September 5, 2010
Marguerite McClelland
Cultural (R)Evolution?
We seem to be going through a period of great upheaval and danger; many of us are discouraged by the relentless current of bad news. But instead of the omens of doomsday, might this be the turbulence of a sea change of old values going out and new ones coming in? In his new book Thriving in the Crosscurrent, Jim Kenney of Common Ground suggests that we are on the brink of a global transformation, setting the stage for a more just and sustainable world. NSUC member Marguerite McClelland serves on the Worship Arts Committee.
August 29, 2010
Duncan Brown
The Selma March, Dr. King and My Dad
Former NSUC member Duncan Brown tells the story of how his father, UU minister David W. Brown, journeyed to Selma, Alabama in 1965 to answer Dr. Martin Luther King's call for supporters in the struggle for voting rights. Duncan is a fourth-generation UU. He is a writer and editor, and teaches Transcendental Meditation with his wife, Dr. Carla Brown, from their home in Hyde Park.
August 22, 2010
Polly Hansen
The Listening Heart
To have a listening heart means to listen quietly to one's deepest state of knowing. To cultivate a listening heart is to pause long enough to hear what is called for at any given moment for the highest good of all concerned. Polly is a member of NSUC. She teaches flute and is a part-time producer of a nationally syndicated radio program.
August 15, 2010
Angela Latham and Lynn Smith
Point/CounterPoint: Perspectives from the 'Pew' on beliefs, the existence of God, and other important questions.
Thoughtful dialogue is important for our religious tradition. This service will show how such discourse emerges. Following Angela's presentation last summer on her religious journey as a minister's daughter, Lynn contacted her with questions. Lynn is the grandson of a Mennonite Minister. Their correspondence continues. This service is based on excerpts. Angela is Vice President of Academic Affairs at Triton College and a member of NSUC. Lynn has attended NSUC since 2007 and sings in our church choir.
August 8, 2010
Moore Anderson
The Spirituality of Dreams
Are dreams fraught with meaning or do they simply reflect the way our minds process information? No firm conclusions have emerged. Rational minds want to know – or do they? This service will present a colorful and provocative overview. Moore is a member of NSUC's Worship Arts Committee.
August 1, 2010
Aidan McCormack
The Chalice and the Flame
Aiden McCormack served the UU Church of Davis, CA last year as Ministerial Intern. He completed his coursework at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, and now begins a year-long Clinical Pastoral Education Residency as Chaplain at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital. On his fourth visit to our Rock he will share his thoughts on how our ministers learn the stories and the meanings of our cherished symbols.
July 25, 2010
Patrick Corrigan, Psy.D.
"Don't call me nuts!" Addressing the Stigma of Mental Illness
The stigma surrounding mental illness is real. Much of the public believes people with mental illness are dangerous and are to blame for their disorder. Addressing the egregious effects of serious mental illness is a function of social justice. NSUC member Patrick Corrigan is Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean for Research at the Institute of Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. He is also editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation.
July 18, 2010
Eric Zorn
Further Thoughts on God and Man
Eric Zorn, news-feature columnist and blogger for the Chicago Tribune, comes to our pulpit again (he was here two years ago) with his expanding thoughts of "God and man." Having worked at the Tribune since 1980, Eric now appears regularly on the Commentary Page opposite the editorials.
July 11, 2010
Rev. Sarah Gettie Burks and Rev. Scott McNeill
Oh, We Give Thanks!
Sarah and Scott, both graduates of Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, will share their sense of gratitude and hope with us. This fall they move to Omaha, NE. Scott begins as Parish Minister at the Second Unitarian Church; Sarah starts as a Resident Chaplain at Alegent Health.
July 4, 2010
Kathryn Vanden Berk and Jim Hagy
The Man Without a Country
The story, "The Man Without A Country," was written by Edward Everett Hale, Unitarian minister, grandnephew of Nathan Hale, and one of the founders of the Unitarian Church of America. Kathryn is NSUC's HR Trustee and Jim Hagy is our immediate past President.
June 27, 2010
Rev. Dr. Clare Butterfield
Landscape of Love, Landscape of Fear
Rev. Butterfield will explore the kind of metaphorical landscape (environmental and otherwise) which we create as much by our attitudes and imaginations, as by grass seed, flowers, and concrete. Clare, Director of Faith in Place, an interfaith environmental ministry in Chicago, did her ministerial internship at NSUC 11 years ago. She is a regular pulpit guest with us.
June 20, 2010
Kathryn Black, Ph.D.
Reincarnation: When Will I See You Again?
A fourth of the world's people adhere to a religion in which reincarnation plays a part. And 24 percent of folks in the U. S. say they believe reincarnation happens. What are the advantages and disadvantages of such belief? Dr. Black, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Purdue University now teaches correspondence courses for the University of Arizona and Roosevelt University. This is her fourth summer service at NSUC.
June 13
Rev. Gary James
Breaking Open the Head: “People will do anything, no matter how absurd in order to avoid facing their own souls,” wrote Carl Jung. Our society has built up a vast edifice of technology and propaganda in order to avoid that inner confrontation. Enveloped by media and technology we have come to prefer secondhand images, virtual entertainments, and hypnotic distractions to inner experience. We need to reclaim the adventure of the spirit and discover a self-knowledge achieved through personal discovery. Perhaps we are due – even overdue – for a change.
June 6
Rev. Gary James and Schuyler Vogel
Room for Everyone [a multigenerational worship service] – As Unitarian Universalists we believe that all persons are welcome in our religious communities. There is room for all freethinkers who seek a more complete understanding of what is true and good in life. The answers we will find will come from listening to people of great diversity. However, we recognize how hard it is to accept people who are not like ourselves. Learning the language of diversity is our religious task. It's the work of a lifetime.
May 23
Rev. Gary James
Noticin : Cultivating Awareness – Perhaps the greatest difference between people – spiritually speaking – is simply the number of things they notice in a given cubic yard of earth. The world is happening! Life is happening! Don't miss it!
May 16
Affirmation Sunday
Schuyler Vogel
Affirmation Sunday is one of the highlights of our year and the culmination of our Affirmation Program, a rite of passage for our eighth grade students that celebrates their transition from childhood to adolescence. During the year, students reflect and explore their understanding of faith, religion and their own identity, and on Affirmation Sunday, they share their discoveries with the congregation by reading their own carefully crafted Statement of Faith.
