Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Mendocino Coast Past Services

Here are some topics from the last 12 months. We link to this page from our Services page to give you an idea of what we talk about. It is easier to show you "eclectic" than to spell it.

Finding Spirit in our Everyday Lives
Danny Barca, February 21, 2010
Our special friend, song-writer, musician, and all-around good guy, Danny Barca joined us for another of his inspirational "Songs of the Spirit" all-music services.

Gather the Spirit, Harvest the Power
Rev. Chris Bell, February 7, 2010
Santa Rosa's UU Minister, Rev. Chris Bell, gave a service on creating transformation in our lives. Chris said, "This will be a service inviting each person to explore how to create the necessary changes we each need to grow. Transformation can only occur with a genuine and binding faith in the power(s) greater than ourselves, connecting to the "spirit of life" that directs our energy and leads us to where we need to go."

Mindfulness
Siri Gian Khalsa, January 17, 2010
Our very special friend, Siri Gian Khalsa, is a Kundalini yoga instructor, Reichian therapist, and contagiously delightful human being, Siri Gian discussed the how's and why's of mindfulness ... and taught us some of his special meditation, breathing, and mental exercises we can use to help develop greater mindfulness in our everyday lives.

What Do You Want in 2010?
Rick Childs, January 3, 2010
New Years traditionally brings new attention to making the changes we need or want for a more satisfying life. While most of us try to create new growth throughout the year, New Years is often a useful catalyst for deeper reflections of where we are now and where we want to get to. Ideally, we develop specific intentions and plans for transforming those desires into the actual results.

Tapping the Wisdom of Solstice Traditions
Jeanelyse Doran Adams, December 20, 2009
Rev. Adams is a UU Minister, and Director of Program Development for the PCD. She writes:
"The Winter Solstice and the Christian season of Advent are upon us. The I Ching hexagram associated with the Solstice is number 24, Fu – Return, the turning point. As we face the turning point of this season we are called into waiting, into darkness and rest. In our frenetic world of doing, these actions can seem counter-intuitive and non-productive. However, if we can embrace the wisdom practices, traditions, and rituals of the past we may glean a way forward into the 21st century."

Working With Dreams
Miriam Davis, December 6, 2009
Guest presenter Miriam Davis has worked with dreams and led workshops for 30 years. Miriam will offered a talk on using dreams to access our deeper selves and learn what messages they’re sending us, in symbolic form, to help us in our lives.

Let Us Rejoice
Rick Childs, November 15, 2009
Our service celebrated the season time, "Harvest and Thanksgiving." We celebrated the productive, positive undertakings we experienced this past year and, more broadly, gave thanks for all that we are and all that we have in our lives.

Our Common Bonds
Joanna Macy, November 1, 2009
Our service was a deep, non-verbal and experiential exercise of "connection", in which we identify and share our common fears and hopes with each other. Renowned Buddhist author, poet, and activist Joanna Macy has developed this wonderful exercise in which we look with each other at our own fears – for both ourselves and our planet – and then, together, find the spirit and strength we all posses within for building trust and healing for our common future.

The Meaning of Life
Rick Childs, October 18, 2009
While philosophers (and Monty Python) may grapple with what the meaning of life is, we can well benefit from exploring what we’re doing that makes our own life meaningful ... and more importantly what we might consider changing to make it more meaningful.

Pilgrimage to Santa Rosa
Entire Congregation, October 4, 2009
We went to to Santa Rosa, where we joined up with all the other North Bay UU congregations - Santa Rosa, Marin, Napa, Lake County, and Petaluma - to celebrate our UU heritage, community, and message.

Palestine: Experience and Teacher
Rick Childs, September 20, 2009
Rick spent summer as a peace activist in Palestine. He shared his experiences and impressions about why the Mideast conflict seems so difficult to resolve, what he believed would work, and some general and spiritual lessons about life that he learned in the concentrated and intense atmosphere there.

A New Direction
Entire Congregation, September 6, 2009
Nothing in life, they say, is constant except change. And that's now happening to our Fellowship. The Board decided to reduce Lay Leader Rick's workload and salary by half to reduce expenses so we can stay afloat. After a short mini-sermon discussing the importance of service in our lives, our service was open to sharing ideas on how to make this happen.

Fellowship Sunday
Entire Congregation, June 21, 2009
This was be our final service before our summer break: a coming-together and deeper connecting of our lives and spiritual gifts. We shared a special spiritual experience, insight, or lesson learned this past year.

More Spiritual Moments
Rick Childs, June 7, 2009
So much of our life gets lived on "automatic pilot." Unitarian philosopher John Dewey observed that virtually all our daily life is predictable and routine. Constrained by habitual activities, reactions, and even thoughts, we likely get very few inspired, expansive moments. Rick explored some.

One Mountain ... Many Paths
Rev. Chris Bell, May 17, 2009
Rev. Bell writes: "In all the world's religions, we are taught that there are many paths, but one mountain. I believe this image is both useful and accurate. It honors the sanctity of our own individual experience while encouraging our tolerance and support of others. It also boldly affirms a common firmament under us, and a shared view from the summit. This service will consider some of the universal truths of the spiritual journey, and encourage us forward on the path we choose, a path we need not walk alone."

Our Relationhips: Understanding Them ... Nurturing Them
Liz Irwin, May 3, 2009
Ms. Irwin writes: "Our relationships are probably the most important part of our lives. I want to explore their dynamics - the meaning they give us; why certain ones help us and others don't; and how they wind up becoming an entity of their own - the way they begin, grow, change, and often end. Of course, if we want a relationship to survive, we have to always work at it, so I'll share some thoughts on what nurtures them and keeps them growing."

Ahhh ... Spring!
Rick Childs, April 19, 2009
Rick spoke about watching the earth blossom into its verdant rich beauty, our own rebirth of joy and aliveness and our inspiration for new growth. We concluded with our annual Flower Communion.

Search for Meaning: The "Urantia" Book
Clayton Roberts, April 5, 2009
Fellowship friend Clayton Roberts discussed his lifelong search for meaning and value in life. He shared his life struggles with atheism, agnosticism, and theism. He introduced the Urantia Book and described its importance in developing a personal religion.

The Interface of Art and Science
Walt McKeown, March 15, 2009
Taking off from his "Man and the Cosmos" February sermon, Walt offered his thoughts on some of the interesting ways that these two disciplines interact, support, and complement each other. Walt has a deep connection with both, as a scientist and a musician.

Loving Yourself
Rick Childs, March 1, 2009
Think of all the ways you love the person that you most love in life ... the kind of deep caring, acceptance and respect, and support you give? How well do you treat yourself by that standard?

You may also want to read a Spirituality Essay. Our lay leader, Rick Childs, writes one a month.

Serving Albion, Caspar, Comptche, Elk, Fort Bragg, Gualala, Little River, Mendocino, Navarro, Philo, Rockport, Westport and inland Mendocino County.

For questions about our Fellowship or Unitarian Universalism, send e-mail to our lay leader,
Rick Childs:

For problems or questions about our web site, send e-mail to our web master,
Ted Pack: