Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Greater Cumberland

January 4, 10:45 a.m. – “Renewal”

Rilke reverenced winter as the season for tending to the inner garden of the soul: “Suddenly to be healed again and aware that the very ground of my being — my mind and spirit — was given time and space in which to go on growing’.”
Members of the Social Action Committee invite the fellowship to consider aspects of such tending. Wintering allows us to reflect on our inner world, consider what we might want to release from our lives, and generate avenues of renewal. We will explore these issues through readings, poetry and ritual. Our service is similar to many UUA congregations’ Fire Communion.

January 11, 10:45 a.m. – Rev. Paul Britner: “The Duty to Disobey” 

In 1849, Henry David Thoreau literally wrote the book on Civil Disobedience—or, to be more precise, the essay on that topic—that has influenced reformers from Tolstoy to Gandhi to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  As we honor Dr. King’s birth this month, this message considers how his actions might influence our social justice actions today. 

January 18, 10:45 a.m. – Rev. Jonalu Johnstone: “Does the Moral Arc of the Universe Bend Towards Justice?”

Unitarian Theodore Parker in the mid-19th century spoke of the moral arc bending towards justice. Today, we might question whether that bend is happening — or if it’s going in the wrong direction. We’ll look to inspiration like that of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to help us keep the faith and keep bending the arc in the right direction.

January 25, 10:45 a.m. – Irene Glasse: “Living the Practice”

Spiritual practices inspire learning, gathering with others of like mind, and trying to build a life in accordance with our values. Along with those wonderful traits, a spiritual practice can also invite us to go deeper: to uncover that which is hidden, root into that which is present, and sink into ever more meaningful layers of connection. The new calendar year inspires fresh starts and new perspectives. Explore approaches for experiencing more meaning, resonance, and depth in our living tradition. Irene Glasse is a Commissioned Lay Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick and president of Frederick CUUPS (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans).