Sunday Services

Sunday, Oct. 4 – 11 a.m. – Lingering effects of the 1493 Doctrine of Discovery – Berti Welty

Shortly after Columbus returned to Spain, Pope Alexander VI issued the Papal Bull “Inter Caetera,” which came to be known as the Doctrine of Discovery. This decree justified Christian European explorers laying claim to lands and waterways they allegedly discovered. This ideology supported the dehumanization of those living on the land and their dispossession, murder, and forced assimilation. The doctrine fueled white supremacy insofar as white European settlers claimed they were instruments of divine design and possessed cultural superiority.

We will examine how the actions and edicts of the mid and late 1400s continue to fuel white supremacy to this day. In what ways can we change this ingrained narrative that is part of our heritage?

Sunday, Oct. 11 – 11 a.m. – The World Beyond – David Cobb and Todd Hoberecht

In the wake of 2020, many of us are asking: “How did we get here?” And yet, in our hearts, we know that the answer to that question lies in the very systems that our society is founded on: exploitation, extraction, manipulation and oppression. So the question then becomes: “How do we get past here?”

Our faith helps us do the brave and painstaking work of reimagining the world we want to inhabit: a world where we acknowledge the inherent worth and dignity of all; a world where we honor the interdependent web of life; a world that regenerates rather than destroys. Join David Cobb of Cooperation Humboldt and Todd Hoberecht in a lively, heartfelt discussion of how we begin to create that world – together.

Sunday, October 18 – 11 a.m. – Deep Listening – Lezley Troxell and Amy Day

In a world that honors pithy sound-bites, mega-platforms, and (shouting) talking heads, listening can be a radical act, even countercultural. What happens when we pause inside the noise and gain access to the still, small voice within? How does this practice shift our experience of the natural world, our relationships, even the maelstrom of the current political storm? Herbalist Lezley Troxell and Amy Day will explore of this powerful, yet deeply accessible, practice. See what benefits it can have for you.

Sunday, Oct. 25 – 11 a.m. – U.N. Sunday – Sue Lee Mossman and Suzanne Kimmel

This is United Nations Sunday. It celebrates the work of the U.N and our Unitarian Universalist Office at the United Nations (UU@UN). This year also marks the 75th anniversary of the U.N. The theme for this year’s celebration is “All In for Climate Justice: People, Power, Planet.”

Climate change is a human rights issue. The increase in extreme weather conditions in just the past few years makes it clear that we need to work together to make our world more livable. Our UU faith can provide the ethical and spiritual grounding to sustain us as we create a new way of being in relationship with all life and our planet Earth.