Minister: Rev. Leslie Ahuvah Fails  Music: Marsha Sousa

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” —Neil Gaiman

Each of us has a story to tell — about who we are, what animates us, what we believe to be possible or impossible. But some of the well-worn narratives we hold dear can actually hold us back. This service will explore the power of story to shape our past, present, and future in unexpected ways.

Minister: Rev. Leslie Ahuvah Fails Speakers: Various UUFF Members  Music: Marsha Sousa

… and we couldn’t have survived it without the wisdom of those who have gone before us. In honor of Mother’s Day, Rev. Leslie has invited several UUFF members and friends to share knowledge they inherited from their maternal relatives and ancestors, or from anyone who has mothered them throughout their lives, that has helped them to thrive during one of the toughest years in recent memory.

Minister: Rev. Leslie Fails  Music: Marsha Sousa

With the promise of long summer days and golden-hued midnights on the horizon, let us reflect on the liberating power of naps. For those of us who have grown up believing that our value is determined by our productivity, what spiritual lessons might the humble nap teach us? This program will draw from the deep well of wisdom that is The Nap Ministry, a project founded by Tricia Hersey to spread the good word that “REST IS RESISTANCE”

Coordinators: Jana Peirce and other small group ministry leaders

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said, “When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I’m old, I admire kind people.” Novelist George Saunders writes, “Kindness is the only non-delusional response to the human condition.”

Do you agree or disagree? What role does kindness play in your personal philosophy? This Sunday, we’ll explore what it takes to be kind in a world where kindness is not always on display. How can we live among each other in fellowship and take each other’s perspective when that is often the hardest possible thing to do? For part of our service we will break into smaller groups to give people an opportunity to share what helps them nurture kindness in an unkind world.

Speaker: Kristin Peters  Lay Leader and Music: Susan Grace with assistance from Marsha Sousa.

Rev. Kristin Peters is a Disciples of Christ minister who has worked in interfaith & justice circles for the last decade. Kristin will share about her work with the Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition as the Interfaith Working Group organizer. Kristin is excited to begin the Earth Week celebration with UUFF and to draw us into conversation about the connection between caring for creation and the welcome that extends to all creatures of the earth.

Lay Leader: Cam Leonard  Music: Marsha Sousa

Poetry Sunday is a long standing tradition at UUFF, although doing it via Zoom is not. Please join us to hear members of our own fellowship share their favorite poems, or ones that resonate in this strange year. There will some surprises as well!

Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87604604264

Webinar ID: 876 0460 4264
Join by phone: +1 253 215 8782

UUFF Coffee Hour Link 
(will open immediately after the service ends)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86577272338
Meeting ID: 865 7727 2338
Join by phone:  +1 253 215 8782

Sabbatical Minister: The Rev. Sue Redfern-Campbell Lay Leader: Lisa Sporleder  Music: Marsha Sousa

One way to end a story is, “I don’t know if it happened this way or not, but I know this story is true.”  This Sunday is both the last day of Passover and the first Sunday of Easter.  Can we find truth in the Exodus and Resurrection stories, even if we don’t regard them as factual?  What kind of exploration is possible, if we take these stories seriously but not literally?

Sabbatical Minister: The Rev. Sue Redfern-Campbell Lay Leader: Lisa Sporleder  Music: Marsha Sousa

This year, the last Sunday in March is also the first full day of Passover, the Jewish festival of liberation.  Passover hasn’t traditionally been associated with environmental or climate justice, but some contemporary Jewish thinkers believe it should be.  Let’s explore some possible connections.

Speaker: Dr. Basavaraj Itnal   Lay Leader: Lisa Sporleder  Music: Marsha Sousa

In a small kingdom in 12th-century India, philosopher-statesman Basaveshwara (Basava) spearheaded events that could, perhaps, be understood as the first experiment in economic equitability, social justice, gender equity, diversity, equal representation, human dignity, the welfare state, and universal access to spirituality. Our speaker, Dr. Basavaraj Itnal, a writer and journalist in Bangalore, India, sees Basava philosophy as a solution to major global problems of the day. He will talk on Basava’s views and how today’s economic models have failed in bringing world peace through work.

Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87604604264

Webinar ID: 876 0460 4264
Join by phone: +1 253 215 8782

UUFF Coffee Hour Link 
(will open immediately after the service ends)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86577272338
Meeting ID: 865 7727 2338
Join by phone:  +1 253 215 8782

Guest Minister: The Rev. Sue Redfern-Campbell  Music: Marsha Sousa

In 2006, when I was nearly 60, I left UU ministry for a time, and went to live with the Community of the Holy Spirit, a women’s monastic community in the Episcopal Church.  The learnings from this contrarian adventure were many, and the experience helped me clarify my own commitments.  This morning I’ll share something about what prompted this journey, what brought me back to Unitarian Universalism, and what I learned along the way.

Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87604604264

Webinar ID: 876 0460 4264
Join by phone: +1 253 215 8782

UUFF Coffee Hour Link 
(will open immediately after the service ends)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86577272338
Meeting ID: 865 7727 2338
Join by phone:  +1 253 215 87