UUShoals Programs

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Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Shoals

Calendar of Events for December 2006

December 3, 2006 - Robert Ingram, Adjunct Professor of English at the University of North Alabama and member of the UUCS will present, "American Piety in the 21st Century". Whenever I hear on TV and radio that 85-90% of Americans believe in God or that 75% of Americans believe in angels or that most Americans believe in heaven, but a lesser number believe in hell, I want to yell back, "But did you ask them what they think 'God,' 'angels,' 'heaven.' and 'hell' are? Well, finally, one survey had done just that. This presentation is a report of the Baylor (University) Religion Survey on "New Insights to the Depth and Complexity of Religion in the US."

December 10, 2006 - Daphne Simpkins, Professor of Writing at Auburn University at Montgomery will present, "G. K. Chesterton: Mystery Writer and Christian Apologist". Inspired by a real life priest, Father Brown, the literary invention of G. K. Chesterton, relies upon keen powers of observation and knowledge of human psychology to identify wrong-doers and effect justice in over forty stories. But the famous detective is not the only great literary legacy of Chesterton's. The author of Orthodoxy and The Everlasting Man, Chesterton was considered by C. S. Lewis and others as being one of the great Christian thinkers and apologists. This lecture will focus on three popular Father Brown short stories and major themes from Chesterton's deeply engaging and often wryly humorous non-fiction works. This program is being presented through the Alabama Humanities Foundation.

Special Service - Thursday, December 14, 2006 - Winter Solstice Celebration. 7:00 p.m. Featuring Harpist Annette Harmon-Lee. Refreshments and wassail following the service.

December 17, 2006 - Christmas Sharing Service. Members and friends are invited to bring their favorite Christmas and seasonal memories to share with the congregation. The children of the congregation will present several Christmas songs and there will be congregational singing of Christmas carols.

Dec. 24, 2006 - Bill Parkhurst, UUCS member, will present, "Reflections on a (1961) U-U Christmas". Traditional U-U Christmas Stories including Who Kidnapped the Baby Jesus? and It was a Tough Week for Ethel Chaney! John Kennedy was in the White House, Pope John the 23rd was in the Vatican and the Preacher's Youngest Kid was at the top of his game.

December 31, 2006 - Dr. Lisa Jennings, Vascular Research Scientist at the University of Tennessee at Memphis and Lay Minister of the UU Church on the River in Memphis will present, "What's New?" On New Year's Eve we will explore what the beginning of a new year can mean to us.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Shoals

Calendar of Events for November 2006

November 5, 2006 - Dr. Larry Bates, Professor of Psychology at the University of North Alabama, will present, "The Psychology of Religious Fundamentalism". This topic will cover a brief examination of religious fundamentalism in America. Specifically, we will look at the history of this phenomenon, dispel some of the myths associated with fundamentalism, and hopefully arrive at some understanding of why people are drawn to fundamentalism.

November 12, 2006 - Daphne Simpkins, Professor of Writing at Auburn University at Montgomery, will present, "The Beecher Family". Although Harriet Beecher Stowe is perhaps the most famous of the Beecher clan, the family was committed to effecting social change from a variety of perspectives. Voices from the pulpit and for feminism ultimately shaped American homes, American consciences, and the American woman's right to vote. This presentation will pay respect to the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin but also explore how Stowe's family provided the context from which she found her voice for social change.

November 19, 2006 - Dr. Lisa Jennings, Vascular Research Scientist at the University of Tennessee at Memphis and Lay Minister for the Church on the River in Memphis, will present, "Feast with Indians and Pilgrims". A meal, however simple, is a moment of intersection. It is at once the most basic, the most fundamental, of our life's activities, maintaining the life substance of our bodies; shared with others it can unite people deeply.

November 26, 2006 - Peter Bryden, member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Shoals, will present, "Soul Path Healing".

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Shoals

Calendar of Events for October 2006

October 1, 2006 - Bill Parkhurst, UUCS member, will present, "All the Quakers are Shoulder Shakers". A Brief Discourse on our Quaker Universalist Brethren.

October 8, 2006 - Singer/songwriter, Ken Sizemore will present a musical program on " Malvina Reynolds". He will perform her music and tell her story. She was a talented Unitarian Universalist songwriter who died in 1980. She was a close friend of Pete Seeger and she began her songwriting career in her sixties! She is remembered for the songs, "Little Boxes and "Turn Around".

