Sermon Archive
"Coming Out of Our Shell” - Rev. Sarah Movius Schurr, Staff at Pacific Western Region of the UUA
Life is full of changes of all kinds. But each change includes some form of loss. This includes changes we face as congregations as well as individuals.
Before she joined the ministry, Sarah was one of the founding members of this congregation. She now serves on the Pacific Western Regional team of the UUA and serves as primary contact for all congregations in the states of Washington, Montana, and Wyoming. In addition to her primary contact work, Sarah is the PWR specialist for small congregation concerns.
The Rev. Sarah Movius Schurr was ordained in 2008, but she began her work as a faith leader many years before ordination by serving as a district board member, new congregation organizer, and congregational consultant. Sarah had a 20-year Social Work career before the call to ministry. She has extensive experience in organizational development and systems theory. After ordination, Sarah worked for the Pacific Northwest District as their first Developmental Outreach Minister, bringing professional ministry to small congregations in Alaska and Oregon.
This service was recorded for use by any small UU Congregation in the Pacific Western or Mid-America Region of the UUA.
Join Our Virtual Service Sunday at 10:30 AM
This service will be offered ONLY as a virtual service.
Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom
Meeting ID: 275 194 110
Phone In: (669) 900-6833
"Flower Communion - A Centennial Celebration”
The first Flower Ceremony was held in Prague, in June 1923, led by Rev. Norbert Čapek. For decades, this beloved tradition and its powerful history has welcomed Spring and provided meaning to hundreds of UU congregations. In this centennial year of the Flower Celebration we will look back at it's origins and what it has to teach us. You are invited to bring a a flower of some kind whether real or representational. Service led by Wy'east members and Friends, and will feature supporting elements provided by the Rev. Erica Hewitt, Minister of Worship Arts at the UUA.
Wy’east UU Annual Meeting, May 21st (quorum required), directly after worship ~12:00 Noon
"The Power of a Hopeless Cause" - John Blake, Author and Religion Reporter at CNN
John Blake, a senior writer and producer with CNN, will talk about how growing up as the son of a Black father, and a White mother whose family rejected him at birth, shaped his faith. He'll share specifically how the relationship with his mother, who he did not meet for the first time until he turned 17, became an unexpected source of inspiration. She convinced him that no cause for social change is truly hopeless.
John Blake is a native of Baltimore, Maryland. He is a graduate of Howard University, and he is a senior writer and producer with CNN who writes about race, religion and politics. He has been honored by the American Academy of Religion, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Associated Press. His memoir, "More Than I Imagined: What a Black Man Discovered About the White Mother He Never Knew," is being published by Penguin Random House on May 2, 2023.
"Waking Up to Life: Depending on Interdependence" - Rev. Leslie Becknell Marx
The fundamental reality of life’s interdependent unfolding continues every day despite our world seeming ever more complex, uncertain, and oppressive. We’ve been conditioned to believe that we are separate from Nature compelled to control and direct life toward our own ends. As Unitarian Universalists, we affirm the interdependent web of life of which we are all a part. How do we at Wy’east act to align with Life and provide a counter-example to scarcity and separation?
Wy’east UU Annual Informational Budget Meeting, May 7th, directly after worship ~12:00 Noon
And simultaneously, our First-Sunday Monthly Potluck! (bring a dish to share)!
Multi-Platform Worship Sunday at 10:30 AM
This service will be offered as BOTH a virtual and an in-person service.
Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom
Meeting ID: 275 194 110
Phone In: (669) 900-6833
"5th Sunday Day of Service - SOLVE Neighborhood Clean-up!"
Each church year there are 4 months that have a 5th Sunday. As part of our lay ministry and to offer respite to our Worship Committee, we are using these Sundays to offer an alternative to traditional worship. In lieu of holding a service, either in-person or on Zoom, we will be organizing a group service project we can do together instead.
Join us Sunday, April 30th for last 5th Sunday Day of Service in this church year! Wy'east Members have partnered with SOLVE to do a neighborhood cleanup.
