December Theme: Living Love Through the Practice of Presence

December 8: Auriella Hughes will be our guest speaking on “The Beauty of Presence”.Auriella Hughes is a 26 year member of the lay- lead Sitka Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, and a 46 year practitioner of meditation and presence. Both as founding director of Sitka’s Brave Heart Volunteers, and as a lifelong student of Sufism, the practice of presence has been essential. In all aspects of life, experiencing the expansive yet grounding influence of presence has brought great beauty and fulfillment.
After service we will take some time to write holiday messages to 100 incarcerated folks who have become UUs due to the Worthy Now Prison Ministry program. All the materials will be provided along with some treats, tea, and coffee.

December 15: Chalice Chat with Annette Coyle.
We will be wrapping gifts for our AWARE family after the service. 

December 22: Rev. Teri Schwartz will lead worship focused on the Winter Solstice.
Following the service we will gather to share a potluck and continue our tradition of a Jolabokaflod (A Christmas book exchange!).

Solstice: a hinge moment of the year

This year, we mark the longest night of the year in a time when everything is in flux and the future is more uncertain than ever.  We celebrate the winter solstice as the return of the light.  While not untrue, our lived reality is that we are only halfway through the darkest time of the year. In dark days, how do we find the balance between action, acceptance and resignation; between effort, ease, and angst? From the microcosm of our personal terrains to the macrocosm of the political landscape, the light will come back, but it’s gonna take a little while and we can’t go it alone.

December 29: Rev. Natalie Malter – Everyday Miracles
The holiday season is full of stories of miracles—from Hannukah oil that lasted eight days to the birth of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem. As Unitarian Universalists, we often find ourselves skeptical of miracles and their reliance upon the supernatural. And yet, the power of the concept of miracles is evinced by their existence in most religious traditions around the world. What are miracles, and what does the commonly held belief in miracles demonstrate about human nature? And what do miracles have to teach us about wonder, mystery, humility, and altruism? Join guest minister Rev. Natalie Malter to explore these questions.