Sunday Morning Worship
Sunday morning worship begins at 10:30 a.m. at UUFA.
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For the link to join virtually on Sunday or access the archives, reach out to members@uuathensga.org or contact the administrator at admin@uuathensga.org.
This month’s theme is Courage. The Fellowship offers many opportunities and invitations to explore and practice the theme. We will be exploring the theme through out the month in worship and Religious Exploration.
August 3 “Tongues of Fire!” with Rev Misha Sanders
Can an ancient sacred story about the infilling of the Holy Spirit be useful to Unitarian Universalists? What if a retelling through a new lens makes all the difference? What if the message of Pentecost really has been applicable all along?
Rev. Misha Sanders (she/her/hers) is a community chaplain in metro Atlanta, and a fiery preacher of the good news of universal love. She is dual-affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association and The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries. She believes that the whole world is built and rebuilt by the stories we tell ourselves and each other.
August 10 “Courageous Learning” with Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker
Knowing can be a great comfort, yet it is also a great illusion. At times, we must release knowing and be open to beginning again, ready to learn. In this worship service, all are invited to join in our annual backpack blessing. Bring a backpack, purse, or bag with you to receive a blessing. Then, stay after for our annual ice cream social!
August 24 “Be Not Afraid” with Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker
It is late August in Athens. Classes are back in session, life changes are upon us, and the world is heading where it’s heading. Yesterday, we held the UUFA leadership summit, and now we commission the new Board and Lay Ministers. Mighty learning curves, change, and trouble abound! Can we be not afraid? What sources can we draw from for courage?
August 31 “May You Always Be Courageous” with Friction Farm
As we try to live our values, centered in love, acceptance, and social justice, we face obstacles; some internal, some external. How do we develop and strengthen the courage needed to stand up to those challenges?
Reflection Ideas and Questions
Are you seeking more ways to explore the theme of courage?
Consider reflecting on these quotes:
All around you, people will be tiptoeing through life, just to arrive at death safely. But dear children, do not tiptoe. Run, hop, skip, or dance! – Shane Claiborne
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. – Ambrose Redmoon
We need the courage to question the powers that be, the courage to be impatient with evil and patient with people…. In many instances we will be stepping out on nothing, and just hoping to land on something. But that’s the struggle. To live is to wrestle with despair, yet never allow despair to have the last word. – Cornel West
You can choose courage or you can choose comfort, but you cannot have both. – Brené Brown
Some questions you may use as a prompt for conversation or for a journal entry follow:
- What is the greatest act of courage that you directly witnessed? And how did it change you?
- What seems more dangerous these days? Pessimism or optimism?
- Is life calling you to make a “leap of faith”?
- Has comfort led you to forgetting what courage feels like?
This theme for September is Building Belonging.
The Fellowship offers many opportunities and invitations to explore and practice the theme. We will be exploring the theme through out the month in worship and Religious Exploration.
September 7 “What We Are Called to Build” with Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker
What does water have to teach us about how–and why–to build belonging? All are invited to take part in the annual water communion of the UU Fellowship of Athens. Bring some water from home or a special place, or use the water from the fellowship to add to the communal water.
September 14 “The (Seeming) Paradox of Belonging” with Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker
September 21 “Belonging to the Land“ with Michelle Covi and Leigh Harvey
Do you feel a connection to the land you inhabit and share with your community? How does the land shape what you perceive, value, or believe? We will be exploring how our national lands inspire poetry and celebrate our connection to a land with a long and complicated history.
September 28 Service led by Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker
