Soul Matters theme: Delight
Sunday Services take place at 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary. You can also connect via Zoom at https://uuma.zoom.us/j/920676087 or telephone to 646-876-9923 (Meeting ID: 920 676 087).
The Rev. Andrew Clive Millard
June 4th: "Celebrating the Centenary of the Flower Ceremony"
One of the Values that the Article II Study Commission has proposed for our UUA Covenant is Pluralism. “We celebrate that we are all sacred beings diverse in culture, experience and theology. We covenant to learn from one another in our free and responsible search for truth and meaning. We embrace our differences and commonalities with Love, curiosity, and respect.”
There is perhaps no better lived demonstration of UU Pluralism than the Flower Ceremony, one of the most beloved traditions in Unitarian Universalism. After becoming members of a Unitarian church in New Jersey, the Rev. Norbert and Mája Čapek decided to bring this faith back to their Czech homeland and founded the Liberal Religious Fellowship in Prague, in a building they called “Unitaria”. Rev. Norbert created the Flower Ceremony in 1923, with each congregant bringing a flower of their choosing, placing it in a large central vase, and then taking home a different flower. This represented both the uniqueness of each person and their coming together in community to share what made them beautiful. Rev. Mája brought the Flower Ceremony to the United States, where it grew in popularity and spread to other congregations, carrying the story of the Čapeks’ resistance to Nazi oppression with it. Today it is celebrated by almost all Unitarian Universalist congregations, and this year we celebrate the centenary of that first Flower Ceremony, one hundred years to the day after the Čapeks first led it on June 4th 1923.
Please bring with you a flower (or two) of your choosing to this Service!
June 11h: "Delightful Mystery"
Why is there something rather than nothing? We know that, about fourteen billion years ago, the Big Bang led to a rapidly expanding Universe. Simple atoms formed and gravity coalesced them into stars. They went nova, making heavier atoms and allowing for planets and oceans and life. That’s the “how”, but the “why” is a delightful mystery!
The ChorUUs will provide wonderful music. The topic for this Service was won by UUFP member Parker Stokes at last year’s Auction.
June 16th: Gratitude for Past Growth and the Fruition to Come”
NOTE TIME: 7pm at the UUFP
Merry Meet! EarthRising, the UUFP’s Earth-centered spirituality group, invites you to the Fellowship’s 36th annual Summer Solstice ritual, recognizing the transition of peak sunlight. It’s a time of maximum growth and activity in Nature, a time to look forward to the coming fruition and look back in gratitude for the creative dance of the Sun and Mother Earth, a time to reflect on our own growth and what we may reap. Weather permitting, our celebration will be held outside, followed by a potluck feast. Children are welcome with their parents. Please contact EarthRising if childcare is needed.
June 18th: What Realy Makes Us Happy”
The Rev. Christina Hockman has been Minister of the Greenville UU Fellowship since August 2022. She was previously Minister of the UU Church of Corpus Christi, a call she served for almost six years. In addition, she served as the UUFP’s first-ever Intern from 2014 to 2016. Chris also has professional experience in non-profit administration, fundraising and finance, with degrees from Eckerd College (BA 1991), Penn State (MBA 1993) and Meadville Lombard Theological School (MDiv 2016). Of Pennsylvania German heritage, Chris was born in Allentown PA and raised near Reading PA. As an adult, she made a home in lovely Richmond VA for more than twenty years before moving to Texas, and now lives in Greenville SC where she resides with her rescue dogs, Enzo and Violet. Chris is an avid yogi, novice paddle boarder and long-time salsa dancer.
June 18th: “Love in Action... Beyond Fear"
NOTE TIME AND PLACE: 7pm at the Coastal Virginia UUs
Join with faith communities from across Hampton Roads for our annual LGBTQAI+ Interfaith Service during pride month, hosted by our sibling congregation in Virginia Beach. We look forward to sharing this important time for all of us to come together as a community. Participation is open to ALL faith communities who are part of and/or supportive/welcoming/affirming/friends/allies of the greater LGBTQAI+ community.
June 25th: “We Covenant to: Model Our UU Values in the World"
Six months ago, by unanimous vote at a special membership meeting, the UUFP adopted a congregational covenant, a list of intentions describing who we aspire to be as a faith community. The eighth point of our covenant reflects our commitment to live our faith in public, not merely in words but in our actions: “deeds, not creeds”.