Calendar

Attached at the Heart                                              David Messmer

Wisdom is knowing what to hold onto for dear life and what to release with ease. Now is a moment to take inventory. This is a pulpit swap. Rev. David Messner from First Unitarian in Hyde Park will preach at Beverly, and Rev. Allen will preach at First Unitarian. Just to bring new voices.

Guest Speaker Bio: Rev. David H. Messner is the Senior Minister of First Unitarian Church of Chicago in Hyde Park. David is a born and bred Unitarian, an ardent humanist with an abiding faith in God, and a believer in resurgent possibility, especially when all seems lost. He knows that church, done right together, can be the key to a life well-lived.

David graduated from Reed College, received an M.Div. from Chicago, an MBA from Yale, and a Ph.D. from Emory. He has served UU Congregations in Rochester, NY; Savannah, GA; Charleston, SC; and Philadelphia, PA. David lives on the South Side of Chicago with his wife of 25+ years. They have two wonderful young adult offspring and a Blue Heeler pup that just won’t quit. In his free time, he grows (very) hot peppers, grills meat, and photographs wild and urban places.

We'll be meeting in person AND streaming live on Zoom.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81390479972...

Meeting ID: 813 9047 9972

Passcode: 640541

May Nothing Evil Cross This Door                   Rev. Allen Harden

You might recognize this as the title of Hymn #1 in our grey hymnal, Singing the Living Tradition. I was reminded of its relevance to today (and all days) in a beautiful message written by Elias Ortega, who is President of Meadville Theological Seminary (UU). We may hold different notions of evil as a force in the universe, but none of us can argue that evil things can and do occur. We must align ourselves to repel evil from outside sources, and to resist any tendency for disappointment and dismay to encourage evils to take root within -- in our hearts and in our minds. As the song ends, let us “keep hate out and hold love in”.

We'll be meeting in person AND streaming live on Zoom.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81390479972...

Meeting ID: 813 9047 9972

Passcode: 640541

Hanukkah: a time of dedication                                   Jacob Furst

Hanukkah is the Jewish festival that commemorates the purification and rededication of their holy temple following Greek occupation.

Today the holiday reminds Jews to dedicate themselves to keeping alive the flames of Jewish religion, culture and peoplehood.  What lessons does Hanukkah have for Unitarians?

We'll be meeting in person AND streaming live on Zoom.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81390479972...

Meeting ID: 813 9047 9972

Passcode: 640541

Annual Taize Service                                                                       Ken & Adair Small

Today’s worship service will be entirely different from that of a typical Sunday. Your experience will consist mostly of meditative singing, with a few brief readings and the story of how this concept of worship developed and continues in the little town of Taizé, France, and around the world. As participants, we are blessed with an opportunity to welcome the upcoming New Year in a reflective and deeply moving way.

This service is not available on Zoom.

We do not recommend this service for children, who would likely find it boring.