Worship Service Summer Schedule

Come join us every Sunday morning at 10:00* in the sanctuary. Everyone of every faith, denomination, creed and belief system is welcome to join us as we seek greater understanding of ourselves and the world around us. For greater detail on a typical Sunday Service, click here.

*From September through mid-June, services begin at 10:30, but during the summer, things start at 10:00.

Jul 25	A Radical Prayer ~ Rev. Debra Sutton A spiritual director challenged me to "Ask for a Word." My participation in this spiritual practice was meant to lead me to new discoveries about myself. Well, I prayed this radical prayer and, come July, I will have passed the halfway mark of spending a year with God through "my word." That word is "acceptance." Let us share our time together considering the role of acceptance in our spiritual lives and exploring ways in which we can radically cultivate it. The Rev. Dr. Debra Sutton is a therapist in private practice at Building Bridges: A Center for Healing and Change in Media. Debra works with children, adolescents, adults and families and attends to the well-being of the whole person: mind, heart, body and spirit.
Aug 1	To Be a Pilgrim ~ Sarah Lenzi The notion of pilgrimage permeated the Christian faith for centuries, though certainly in different ways over time. There were those who used the term to mean a traveling to a sacred location for the purpose of prayer and those who used it to refer to the journey of life leading ultimately to union with God. This sermon will look at how we as UUs, inheritors of these traditions, might begin to find an understanding of, and a place for, pilgrimage in our own lives. Sarah Lenzi just finished her third year at the University of Pennsylvania where she is pursuing a doctorate in Religious Studies, focusing on ritual and Jerusalem in the late Middle Ages. Her passion for the study of Religion goes back to her undergrad days at Williams College where she also studied Art History. She is a Candidate for Ministry, having received her Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School in 2007.
Aug 8	Spiritual Cinema 2: "The Invention of Lying" ~ Rev. Peter Friedrichs In this 2009 film, Ricky Gervais "invents" the idea of life after death (as well as the idea of lying to make someone else feel better). When is it okay to lie? Are there things we should never lie about? Is religion just a lie we tell ourselves to reduce our anxieties? We'll consider these and other questions with Rev Peter this Sunday.
Aug 15	Spiritual Cinema 3: "Where The Wild Things Are" ~ Rev. Peter Friedrichs This film adaptation of the Maurice Sendak book invites us into a world of fantasy and fun. This Sunday we'll explore the role that imagination and fantasy play in our lives and reflect on the importance of having a place we can go and just be ourselves. Come and play with Rev. Peter as we venture into new realms of reality together!
Aug 22	When Systems Fail To Work ~ Rev. Ryan Henderson The question of how we are connected to others never seems to leave our brains, from when we are young to when we are not so young. I'll be looking at things become complicated when they are interconnected, and perhaps over connected. I'll be using Edwin Friedman's work on system theory for families, church along with his story telling found in his book "Friedman's Fables" Ryan is the University Chaplain of Widener and an Ordained Minister in the United Church of Christ. I love story-telling, good BBQ and moments spent near water. Ryan is married to Kristina and we live in Quakertown, PA with our dog Sigma and six cats.
Aug 29	Mary Oliver, Mysticism, and Unitarian Universalism ~ Rev. Elizabeth Ellis Mary Oliver is one of those poets who, with a sudden word or phrase, can suddenly transport the reader to another, deeper place. Like some of our Unitarian Universalist foreparents she is a true transcendentalist and mystic. Mysticism is an experience of Mystery, of knowing beyond knowing. There are many, many forms of mysticism. How does it fit into Unitarian Universalist experience – and what about Mary Oliver? Rev. Elizabeth Ellis was the Senior Minister at Large/Executive Director of the UU Urban Ministry in Boston for 14 years and prior to that was Associate Minister at Large. As a minister at large she lived in diverse, low income neighborhoods and worked with others to respond and provide alternatives to domestic violence, substance abuse, and youth gang violence, ands to create relationships with UU churches. From 2002-2005 she worked with Pendle Hill to create a program in Chester for young people on probation; then as the part time Social Action consultant for the Main Line UU church. Elizabeth is a spiritual director in the Ignatian tradition. She is retired, lives in Chester, and has two children and three grandchildren living in Minnesota and Boston. Rev. Elizabeth Ellis is also a member of our congregation.
Sep 5	Is Chivalry Dead or Where is Sir Walter Raleigh Now That We Need Him? ~ Mark Bernstein The Medieval Code of Chivalry, which flourished during the 12th and 13th centuries, faded toward the end of the middle ages. Have we Unitarian Universalists picked up the mantle? Do we conduct our lives with honor and integrity according to our principles and "codes'? This sermon will explore these issues and examine if Sir Walter Raleigh would have been happy as a Unitarian Universalist. Mark Bernstein has been a member of UUCDC for 16 years and recently completed a term as President of the Board of Trustees. He currently leads a team that is transforming the Adult Faith Development Series at our congregation.