If you ask a handful of Unitarian Universalists about the seven principles that have guided our Association of Congregations since 1985, I suspect many wouldn’t be able to list all of them. But I’m certain that you’d hear these two:
1st Principle
We affirm and promote the inherent … read more.
Dear Church,
August is here and autumn is around the corner. At St. John’s, fall often comes with an upsurge in energy around church programs and activities. Our yearly in-gathering service of water communion is coming up on August 21st. From there we nearly tumble into … read more.
Dear Church,
Sometime after we were married, my husband and I did the responsible thing and made wills. For a number of years – at least 7 or more – upon our demise, 50% of our wealth would go to the UUA and the other 50% … read more.
Last Thursday, we two, Rev. Alice Diebel and Rev. Mitra Jafarzadeh, attended a training from Faith Choice Ohio. Faith Choice Ohio is an organization of religious leaders who understand the necessity of abortion care for anyone and everyone who finds themselves in need. Abortions have been a … read more.
Trigger warning: sexual assault is mentioned
Dear Church,
After service today (April 3), I arrived home to a news reports of rape as a war crime in Ukraine. The horror of war is real and few escape being wounded or scarred in some way. For the civilians … read more.
Presented at Cincinnati’s Jan. 6th Remembrance at City Hall, Jan. 6, 2022.
Fear is too much with us.
For all of us, no matter who you voted for.
It is the emotion that we share.
After the election, many among us were made afraid that their vote did not … read more.
Dear St. John’s,
As you may know, I have enrolled in a Doctorate in Ministry program at Lexington Theological Seminary. In August, I will be taking a class called Building Capacity for Transformative Ministries. I just ordered the books for that class and thought I … read more.
As the called and settled minister of this congregation, I have responsibility for worship. While I have the privilege of working with and learning from wise members of the congregation, it is my holy obligation to provide some guidelines for use of the pulpit. Often, … read more.
Dear Church,
I would like to invite you into a new experience with me. The next three sermons will be on a related theme. Sometimes we need to be very intentional in telling stories about racism here.
Let’s begin with song.
You may have noticed the song “Lift … read more.
My parents told me that the only thing I would ever really own was my name. My name, ordinary in other contexts, is still odd in America.
Earlier this week, I came across two powerful poets who share the story of navigating the cultures and contexts of … read more.
