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Sunday Service Topics

January 26, 2003
Lay Led Service, "Joining Hands Around the World: Women Making Peace"
We will recreate a worship service from the Unitarian Universalist Women's Heritage Society, originally presented to the UUA General Assembly on June 24th, 2002 in Quebec City. Come hear the words of Unitarian and Universalist women such as Julia Ward Howe, Mary Ashton Rice Livermore, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, May Wright Sewall, Emily Greene Balch, Olympia Brown, and others. Some of these names may be familiar to us; some may not. But this beautiful service will remain in our memories as we witness this once again timely topic of peace in the news.

January 19, 2003
Rev. Ron Sala, "Martin Luther King: Uncensored"
The debate over the King holiday resurfaced recently in the controversy around statements by Senator Trent Lott. What does it mean to honor this outspoken civil rights leader? How has his message been lost in his installation in the national pantheon?

January 12, 2003
Bill Meyer of the Hemlock Society of CT
Bill Meyer, a representative of the Connecticut Hemlock Society, will speak to us about his father's last illness and his own experience with the controversy over the right to die with dignity. He will also discuss recent legislation on this matter in Oregon and comment on the new laws permitting more personal control over one's death in the Netherlands. There will be a "talkback" period after the service.

January 5, 2003
Rev. Ron Sala, "Community: What's In It For Me?"
Author Robert Putnam has written that America today is a nation of people "bowling alone." Community life suffers under a pervasive attitude of individualism. Why is community important?

December 29, 2002
Dot Sonn, "A Christmas Memory"
Our own Dot Sonn will again lead the annual reading of Truman Capote's "A Christmas Memory." This will be the 10th year that this very special service will be held on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year's Day. Copies of this poignant story will be distributed to those assembled. Read or listen as you wish. Then join us for Danish Kringles from Wisconsin.

December 24, 2002
Rev. Ron Sala, "Adult Christmas Eve Service"
Our annual candlelit Christmas Eve service will feature the choir and a reading of the story of Jesus’ birth from one of our congregation’s 19th century Bibles. Rev. Ron will give a short homily. There will be a reception at 4 pm, between this and the earlier Family Christmas Eve Service.

December 24, 2002
Religious Education Committee, "Family Christmas Eve Service"
A reception will follow this service at 4 pm, just before the Adult Christmas Eve Service.

December 22, 2002
Lee Sullivan, "Waiting for the Light"
The world, like the season, grows darker and darker. Will we ever see light again? This Winter Solstice let us come together to mark the year's longest night and, if we are brave, perhaps we can hasten the coming of the light that heralds the beginning of another Spring. Several laypersons will assist in the ritual's leadership.

December 15, 2002
Rev. Ron Sala, "Why Hunger?"
On a planet that can feed all its people, why is there hunger? In the midst of this season of feasting, we will consider this problem and what we can do about it.

December 8, 2002
Rev. Ron Sala, "Arrival"
In the Christian calendar, the four Sundays before Christmas are called “Advent” from the Latin for “arrival.” Quite unlike the commercialism thrust upon us this time of year, Advent is to be a time of spiritual reflection and joyful expectation.

December 1, 2002
Rev. Ron Sala, "The Feast of Dedication"
"Hanukkah" is Hebrew for "dedication." It commemorates the rededication of the Temple after its defilement by the tyrant Antiochus IV. How can we stand against tyranny and hatred today?

November 24, 2002
Rev. Ron Sala, "Thanks!, Bring A Friend Sunday, New Member Sunday"
The Christian mystic Meister Eckhart said that if you only ever say one prayer, and it’s “Thank you!” it’s enough. On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, we will consider living thankfully in troubled times. Please invite a friend to join you. There will also be a time during the service to welcome new members. If you have been visiting with us and are considering joining the Society, please contact Rev. Sala.

November 17, 2002
Rev. Carol Huston, "Religious Freedom Here and There"
Attendance at a meeting of the International Association for Religious Freedom reminded Rev. Huston of the importance of religious freedom and separation of church and state and that our American vision of these freedoms is unique in the world. In the current climate, we must talk about how we will preserve this vision. Rev.Carol Huston is in her second year of ministry in White Plains, after serving a congregation in Michigan for nine years.

November 10, 2002
Dr. John Gagnon, "Veteran's Day Service"
This service will honor all those who have served or presently serve in the Armed Forces of the United states. While Unitarian Universalists are generally opposed to war, we are NOT opposed to those who have risked or given their lives to preserve the freedom and safety of the citizens of this country. They deserve to be recognized and given our proper respect and thanks. Please bring a uniform or a photo of someone in uniform if you have one.

November 3, 2002
Cynthia Neschis and Rev. Ron Sala, "Youth and Young Adult Sunday"
Also known as “Mind the Gap Sunday,” our service will be part of a denomination-wide effort to consider why there are so few human beings aged 14-35 in our congregations and what to do about it. This campaign is an effort to raise two million dollars to generate grants, curriculum, trainings and other resources for youth, campus, and young adult ministries in congregations, in districts and on the continental level. In order to reach our goal, congregations are asking for an average donation of $50 per person—but please come regardless of what you can afford to give.

October 27, 2002
Catherine Torpey, Guest Speaker
Catherine Torpey will speak to the congregation today. She has been employed by Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York as thier Religious Director for several years and has spoken to our congregation twice before.

October 20, 2002
Cynthia Neschis and Rev. Sala, "Children’s Sabbath"
Each October, tens of thousands of congregations and over 200 denominations and religious organizations join together in a “Children’s Sabbath.” Its purpose is to promote a long-term commitment to justice for children and families. This year, there will be a special emphasis on tolerance and peace. Please join us in our own congregation’s commemoration of this important event.

October 13, 2002
Cliff Thornton
Cliff Thornton of Efficacy will address the congregation on his own experience in the "War on Drugs" being conducted by our government. Efficacy is a group based in Hartford that has been facilitating activities by congregations on the UUA's Drug War Statement of Conscience.

October 6, 2002
Rev. Ron Sala, "KEO"
If you could leave a message for future generations, what would it be? What would you want people living in the distant future to know about you and the times in which we live? At the end of 2003, the satellite KEO will be launched into space to return in 50,000 years. Onboard, it will carry messages from ordinary people from around the world. In his sermon, Rev. Sala will share his message to the future. There will also be a time for you to read a one-minute excerpt of your own message.

September 29, 2002
Dr. Ira Bloom, "Civil Liberties"
Dr. Ira Bloom, professor of Political Science at Lehman College, City University of New York, will speak on the timely topic of "Civil Liberties." Not only are politicians and commentators hotly discussing this issue in the news just now, but the recent UUA convocation in Quebec has selected this topic as our study guide issue for 2002.

September 22, 2002
Lay Led Service, "Autumnal Equinox"
What is the autumn of life? How do we know when we have reached it? What makes us feel that we have matured? Essays will be read about the journey to the autumn of one's life. The floor will then be opened for everyone to share their experiences about growing up and growing older.

September 15, 2002
Rev. Ron Sala, "Yahrzeit:A Service of Remembrance"
One of the most powerful traditions belonging to the Jewish source of our Unitarian Universalist faith is that of the Yahrzeit, or "year-time." On the anniversary of a loved one's death, a candle is lit and prayers are said. In the spirit of this practice, after the sermon we will have a time of sharing to mourn those who died and reflect on how the terrorist attacks and the tumultuous past year have affected each of us.

September 11, 2002
Rev. Ron Sala, "Memorial Observance"
Our sanctuary will be open from 8:30-11am for meditation and prayer in commemoration of last year's terrorist attacks. There will be a moment of silence at 8:46, the moment when the first of the twin towers was struck by a hijacked airplane. Our bell will be tolled at 10:29, the time when the second tower fell.

September 8, 2002
Rev. Ron Sala, "Homecoming Sunday"/Board Installation/Board Award Presentation"
A service to kick off another exciting year at UUSIS. The new Board will be sworn in. Also, the Board will present its award for exemplary volunteer serice by a member or members of the congregation.

June 16, 2002
Rev. Ron Sala, "Closing Celebration"
As this will be the last “regular” service until September, we will celebrate a wonderful year together with story and song.

June 9, 2002
Rev. Ron Sala, "UU Q&A"/Volunteer Recognition/Annual Meeting
There will be a short service in which Rev. Ron will preach a “question-box” sermon responding to questions previously submitted by members and friends. The questions may be on any subject, e.g. religious history, theology, ethics, current events, etc. If you’d like to ask Ron a question, please fill out the form that will be included in the order of service on the two preceding Sundays or email it to ronsala@uuma.org by June 2nd. In the service, volunteers will be thanked for their work this year. Afterwards will be our Annual Meeting.

June 2, 2002
Lay-led Service, "Flower Communion"
During this service we will commmemorate both our joy in our individual uniqueness as well as our joy in sharing with each other. Please bring a flower for the flower communion vase.

