Gen Z has been called “the loneliest generation,” but all Americans are lonelier than ever before. Even before the pandemic, polls and studies showed that Americans have fewer close friends, are more likely to live alone, and less likely to join voluntary organizations. This has consequences for not only our mental health but our physical … Continue reading The Loneliest Generation
As Unitarian Universalists, we belong to a vibrant state-wide movement for justice, united by the belief that a new North Carolina is possible. Our state currently faces an onslaught of attacks to our democracy, LGBTQ rights, abortion access, public education, and more. This Sunday, we will explore how the moon offers us wisdom into the … Continue reading What the Moon Taught Me
A lot of Unitarian Universalists love to go to church to learn something, whether it’s a new science fact or a new spiritual practice. But church is actually teaching us all the time, not just in sermons or classes. What else do we learn at church, besides what the preacher preaches?
It is time for a Unitarian Universalist tradition: Water Communion, when we mark the beginning of another year of church programming and remind ourselves that we are a community. This year, we combine it with another, regional tradition: Homecoming! Join us for our special Water Communion ritual (and bring some water of your own, if … Continue reading Healing Waters
On a three-day weekend brought to us by and intended to recognize the labor movement, let’s also talk about the things that prevent us from resting: capitalism and the Protestant work ethic. In a world where even the concept of “self-care” has been monetized, what does it mean to truly care for ourselves?
Do you have memories of childhood summers? In play, we lose ourselves, honor imagination and enter a kind of time out of time—like summers. UU minister Max Coots wrote, “August made the Summer seem forever.” Play is a form of Unitarian Universalist transcendence that takes us into the world in a way that honors imagination and the power … Continue reading Play
A parable that has been attributed to community organizer Saul Alinsky tells the story of a village that’s being overwhelmed by a constant stream of babies that mysteriously keep ending up in their nearby river. In that story, we learn that we all have a role in solving the problems that threaten to overwhelm us, … Continue reading Saving the Babies in the River
In 1886, William Temple Hornaday traveled to Montana to kill as many bison as he could. He believed, then, that that was the only way to save the bison: by preserving their hides in the Smithsonian. But something changed, and Hornaday went on to become one of the founders of the American conservation movement. What … Continue reading Shifting Baselines
“I’m spiritual, not religious,” say many Unitarian Universalists. So what IS the difference between spirituality and religion? What exactly does it mean to be spiritual? How do we define such a broad term? What does it mean to be journeying together, when our spiritual journeys may be so different?
Every UU has certain hymns that move and inspire them. Revs. David and Gaye Morris will lead us in a singalong exploration of hymns that have deep spiritual and historical roots for our faith. Bios Rev. David Morris retired in June of 2022 as minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Outer Banks in … Continue reading Hymn and Her: UU Hymns we Know and Love
