This morning we explore the ways we can create beauty in community from what we already have – from empty lots, thorn bushes, and a little bit of faith.

This morning we explore the ways we can create beauty in community from what we already have – from empty lots, thorn bushes, and a little bit of faith.

Creating Beauty in Community

The work of liberation is just that, work. Right? Yes, and no. Sometimes learning to let go – of a bad mood, a grudge, an addiction – can be just the thing we need to realize justice, truth, and freedom.

The work of liberation is just that, work. Right? Yes, and no. Sometimes learning to let go – of a bad mood, a grudge, an addiction – can be just the thing we need to realize justice, truth, and freedom.

The Liberation of Letting Go

Join us for a celebration of Earth Day and a call to sacred activism.

Join us for a celebration of Earth Day and a call to sacred activism.

Liberating Earth

This morning we’ll explore Unitarian Universalist minister Rev. Theresa Soto’s words: “All of us need all of us to make it.” Right now, we are witnessing human interconnectedness in new ways that are heightening awareness that none of us can be truly free until all of us are free.

This morning we’ll explore Unitarian Universalist minister Rev. Theresa Soto’s words: “All of us need all of us to make it.” Right now, we are witnessing human interconnectedness in new ways that are heightening awareness that none of us can be truly free until all of us are free.

All of Us Need All of Us To Make It

There’s an old story about a pot that gets broken and pours forth wisdom. Where does your wisdom come from? This morning we will explore the many containers of wisdom–stories, practices, other people, and ourselves.

There’s an old story about a pot that gets broken and pours forth wisdom. Where does your wisdom come from? This morning we will explore the many containers of wisdom–stories, practices, other people, and ourselves.

The Wisdom Pot

Special note: This sermon was recorded during a virtual church service. Members of the congregation came together online to connect even in this time of uncertainty and social distancing due to the COVID-19 outbreak. A central task of religious community is to form connections, to create living bridges with and to others. Today we’ll explore the many ways our community builds bridges of understanding, relationship, and justice.

Special note: This sermon was recorded during a virtual church service. Members of the congregation came together online to connect even in this time of uncertainty and social distancing due to the COVID-19 outbreak. A central task of religious community is to form connections, to create living bridges with and to others. Today we’ll explore the many ways our community builds bridges of understanding, relationship, and justice.

A Living Bridge

Ancient wisdom advises us to listen to our inner voice, the still small voice. When we do, we come closer to our own true nature and learn to honor the wisdom within.

Ancient wisdom advises us to listen to our inner voice, the still small voice. When we do, we come closer to our own true nature and learn to honor the wisdom within.

The Wisdom of Our True Natures

Special guest: Rev. Israel Buffardi Hope has been called the anchor of the soul, yet hope is hard to find today for many of us. Together we will reflect on hope as an imperfect practice of working for our ideals, as they pass from generation to generation.

Special guest: Rev. Israel Buffardi Hope has been called the anchor of the soul, yet hope is hard to find today for many of us. Together we will reflect on hope as an imperfect practice of working for our ideals, as they pass from generation to generation.

The Anchor of the Soul

Special guest: Paula Cole-Jones Whether we consider faith formation, growth, social justice and/or dismantling white supremacy, Unitarian Universalists could use an identity update. This presentation embraces who we are and challenges who we think we are. Seeing ourselves as a Community of Communities changes our future and it is  key to the Beloved Community. Paula Cole Jones is the founder of ADORE (A Dialogue on Race &amp; Ethnicity), a former president of DRUUMM (Diverse and Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries) and our congregation’s Primary Contact in the Central East Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Special guest: Paula Cole-Jones Whether we consider faith formation, growth, social justice and/or dismantling white supremacy, Unitarian Universalists could use an identity update. This presentation embraces who we are and challenges who we think we are. Seeing ourselves as a Community of Communities changes our future and it is  key to the Beloved Community. Paula Cole Jones is the founder of ADORE (A Dialogue on Race &amp; Ethnicity), a former president of DRUUMM (Diverse and Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries) and our congregation’s Primary Contact in the Central East Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Building a Community of Communities

Reading: from Welcoming the Unwelcome by Pema Chödrön What are the practices that can help us build resiliency in terms of personal struggle and national or global crisis? Today we’ll share and seek some practical guidance for developing resiliency practices in our daily lives.

