Sunday Services

Sunday, September 4 – 11 a.m. – The Play’s the Thing – Amy Day

Maria Montessori famously wrote that, “Play is the work of the child.” In an extractive, capitalist culture such as ours, too often we adults are taught to prioritize only those labors that culminate in an end product, a paycheck, or some other tangible, commodified outcome. Yet where, in our work-driven society, do we set aside time and space for the element of play?

In this all-ages service, Director of Lifespan Religious Exploration Amy Day will move us through a multifaceted experience designed to re-orient us to the value and impact of play, curiosity, and delight, and invite us to create space for these life-affirming qualities and practices inside our world once more.

September 11 – 11 a.m. – Gathering of the Waters

Each fall our Fellowship officially reconvenes with a Gathering of the Waters ceremony. Our various experiences, insights and gifts are blended to rebuild our community. Each person will have a chance to pour a small amount of water (real or virtual) into a common vessel. While doing so each one will fill in the following sentence: “This water from ______ symbolizes ______ which I bring to this community.”

Following the service there will be an all-Fellowship potluck with exciting games including derby races with “cars” made from zucchini squash. Drop your ready-to-serve potluck dish in the kitchen prior to the service. Assistance with set-up and clean-up is greatly appreciated.

Sunday, September 18 – 11 a.m. – Learning How to Live in this Transformative Time – Lama Choyang (Allison Rader)

Lama Choyang will speak about change and the unknown. She will delve into how we relate to trust and transformation, how we meet this moment, ourselves, and our world – on the ground, moment by moment. We can tend our hearts and nourish our fierce commitment to care for the Earth and each other.
Lama Choyang is a Tibetan Buddhist teacher who worked as a hospice chaplain for five years with Hospice of Humboldt. She completed seven years of retreat under Lama Drimed Norbu’s guidance and was ordained by him in 2009. She teaches dharma, leads retreats, and offers grief counseling, grief workshops, and spiritual mentoring in Arcata and online.

Sunday, September 25 – Social Action Sunday: Coastal Clean-up Day

Coastal Cleanup Month is one of the largest cleanup events of the year. The Northcoast Environmental Center is Humboldt County’s coastal cleanup coordinator, and each year the organization inspires hundreds of volunteers to pick up thousands of pounds of trash. This month, we will join community members from all around our region to participate in one of many cleanup efforts taking place every weekend of this month.

You may join us from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Arcata Marsh, on South I Street for an opportunity to express our values in the larger world. Come for part or all of this important action. Cleanup supplies will be provided, but if you have any of your own gear (gloves, a clipboard, trash grabbers) that you would prefer to use, feel free to bring it. Find out more or sign-up at https://actionnetwork.org/events/arcata-marsh-cleanup.

A separate gathering will be hosted at 11 a.m. online for those who prefer to participate via Zoom. You can expect a lively and heartfelt facilitated discussion in an intimate small group setting.