May 26, 2002
Lay-led Service, "Our Journies to Unitiarian Universalism"
Come and share your journey to UU with your church family. This service will include some readings – but will mostly be your stories how you got here, why you came.

May 19, 2002
Rev. Ron Sala, "A Unitarian Universalist Looks at the Mideast Crisis"
Half the banners in our sanctuary come from religions born on a tiny strip of ground that has known more than its share of bloodshed and sorrow over the centuries. What’s so holy about the Holy Land, anyway? How do religion, nationalism, and international relations combine into the toxic brew that fills our TV screens with daily images of horror? Can anything be done?

May 12, 2002
Renee-Noelle Felice
Renee-Noelle Felice, a story teller, will be with us. She sees herself as a channel for the stories that she tells and sings. “The message is what is important, and my message is always the same, though it takes myriad forms: every being on Earth has a valuable contribution to make, and deserves respect for being a co-weaver of the web of our lives. I feel immensely blessed to be the messenger” Renee-Noelle Felice was the director of religious education at the Unitarian Church of Staten Island from 1994-1999.

May 5, 2002
Mrs. Gulafshan K. Alavi, "Tolerance in Islam"
Our speaker will be Mrs. Gulafshan K. Alavi The program will consist of a short talk, readings and a chance for dialogue.
Mrs. Alavi has been very active in the Islam Community of Fairfield County. She founded the Islamic Women’s Group in response the needs of th growing Muslim population and more recently the Islamic family Services. Mrs. Alavi has worked as a Special Correspondent at the Untied Nations for a chain of newspapers in Pakistan, her native country. Currently she is free lancing and is responsible for initiating an informative program on Islam that runs on cable television’s Public Access twice a week. She and her family have resided in Stamford for 20 years.

April 28, 2002
Rev. Louis V. Schwebius, "A Garden of Interdependent Delights"
The multitude of theologies embraced by members of our Unitarian Universalist community can be compared to a large, enduring garden - crowded with plants of a wide variety of colors, sizes, shapes and textures. In the midst of all this jostling for individual space, how do we grow in our collective faith?

April 21, 2002
Rev. Ron Sala, "Dismal Science/Hopeful Art"
Economics has sometimes been called “the dismal science.” Perhaps this has something to do with the often-ugly competition for limited resources. But our economic lives can have a more hopeful side as well. By pooling our time, energy, and money we can find creative ways to work for the common good and those less fortunate. This service (and the dinner the previous evening) starts off the canvass season at UUSIS—a time for dreaming of what our congregation can be and making it so. There will also be opportunity for parents to have a service of dedication for their children.

Child Dedication April 21, 2002
As part of the service on April 21st, there will be the opportunity for parents and children to participate in a ceremony of child dedication. Sometimes also known within UUism as a “child welcoming,” “naming ceremony,” or “child blessing,” this rite takes a similar place in our tradition to baptism in many Christian denominations or a bris in Judaism. It is a welcoming of the child to the world and to the community of faith. It is a commitment by parents to raise children to the best of their ability, instilling them with a sense of the importance of ethical and spiritual/humanistic values. It is also a commitment on the part of the congregation to support parents in their task. Reverend Sala will perform the ceremony for children of any age who have not previously had a Unitarian Universalist dedication.
If your family would like to participate, please contact Reverend Sala by the 14th. Also contact Rev. Sala if you cannot participate on the 21st but would like a child dedication in the future.

April 14, 2002 4pm
"Celebration of Installation"
Rev. Bruce Southworth, "
Exceedingly Good"
This service will officially welcome the Rev. Ronald Wayne Sala as the settled minister of the Society.

April 14, 2002
Rev. Ron Sala, "Dear God, Let Me Not Whine, Want to Shine, or Recline"
“Dear God, Let Me Not Whine, Want to Shine, or Recline.” Some unknown wit once coined this memorable line, which made its way via oral tradition to Rev. Ron. Where do faith and attitude meet? How do we keep our highest aspirations before us in the “dust and heat” of daily life?

April 7, 2002
Lay Led Service, "Exploring the Welcoming Congregation, Part Two"
On March 10, the Welcoming Congregation Committee conducted a meaningful service during which congregants shared their sorrows and joys concerning loss and hope. Today we continue with a guided discussion within a Service format.

March 31, 2002
Rev. Ron Sala, "Legacy"
This week includes both Easter and the latter part of Passover. What inspiration can we draw from these time-honored holidays?

