Services

Surviving Isolation

The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus presents us with a number of challenges, including learning how to survive extended periods of isolation without going batty. This sermon will explore practices and alternative ways of connecting that might help all of us survive or even thrive during this stressful time.

Plague and Panic

The current coronavirus outbreak poses a number of challenges, including how to stay safe while still staying connected with one another and not panicking. What do various responses to the emerging pandemic say about us as individuals and as members of larger communities? This Service will be ONLINE ONLY. More information here.

Roots

This sermon will look at the value of tradition in religion, and the healthy tension involved in keeping it balanced with seeking new forms, creative expressions, and original experience. Our tradition grounds us, gives us roots, so we can fly. (Rev. Thickstun serves as minister of the UU Church of the North Hills.)

Gospel of David Sedaris

Humorist, author, and radio commentator David Sedaris blends hilarity and heartbreak in his writings and offers a model of humor and humility which can serve as an example for all of us. We would all do well do treat ourselves and others tenderly but not too seriously.

Immigration and Colonization

Although the U.S. is a “nation of immigrants” (at least for many of us), we are also a nation that was founded by means of violent colonization and destruction of indigenous cultures. How do we live with this mixed legacy while working to become truly welcoming to all?

Sports Fandom

Why do people care about sports, and what lessons can be learned from being a sports fan? While some people are true fanatics and others care little or nothing about sports, there are some interesting and instructive aspects of fandom that can reveal important truths about being human.

How Trees Grow in Rocks

What lessons about resilience can we learn from trees and shrubs that grow and thrive in even the most difficult circumstances? And how can we learn to have a symbiotic rather than hostile relationship with our own challenging circumstances?

Resilience

In this service, Rev. John Ballance will draw upon his experience as a chaplain at Allegheny County Jail to reflect on the meaning of resilience even in the midst of the most challenging situations.

Grace & Grit

Although we often take what we have for granted, it’s relatively easy to be grateful when things are going our way. How do we go about living a grace-filled and grateful life even when times are hard? Sometimes grit is just as important as gratitude.

Liberals, Radicals, and MLK

In his own era, Martin Luther King, Jr., was a polarizing figure in American politics and religion. One of the primary tensions that existed both then and now is between mainstream liberalism and a more radical progressivism. What does this tension mean for us as Unitarian Universalists?