Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation's Podcast (Unity Temple, Oak Park)

Homily and prayer delivered by Rev. Alan Taylor at the 11:00 candlelight service on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2011.

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on November 16, 2014. The monthly theme for November is grace.

This service is from a live stream on June 13, 2021, led by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor. For his farewell sermon, Rev.  Taylor reflects on the call to forge new paths in a time of change. He imagines a fabulous future for UTUUC because of the willingness to listen deeply and to be uncomfortable. For that is what it means to be a people of faith.

The theme for June is what it means to be a people of play. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

For the safety of all in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, UTUUC will NOT be holding in–person worship until further notice. We have also cancelled or postponed any congregational events that would have taken place.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual fellowship hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

Today's podcast is from a worship service live streamed on November 22, 2020. Rev. Gage shares, "I know this sounds a little ridiculous, but I am inspired by those leaves that are still hanging on the trees this late in the season. There they are, still surviving, against all odds. You know, kind of like us. Here we are over 8 months into our pandemic existence, and we are still persisting and resisting, despite all the challenges that have been given to us."

The theme for November is what it means to be a people of healing. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

For the safety of all in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, UTUUC will NOT be holding in–person worship until further notice. We have also cancelled or postponed any congregational events that would have taken place.

To see a video of this service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning livestream worship service on YouTube and our virtual fellowship hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org.

This segment is from a service that was streamed on May 26, 2024, led by Rev. Roger Bertschausen and Ed White.

The theme for May is Pluralism. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual community hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

Sermon delivered by Rev. Emily Gage, Minister of Faith Development on August 21, 2011.

This worship service from April 28, 2019 was created and presented by participants in our Coming of Age program. These ninth graders spent the year exploring their Unitarian Universalist identity, history, spirituality, their feelings and their beliefs. Their work culminates in this worship service where each delivers a personal credo statement that they have developed. Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage gives a brief introduction and shares her own reflections following the credos.

In this podcast, you will hear the credos of half the Coming of Age participants. In order, they are Amelia Morrison, Maggie Blonski, Amanda Smithivas, Nina Cleofe, Ben O'Conner, Alain Cawley, Nicole Alcalde-Hester, Sydney Sherman, Phoebe Hopper and Aiden Davies.

To hear the other 10 participants' credos, please visit http://unitytemple.libsyn.com/coming-of-age-pt-1

The theme for April is what it means to be a people of wholeness. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on March 17, 2013. This is the first of a series of three sermons to be delievered over the next three weeks.

Sermon delivered on June 22, 2014 by Brian Chenowith who has been UTUUC's intern minister for the past two years and who will begin a full-time ministry internship with the First Parish UU congregation in Concord, Massachusetts in the Fall. The theme for June is gratitude.

This service from August 14, 2011 was presented by the Squash Blossoms who started a garden together in 2009 after taking a Menu for the Future class at Unity Temple. Since that time, they have discovered something much larger and more meaningful than a kitchen garden free of pesticides. They have found each other and a means of protecting the posterity of the seed, whose mysteries we will never fully understand. The Squash Blossoms are Cathy Busking, Sunny Hall, Maribeth and Rocco Petrosino, Monica Phillips, Sharon Storbeck and Anne White. The podcast includes a meditation, readings and a sermon by Anne White. You can visit the Squash Blossoms' blogsite at www.squashblossomblog.com.

Sermon delivered by Rev. Scott Talbot Lewis on November 30, 2014. This worship follows the November theme of grace. Scott is serving as the Interim Minister of Faith Development while Rev. Emily Gage is on sabbatical.

Sermon delivered by Rev. Scott Talbot Lewis on October 26, 2014. This worship for all ages follows the October theme of renewal. Scott is serving as the Interim Minister of Faith Development while Rev. Emily Gage is on sabbatical.

Sermon delivered on August 3, 2014 by Brian Chenowith who has been UTUUC's intern minister for the past two years and who will begin a full-time ministry internship with the First Parish UU congregation in Concord, Massachusetts in the Fall. This was Brian's last service at Unity Temple. The theme for July and August is discovery.