March 24, 2002
Paul Sprecher, "John Haynes Holmes,World War I,and the Community Church"
Holmes, a consistent pacificist through his whole life, is an example from our Living Tradition of a willingness to stand firm for principles, whatever the odds. Of particular interest is the fact that Holmes' position was stridently denounced by the leadership of the American Unitarian Association of the time, led by William Howard Taft, former president of the United States. The example left by Holmes provides a glimpse of alternative possibilities at a time when our nation is once again gripped by a patriotic fever.

March 17, 2002
Rev. Ron Sala, "Holiness, Love, and Wholeness"/New Member Sunday
This St. Patrick’s Day, the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization will, no doubt, fight to join New York’s parade, even as the Ancient Order of Hibernians, in the name of religion, fight just as hard to keep them out. Last month in Hartford, clergy lined up on both sides of the issue of same-gender marriage. How did religious attitudes about sexual orientation arise? How are they changing? How should we, as Unitarian Universalists, respond? Rev. Ron will ponder these questions while reflecting on his own journey. There will also be a ceremony recognizing new members.

March 10, 2002
Lay Led, "Exploring the Welcoming Congregation"
Reporting back from the workshops last fall, members of the Welcoming Congregation will reflect on our discusssion of sexual orientation and gender identity. We will also look towards why it is important for UUSIS to fully embrace gays and lesbians in all parts of our spiritual life.

March 3, 2002
Purim Intergenerational Service
This morning we will share the book of Esther through the PurimSpiel. Purim is a happy, festive holiday that is experienced on many different levels, but sure to engage all generations.

February 24, 2002
Reverend Ron Sala, "Worlds Apart"
The economics of recent years have made millionaires and even billionaires commonplace, yet a billion people in the world live on less than a dollar a day, and a billion more on less than two. High speed Internet and satellite TV have shrunk the world to the size of a village for many, yet two-thirds of the world’s people have never even used a telephone. Our sixth Principle calls us to affirm and promote “the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all,” yet this goal seems impossibly far away. Does the phenomenon called globalization help or hinder those who struggle economically here and abroad? Our denomination has decided to devote two years toward the study of economic globalization and what our response to it should be as concerned, religious people. At the service, there will be a period of congregational discussion and the opportunity to be a part of the study of this important issue. (More information can be found at www.uua.org/uuawo.)

February 17, 2002
Reverend Peggy Block

February 10, 2002
Reverend Ron Sala, "Loneliness, Love, and Legend"
One can hardly listen to the radio, watch TV, or enter a bookshop without realizing that romantic love is one of the most important aspects (obsessions?) of our culture. Love between two people can be amazingly fulfilling and healing. At the same time, many of us suffer, wishing we had a partner or mourning the separation from or loss of someone in our past. On the Sunday before Valentine’s Day, Rev. Ron will offer reflections on these life situations along with the ways Pagan customs and secret Christian marriages shaped the holiday we know and (perhaps) love.

February 3, 2002
Reverend Lyn Plumb, "Memory, Myth, & Meaning"
How do our stories become mythic? And why? These are two of the questions that Guest Minister,the Reverend Lyn Plumb, will explore by telling some mythic stories of her own.

January 27, 2002
Reverend Ron Sala, "A Busload of Faith"
In his classic album "New York," singer-songwriter Lou Reed proclaimed "You need a busload of faith to get by." Those words seem to apply now more than ever. What can faith mean to religious liberals? How do we find what we need to get by? To fly?

January 20, 2002
Reverend Ron Sala, Eleanor Dennis, et al,"Martin and Us" (A Service for All Ages)
On Martin Luther King weekend, we will come together to explore and celebrate the public ministry of the great human rights leader. How can we today live according to the high civic virtues he preached?

January 13, 2002
"Respect and Tolerance", Lay Led Service
What do these words really mean to us? Our UU beliefs state that "We believe in the toleration of religious ideas. All religions, in every age and culture, possess not only an intrinsic merit, but also a potential value for those who have learned the art of listening." We will explore these terms through readings and poetry.

January 6, 2002
Reverend Ron Sala, "Confessions of a Mennonite Menace"
Like 85-90% of Unitarian Universalists, Rev. Ron was not raised UU. Instead, he was brought up in the Mennonite tradition in the Dutch Country of southeastern Pennsylvania. Two of the questions he is asked most are, “Who are the Mennonites” and “How did you get from there to here?” Ron will reflect on the faith of his birth and the common UU experience of trying to make peace with our religious past.