Who: Wy’east folks, including kids. Children under 18 will have to be accompanied by an adult. Everyone will have to sign a waiver; we’ll have the forms there on Sunday.
What: Litter and trash cleanup in SE Portland at the Lilac Meadows shelter, where we provide a Sunday dinner once a month.
When: Sunday, April 30, 10:30-12:00
Where: Lilac Meadows Family Shelter, SE 77th and Powell Boulevard. Park along the adjacent 77th and 79th Avenues south of Powell if you can, as we’ll be cleaning up around the parking area. Due to the heavy traffic on Powell, all of our work will be on the south side where the shelter is. Do not cross or go onto Powell!
SOLVE Oregon is providing cleanup materials: trash grabbers, trash bags, gloves, reflective vests. If you have a favorite trash grabber, bring that. A 5 gallon bucket may also be useful.
Wear clothing appropriate for the weather and the task. The current forecast is perfect, 70s and sunny. Picking up trash can be messy, so closed toed shoes and long sleeves and pants are wise. You may also want to bring a water bottle and/or snack, with a small pack to carry them.
Contact Larry Burt if you have any questions, otherwise just show up.
"Interdependence & Earth Day” Wy'east Members & Friends
One of our core values as Unitarian Universalists is Interdependence. It is not only articulated as our current 7th Principle, but it is also the first value named in the proposed revised Article II. On this Sunday adjacent to Earth Day, Wy'east Members and Friends will offer reflections and thoughts about how we might live this value in the wider world.
Virtual Service Sunday at 10:30 AM
This service will be offered only as a virtual Social Hour.
Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom
Meeting ID: 275 194 110
Phone In: (669) 900-6833
"Looking Ahead: Hospice and End-of-Life Care” Teresa Goodell
In the spring, we think of new growth and optimism for the future. So why talk about death and hospice now? Understanding hospice and palliative care as end-of-life options can help us plan for ourselves and others, and dispel fears and misconceptions surrounding these services. The use of hospice care is growing, as more people choose to live out the remainder of their lives in their own homes, optimizing quality of life and comfort. And even at the end of life, growth and optimism can occur. Understanding that, and knowing how to help achieve it, can ease the end-of-life transition for patients and loved ones.
Teresa T. Goodell, PhD, RN, has been a registered nurse for over 40 years, practicing mainly in intensive care and hospice. She has been a research scientist, professor of nursing, and a volunteer for several health-related organizations. She is currently retired, serving on the Board of Directors of Care Partners Hospice & Palliative Care, in Beaverton. She lives in Aloha, Oregon, with her husband and two cats. Dr. Goodell has been affiliated with UUism for 13 years.
"Where Do We Come From ...?” Wy'east Members & Friends
This time of year when we are focused on the future of our congregation, seems like the perfect moment to pause and look back. The seeds of our community were planted in 1995 and our charter Sunday Service was in April 1997 -- 26 years ago. Wy'east Member Hank Hadaway will share a timeline of our journey and has assembled some reflections from a few of our charter members to offer a brief history and story of the founding of our congregation. How might this look at "Where Do We Come From" help us answer the questions: “What Are We?” and “Where Are We Going?”
"Gratitude and Appreciation: An Antidote to Scarcity and Despair” Rev. Leslie Becknell Marx
It matters that we come together each Sunday. Together we nourish each other’s spirit and help heal the world. As economic concerns spiral and dire warnings abound, it is easy to succumb to a sense of despair and worry. Let us consider the spiritual practice of gratitude which is simple but not easy. Even with no change in circumstances, we can generate a sense of abundance and appreciation within our own lives and the life of Wy’east.
"What Moves You?” Wy'east Members & Friends
When we asked this question of some of our members, we heard back about poetry and music. So this service will feature exactly that: stanzas read and melodies performed by several of your fellow Wy'easters. And not just any compositions, but ones that have made an emotional impact on them. What moves you?
Virtual Service Sunday at 10:30 AM
This service will be offered only as a virtual Social Hour.
Click here to join the virtual service on Zoom
Meeting ID: 275 194 110
Phone In: (669) 900-6833