This podcast is from the worship service live streamed on February 21, 2021. The sermon is presented by Rev. Mary Katherine Morn and Heather Vickery and is preceded by the audio from a video with adrienne maree brown. Leaders of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee share how we Unitarian Universalists can ground ourselves in the vision of the Beloved Community and support their important work advancing human rights through grassroots collaborations.

Rev. Mary Katherine Morn has been the president and chief executive officer for the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee since June 2018. Heather Vickery is the Coordinator for Congregational Activism for the UU Service Committee and the UU College of Social Justice. adrienne maree brown is an American author, doula, women's rights activist and black feminist based in Detroit, Michigan.

The theme for February is what it means to be a beloved community. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

For the safety of all in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, UTUUC will NOT be holding in–person worship until further notice. We have also cancelled or postponed any congregational events that would have taken place.

To see a video of this service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual fellowship hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org.

This sermon is from a service that was streamed on September 19, 2021 and led by Interim Ministerial Rev. Dawn Cooley. Ministers will come and go, but in Unitarian Universalism, the church belongs to the congregation, to the laity. And ministry is what we do together.

The theme for September is embracing possibility. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

For the safety of all in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, UTUUC will NOT be holding in–person worship until further notice. We have also cancelled or postponed any congregational events that would have taken place.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual fellowship hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

Homily delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on December 24, 2013.

This sermon is from a service that was streamed on October 16, 2022 and led by Rev. Scott Aaseng.

The theme for October is Courage. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual community hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

For this Choir Sunday service on May 18, 2014, the Unity Temple Choir conducted by Music Director Marty Swisher and accompanied by the Metropolis Orchestra, performs Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms. The featured soloist is boy soprano Henry Schellinger, an 8th grader at the University of Chicago Lab School. Marty begins by oresenting some background on Bernstein and a description of the work.

Reflections offered by congregant David Llull and Intern Minister Kellie Kelly on August 13, 2017. As part of the Unity Temple Mental Health Awareness Team service (MyHAT), David and Kellie both share how mental illness has touched their lives in the hopes that sharing their stories will help reduce the stigma and increase our understanding.

The theme for August is how to be a community of connection. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

This podcast from December 22, 2019 begins with a story for all ages read by Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage. The book is My Penguin Osbert by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel. She follows the story with her sermon about how sometimes things don’t turn out the way we plan.

The theme for December is what it means to be a people of awe. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith.

This is a performance by the Unity Temple Choir of Tarik O'Regan's "Triptych" directed by Marty Swisher, Music Director, and accompanied by orchestra and Peter Storms on piano on May 13, 2012. Introductory comments are delivered by Marty Swisher and readings presented by Burton Anderson. Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor offers a reflection following the choir's performance.

This podcast is excerpted from Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation's live stream of a worship service on May 24, 2020. Reflecting on the thresholds of trauma and healing, Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor explores a sensations-based approach to dealing with wounds that we cannot see. Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage reflects on scars that we have on the outside and inside of us.

The theme for May is what it means to be a people of thresholds. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

For the safety of all in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, UTUUC will NOT be holding in–person worship until further notice. We have also cancelled or postponed any congregational events that would have taken place.

To see a video of this service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning livestream worship service on YouTube and our virtual fellowship hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

Sermon for this worship for all ages delivered by Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage on December 20, 2015. December's theme is how to take a path of expectation.

Sermon delivered by Rev. Scott Talbot Lewis on February 8, 2015. Scott is the Sabbatical Minister and is handling the congregation's Faith Development responsibilities while Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage is on sabbatical through March. The theme for February is how to take a path of faith.

Sermon delivered by Rev. Karen Mooney on July 30, 2017. Forgiveness, redemption, and atonement are concepts​ we wrestle with in our everyday lives. When someone is imprisoned, this cycle is truncated by systems built to thwart any real reintegration. Separated from community, there is little opportunity for reparation. Our ministry in prisons and jails is based on the radical notion that every person is worthy of respect and has the capability of completing this cycle of forgiveness. Learn how all of us are affected and how together we can offer hope and help. You can find out more about the UUPMI at UUPM.org.