October 15, 2006 - Daphne Simpkins, AUM Professor of Writing, will present, "Who Were the Puritans? The original Puritans had an understandable desire to live devout lives. In their drive to be pure in their spirituality, however, they left behind a legacy of literalism that does not always serve a God-sized spirit of love. We will refresh our understanding of this country's Puritan roots and speculate about its ongoing influence today.

October 22, 2006 - Peter Bryden, UUCS member, will present, " One Man's Spiritual Journey". A discussion through the eyes of the speaker on his spiritual quest and his search for answers. One of the major questions discussed will be "are we bodies with souls or souls with bodies?

Peter Bryden's Background: Peter Bryden was born near Cambridge, England into a family of performers and theatricals. Adopted by a family member in the U.S. at 18 months of age, he was educated in a Philadelphia Quaker School for 12 years where he had 5 years of Religious Studies. His study of the world's religions and his own spiritual quest led him to become a certified spiritual healer and counselor. His firm belief that we are all on a spiritual journey; keeping balanced spiritually and physically has always held top priority for him. You will find him equally at home on the stage, writing, and cooking as well as dabbling in the world of finance and technology. For some that might be considered a dichotomy... for Peter it's simply business as usual. A lover of animals, people, and fishing; Peter believes in living life right out loud and in living color!

October 29, 2006 - Dr. Lisa Jennings, Vascular Research Scientist at University of Tennessee at Memphis and lay minister for the Unitarian Universalist Church on the River, will present, "Calvin is Alive and Well". What can happen when religious authority becomes the tail that wags the dog of civic order?

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Shoals

Calendar of Events for September 2006

September 3, 2006 - Todd West, UUCS President, will present, "Is It Really Religion If I Don't Feel Gulity?". He will explore how guilt ( and the lack of it) is often used in religion and how guilt holds us back from deeper spirituality.

September 10, 2006 - The Blending of the Waters service will be observed. Members and friends are invited to bring a small sample of water from their summer travels to blend together symbolizing the ingathering of the community.

September 17, 2006 - Daphne Simpkins, AUM Professor of Writing will present, "The Call of the Wild". In psychiatrist Gerald May's last book printed posthumously after his death, this well-known spiritual advisor and good friend of Unitarian Universalists relates how his sojourns into the wilderness helped him to know himself and God better. This program will discuss May's attraction to the wilderness and what we may learn from him that will help us on own own spiritual paths through other kinds of wildernesses.

September 24, 2006 - Cynthia Alby, Professor of Education at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, GA, will present, "Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy". Did you know there is a movement afoot in academia to study happiness? What is happiness? What really makes people happy? What do people think will make them happy that really doesn't? Where does spirituality ( or even organized religion) fit in? Come learn more about the science of happiness.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Shoals

Calendar of Events for August 2006

August 6, 2006 - Toni Brooks, UUCS member will present, "Abner Kneeland --Universalist Heretic" a sermon given by Rev. Scott W. Alexander at the River Road Unitarian Church of Bethesda, Maryland.

August 13, 2006 - Dr. Thomas Kersen will present," A Draft of Utopia in Everyman's Waistcoat Pocket: UU Communal Living in the 1840s-1850s". In reaction to industrialization, transcendentalism, and other events, a number of communes arose in the United States in the 1840s. Of the many communes that emerged Brooks Farm, Hopedale, Northampton, and Fruitlands were either Unitarian or Universalist. The precipitating events that lead to the emergence of these communes, the experiences of members, how they ended, and their impact on U.S. society today will be discussed.

August 20, 2006 - Nancy Grisham Anderson, M.A. , Associate Professor Department of English at Auburn University at Montgomery, will present, " Fictional Southern Women: History or Folklore, Reality or Stereotype?". This presentation will explore the labels and terms used to describe Southern women through selected characters in Southern fiction of the 19th and 20th centuries. This is an Alabama Humanities Foundation Speakers in the House presentation

August 27, 2006 - Dr. Tom Osborne, Professor of History at the University of North Alabama will present, " Ten Days in the Holy Land: A Christian Looks at Israel Through Jewish Eyes". Dr. Osborne will share his experiences and photographs of his recent visit to Israel.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Shoals

Calendar of Events for July 2006

July 2, 2006 - Daphne Simpkins, Professor of Writing at Auburn University at Montgomery, will present,

" Talking Back to Socrates". Legend has it that Socrates used to stop in his tracks and think through a problem until, in his mind, he had solved it. Socrates believed in reason and used the famous dialectic - we call it Q & A - to help his students follow their own curiosities and reach satisfying deductions. This presentation will remember Socrates and respectfully discuss the evolution of the dialectic in our society today.

