Past Services from 2010
December 19, 2010: Christmas Pageant Presentation
We tell the timeless, traditional Christmas story in an all-inclusive UU way. We'll be looking at the emotional and symbolic aspects of the story, and the ways we can connect with it as UUs, when we may not accept the special divinity of the central figure. When you think of it, it's the story of a working-class family, adrift in doubt and uncertainty, looking for shelter in an uncertain time. It's also a story about the transformative power that comes out of that situation, about new life arising in the dark time of the year.December 5, 2010: The Gift of Music: Shirley the Gift Giver - Charlotte Goff
Shirley Gist will work her musical magic for the last time at FUUF (at least officially...) on Sunday, December 5 after nearly 5 years of serving as pianist (and generally all-around fabulous blessing!) to our congregation. The service (coordinated by Charlotte Goff) will honor Shirley's contribution to our FUUF community as we celebrate the beautiful gift of music in our lives, at FUUF and in the world.November 21, 2010: Finding Happiness When Days are Short and Nights are Cold - Rev. Oliver "Buzz" Thomas
The Rev. Oliver "Buzz" Thomas, Southern Baptist minister, education advocate, and constitutional law scholar, will lead this Thanksgiving-themed service. Rev. Thomas, of Maryville, is president of the Knoxville Public Education Foundation, formerly the Great Schools Partnership. As a minister, he has served churches in Tennessee and Louisiana. As an attorney, he has practiced law at every level of state and federal courts, including arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court. His legal clients have included the National Council of Churches, the Southern Baptist Convention, and the Children's Defense Fund. He has taught First Amendment law at Georgetown University.November 7, 2010: Follow the Friend: Islam's Wisdom Through Sufism - Rev. Mitra Jafarzadeh
Sufism, as Islam's mystical side, has produced funny stories and irreverent poetry as well as beautiful images of our relationship to the divine. Rev. Mitra Jafarzadeh will share her affection for Islam, Sufism, and the poetry of Hafiz in particular.October 17, 2010: I Think I'll Connect the Dots My Own Way - Tom Walsh
The Pew Forum on religion and public life just released a new study with some surprising findings, including:1. Atheists and agnostics scored highest on a survey of religious knowledge.
2. About half of Americans have changed their religion from the religion they were born into.
These findings suggest there is a growing discomfort for many Americans with their religious affiliation. They are looking for something more satisfying in their search for faith. Unitarian Universalism is a powerful religion that can meet the needs of many that are searching for clarity and meaning. We will examine a personal road in connecting the dots in becoming a Unitarian Universalist. Every day we are confronted with a multitude of choices. Some are trivial, some are important and some are life changing. The way we handle these choices can have a profound impact on our future and our life outcomes. There has never been a better time to examine the power of Unitarian Universalism and its ability to make the world a better place for everyone.
October 3, 2010: Cycles of the Spirit - Aaron Astor
Aaron Astor will lead the October 3 service on the spiritual importance of traditions and their relationship to the seasons. As Jews celebrate the High Holidays, Muslims celebrate Eid, and Christians begin the annual preparation for Christmas, we will reflect on the value that these perennial autumnal rites serve to humanity as a whole.
September 19, 2010: Touched By Our Noodly Master - Owen Rhodes
Aarh, Brothers and Sisters of Our Noodly Master! September 19 is International Talk Like A Pirate Day, which happens to also be a holy day in the Church of The Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM). The Church of the FSM -- amid all its irreverence -- is an invitation for all of us to take stock of just what our religion is doing to our psyche, both individually and collectively. We will take a serious look at this in the classic FSM tradition of irreverence, including a Top Ten List of Ways To Know Your Religion Is Messing With Your Head In A Bad Way. Come dressed in your best pirate garb and ready to swab the deck and hoist the sails! Aarh!September 5, 2010: Reach Out Your Hand - Rob Spirko
Water binds us together; it forms a cycle uniting land, sea, and sky. It serves as a powerful symbol and reminder of our own connections to each other, to others around the globe, and to the world itself. Water has played a central role in many religious traditions throughout human history; it is entirely appropriate that it feature significantly in ours. Join us for our annual Water Communion, a celebration of our coming together as Unitarian Universalists. Bring your water you've collected from somewhere of significance this year! (And if you've hitherto forgotten to do it - be assured that, since all water is interconnected, you can make a good argument that at least some of the water you might get locally has at one time been in a place that speaks to you.)August 15, 2010: The Role of Faith Communities in Child Advocacy - Preston Fields
Maryville College's Center for Strong Communities, Center for Campus Ministry, and Office of Volunteer Services have joined together to declare the 2010-11 academic year "The Year of the Child." Over the next year, all student service groups and organizations will be asked to engage in some form of community engagement concerning children in our community. Using the resurrection myth of the Christian Scriptures, Preston Fields, Director of Volunteer Services at Maryville College, will discuss the importance of faith communities to advocate for the most innocent among us. Preston has been involved in children’s advocacy in East TN since his days as a Maryville College student. He has served on the Blount County Big Brothers /Big Sisters advisory committee, as an advisor for the United Way Youth Board, a volunteer at the Blount County Juvenile Justice Center, and as a staff member at Columbus Home for Abused Children.August 1, 2010: Out of the Smoored Peat: A Simple but Subversive Prayer for Action - Dr. Jeff Fager
In celebration of the Smoky Mountain Highland Games coming to Maryville, I will introduce an ancient Celtic prayer as a source of energy, hope, and renewal for today. I think of prayer as a vital frame of reference for all of life, rather than a ritual of magic words or wish list. The simple "smoored peat" prayer is about day-by-day sustainability of self and the environment, but it also speaks to the renewed work of social justice, strengthening our communities and other healthy ways to subvert the status quo. For many of us, August marks the beginning of the new year, so it makes sense to consider a new year of spiritual strength for self, service, and community.July 18, 2010: Evolution and Faith - Rob Spirko
Though this year marks the 85th anniversary of the Scopes Trial in Dayton (in which a Unitarian minister served as Darrow’s religion expert!), the issue of science and religion remains alarmingly current. Join us for a service that will examine the role of faith and science in our society and consider the place of feelings of reverence in a scientifically-based world view. The service will feature reflections from some of an intrepid band of road-trippers who will head to the Scopes Festival in Dayton the day before.July 4, 2010: Our Unitarian Founding Fathers - Aaron Astor
Immediately following the July 4 service we will have a special Independence Day picnic in the red barn at Everett Park. It will be a pot luck so please bring any Fourth of July culinary treasures to share. We will cook out as well for those who want grilled goodies.June 20, 2010: Hope is Where You Find It - Chaplain Pati Cox
Philosopher Friedrich Nietzche argued that humans were not meant to throw their life away, no matter how much they feel tormented. That is why we were given hope. Emily Dickinson wrote a poem; "Hope is the thing with feathers ...that perches in the soul." In a religious context, hope is but a spiritual Grace. Often when we are faced with no choices, we turn to hope. Sunday we will explore the dimensions of hope and how our circumstances drive us to dream and aspire.Pati Cox is a Chaplain at Mercy Healthcare Partners and finishing her MDiv at Earlham Seminary. She is also in the ministerial process with the UU organization. She has two daughters, Alice and Summer.
June 6, 2010: Michelle Hankes, President and CEO of the United Way of Blount County
Newspaper headlines often bring attention to those who need help in distant countries or even other states, but there are thousands in need right here in Blount County. Michelle will speak about ways we can serve our neighbors in the areas of health, education and self-sufficiency, which at the end of the day, will make our own lives richer.May 16, 2010: Passages Along The Path of Life - Owen Rhodes
Four families within our FUUF family have new babies -- the Schrocks, Colters, Talleys, and Rogers. Three of our youth are graduating from high school and entering a new phase in their lives -- Kayla, J.P., and Brennan. Five from our congregation have passed on to whatever was awaiting them at the end of the path -- Mark Pate, Jerry Sillman, Evelyn Salo, Rosemary Gilson, and Laura Post. Please join us May 16 as Owen Rhodes leads us in a very special service in which we will honor and celebrate in song and ritual these wonderful gifts.May 2, 2010: The Appreciation Factor - Cathy Denton
In the May 2nd Service, Stewardship Sunday, we will find out what the congregation appreciates about FUUF and how it affects the value of our church. Appreciation and Stewardship build on each other for a winning team. Be prepared for a wonderful lesson through personal experience and bits of intuitive wisdom in the power of being thankfull in all things and how this power can manifest in your own life and then can flow through our congregation. Voices of Praise will deepen our appreciation, with the gift of music that they will share with us. Plan to be inspired and moved!Cathy Denton has a Bachelor in Metaphysical Science and is finishing her Masters in Divinity in Spiritual Counseling. She is a former nurse, electrician's helper, seamstress, and Hardee's biscuit maker. She is also the daughter of a Retired Army Veteran and a Navy Reserve Veteran herself. She is a wife and mother of two, grandmother of two and pet "servant" for two. In all of this she has learned appreciation in all she does and is excited about sharing her experiences, thoughts and humor in the power of being giving and grateful.
Our special music this Sunday features Voices of Praise, a nonprofit gospel choir from Maryville College who sings both locally and nationally and is an interfaith and a multiracial group.
April 18, 2010: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day - Dr. Aaron Astor
Our worship service will be a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day. We will explore the Unitarian Universalist ideal that calls us to respect the interconnected web of existence. Weather permitting, our service will be outdoors at the Red Barn at the Everett Senior Center.Aaron Astor is Chair of the Worship Committee and Assistant Professor of US History at Maryville College.
April 4, 2010: From Fundamentalism to Freedom - Marc Adams
Marc Adams will speak from his experiences growing up as the son of a fundamentalist Baptist minister. In an effort to save his own life, he decided at age 16 to rebel against his parents and attend Jerry Falwell's Liberty University where he thought he could find a way to change his behavior from homosexual to heterosexual. His experience there changed his life and jump started his journey to self acceptance and personal freedom. He bridges the serious discussion with humor and all-encompassing human compassion.Marc Adams is the author of nine books including The Preacher's Son and Do's and Don'ts of Dealing with the Religious Right. He is a widely accepted authority on subjects ranging from fundamentalism, the religious right, gay civil rights as well as his ground breaking work with his own nonprofit, HeartStrong - a social justice organization providing hope and help to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students who are persecuted in religious educational institutions.
March 21, 2010: Creativity - Dr. Mark Hall
Creativity is contagious. Pass it on. -- Albert EinsteinSunday, March 21, FUUF will welcome Spring with a celebration of "Creativity." What is your medium of creativity - Poetry, Music, Photography, Clothing, Flowers, Cooking, Ceramics, Painting, Woodworking, etc.? Bring your creativity and your creations to the service where we will explore and experience our creativity.
You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. -- Maya Angelou
So come on Sunday March 21, and be willing to use your creativity so we all can have more.
March 7, 2010: Listening... What do you Hear? - Marty Miller
Listening is the communication skill we use the most, even though it is often misunderstood and not taught in school. Despite our lack of formal education in listening, it is essential in our everyday lives -- at work, at school, with friends, and with intimate partners. Let us look at this critical skill in a different light and explore new ways to listen actively to all the people in our lives.Marty Miller graduated from Maryville College with a B.S. degree and from U.T. with a Master's Degree in Speech and Theatre. She has taught at Knoxville College, Walter's State Community College, Maryville College, and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Her main areas of instruction and interest are in Interpersonal Communication, Public Speaking, Nonverbal Communication and Interpretation of Literature.
February 21, 2010: Psalm in the City - Reverend Jake Bohstedt Morrill
The Bible begins with the simple and pastoral society of Adam and Eve and concludes with the complex fever dream, the urban visions, of the Book of Revelation. Our world in the twenty-first century is more like the latter -- a tapestry of cultures, values, and lives which defy simple reduction. Throughout this diversity, Unitarian Universalism asserts the unity of love. While others may yearn for the myth of simple times past, we look ahead to a city where all souls are united and all voices are joined.Rev. Jake Morrill has served Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church as its minister since 2003. He is a member of the UUA Board of Trustees and is the Director of the Appalachian Institute for Creative Learning, a summer camp for creative and curious kids. He and his wife, Molly, have two sons.
February 7, 2010: Life's journey guided by love: Immigration reform and the Spiritual life, American style - Charles Mulligan
Charles Mulligan is from Rochester, New York on the shores of Lake Ontario where winter is a test of endurance. He was ordained a priest for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester and worked in many areas of social justice ministry. (He lived in an inner city parish for 7 years when Tom Walsh's sister, Shelia was a staff member.) He served as a pastor for eight years in the poor neighborhoods of Santiago, Chile under the regime of Pinochet and during Chile's return to democracy. He currently volunteers as an accredited Bureau of Immigration Appeals representative in the Office of Immigrant Services in Catholic Charities of East Tennessee. He and his wife, Geri, have been married for 12 years and worked together in jail ministry and ministry to detained asylum seekers for 10 years in New Jersey.January 17, 2010: The Deep Roots of Hope - Reverend Anne McKee
Rev. McKee's
Faith and Learning Program
is a wonderful example of Christian liberalism.
How different the outlook of many seems just a year later! The waning of hope poses the question of what the deep roots of hope might be, as we are honest about injustice in the world. What keeps us moving forward, and toward what? These are the questions that we will consider on Sunday January 17. In true UU style, there may not be answers, but perhaps we will dig around and encourage growth in the deep roots of hope.
