Upcoming Services
All services are multi-platform services in-person and Live on YouTube at 10:30 ET.
In-person service is healed in our budding at 25 Chalice Circle, Fredericksburg, VA 22405. Our Live Stream can be viewed On YouTube
Monthly Theme – Interdependence
We Are One by Rev. Kaaren Anderson
Perhaps if I could pull my senses back
to the scraping squeak of the window opening
that welcomes in the pasture’s chorus of peepers,
whose resonate tones glide over my bed sheet and mental haze,
I’d be able to hear my amphibian friends’ primordial call:
We are one, we are one, we are one
Perhaps if I could recall the rapid thrum
of the nine hummingbirds beating wings,
whipping in and out around the feeder,
with a thrummmm, thrummmm, thrummmm
on that cold Montana morning in May,
I’d remember that my heartbeat synched with metronomic ease
to their tiny thrumming selves and rhythmic reminder:
We are one, we are one, we are one
Perhaps if I could be real still
and lay my body on the syrupy mud
along the creek behind the wood
and hear the ferns unfurling in unison
and the roots of the poplar stretching toward the spring,
I’d remember that the universe sings a song to us,
each minute, of every hour, of every day, of every year:
We are one, we are one, we are one
Perhaps if I made it a priority to listen to that siren song,
I’d ask the right questions, and make the right statements,
and return to the communion of creatures of which I am a part.
The truth is, we make this planet about us, and only us
and when we do, the earth calls our separate selves back, singing:
“Ask yourself, you beautiful, thoughtful, gorgeous species,
How much of the planet are you really entitled to?”
And with the peepers, and the hummingbirds and the ferns and the roots,
I would respond:
We are one, we are one, we are one. ~ Soul Matters Packet
Apr 7
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
By: Jennifer Springsteen
Unitarian Universalist Association President, Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt, said it this way: “You are loved. All are worthy of love. You don’t have to do this alone.” It’s that last part we’ll explore in this conversation about our theme and value of interdependence. Our guest minister, Jennifer Springsteen, graduated from Starr King School for the Ministry. She is a hospital chaplain at Mary Washington Hospital, UU ministerial candidate, and writer living in Fredericksburg. Represented by Joanna MacKenzie of Nelson Literary Agency, her writing has won several literary awards. Jennifer lives with her husband, Joe, and their cat Sam. Their daughter, Charlotte, is a freshman at UMW.
Apr 14
A New Planetary Consciousness
By: Rev. Doug McCusker
Our ancient ancestors saw the Earth as a living, conscious organism filled with spirits that sometimes worked together and at other times battled for primacy. But then humanity domesticated the spirits, and the planet became a dead carcass where we could extract whatever we chose. This resulted in separating us from each other and from the Web of Life. If we are to find our way out of no-way, we must reunite with the Infinite Spirit of Life that never went away. We must awaken to a planetary consciousness where connection and awe meet the logic and creativity of the modern world; to a greater understanding of how our collective fates are tied together.
Apr 21
Mind-Body-Spirit Fair
By: UUFF Staff
Join us for a completely different take on Sunday worship. You are invited to partake in various styles of spiritual practice led by our staff and members of our community. This will be an experiential worship for all ages and abilities. We will transform our building and grounds into a spiritual fair in which you choose which practices you would like to do. Choose among activities such as music, movement, nature walks, storytelling, meditation, art, and much more. Learn something new or deepen your current practices. This service will last 2 hours, so clear your schedule and plan to immerse your mind, body, and spirit.
Apr 28
Faith and News
By: Marty Davis
Communities of faith and news share common ground. Both are reinventing themselves–faith communities because Americans have been abandoning houses of worship for two decades; news outfits because the old models that sustained news have collapsed, and the industry is facing an existential crisis. Marty Davis, editor of the FXBG Advance, has lived both of these struggles in his life–first with faith, and now with news. What he learned from the former is shaping his vision for the future of the latter. A future based on learning to hear and appreciate everyone around us, while not losing sight of the pole star that guides both our souls and our community.
