May 2013 Blog Posts (6)

"We covenant..."

These words are not uncommon to our congregational life, honored and voiced most often during our worship services and meetings. But what exactly does it mean to “covenant?” Why do we as a faith community, as a religious movement, engage in the act of covenanting? Some of us may be quick to substitute in our minds the words “promise” or “agree” whenever we hear the term “covenant.” But that is an over-simplification, an incomplete assessment, which misses the…

After hearing from over a dozen leaders in the LGBTQ community, and after having spoken directly with a representative of Deep Green Resistance, Executive Director and Minister, Rev. Nate Walker and Business Administrator, Norman Fouhy have determined that the Resistance Rewritten Tour with Rachel Ivey is incongruent with the church's Moral Clause: 

"The First Unitarian Church of Philadlephia (the "Owner") is a congregation strongly committed to promoting the inherent worth and…

I know September seems like it was only yesterday -- but believe it or not, this Sunday, May 19, I will participate in my very last worship service as your Student Minister at First U.

My Student Ministry in this congregation fulfilled the field education requirement for my program at Harvard Divinity School -- which I'll graduate from (finally!) on May 30.  I was so excited to focus this learning year around my passion for urban and contextual ministry -- working with lay leaders on…

My wife Danielle and I would like to celebrate our marriage to each other, with our First Unitarian Church family. We're holding a potluck party here at First UU on Sunday May 26th at 2pm, downstairs in Griffin Hall, with karaoke and card games! We hope you can join us in community, music, and joy.

Please bring some food or drink to share... and please do not bring gifts otherwise. If you wish, you can make a donation out to First Unitarian Church in our names.

The May Beacon is hot off the press, so please be sure to check it out online, or pick up a copy next time you're at the church.

The May issue contains upcoming church event info, as well as:

• a seminarian's reflection on humanity
• a reflection on the UU Buddhist Fellowship Convocation
• a commentary about North Carolina's controversial…

That’s no typo! Every year, thousands of Unitarian Universalists come together for our annual General Assembly in June. This year, from June 19 – 23, Louisville, Kentucky will become LUUisville (in my mind anyways), and will be home to dozens of interactive programs, worship experiences, and social justice/witness events organized by Unitarian Universalists…