and "Keep on Moving
Forward" are sung at vigils and demonstrations around the world.
Sunday, October 17,
10:30AM
– "The Sonata" -
Composer/pianist Brian Ogle, D.M.A., will perform original
compositions and discuss the development of one of the most important classical
musical forms, the Sonata.
Sunday, October 24,
10:30AM
– “The Electoral College and more”
- On November 2 we will be
voting for two federal office holders. Why was the Electoral College
created and how does it operate every four years? What topics are
"hot" in either the House or Senate? Tom Bailey will lead
a discussion about the Electoral College and legislative news gleaned
from his high school classes and college classroom.
Sunday, October 31,
10:30AM
– “Days of the Dead
Celebration or Los Dias de los Muertos” - La Muerte or Lady Death is embraced by Mexican culture
in a way that is often hard for foreigners to understand. And on November 1 (All
Saints Day) and November 2 (All Souls Day)
Mexico
's tradition of honoring death and the dead is probably the most misunderstood
fiesta of all. We think of Halloween, but
Mexico
's Day of the Dead holiday is a complex heritage of their people, blending
ancient cultural beliefs with the Catholic Church. It is a time for families to
honor their ancestors with elaborate home altars laden with harvest fruits,
traditional breads with crossed bones on top and sugar skulls decorated in
lively colors. Come and celebrate
Mexico
's most famous fiesta with us and decorate your own sugar skull!
Led by
Mark Zingarelli
and Mary Kukura-Straw.
September 2004
Sunday, September 5,
10:30 AM- “Annual
Fall Brunch Picnic”
- Rev. Dr. Renee Waun - We
will have a time of connection around joys and concerns, along with a discussion
of our project to Get Out The Vote. Then we will have an informal potluck
brunch/lunch picnic. Bring a dish to
pass. Beverages will be provided.
Dress is casual on this last summer Sunday.
Sunday, September
12,
10:30 AM-
“Annual Water Communion and
Start-up Sunday” - Rev.
Dr. Renee Waun - Be sure to bring a vial of water from your summer
adventures to pour into the common vessel as we share the meaning of our
experiences with one another. The
choir will sing, the puppets will make us smile, the Sunday School will begin—it
will be a great Sunday!
Sunday, September 19,
10:30 AM -
"The
Gender Knot" Maureen
McHugh - The
Gender Knot is a clear analysis of how the myth of a superior male gender
pervades our entire culture. It is
both well reasoned and devoid of the anger which is seen to pervade many of the
books on feminist theory. Come hear
and share thoughts on this important book.
Sunday, September
26,
10:30 AM -
"Domestic
Violence" April Soulet
- Our member, April Soulet will
give a presentation on this very pressing issue.
