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Sunday, July 4, 2010

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:21:25 -0400

"Does that Star-Spangled Banner Yet Wave?" Rev. Jake Bohstedt Morrill, leading worship 10:00 AM Summer Service Throughout our nation's history, our forebears sacrificed much to leave us the conditions of freedom. What sacrifices would we make, for those who come after? What is worth more to us than our comfort?

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 09:58:52 -0400

10:00 AM Single Traditional Service �Governance and Covenant in an Age of Terror� Rev. Jake Bohstedt Morrill, leading worship Not so long ago, the world appeared to have been tamed into some kind of rational order. Authority was clear, if often unfair. War and peace, if unsettling, was conducted between state powers. The media formed a unified narrative of what was the truth. The twenty-first century has brought with it a new and open-ended dynamic. This is not necessarily good nor bad. It can look like creativity, on blogs and online self-sustaining communities. And it can look like a car-bomb in a market-place. As people who place faith in the enduring worth of certain qualities of community�agreement, accountability, and appreciation�how can we make decisions in this dynamic new world? What does democracy look like? Or, for that matter, covenant?

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:47:57 -0400

June 13, 10:00 a.m. Single Traditional Service "Shelter From, For, Of, and In God" Rev. Jake Bohstedt Morrill, preaching Homelessness in Oak Ridge is a symptom of suffering: the suffering of those who need homes and the suffering of those who have housing who forget those who don't.� Our consideration of social sickness is an invitation to theological reflection.� How can we keep our hearts open?� How can we allow our hearts to expand to encompass the fullness of Universalism itself?� Today, as we hear stories of our Universalist forebears, John Murray and Clara Barton, we'll ponder how our lives might live up to the challenge of a love wide enough to provide everyone shelter.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:45:56 -0400

Sunday, June 6, 2010 �The Least, The Last, The Lost� 10:00 Single Summer Service Flower Communion Sunday Jake Bohstedt Morrill, leading worship Flower Communion is a Unitarian ritual inviting us to affirm our covenantal inter-relationship. Each of us brings a different flower to this Sunday, and leaves with another. It is a simple and profound statement of our diversity and our loving exchange. On this Sunday, as we affirm our relationship with one another, we will explore our relationship with suffering�in particular those who suffer from illegal immigration. After the service, there will be a discussion on our relationship to undocumented people in our country, to those who are threatened by them, and to any possible comprehensive reform.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Tue, 25 May 2010 13:10:00 -0400

Next Sunday, May 30, 2010 �Place, Perspective, Proverbs, and Psalms� Single Service, Traditional Worship at 11 AM Rev. Dr. Barry Whittemore, preaching What is our place in the Universe?� Are we at the top of the evolutionary pyramid?� Are we in charge?� Or, do we have a charge from that which is greater than us?� It's good to have some perspective on these issues.� We can rely solely on our own devices or we can supplement them with millennia of perspective from our liberal religious heritage, scripture, and tradition.� Suggested reading: Psalms 8 and Proverbs 8:1-4,22-31. Rev Dr Barry Whittemore was ordained by the Holston Valley UUC in 1999. He has formerly served as Heritage and Values Lecturer at the Mountain School for Congregational Leadership (2003-08), VP of the SouthEast UU Ministers' Assn. (SEUUMA), VP of the Universalist Convocation, 2008-09, and on the Board of the Thomas Jefferson District. He served congregations in NC and Alabama as well. He holds an MDiv from Duke and a Doctor of Arts in (Appalachian) History from Carnegie Mellon. He currently lives in Birmingham with his three cats and clerks for the 2010 Census. He is a big fan of Old Time Music and Dance, minor league baseball, and the great outdoors.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Tue, 18 May 2010 10:14:20 -0400

