The topics of sermons (or "Earth Room talks") at our church in 2006 are listed below. See also topics for the current year.
| 2006 |
Title and Description |
Speaker |
| Jan. 1 |
Whose New Year is This, Anyway? A look at changes in traditions. |
Hayden Williamson, UUCB member |
| Jan. 8 |
Entertaining Angels. An exploration of the role of hospitality in the
Unitarian Universalist tradition and in our congregations today. |
Rev. Nancy Bowen, UUCB's Mountain Desert District Executive |
| Jan. 15 |
Martin Luther King, Jr.: My Guide, My Colleague,
My Friend. A reflection
on the personal, spiritual, and historical aspects of his teachings. |
Strider Benston, UUCB member |
| Jan. 22 |
Values in Time: Our Living Tradition. An exploration of UU values. |
Sally Du Gar, guest speaker |
| Jan. 29 |
Who Are We and What Do We Do? A discussion of the campus ministry at the University of Colorado. |
Cynthia Brix, UU Campus Minister at CU-Boulder |
| Feb. 5 |
The Healing Power of Sound and Music. A talk drawing
on Burrows' experiences as a hospital and hospice musician, as a co-leader
of the
JUC Music for Healing class. |
David Burrows, Jefferson Unitarian Church member |
| Feb. 12 |
Love, Sex, and Intimacy. As people of faith,
what exactly do we mean when we say we are standing on the side of love? |
Maureen ‘Mo’ White, UUCB
ministerial intern |
| Feb. 19 |
The Negative Narrowing of Normal. An exploration of
the eccentricities of people who made
contributions to society and ask what it means for us as individuals,
as a congregation, and as a culture, that the
definition of normal is growing increasingly narrower. |
Kathy Moser, UU musician, artist,
and activist |
| Feb. 26 |
Jefferson’s Jesus and the Challenge of Love. A talk
about Jefferson's book consisting of a single account of
the teachings of Jesus, taken
from the first four books of the New Testament. |
Alan
Davis, UUCB member |
| Mar. 5 |
Our Meaning, Our Mission.
A chance to share what becoming and
remaining UU has meant to congregants, and what we hope for our future. |
Members of the UUCB Board of Trustees |
| Mar. 12 |
The Hearth of Community, the Fire of Commitment. An
exploration of what brought us to UUism, how we create a sense of
place within a
spiritual community, and why we continue to stay committed to each other
despite perceived differences. |
Members of the UUCB Young Adult Group |
| Mar. 19 |
Blessingway. A ceremony of Navajo tradition that honors
and celebrates transition as a
rite of passage and the foundation for new life. |
Members of the UUCB Wednesday Goddess group |
| Mar. 26 |
The Cooperative Economic Movement: Creating Rich Communities.
An examination of how certain enterprises
serve the public by focusing on cooperation towards a common mission
(through member ownership and volunteer
energy) rather than competition for wealth. |
Representatives from three local cooperative institutions |
| Apr. 2 |
Native American Spirituality and the Ninth Grade Trip.
The Ninth Grade Trip is both a personal rite of passage and a link between
Unitarian Universalism in Colorado and the Hopi and Navajo cultures. |
Various UUCB youth and adult members |
| Apr. 9 |
Passover – Meaning, Myth and Matzoh. The meaning
and observance of Passover through history. |
Dena Gitterman, Congregation Nevei Kodesh: Jewish Renewal Community
of Boulder |
| Apr. 16 |
Roots Hold Me Close, Wings Set Me Free. This Easter
service honors the Spirit of Life as it moves among us. |
Rev. Barbara Molfese, UU Community Minister |
| Apr. 23 |
Celebration of Earth. An exploration of our UU ministry
to the earth and religious calls towards conservation and stewardship
of the planet. |
Ryan Patterson, guest speaker from United Ministries for Higher Education |
| Apr. 30 |
All Creatures Great and Small. A service to honor
the animal kingdom and our connection with all creatures. |
UUCB Choir Music Sunday |
| May 7 |
The Importance of a UU Religious Education. Personal
observations from our members. |
Various UUCB youth and adult members |
| May 14 |
This I Believe – A Search for Spiritual Truth.
Experiences from congregants after attending the "Build Your Own
Theology" course. |
Various UUCB members |
| May 21 |
I Will Lift Up My Eyes to the Mountains. Special All-Church
Weekend service in Allenspark. |
Carol Saunders and Reed Bailey, UUCB members |
| May 28 |
Shakespeare and Spirituality. An exploration of Shakespeare’s
religious beliefs, formed in a time of intense religious turmoil and
change. |
Stuart O’Steen, guest speaker associated with the CU Shakespeare
Festival |
| June 4 |
A Flower Communion. Our traditional ritual sharing
the personal history and legacy of Norbert Chapek, founder of the Unitarian
Church of Czechoslovakia, and his relationship to the Flower Sunday Communion. |
Fred Cole, UUCB member |
| June 11 |
Sexual Orientation Issues and Our Schools. A discussion
of issues faced by gays in our public schools today. |
John Hoffman, former St. Vrain Valley kindergarten teacher |
| June 18 |
Father’s Day with Dr. Banjo. A musical celebration
honoring fathers everywhere. |
Pete Wernick, guest musician and humanist |
| June 25 |
Being the Change. How can you create change in your
life or in the world at large? |
BonnieStarr Mandell-Rice, guest life coach,
spiritual mentor, and inspirational speaker |
| July 2 |
A Celebration of Country and Community. Our second
annual old-fashioned community picnic, with music and games for the entire
family. |
UUCB members |
| July 9 |
The Story of a Stole. A reflection on the history of the UU Ninth Grade Trips to the Hopi and Navajo lands started many years ago. |
Rev. Betty Pingel, retired UU minister |
| July 16 |
We Are Stardust! A spiritual tour of the science underpinning Carl Sagan’s statement about our being "star stuff." |
Connie Barlow, guest science writer and evolutionary humanist |
| July 23 |
Experiencing the UU GA Experience. Members share their experiences and insights to this wonderful event for UUs. |
UUCB members |
| July 30 |
American Health Care – Can it be Healed? A reflection on the disparity of health care in the U.S. and ideas about what we can do to bring about universal health care. |
Dr. Howie Wolf, local family physician |
| Aug. 6 |
Lammas: First Feast. A celebration of the Wiccan “First Feast” harvest holiday by members of the Boulder Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans. |
BCUUPs members |
| Aug. 13 |
The Gnostic Gospels. A review of Gnostic beliefs and the main Gospels, why this system developed, and why it failed to become mainline. |
Ray Knudsen, UUCB member |
| Aug. 20 |
One of Our Inalienable Rights – The Freedom of Religion. A reflection on the issue of what our forefathers intended freedom of religion to be in this country, what it has been, and what it might become. |
Rev. Becky Gunn |
| Aug. 27 |
Prayer – A Possible UU Practice. A discussion on the different reasons for prayer, the myriad types of prayers and ways of praying. |
Rev. Becky Gunn |
| Sept. 3 |
The God Gene. Thoughts on whether certain genes play a significant role in faith and the ideas of Dean H. Hamer, author of The God Gene: How Faith Is Hardwired into Our Genes. |
Reed Bailey, UUCB member |
| Sept. 10 |
Homecoming. We gather to celebrate a new church year and a new beginning. |
UUCB members |
| Sept. 17 |
Transition and Transformation. A discussion of what interim ministry is and why UUCB has chosen to move through this process. |
Rev. Becky Gunn |
| Sept. 24 |
Forgiveness. Using a litany adapted from the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we will celebrate acts of forgiveness. |
Rev. Becky Gunn |
| Oct. 1 |
The One. A celebration of unity in diversity. |
Rev. Barbara Molfese |
| Oct. 8 |
A Conscious Journey of Embracing Our Own Uniqueness and That of Others. A service aimed at helping us all to embrace our differences. |
Russ Urruita and Cynthia Baron, local social workers |
| Oct. 15 |
Who is Called? A discussion of what our congregation should expect from an interim minister and from a settled minister. |
Rev. Becky Gunn |
| Oct. 22 |
Just Who Are We? A discussion of how we can learn to positively define the UU Church of Boulder's identity. |
Rev. Becky Gunn |
| Oct. 29 |
Why Church? Thoughts onwhy we join a church and why we stay. |
Rev. Becky Gunn |
| Nov. 5 |
Spirituality and Politics: Can Those Who are Liberally Religious Have an Impact?
We live in a nation focused on competition and materialism. The dominant political power structure focuses on these values, as well as holding a world view of an authoritative, judgmental, nationalistic God. How can we who are liberally religious cope? |
Rev. Becky Gunn |
| Nov. 12 |
Remembrance Ritual. A service of remembrance and celebration of people and events that have left our lives. |
Shari Storm, UUCB member |
| Nov. 19 |
Focus on Gratitude: We are Blessed. A look at what reasons (other than material ones) we have for gratitude and how we might begin a practice of daily thanksgiving. |
Rev. Becky Gunn |
| Nov. 26 |
Theology of Money: How We Spend Reflects What We Believe. What do we think about money; what is its purpose? Do we let it control our lives? Do we live and spend out of a sense of abundance or scarcity? How we spend our money and how we give our money is a reflection of our values. |
Rev. Becky Gunn |
| Dec. 3 |
Make a Joyful Noise: Inspiration from Poetry and Music. Words of well-known poets from ancient and modern sources set to music. |
UUCB choir |
| Dec. 10 |
One of Our Sources: Judaism. A discussion of the broad wisdom of Judaism and the various holidays that we celebrate in conjunction with the Jewish calendar. |
Rev. Becky Gunn |
| Dec. 17 |
A Celebration of the Winter Solstice. A For All Ages intergenerational service, honoring and celebrating the Winter Solstice. |
UUCB youth members |
| Dec. 24 |
10:30 a.m. Why Do We as Unitarian Universalists Celebrate Christmas? Our Unitarian Universalist heritage is that of Christianity; it is one of our sources.
8:00 p.m. Carols & Commentary: A Traditional and Yet Unitarian Universalist Approach to Christmas. The songs of the season and a consideration of the metaphorical story of the holiday through commentary. |
Rev. Becky Gunn |
| Dec. 31 |
New Vision for the New Year. Another way to view life and the events of the physical world that might open our minds and our hearts to a new way of being. |
BonnieStarr Mandell-Rice, guest speaker |
