Sunday Services 9:30 am, In-Person or Zoom
“Acts of exclusion, discrimination, and the impacts of systemic oppression are all there, right before me. I don’t always perceive them—I have been taught to not see them—but they are there…” says Rev. Karen G. Johnston. What acts of exclusion or systemic oppression have you witnessed, but have become so “used to seeing it,” that … Continue reading Inviting Our Authentic Selves
W.B. Yeats said, “The world is full of magic things. Waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” How do we touch that deep well within ourselves that allows us to become the human we were meant to be? How do we see the magic when all around us is despair? Join us in person in … Continue reading The Act of Becoming
Inspired by feedback from our February 15 reading, this interactive session focuses on chant and vibration to promote peace and vitality. In response to requests for actionable ways to process life’s challenges, this service offers a practical experience to help participants calm, heal, and uplift themselves. Join us in person in the Sanctuary or on Zoom. … Continue reading Misogi – Ritual Purification
William James—the American philosopher and psychologist—helps explain why this feels so costly. He teaches us that distraction isn’t only a productivity problem. It’s a formation problem… your life isn’t only what happens to you. It’s what you let in. It’s what you linger on… With constant “sound bites” and “doom scrolling,” we do have to … Continue reading Age of Distraction
Director of Religious Education Colleen Hamilton will reflect on the activism of Autumn Peltier, who at age 12 represented the Wikwemkong in the Assembly of First Nations and confronted the Prime Minister of Canada about his his support for pipelines and failure to protect indigenous water rights. We will hear directly from Ms Peltier in a brief video and consider how we can … Continue reading Paying Attention to What Matters
In 1945, Toni Jackson, John Steinbeck’s editor, and a group of women activists protested Japanese American Incarceration and resisted racism in WW II California. Carolyn will speak about a documentary created by her team that examines how Monterey was one of the only communities that publicly welcomed their Japanese neighbors back from the incarceration centers … Continue reading Japanese American Incarceration – Enduring Democracy: The Monterey Petition
On the 70th Anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, UUFS member Amy Mori shared her first-hand account of the Japanese internment that followed the bombing of Pearl Harbor. UUFS Member Margaret Lawson kept that speech, and in honor of the 84th anniversary of the order’s signing, we present it … Continue reading Executive Order 9066: In the Words of Amy Mori
Rev. Sheri Heller, a social worker and trauma-informed psychotherapist, tells us that, “Post-traumatic growth is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of a life finally lived in truth.” Let’s explore the resilience required in rebuilding ourselves after tragedy. Join us in person in the Sanctuary or on Zoom. Meeting ID: 958 336 … Continue reading Post-Traumatic Growth
Diana Luykx speaks on the resilience of Christopher Reeve–Superman of the 1978 film–and how his journey led him to UUism. Join us in person in the Sanctuary or on Zoom. Meeting ID: 958 336 800 One tap mobile+16694449171,,958336800# US+16699009128,,958336800# US (San Jose)
We live in a culture where the lack of sleep is worn as a badge of honor. We live in a culture were taking vacation is often eschewed for the extra money that giving those precious days up can bring. We live in a culture where exhaustion is a way of life, and the idea … Continue reading Confessions of an Insomniac