Rev. Mooney works with the Unitarian Universalist Prison Ministries of Illinois as they seek to bring UU faith and worship to incarcerated people. She is honored to offer circles of care for those living in prisons and jails and support all those affected by incarceration. Karen is a life-long Unitarian Universalist who learned the art of church from her very involved parents. She has been educated far and wide, working and playing, listening and walking with people. She loves that UU communities are places where you find people who are alive and seeking throughout their lives. Karen has worked as a chaplain, a congregational minister and a web platform manager. Each one was a joy and difficult for different reasons.

The theme for July and August is what it means to be a community of connection. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

Sermon delivered by Minister fo Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage on February 3, 2012.

This homily is from a service that was streamed on January 2, 2022 and led by Rev. Allison Farnum. As we welcome the new year 2022, let's live with intention by uncovering everyday threshold moments and how these small rituals can invite us to intentionally enter threshold moments in our communities. Rev. Allison Farnum is the Director and MInister of the Unitarian Universalist Prison Ministry of Illinois and an affiliated community minister at Second Unitarian Church of Chicago.

The theme for January is Living With Intention. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual community hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

Sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Marcenia J. Richards on June 19, 2016. Rev. Dr. Marcenia J. Richards has served as Pastor of The Life Center Ministries and as Executive Director of The Peace Coalition against Violence, and is the founder and president of Fierce Women of Faith. A motivational speaker, teacher, author, and host, Marcenia has dedicated herself to the cause of mentoring youth, and to teaching reconciliation through means other than violence. Her public comments on violence in Chicago have appeared in reporting by CBS, the Economist, the Sun-Times, the Chicago Tribune and various other news outlets. She has spoken frequently in this country, Canada, Europe, Africa, the West Indies, and elsewhere on these and other issues of faith.

The theme for June is how to take a path of simplicity. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on March 12, 2017. What is the difference between a tourist and a traveler when it comes to a spiritual community? What journeys do conscience and spirit call us to? Rev. Alan Taylor reflects on that crucial role of the church: providing spiritual grounding for engaging the world.

The theme for March is what it means to be a community of risk. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

This segment is from a service that was streamed on August 11, 2024, led by Rev. Emily Gage.

The theme for August is Possibility. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual community hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

This service was organized by Diane Scott with the following personal reflections and a song presented by members of the congregation's Peace Committee (in order):

Why I Meditate, Marilyn Myles

Why I Study Non-violent Communication, Sue Piha

Why I Serve on the Oak Park-River Forest School Board, Ralph Lee

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize, folks song lyrics by Alice Wine, performed by Charlie Rossiter and Jack Rossiter-Munley

What I Learned About Peace While Working for Justice, Rich Pokorny

What War Taught Me About Peace, Stephen Jordan

Diane Scott has been a member of Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation since 1999 and has happily helped with 3rd Saturday Coffeehouse for the last eight years. Along with Marilyn Myles she has led writing workshops at the annual women's retreat. Diane is currently a member of the Unity Temple Board of Trustees. She has gone door-to-door for Harold Washington and Barack Obama, protests against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and believes it is good to speak what is in your heart. She can be reached at Dihome@comcast.net.

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on April 20, 2014. This sermon is one in a series on the April theme of freedom.

Reflection delivered by Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage on November 18, 2018. Linda Hogan reminds us: "Suddenly, all my ancestors are behind me. 'Be Still,' they say. 'Watch and listen. You are the result of the love of thousands.' Thoughts on memory, Thanksgivings pasts, and the practice of gratitude in hard times.

The theme for November is what it means to be a people of memory. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections

This podcast is comprised of various segments from a service that was streamed on January 19, 2025, led by Rev. Emily Gage.

The theme for January is Story. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual community hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 9:00 a.m.

Today's podcast is from a worship service live streamed on October 4, 2020. The sermon is delivered by Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage. Join in this exploration of the challenges and gifts of deep listening (not just listening, but deep listening), through the help of Mister Rogers, StoryCorps and James Baldwin.

