Sermons & Newsletter – UU Church of Rutland

Is evil a force in and of itself? Perhaps it’s the absence of good, or love? Is it innate? Who is evil, and/or what acts are evil? And how does our first principle, which states that we “respect and affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person”, deal with evil acts or the people who do them?” This sermon topic was chosen by Kathy Harm, who purchased that choice at the 2017 UUCR Auction.

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After exploring a few pre-Christian resurrection stories and the inconsistent stories in the New Testament, Herb will consider what each story is good for.

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A miracle is happening underground this time of year: seeds are getting ready to sprout! How do we nurture new growth in our own lives, and what might we be creating, as individuals and as a congregation?

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Rebecca reflects on Building and Grounds…the church building and grounds themselves, the B&G committee, and on building and grounding as spiritual practices. She will discuss such questions as… Is our building a burden, or is it a gift, and what makes it so? How does our building contribute to our vision as a church? How do we build on success, while staying grounded?

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Where do we, in a world that sometimes feels very dark, find the light that cultivates life?  As spring begins to brighten the world around us, let’s explore some ideas of adaptive and sustainable leadership, so that we, too, can shine with the nourishing warmth our world so desperately needs.

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What are our roots, as a faith and especially, as individuals? How do people celebrate, address, ignore or flat-out deny their cultural or ethnic or religious roots, and what difference does it make? Our Heritage Potluck on February 10th, described elsewhere in this newsletter, will give us a chance to share some of our roots through food!

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The Rutland Unitarian Universalist Church has a Mission Statement that was adopted many years ago. Although the statement expresses much of what we strive for, there is no expression of inclusion of all people, other than “all ages”. Is it time to update our statement? The statement can be found in the church directory. A work session on our mission statement will follow the service.

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Our natural tendency to group objects, people, and ideas into more easily manageable categories often prohibits us from recognizing their unique qualities. Dick Weis, a visual artist, will use the quote from Paul Valery to examine ways we can understand our world through a clearer vision.

To hear the sermon click the arrow below

To hear the sermon click the arrow below

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In the late 1960s and early 70s, our country was rocked by many aspects of racism and responses to racism, and our UU faith experienced its share of that angst and upheaval. We’ll look back at that time and try to understand a bit more of how our UUA addressed that time (or didn’t), and what some of the ramifications have been.