Here’s a look at services taking place in July 2017. Services take place at 10:30 a.m. each Sunday in RVUUF’s Great Hall. Gathering music begins at 10:25 a.m.
July 2: What does it Mean to be Patriotic?
As the Fourth of July draws near and we anticipate parades, picnics, patriotic music, fireworks and more, Lois Pettinger will explore the topic, “What does it Mean to be Patriotic?”
July 9: Is What Matters Most at the End-of-Life, What Matters Most?
Susan Hearn, executive director of Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice, will explore what matters most to people at the end-of-life and how what matters at the end of life provides perspective earlier in life.
July 16: Solving the Disparity
Bill Jennett of the Jackson County Fuel Committee will talk about “Solving the Disparity” between an abundance of resources in southern Oregon and an inability by low-income workers, students, underemployed people and people with disabilities to meet basic needs like light and heat in their homes in the midst of plenty.
The emphasis will be on a positive program, getting resources from where they are to where they are most needed through grassroots community organizing.
Jennett will provide an example of how those in need and those who want to do something about it work side by side doing utility advocacy, weatherization, firewood production and distribution, etc. Jennett will also discuss how to challenge and change forces that stand in the way (e.g., the state’s consistent actions to raise utility rates even as disconnection rates and profit margins increase).
July 23: Planting Our Seeds in the Dark of the Moon
Alison Duren-Sutherland will explore the connection between the lunar cycle and the three faces of the Triple Goddess: Maiden, Mother and Crone. The dark moon is a time of setting intentions, and so this service will also include a ritual planting of our individual and collective hopes and dreams for the future.
July 30: On the Draining of Swamps
Rev. Jay Atkinson reflects briefly on Unitarian Universalist history, with an eye toward freeing ourselves from white supremacy in a transformative way.
In last fall’s campaign, Donald Trump spoke of “draining the swamp” of Washington’s political insiders. Five months later, we have had a mirror held up to our eyes, reflecting what many identify, despite our best intentions, as a swamp of “white supremacy” within our very own UU movement. Is it enough for us just to escape from this swamp, or do we go back for a hard look at our UU history and face the deeper challenge of draining the swamp once and for all?
For up-to-date descriptions, visit our Sunday Morning Services page as well as the RVUUF blog.