The theme for October is what it means to be a people of deep listening. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

For the safety of all in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, UTUUC will NOT be holding in–person worship until further notice. We have also cancelled or postponed any congregational events that would have taken place.

To see a video of this service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning livestream worship service on YouTube and our virtual fellowship hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org.

This service from May 20, 2012 was presented by participants in the first Coming of Age program at Unity Temple. Each of the ninth-graders offered their personal credo and several of them provided the music for the service. In order, the youth who spoke were Gillian Dwyer, Ursula Wildfield, Fiona Ryan, Julia Studer, Clare Darnall, Siobhan Sandoval, Liam Sundling, Madeleine Standen, James Harren, Brita Holmlund and Paloma Campillo.

This sermon is from a service that was streamed on May 15, 2022 and led by Ministerial Intern mandi huizenga.

The theme for May is Nurturing Beauty. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual community hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on December 1, 2019. Reflecting on the Advent story, Rev. Taylor explores Mary's courage and what sustains her. Are there two angels in the story? Will we step forth like Mary and will we provide the blessing of sanctuary to others?

The theme for December is what it means to be a people of awe. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith.

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on September 16, 2012.

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on December 11, 2016. Rev. Alan Taylor explores what it means to be emotionally present to others especially when anxiety is in our midst.

The theme for December is what it means to be a community of presence. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

Sermon delivered on July 24, 2016 by Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage. "As I hear news that feels to me so overwhelming that it makes it hard to know how to keep going, I wonder about how we keep holding onto hope. And then, I think of Pat Summit, in sheer determination and finding some sort of faith out of despair: 'Right foot, left foot, breathe, repeat.' That’s how we keep going."

Guest musician for this service was Isabella Andries, a senior at Trinity High School who is currently an active member of the UTUUC Youth Group.

The theme for July is how to take a path of growth. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

Sermon delivered by Rev. Mark Kiyimba on September 2, 2012. Rev. Kiyimba, a Unitarian Universalist minister and political activist, is the founding minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kampala, Uganda. He has received international attention for his courageous public fight against the inhumane anti-homosexuality legislation under consideration by the Uganda parliament. In addition, Rev. Kiyimba initiated – and is the drive behind – New Life Children's Home. New Life Children's Home has been set up to provide a place for children who have lost parents to AIDS, who are themselves HIV positive or have AIDS or whose families simply no longer have the means to care for their children.

This podcast is from the worship service live streamed on February 14, 2021 and led by Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage. Walt Whitman famously wrote: "Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself. I am large. I contain multitudes." This sermon considers the multitudes within each of us, in our history and in the stories that we tell and believe.

The theme for February is what it means to be a beloved community. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

For the safety of all in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, UTUUC will NOT be holding in–person worship until further notice. We have also cancelled or postponed any congregational events that would have taken place.

To see a video of this service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual fellowship hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org.

In this service from May 7, 2017, the first homily is delivered by Intern Minister Kellie C. Kelly. Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor follows with his homily. As our wider Unitarian Universalist community grapples with how our faith tradition perpetuates institutional racism, Intern Minister Kellie Kelly and Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor reflect on the discomforting reality that many Unitarian Universalists of color struggle with subtle nuances of white supremacy culture among our institutions. How shall we embody our aspirations and help build the Beloved Community?

The theme for the month of May is how to be a community of embodiment. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on September 10, 2017. In this time of hurricane relief and the loss of security for DACA residents, Rev. Taylor reflects on the sacred call of sheltering one another. Would you harbor me? Would I harbor you? How can we protect one another?

The theme for September is how to be a community of welcome. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

This sermon is from a service that was streamed on November 28, 2021 and led by ministerial intern mandi huizenga. "Love is too much for one poem" writes the Rev. Sean Parker Dennison. Reflections on love and all the "too much" as we approach Thanksgiving and life these days.