Reading: from Welcoming the Unwelcome by Pema Chödrön What are the practices that can help us build resiliency in terms of personal struggle and national or global crisis? Today we’ll share and seek some practical guidance for developing resiliency practices in our daily lives.

Resiliency Practices

Join us for a regular theme that will nurture the spirit, support your spiritual journey, and serve the cause of justice and love in the world.

I have struggled in so many ways, not just political, these past years. Keeping my mental health a priority while struggling to keep the nonprofit mental health clinic open has been tough. 

&#34;What Now&#34; gave me a release I&#39;ve been needing. An organization to my thoughts with explanation as to why I feel such strong and negative emotions when I have ALWAYS been the positive onlooker with ease and faith fueling my drive and passion to help others.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Tears of my re-ignite

Lighting the Chalice: Sermons from the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Berks County

Traditional Western ideals of beauty tend to emphasize symmetry, orderliness, and harmony. Eastern worldviews center beauty on transience and imperfection, known as wabi sabi in Japanese. This morning we explore how wabi sabi beauty might enlarge our appreciation of our world.

The Beauty of the Imperfect

This morning we reflect on the way religious experiences open us to awe and wonder.

Opening to Awe

Celtic spirituality is a source of wisdom for modern-day seekers. Celtic concepts, such as the sacredness of the everyday, love of nature, and the mystical presence of the divine, support the inner journey. In this service, we'll explore how to make Celtic wisdom our own.

Celtic Wisdom

For those who are raised in Unitarian Universalist communities, Unitarian Universalist values are in their DNA. For those who come to Unitarian Universalism from other religious traditions or none, Unitarian Universalist values are typically an expression of what they already believe. In a sense, UU is in their blood too. Those newer to UU express this as the experience of discovering that they were Unitarian Universalist all along but didn’t know it, or as a feeling of coming home. So whether raised inside or outside Unitarian Universalist communities, for those who become members, UU is part of who they are. It becomes part of their identity.

Wholeness: Roots and Wings

This morning we'll explore how to overcome self-doubt. Is it best to take a leap of faith or baby steps? How can we overcome our fears and flex our "I believe in myself" muscles?

Trusting Yourself

Is there a big (or small) question you are grappling with right now? Do you wonder why the universe exists, whether animals have souls, if there is a divine source, what you are being called to do with your life, or whether to forgive someone? This morning we will reflect on some of the questions we are most curious about.

Why? Big and Small Questions.

READING: excerpt from Hope and Other Superpowers by John Pavlovitz"We all love to see superheroes being born in pages or on-screen. There’s something magical about those beginnings that moves us. . . . It’s thrilling to watch human beings mutating from nondescript, regular schlubs like you and me into the monumental stuff of legend, to see them struggle to comprehend the gravity of the moment, to recognize the responsibility of access to such great power—and ultimately to run, swing, or fly headlong into their destiny. Over and over again we line up to breathe in these mythologies, because we love the idea of being thrust into stratospheric glory instead of being stuck here on the ground with the rest of the mere mortals and gawking bystanders..."The American Trappist monk Thomas Merton said that “there is in all things . . . a hidden wholeness.” The Gospel of Thomas, one of the gospels that did not make it into the official Bible, teaches that “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”

