Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Greater Cumberland

October 1st, 10:45 a.m. – Lora Powell-Haney: “Dreaming Season”

Indigenous peoples’ of this continent refer to this dark half of the year as “dreaming season,” a time when the connection between ourselves and our ancestors is stronger, a time of resting from the labor of the growing season. We’ll explore our inner landscapes, identify deeper work for autumn, and perhaps even dream a little. There will be an opportunity to create a dream pillow full of herbs to aid your work.

October 8th, 10:45 a.m. – Rev. Paul Britner: “When Love Hurts.”

In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, this message identifies the warning signs of potentially dangerous relationships and offers strategies for getting out of them.

This Sunday’s collection will go towards supporting the Women’s Health Center of Maryland.

October 15th, 10:45 a.m. – Members led service

We live on the land of the Delaware and the Shawnee. The service will focus on indigenous people, led by Fellowship members. Tom Hawk will present the message.

October 22nd, 10:45 a.m. – JD Stillwater: “Honoring My Ancestors … and, Am I a Good One?”

Ancestors – everyone has them, and (spoiler alert!) most of them are dead. Euro-American culture isn’t very good at death. We avoid talking about it; we literally kill ourselves trying to postpone it; we expect grief to have stages and then stop; we are so scared of death we’ve perverted the one day each year our ancestors set aside for remembering them to instead focus on giving children candy and expressing our fear with giant inflatable spiders. JD shares his journey from judging his ancestors to questioning his fitness to be one. As always, science plays a leading role, along with several other faith traditions and cultures.

October 29th, 10:45 a.m. – Rev. Karyn Bergman Marsh: “We Are the Breath of Our Ancestors”

In her song “We Are”, composer and co-founder of the a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock, Dr. Ysaye Barnwell suggests that we are the continuation of our ancestors and that they live on in us. We, in turn, will live on in our descendants, whether of body or spirit. In this service, Rev. Karyn Marsh will explore how we all simultaneously embody the past, present, and future. During the service, Rev. Marsh will also hold a candle memorial to honor our ancestors of body and spirit. Please bring a memento or photo to place on our Samhain altar.