|
Services start at 10:30 a.m.
Our services are also available live via Zoom. Please send a request to [email protected] for the link.
Jul. 6, 2025
UU Rev Janet Onnie
Biography:
The Reverend Janet Onnie has supplied pulpits, trained congregations in Lay Pastoral Care, and facilitated workshops on organizational and leadership development and conflict management. She was named Minister Emerita of the Tri-County Unitarian Universalists (FL) and served first, as treasurer, then as president of the Florida Chapter of the UU Ministers Association. As a founder of and contributor to interfaith organizations she is a passionate advocate for social justice issues in cooperation with interfaith partners and allies and is a frequent contributor to newspapers and public forums. Rev. Onnie has recently moved to Asheville, North Carolina where there are 3 active UU congregations. She serves as a consulting minister to the Harrisonburg Unitarian Universalists, and continues to supply pulpits nationwide via Zoom.
Topic: At the Corner of Church and State
By now we have seen the folly of trying to separate our elected officials’ personal values from their sworn duties as representatives of the U.S. constitution. Today we will consider why we Unitarian Universalists seem to choke up in the public square and what we can do to meet this moment by reasserting our shared values.
Sunday, Jul. 13, 2025
Speaker – Amira Sims
Biography:
Amira Sims is a mother of four, college professor, spoken word artist and lifelong learner. Starting at the ripe age of 8 she began keeping a journal. Ever since she can remember she always wanted to be a teacher. Her childhood nickname was school. Even before graduating with her Master’s degree in Psychology, she guest lectured at Valdosta State University. In 2003 she began teaching an array of psychology courses at the collegiate level. Many years later, in her 2019 TEDx Ocala talk she shared that one of the reasons she consistently began to speak her poetry was all thanks to one of her undergraduate college professors who encouraged her to “keep writing, start sharing.”
Topic: Moments that Matter: Spending Time Wisely
Time is precious. A case can be made that time is our most precious natural resource. Finite and infinite, our lives are made of millions of moments. Today’s speaker will share poems that revolve around the theme of honoring the time we have by engaging in actions that align with our values. Amira has invited a couple of other poets to share poems, and a song based on this theme and how it connects with the Unitarian Universalists principles #1 and 7.
Sunday, Jul. 20, 2025
Speaker – Joe Jencks
Biography:
Joe Jencks is a 25-year veteran of the international Folk circuit, an award-winning songwriter and a celebrated vocalist based in the Chicago area. He is known for his performances of musical beauty, social consciousness and spiritual exploration. Joe delivers engaged musical narratives filled with heart, soul, groove and grit. Blending well-crafted instrumentals and vivid songwriting, Jencks serves it all up with a lyric baritone voice that has the edgy richness of a good sea-salt caramel. Co-founder of the harmony trio Brother Sun, Jencks has penned several #1 Folk-songs including the ever-relevant Lady of The Harbor. He has become a fan favorite throughout North America and beyond. Joe has performed and preached in over 200 Unitarian Universalist congregations in the US, Canada, and Ireland, and is also a dual US-Irish citizen. Jencks has also been a Cultural Ambassador with the US State Department.
For more info, please visit: www.joejencks.com.
Topic: The Middle Path
International touring musician, songwriter, and UU lay preacher Joe Jencks will weave together spoken word and music to invite us on The Middle Path. When the pendulum swing of populist politics seems more like a wrecking ball, when the sensationalism of reactionary responses has us feeling some spiritual whip-lash, how do we find a different way to be fully-present in our lives? How do we become change-makers while engaging
in healthy practices? How do we till the soil of community and make it ready for the seeds of sustainable change, while not losing our own center? Joe Jencks weaves a thoughtful tapestry of hope, and invites us into self-care and thoughtful engagement in tandem, as we walk bipedal on The Middle Path.
Sunday, Jul. 27, 2025
Speaker – UU Rev Cynthia Snavely
Biography:
Rev. Cynthia Snavely currently serves the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Somerset Hills in Somerville, New Jersey. Rev. Snavely began her ministry as a United Methodist and moved into Unitarian Universalist ministry in the early 90’s. She has served congregations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina, Florida and New Jersey. She has a daughter, four grandsons, and one granddaughter.
Topic: The Joy of Rest
To my father, gardening was rest. My mother called it work. To my mother, reading a novel was rest. My father would have called that work. Our rest may differ from one to another, but we all need it. Take a breath and relax.
|
