On this May 4th, Rev. Abhi draws inspiration from Star Wars and the spirit of resistance to explore how imagination fuels courage, hope, and renewal. As he prepares to step back into sabbatical, we’ll reflect together on what it means to resist despair—and dare to dream a better future into being.

With Rev. Abhi Janamanchi

Mother's Day 2025 will, as always, arrive with that forced expectation that children and mothers of all ages set aside the complexity of their real lives and invite Hallmark to remind us of what maternal appreciation would look like if the mothers of America were really doing their job. How might we see beyond the sentimentality and the culturally assigned roles to celebrate the messy, complicated, fulfilling, disappointing, sometimes joy and delight filled, realities of the relationship between children of all ages and the people who often adequately but imperfectly shepherd them into adulthood?

With Rev. Karen Gustafson

The living tradition we share draws from many sources.” This is a fundamental difference that distinguishes Unitarian Universalism from the monotheistic faith traditions. A short list of these sources is noted, among other places, in the front of our hymnals. An additional source might be the stories of our own, individual experience, stories that have shaped our values of “love, justice, learning and hope” and of the source of life that sustains us; stories that we hold within us that have connected to the value of this community of faith.

With Rev. Karen Gustafson

Memorial Day is a time to pause to honor those who died in the armed forces, a national observance that began as local expressions of grief for casualties of the Civil War. This service will reflect on reclaiming our gratitude for the lives of those who serve in our name as we mourn the absence of those we lose to death. A ceremony to dedicate new plaques on the Memory Wall in the Memory Garden will be held immediately after the service.

With Rev. Heather Janules