The theme for November is holding history. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual community hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

This podcast is from the worship service live streamed on January 17, 2021 and led by Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage. Muhammad Ali put it this way: “The [person] who has no imagination has no wings.” This cuts right to the essential importance of imagination—the ability to see beyond the here and the now. Rev. Gage reflects on re-imagining our past and future, with the help of Isabel Wilkerson's book Caste.

The theme for January is what it means to be a people of imagination. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

For the safety of all in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, UTUUC will NOT be holding in–person worship until further notice. We have also cancelled or postponed any congregational events that would have taken place.

To see a video of this service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning livestream worship service on YouTube and our virtual fellowship hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org.

Sermon delivered by Tony Mitchell on August 28, 2016. An Oak Park resident and Chicago area native, Tony joined Unity Temple in the spring of 2015. He currently is enrolled in the Masters of Divinity program at Meadville Lombard Theological School, where Tony is in formation to become a Unitarian Universalist Minister. A Soul Connections leader in the congregation, he plans to become a Unity Temple intern in the fall of 2017. Tony graduated from Yale University and has been a communications and public relations leader for much of his career. He currently serves as Vice President of Communications for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs – an independent, nonpartisan organization that provides insight and influences the public discourse on critical global issues.

Tony has long been active in community advocacy and action – particularly as it affects the African American community. He serves on the boards of Housing Forward, an organization comprehensively addressing homelessness on Chicago’s West Side and in western Cook County, and Rush Oak Park Hospital. He will begin the Clinical Pastoral Education phase of his seminary work this fall by providing chaplain services in support of The Night Ministry – a Chicago-based organization that works to provide housing, health care and human connection to members of our community struggling with poverty or homelessness.

The theme for August is how to take a path of growth. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

This homily is from a service that was streamed on November 13, 2022 and led by Rev. Dawn Cooley.

The theme for November is Change. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual community hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

Sermon delivered by Rev. Darrick Jackson on July 29, 2018. How do we survive in this changing world? What gives us the strength to keep going, to fight for justice, to be better human beings?

Rev. Darrick Jackson is the Director of Education of the UU Ministers Association. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Meadville Lombard Theological School and one of the authors in the book “Centering: Navigating Race, Authenticity and Power in Ministry.”

The theme for July is what it means to be a people of story. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

Reading and sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Taylor on August 15, 2010.

This sermon is from a service that was streamed on September 12, 2021, and led by Interim Ministerial Rev. Dawn Cooley. Deferring maintenance can happen not just in our buildings but also in our spiritual lives, in our relationships, in our society and in our institutions, with similarly detrimental impact.

The theme for September is embracing possibility. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

For the safety of all in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, UTUUC will NOT be holding in–person worship until further notice. We have also cancelled or postponed any congregational events that would have taken place.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual fellowship hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on November 2, 2014. Services in November will be on the theme of grace.

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on March 8, 2015. The theme being explored in March is living with resilience.

Reflections offered by congregants Emma Farrell and Alice Ocrey and Rev. Kellie Kelly on July 15, 2018. As part of this Unity Temple Mental Health Awareness Team (MyHAT) service, Emma, Alice and Kellie share how mental illness has touched their lives in the hopes that sharing their stories will help reduce the stigma, increase our understanding and encourage support.

The theme for July is what it means to be a people of story. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

This podcast is comprised of various segments from a service that was streamed on January 12, 2025, led by Tristan Hanson.

The theme for January is Story. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual community hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 9:00 a.m.

Sermon delivered by Senior Minster Rev. Alan Taylor on May 15, 2016. A reflection on the frequency of mental disorders among us and how we can respond as individuals and a community. The theme for May is how to take a path of blessing. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

Reflections delivered by Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage at the Worship for All Ages service on February 21, 2016. The theme for February is desire. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on September 30, 2018. If we consider vision as “looking forward together,” there is much to reflect on from where this congregation has come and now where it is going, especially in light of toxic masculinity promoted in the halls of power.

The theme for September is what it means to be a people of vision. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections.

This segment is from a service that was streamed on January 15, 2023 and led by Rev. Dawn Cooley.

The theme for January is Finding Our Center. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual community hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

Sermon delivered by Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage on February 10, 2019. We tend to think of trust as a big word, and it is--it’s big in its meaning and impact. But trust in relationships is also about everyday moments.

The theme for February is what it means to be a people of trust. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections

This segment is from a service that was streamed on November 20, 2022 and led by Rev. Dawn Cooley.

The theme for November is Change. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual community hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on March 11, 2018. Do you struggle with staying centered? Reflecting on the Buddhist teaching of the Bamboo Acrobat, Rev. Taylor shares challenges and fruits of cultivating a sustained spiritual practice. 

The theme for March is what it means to be a people of balance. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

This podcast is from the worship service live streamed on March 7, 2021. The service includes reflections from our fourth graders, and Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage considers what commitments are (as per Mary Oliver) like the "loyalty of water to the force of gravity."

The theme for March is what it means to be a people of commitment. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

For the safety of all in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, UTUUC will NOT be holding in–person worship until further notice. We have also cancelled or postponed any congregational events that would have taken place.

To watch a video of this service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual fellowship hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org.

This sermon is from a service that was streamed on August 21, 2022 and led by Jay Cohen. We all have beauty and goodness inside, and there it is so helpful when we can affirm that in one another.  When we tell someone the goodness that we see in them, we are helping to love them into growth.

The theme for August is Balancing. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual community hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

This segment is from a service that was streamed on February 26, 2023 and led by Rev. Dawn Cooley.

The theme for February is  Love. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual community hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

Reflection delivered by Rev. Emily Gage, Minister of Faith Development, on April 15, 2012, in this service for all ages.

Sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey on February 23, 2020. Rev. Dr. Lightsey dynamically reflects on what the story of Esther has to teach us about "such a time as this."

The Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey serves at Meadville Lombard Theological School, that prepares Unitarian Universalist ministers, as the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and Associate Professor of Constructive Theology. She arrived at MLTS in January 2018 from the Boston University School of Theology where she served as Associate Dean of Community Life and Lifelong Learning, Clinical Assistant Professor of Contextual Theology and Practice. Before serving as a theological school educator, scholar and administrator she served in the military, as a public servant, and as a United Methodist congregational pastor. Throughout her vocational life, she has been a leading social justice activist, working with local, national and international organizations focusing primarily on the causes of peacemaking, racial justice and LGBTQ rights. Dr. Lightsey is the author of Our Lives Matter: A Womanist Queer Theology.

The theme for February is what it means to be a people of resilience. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith.

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on February 2, 2014. This sermon begins a series based on the February theme of passion.

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on June 21, 2015. The theme for June is revelry.

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on April 8, 2018. In his last sermon before a sabbatical, Rev. Taylor highlights some of the defining moments in the congregation's past few decades. He encourages members to continue their spring "emergence," blossoming as a community, to unleash courageous love.

The theme for April is what it means to be a people of emergence. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

This Easter sermon was delivered by Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage on April 21, 2019. Rev. Gage shares, "We are exploring the theme of Wholeness this April at Unity Temple. As I consider the Easter story with this lens—the whole of the Easter story--not just the Sunday morning rising up part, but that which precedes it—it reminds me to honor and celebrate all of who we are. All of it. The challenges, the achievements, the mistakes, the forgiveness, the imperfections, and the joy and the love.We screw up all the time. But there is always another chance to change and grow and learn."

The theme for April is what it means to be a people of wholeness. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections

This segment is from a service that was streamed on June 2, 2024 led by Rev. Emily Gage.

The theme for June is Renewal. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual community hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on October 14, 2012.

Sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Clare Butterfield on October 20, 2013. Rev. Dr. Butterfield is stepping down from her position as the Director of Faith in Place, an interfaith environmental ministry in Chicago that gives religious people the tools to become better stewards of Creation. Faith in Place congregations work together to support renewable energy, conserve energy, build markets for local sustainable agriculture and fair trade products, and train the next generation of stewards of the earth through urban agriculture with youth. Clare has accepted the position of Program Director for the new Illinois Science and Energy Innovation Foundation, a grant-making entity related to the new Smart Grid authorization. Rev. Dr. Butterfield is an ordained Unitarian Universalist community minister. She has a D. Min. from Chicago Theological Seminary (2008) with a focus on faith and the environment, an M. Div. from Meadville Lombard Theological School (2000), a J.D. (University of Illinois College of Law, 1983), and a B.A in History (University of Illinois, 1980).

This podcast is excerpted from Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation's live stream of a worship service on May 3, 2020. We are currently navigating through a significant threshold and it’s not clear what’s on the other side. Rev. Emily Gage reflects on how thresholds are like doorways into important places and Rev. Alan Taylor explores how this is a time to identify what is essential to our lives, what is worthy of our efforts and what kind of community and world we want to help usher forth.

The theme for May is what it means to be a people of thresholds. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

For the safety of all in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, UTUUC will NOT be holding in–person worship until further notice. We have also cancelled or postponed any congregational events that would have taken place.

To see a video of this service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning livestream worship service on YouTube and our virtual fellowship hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

This podcast is from the worship service live streamed on March 14, 2021. The two-part homily is presented first by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor and then Ministerial Intern mandi huizenga. They honor the one-year anniversary of Covid-imposed social distancing by reflecting on how challenging the spiritual work of grief has been during the pandemic, especially through our many losses.

The theme for March is what it means to be a people of commitment. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

For the safety of all in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, UTUUC will NOT be holding in–person worship until further notice. We have also cancelled or postponed any congregational events that would have taken place.

To watch a video of this service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual fellowship hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org.

On September 12, 2010, Rev. Alan Taylor launched a six-part series on the theme of A Religion For Our Time.  This sermon, delivered on September 19, is the second installment in that series.

This sermon was delivered by Rev. Joseph Santos-Lyons on August 9, 2020. Our Unitarian Universalist ministries have a long history in culturally specific communities around the world and here in North America. Who are some of these communities? Why and how were they accepted or rejected? What does their legacy mean for the future of our faith? How can we live into a broader, more faithful interdependence?

Rev. Santos-Lyons is a biracial Asian-American (Chinese and Czech) organizer and minister based in Antipolo City, The Philippines. With a background serving youth and young adult ministry in the UUA, and leading APANO, an Asian and Pacific Islander community-based organization, Joseph’s current calling is in cultivating a new cohousing, chapel and retreat space in Southeast Asia through the Center for Organizing, Renewal and Leadership.

A second generation UU, Joseph’s theology is grounded in mutuality, liberation and the unknown. Joseph is the past president of DRUUMM, and working on a doctor of ministry with the Pacific School of Religion. He and his partner Aimee co-parent their three children, and stay engaged with the UU Church of the Philippines and the Church of the Larger Fellowship.

The theme for August is what it means to be a people of possibility. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

For the safety of all in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, UTUUC will NOT be holding in–person worship until further notice. We have also cancelled or postponed any congregational events that would have taken place.

To see a video of this service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning livestream worship service on YouTube and our virtual fellowship hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. 

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on October 30, 2016. Given there is nothing intelligent to say in the face of death, what is an appropriate response? Rev. Taylor shares how his family grieved for a recent loss and explores how to respond sensitively to those in grief.

The theme for October is what it means to be a healing community. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on October 9, 2016. Rev. Taylor explores the healing wisdom of the Jewish High Holy Days and the role of forgiveness in the spiritual life. 

The theme for October is what it means to be a healing community. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

Sermon delivered by Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray on October 1, 2017. Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, the newly elected first woman president of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), shares her vision for the UUA, of which Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation is a vibrant part.

Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray was elected as the President of the UUA on June 24, 2017. Previously, she was the Minister of the UU Congregation of Phoenix, where she had served since August 2008. She also served as Minister at the First UU Church of Youngstown from 2003-2008. Community organizing and justice leadership have been key components of Rev. Frederick-Gray’s ministry. In October 2014, when marriage equality came to Arizona, Rev. Susan married 13 same-sex couples on that day outside the downtown Phoenix Clerk’s office. Susan and her congregation have worked closely with the Puente Human Rights Movement to bring national attention to the human rights abuses in Maricopa County and the need for national humane immigration reform. She organized Unitarian Universalists nationally in the campaign against Arizona’s SB 1070, including being arrested in an act of civil disobedience on the Day of Non-compliance against SB 1070. Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray can be reached at sfrederickgray@uua.org.

The theme for October is how to be a community of courage. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website. 

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on November 23, 2014. We have been exploring the theme of grace in November.

Sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Taylor on November 20, 2011.

This sermon was delivered by Rev. Julie Taylor on July 12, 2020. Rev. Taylor explores the sometimes complicated relationship between the military and Unitarian Universalism. Rev. Julie Taylor is a Unitarian Universalist community minister specializing in critical incident response, community crisis and pastoral care. Julie is the Senior Director of Contextual Ministry and an affiliate professor at Meadville Lombard Theological School. In addition, Julie serves as a Chaplain (Capt.) with the New York Air National Guard and on the board of the UU Trauma Response Ministry. An ordained minister since 2001, Julie has served UU congregations in New York City and St. Louis and volunteered with multiple crisis and disaster response organizations. A sought-after speaker and teacher, Julie has contributed chapters to several books on the subject of spiritual care and crisis. Agitating, preaching, and working towards dismantling systems of white supremacy are key in Julie’s theology and work. Julie lives in Chicago with wife Laurel and their two children.

The theme for July is what it means to be a people of hope. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

For the safety of all in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, UTUUC will NOT be holding in–person worship until further notice. We have also cancelled or postponed any congregational events that would have taken place.

To see a video of this service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning livestream worship service on YouTube and our virtual fellowship hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. 

Sermon delivered by Rev. Emily Gage, Minister of Faith Development, on February 6, 2011. The sermon is preceded by thoughts shared about heroes by long-time members Charlotte and Ralph Lee.

Sermon delivered by Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage on September 28, 2014. The theme for September is risk. This was Rev. Gage's last service before she begins a six-month sabbatical October 1.

Sermon delivered by Intern Minister Kellie C. Kelly on July 2, 2017. For most Americans, socioeconomic class is one of the last taboos. Unitarian Universalists aren't all that different. Kellie shares her class story and invites us to consider what a class-inclusive religious movement might look like.

The theme for July and August is what it means to be a community of connection. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

This segment is from a service that was streamed on June 16, 2024, led by Rev. Roger Bertschausen.

The theme for June is  Renewal. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual community hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

This segment is from a service that was streamed on January 21, 2024 led by Rev. Roger Bertschausen.

The theme for January is Liberating Love. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual community hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

This sermon was delivered by Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage on February 24, 2013. Before the sermon, Rev. Gage reads a letter written by 10 year old member Braiden Neubecker and published in the Windy City Times on February 15, 2013.

Sermon delivered by Nitrice Johnson on July 29, 2012. Nitrice has worked as a volunteer crisis counselor for Rape Victims Advocates, as intake counselor and later Executive Director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, as well as a safe sex educator for African American Women Evolving. Presently, she is working on obtaining a degree in Psychology and spends her free time designing and creating beautiful jewelry. If you would like to contact Nitrice Johnson, e-mail her at nitricejohnson@aol.com.

This segment is from a service that was streamed on November 19, 2023 and led by Rev. Justine Magara, Rev. Roger Bertschausen and Rev. Emily Gage.

The theme for November is Generosity. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual community hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

This segment is from a service that was streamed on January 28, 2024 led by Rev. Roger Bertschausen.

The theme for January is Liberating Love. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website.

To see a video of this complete service, click HERE.

For information about how to join our Sunday morning live stream worship service on YouTube and our virtual community hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org. Please note that the service is currently held at 10:00 a.m.

Sermon delivered by Senior Minister Rev. Alan Taylor on December 13, 2015. December's theme is expectation.