Unfolding Faith: Sermons from Foothills Unitarian

This is the first episode of our active hope series, where we're exploring the work of environmental activist, author, and Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy.
To kick things off, we're drawing on the story of Easter, Trans Day of Remembrance, and the recent expulsion of Tennesee state legislators to examine how we might move our society towards a pivotal moment of transformation by truly recognizing all our fellow humans as kin.

We are called to serve, help, and work for justice. We dedicate time, energy, and resources to making our church, community, and world a better place. And, yet, our time is limited. Someone else will need to pick up the work someday. Someone will come next... won't they?
 
In this episode, Rev. Gretchen explores our responsibility for mentoring another generation who will take our place in the great work.

Rev. Elaine continues our exploration of how we serve one another, sharing how even when we might feel we have nothing to offer, there is a role for us to play. When our lives feel too busy, joining the team and serving may actually be the antidote.

We're kicking off our new series, Terms of Service: The fine print of community. In this episode, Rev. Sean shares how mutual aid is a powerful tool for care and an essential component of spiritual life. Then, Rev. Dr. Sheryl Johnson joins Rev. Sean for a conversation about how the finance and stewardship practices of many congregations espouse neoliberal values and entrench white privilege and what we can do to change that.
2:13: Rev. Sean's sermon "No Masters, No Flakes"27:04 Conversation with Rev. Dr. Sheryl Johnson
Find Sheryl Johnson's Book here: https://www.fortresspress.com/store/product/9781506482965/Serving-Money-Serving-God
 

Rev. Sean Neil-Barron, Rev. Gretchen Haley, and religious educators Lauren Farley and Eleanor VanDeusen answer questions about gender submitted by community members.Some questions we answer are:
How can we center all the different needs in the fight for gender equity?Will we be targeted for taking a pro-trans and nonbinary stance?How are cis-gender kids affected by movements focusing on gender-expansive kids?

In this episode, we empower you with talking points to counter right-wing gender propaganda.As Unitarian Universalists, we believe that we are all connected and that when the dignity and liberation of some are threatened, we are all called to act. So how can we respond to the wave of anti-trans, anti-nonbinary legislation that is sweeping the country? How can you, as one person, combat this wave of hate and harm? By starting with a seemingly small thing. Your voice. Your voice matters. Rising up and raising your voice can change a heart, a mind, and even save a life. 

Even those of us deeply committed to gender liberation can find ourselves stuck in the sticky web of gender roles. How might we move towards greater freedom – for ourselves and for all of us? Rev. Elaine explores the strangeness of gender roles: the things that don’t fit, the things that actually (and perhaps weirdly) do, and how we might move with our anger, our curiosities, and our pleasures.
 
Plus an intro to gender creative parenting!

Let's talk about men. We know traditional conceptions of masculinity are outdated but there aren't any handholds for thinking about masculinity in a new way. So this week, we explore how we become better men - how we can invite ourselves into a more nuanced relationship with what it means to be a man.
We also tackle WHY - in the midst of so many pressing contemporary issues - we're taking the time to focus on gender.