Sunday, May 23, 2010"To Learn, To Serve, To Care"9:30 a.m. Celebration Service11:00 a.m. Traditional ServiceRev. Jake Bohstedt Morrill, leading worshipTo be known and to know others: this is the invitation of congregational life.� It sounds so plain and simple, and yet over time, to be revealed in our wholeness is truly profound.� And to know others in their wholeness is a lesson in love.� We receive the gifts of deep relationships not through one-off sessions, but through showing up, again and again.� This Sunday, we'll appreciate our religious education teachers and we'll look ahead to the emergence of "home groups" in our community--in which each of us has the chance to be known and to know others. Lunch today is not to be missed! "Senior Juan," acclaimed for his culinary skills in Mexican cuisine, has prepared a delicious meal for us. Juan is a longtime friend of "Senor Bob", co-leader of our Rainbow Camp, and is our guest chef today, courtesy of the Bishop-Milner family. You will not find better food for $6.00, anywhere, and you will not find better company for free, anywhere! Your money directly supports our July 2010 trip to Mexico to work with CASA, the subject of today's worship service. Thanks for staying for lunch today � you will be mucho glad you did!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Wed, 12 May 2010 14:49:17 -0400
Sunday, May 16, 2010: "Bridging" 9:30 AM Jake Morrill and Tandy Scheffler 11:00 AM Sidney Sherrill, Susannah Shissler, and Anna Sullivan When in our lives have we crossed over to safety? How do we mark the transitions in our lives, the comings and the goings? What would it look like, what would it mean, if ORUUC were a �bridge building community?� As you anticipate this Sunday�s Bridging Ceremony, consider the bridges you have crossed over and the bridges you are now facing in your life. Our annual Bridging Ceremony for high school seniors will take place in the 11 am service. Also, we will recognize all Religious Education Leaders that morning during the service. After the services, we will have a delicious taco lunch, dished up by John and Paul Crandall. John is a great Tex-Mex cook, so come hungry, leave happy, and help our youth get to Mexico! We will also have a dessert reception after the second service, hosted by the Bridging families.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Sat, 08 May 2010 14:47:43 -0400
Sunday, May 9, 2010 "The Holy, Unfolding Sweet Story of Love" Rev. Jake Bohstedt Morrill, preaching Scheherazade is remembered in lore as the one whose gift for telling story after tantalizing story saved her life. As she knew, the stories we tell ourselves and each other are no mere entertainment. They can save our lives. On this Mother's Day, we will reflect on the story we are living out together, and our place in that tale. We will rejoice with the debut of the Youth Choir and the chance to welcome several new church-members to our fold. And we will celebrate the story of this congregation, which is as strong as it is sweet.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 09:28:00 -0400
Next Sunday, May 2, 2010 �No One is an Island� Celebration at 9:30 and Traditional at 11:00 No man, woman, or child is an island. As John Donne said, �every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.� At times this connection seems clearly evident, at times only our differences can be seen. When and where these connections and separations are experienced can, sometimes, be quite surprising. We will explore these apparently conflicting experiences, both within and between ourselves, in the hopes of bridging, through enhanced understanding, some of the gaps. Jenny Caughman is finishing her second year at the Earlham School of Religion where she is pursuing an MDiv. Her goal is to serve as a hospital chaplain and to work with people in the area of spiritual formation. Her primary study is in the area of spirituality, which focuses on deepening our relationship with the divine. She brings to her studies an MA in music therapy and work experience as a music therapist with terminally ill cancer patients, counselor at Knoxville�s Sexual Assault Crisis Center and, until recently, Kindermusik Educator. She has lived in Oak Ridge for 18 years with her husband John and they have three children.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 10:46:00 -0400
The Resurrection of Slow Sunday, April 25, 2010 Single Service at 11:00 Rev. Jake Morrill, leading the service How fast is your internet? Not fast enough? How fast is the service you receive at a restaurant or on the phone? Not enough? We have all experienced the acceleration of our society, and the expectation of instantaneous results. But, perhaps in response, a new movement is growing. A movement of "slow." Slow foods, slow families, and so on. It speaks of deliberation and patience. What would "slow" look like in your spiritual life? Or in our congregational life? On this "Spring Retreat Sunday," many will worship at Pickett State Park. But those who come to church on this single-service Sunday morning will enjoy our own retreat--if only for an hour--as we reflect on the virtue of "slow."