Services

Letterboxing: Getting Lost and Found in the New Year

Letterboxing is a quirky hobby combining orienteering, puzzle solving, journaling, and treasure hunting, dating back to the 1850’s in Dartmoor, England. As we begin 2017, with our well-intentioned resolutions in tow, we’ll explore Letterboxing as a spiritual metaphor for getting lost (in healthy ways) — stepping off the well-worn paths from here to there in … Continued

Christmas Eve Services, 5 and 7 p.m.

Christmas Eve Services will be held at 5 and 7 p.m. at the Clubhouse on Brightwood, Bethel Park. The 5 p.m. service will be an intergenerational, family-­friendly event featuring music from our children, youth and others, as well as stories and a brief re­enactment of the Nativity. The 7 p.m. service will be contemplative in nature … Continued

Yule, 7-9 p.m., First Church, Shadyside

The Spiritways Leadership Team cordially invites you to celebrate Yule on Sun., Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. at First Unitarian Church in Shadyside. Yule or Yuletide (“Yule time”) is a Pagan religious festival observed by the historical North Germanic peoples, later being absorbed into and equated with the Christian festival of Christmas. The earliest references to Yule are by way of indigenous Germanic month names meaning … Continued

Music of the Season

This service will be comprised of holiday­-themed music from various Sunnyhill members and friends, including the choir, children’s choir, string ensemble and other individuals and groups of all ages and many different styles. Come celebrate music and the season!    

A Light in the Darkness

We are in the midst of the holiday season, whether we feel like celebrating or not. But the holidays are about more than gifts and decorations and parties. Both Christmas and Hanukkah have resistance to the dominant culture as part of their histories. This service will explore how the holidays this year might represent an opportunity to work in solidarity with others … Continued

How the Light Gets In

The recently deceased singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen wrote about the experience of darkness in profound and creative ways. But, at the heart of many of his songs and poems was a message of hope and perseverance in spite of the darkness all around. This service will explore the music and theology of Leonard Cohen.  

The Other Side of Thanksgiving: Humility

One of Sunnyhill’s many gifts to Eileen and me was the joy of giving thanks during worship, social activities, and personal connections.  We found Sunnyhill to be a positive, affirming, and supportive group—on the whole.  Before you pat yourselves on the back so hard you strain something, the other side of thanksgiving deserves mention.  We … Continued

Imago Dei

Imago Dei means “image of God.” Unitarianism and Universalism rejected the image of God as a wrathful, vengeful, punitive deity who sits in judgment of humans who are inherently sinful. But what, if any, are the images of God that are more in keeping with UU theology? And why might our image of God be … Continued

Sanctuary

Join us this Sunday at 10:00 am at the Mt. Lebanon Recreation Center for a service led by Rev. Jim Magaw entitled “Sanctuary.” In the wake of this week’s elections, many of us are feeling a deep need to be held in loving community, to acknowledge our grief, and to discern what we are to … Continued

What Binds Us Together

Our worship theme for the month is “Ecclesiology,” and this sermon will explore Unitarian Universalism’s unique ecclesiology—how we are together as a religious community. We are rooted in the concept of covenant that traces its source to the Hebrew Scriptures and to the Puritans, but our idea of covenant is fluid and always changing and … Continued