READING: excerpt from Hope and Other Superpowers by John Pavlovitz "We all love to see superheroes being born in pages or on-screen. There’s something magical about those beginnings that moves us. . . . It’s thrilling to watch human beings mutating from nondescript, regular schlubs like you and me into the monumental stuff of legend, to see them struggle to comprehend the gravity of the moment, to recognize the responsibility of access to such great power—and ultimately to run, swing, or fly headlong into their destiny. Over and over again we line up to breathe in these mythologies, because we love the idea of being thrust into stratospheric glory instead of being stuck here on the ground with the rest of the mere mortals and gawking bystanders..." The American Trappist monk Thomas Merton said that “there is in all things . . . a hidden wholeness.” The Gospel of Thomas, one of the gospels that did not make it into the official Bible, teaches that “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”

An Undivided Life

Part of our community's mission is to encourage each other on our individual spiritual journeys. And yet we share in this one UU faith. Today we'll explore the religious diversity and multiple sources of Unitarian Universalism.

Many Paths, One Faith

Jane Palmer, Worship Associate2020 will not be an easy year. We need to maintain our sanity, our courage, and our compassion, and we need to do so in a manner consistent with our moral principles. With integrity, in other words. Paradoxically, our strength lies in that most-maligned of all interests, self-interest. We are at our most powerful when we find our own stories in those of others and realize we have a stake in the game.

Jane Palmer, Worship Associate 2020 will not be an easy year. We need to maintain our sanity, our courage, and our compassion, and we need to do so in a manner consistent with our moral principles. With integrity, in other words. Paradoxically, our strength lies in that most-maligned of all interests, self-interest. We are at our most powerful when we find our own stories in those of others and realize we have a stake in the game.

The Paradox of Self-Interest

Nature fills us with awe. Standing beneath the stars or on the top of a mountain or both can leave us breathless and more alive than we ever imagined possible. Join us as we explore nature’s essential role in our lives and our spiritual community.

The Awe In Nature

Each of us has a story to tell about our life's journey. And that story is always changing. This morning we'll embrace the power of describing those stories in six words.

The Call to Journey

Tracie Greth, Worship AssociateThis service in inspired by the word “centering “which is an open UU-compatible word that can cover many forms of meditation or prayer. It is also based on a comment made by Rev. Fees that there must be many centers. The word “center” will be used for those things that truly matter, those things that give meaning to worship and to life.

Tracie Greth, Worship Associate This service in inspired by the word “centering “which is an open UU-compatible word that can cover many forms of meditation or prayer. It is also based on a comment made by Rev. Fees that there must be many centers. The word “center” will be used for those things that truly matter, those things that give meaning to worship and to life.

Many Centers

Unitarian Universalist has 7 beloved principles that guide our ethical and spiritual commitments. The 7 principles, however, have not adequately dismantled racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions. This morning in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, we’ll explore a proposed 8th principle and consider how it would help us build a diverse and multicultural Beloved Community.

The 8th Principle

Mary Oliver writes that "there are moments that cry out to be fulfilled." Oliver was describing moments when we set aside caution because what we do might save a life, might save our own lives, or the planet. Today we'll reflect on what those moments are in our individual lives and in our church.

Moments That Cry Out To Be Fulfilled

When asked about their class background, most people in the United States describe themselves as middle class. Doctors, hourly workers, Ivy League graduates alike do this. Yet our different backgrounds offer different points of view and reference, and among UUs we are often reluctant to share or acknowledge these differences. Today we’ll share stories of class as a way to make space for more ways of being in our faith community.

Why Talk About Class?

Henry David Thoreau said that if we don't keep pace with our companions perhaps it is because we hear a different drummer. How might we cultivate a sense of curiosity for the ways we each move to our own music?

Blessed are the Curious

The best self improvement podcast episodes. From improving productivity, to finding purpose in your life to what constitutes freedom, this topic is on anything and everything that can help people to improve their lives. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Episodes on Self Improvement, Growth & Development

The best podcast episodes on physical health. Episodes talk about your diet, sleep, exercise and all the things that people do to improve their physical health and live a healthier life. This topic is for everyone, with applications in all of our everyday lives. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!