July 9, 2006 - Dr. Larry Bates, Professor of Psychology at the University of North Alabama, will present, "Feeling Again". This talk reflects on our occasional tendency to forget to feel as we walk through our lives. Too many days, too many of us get so caught up in our work that we become mere automatons for our daily robotic tasks. We are not really depressed, not exactly anxious, not even a tad blue, but at the same time, we almost are not part of humanity. Some feelings are necessary to live.

July 16, 2006 - Todd West, president of the UUCS, will present, " The Human Jesus: Rejecting the Trinity". The precursors to the Unitarians couldn't reconcile the idea of a divine Jesus ( hence the rejection of the Trinity), but their position was dismissed by the Council of Nicea in 325 CE as heretical. What are some of the consequences of a human, versus, divine, Jesus? Because the Nicean Council's rulings continue to have such serious consequences for the world, this talk will look at the implications of a wholly human Jesus and a Unitarian view of Christianity.

July 23, 2006 - The Blue Navigators, a local accoustic band consisting of members, Toni and Kenneth Brooks, Tim Kelley and Ernie Fite will present a musical program to celebrate the start of the W.C. Handy Festival. ( see also the Handy brochure)

July 30, 2006 - Bob Ingram, Adjunct Instructor of English at the University of North Alabama and member of the UUCS, will present, "Everything I Ever Needed to Know about Diversity I Learned from Watching Star Trek: The Next Generation".

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Shoals

Calendar of Events for June 2006

June 4, 2006 - Daphne Simpkins, Professor of Writing at Auburn University at Montgomery, will present,

"Unitarian Universalism and the People Who Live It". A church is not a building; it's a community of people who share a common set of beliefs. This overview will take a friendly look at selected early leaders of the Unitarian Universalist church, and how their visions shaped the nature of community that Unitarians live out today.

June 11, 2006 - Annual Flower Communion Service. The flower communion service is celebrated annually to recognize the beauty and diversity of humankind. All members and friends are asked to bring a flower to use in the service.

June 18, 2006 - David Walton, local singer, songwriter and musician will present an acoustic program of original music on guitar and bamboo flute.

June 25, 2006 - Robert Ingram, Adjunct Instructor in English at the University of North Alabama, will present, "Helen Keller: The Rest of the Story". Most everyone knows that Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, AL; and the story of Anne Sullivan and the "miracle at the well". But, most do not know the story of her life after leaving Tuscumbia at age 8, her politics, her religion and her opinions on other issues. Come hear the rest of the Helen Keller story.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Shoals

Calendar of Events for May 2006

May 7, 2006 - Daphne Simpkins, Professor of Writing at Auburn University at Montgomery will present, "Places of Change: Inspiration, Epiphany, and Metanoia". This talk about "places of change" will look at how other people report the times in their lives when they experienced a connection or catalyst that caused an effect--a shift in the directions of their lives. This presentation will look at language and how it not only reports places of change but shapes the understanding of it.

May 14, 2006 - "Universalism - The Biggest Word in the Language". A sermon by Rev. Jeffrey Symynkywicz of the First Parish Universalist Church of Stoughton, MA will be read by member, Toni Brooks.

May 21, 2006 - Ken Sizemore, songwriter and folk musician from Panama City, Florida will perform, on acoustic guitar, favorite songs chosen by the audience from a list of over 300 songs.

May 28, 2006 - Todd West, UUCS member, will present a talk on "The Human Jesus: Rejecting the Trinity". The precursors to the Unitarians couldn't reconcile the idea of a divine Jesus ( hence the rejection of the Trinity), but their position was dismissed by the Council of Nicea in 325 CE as heretical. What are some of the consequences of a human, versus divine, Jesus? Because the Nicean Council's rulings continue to have such serious consequences for the world, this talk will look at the implications of a wholly human Jesus and a Unitarian view of Christianity.