Sunday, June 27th
WHEN OUR SPIRITS SOAR
Rev. Ann Benedetto
This service was dedicated to the progress and growth this year at our beloved LUUF community. When our spirits are nurtured and have a venue to shine and flourish, anything is possible. It changes our present perception of what is possible and the bigger picture, in concert with our personal lives, merge in Unity consciousness. We celebrated with a music extravaganza, readings, testimony and inspirational words, closing out this LUUF year with spirit and light as we moved to our summer, delightful, breezy porch discussions, beginning at 10am each Sunday from July 11th.
Sunday, June 20th
WHEN TO LET GO
Guest Speaker: MeriLynn Blum
Yoga instructor MeriLynn Blum will pose the question “What Are You Holding Onto?” and discuss “the power of letting go.”
Blum explains, “There are many times in life when ‘holding on’ is the skill that best serves the moment, but often peace and sanity are better served by letting go. All of life is a continuous process of letting go. Children grow up and move away, parents grow old and die.
“Everything is changing all the time, and we often even ask for change. For example, if we hold an intention to heal or to grow wiser, we are hoping that something about us will change. Yet even as we hope, pray and act on behalf of change, many of us continue to cling tightly to people, places, things, beliefs, emotions and behaviors that cause pain and deny reality.”
Mindful surrender is a choice and a skill, Blum says. She will explore this complex topic and discuss how we can let go of what no longer serves us or the world.
Sunday, June 13th
THE ORIGINS OF EVIL AND THE ROOTS OF VIOLENCE
Rev. Ann Benedetto
Rev. Benedetto talked about “The Origins of Evil and the Roots of Violence” during the 11 a.m. service on Sunday, June 13th.. “Listening to the news, reading the newspaper or connecting with most media, we are bombarded with reports of violence each day,” says Rev. Benedetto. “Often, we are exposed to more sound bites concerning individual street crime than about the violence committed in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and many other places around the globe. “I suspect most of the billions of people on Earth want to have families, raise children and live in peace. How did we, the people, manifest a world where the violent few rule the overwhelming majority? We examined the origins of evil and the roots of violence, so we can start to dismantle that paradigm and work towards a more peaceful world.”
Sunday, May 30th:
Guest Speaker: Walter Hoffman
HISTORY LESSONS WE SHOULD HAVE LEARNED
Guest speaker Walter Hoffman discussed “Living through History—Lessons We Should Have Learned” during the 11 a.m. service on Sunday, May 30th.
In recognition of Memorial Day, Hoffman remembered the millions who have died in wars and other widespread conflicts in our lifetime. He also discussed proposals for more effective international institutions, to prevent such bloodshed in the future.
Hoffman is a Marine Corp Veteran of World War II and a graduate of the University of Michigan and of the University of Chicago Law School. In 1957 he moved to Wayne, where he served on the Township Council and practiced law. In 1985, Hoffman moved to Washington, DC, where he became executive director of the World Federalist Association. He was appointed by then House Speaker Thomas Foley to a U.S. Commission on improving the effectiveness of the United Nations, which issued its report in 1993.
Hoffman returned to Wayne in 1994 and became an adjunct professor at William Paterson University. He later taught International Law, Human Rights and the politics of the Global Environment at Ramapo College in Mahwah. Active in the American Bar Association, he served as vice-chair of its International Courts Committee and chair of the Arms Control and Disarmament Committee. He has attended international “World Peace through Law” conferences of lawyers and meetings of the World Federalist Movement around the world. Hoffman is credited with founding the Campaign for United Nations Reform, and served as its first national chairman.
Sunday, May 16th
11:00 a.m.
Guest speaker: Fr. Paul Mayer
COMMUNITIES OF FAITH AND GLOBAL WARMING
Fr. Paul Mayer, a long-time leader in the peace and environmental movements, reported on the recent UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen where he delivered an address. He discussed the unique role of the human species in finding the solutions and healing strategies for survival and beyond.
Mayer's more than half-century of service to the earth has included 18 years as a Benedictine monk, involvement with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement in the South, work in the barrios of Central America and participation in the effort to end the war in Vietnam, as well as co-founding peace and environmental organizations. In his recently completed memoir, he revisits the major social and political movements of the last fifty years—the Civil Rights, anti-war and anti-nuclear movements, the Cold War and developments in Latin America.
Sunday, May 9th
HONORING MOTHERS
Rev. Ann Benedetto
“On this Mother's Day, we honored three well-known mother figures from around the world,” says Rev. Benedetto. “We discussed the importance of showing reverence for the Mother and embracing her innate qualities.
“We looked at the connection between those who do not honor mothers and the Mother principle, and the consequences for all the relations in the interdependent web of life. Finally, we honored those men who walk a path of respect and dignity towards a unity consciousness for healing our planet.”
Sunday, April 25th
BELTANE CELEBRATION 2010
Rev. Ann Benedetto
Rev. Benedetto led a Beltane Celebration during the 11 a.m. service on Sunday, April 25th.
“Beltane is a pre-Christian holy day that celebrates the rites of spring,” Rev. Benedetto explains. “As our environment is in major trouble, this celebration is becoming an annual event at our Fellowship. That which was celebrated centuries ago perhaps needs even more attention today, to bring Mother Nature and Goddess consciousness back into the minds of the people to heal our planet. !”
Sunday, April 18th: Sandra Ramos talks about “Finding and Fulfilling Your Life’s Purpose…with Health, Joy, Peace and Laughter.” “We all have a right to be happy and fulfilled,” Ramos says. “Still, we often spend too much time doing what others want us to be, or what we "think" we are supposed to do.” She offers what might be controversial advice: “Let go...be yourself...do what you want...follow the/your spirit. It will lead you towards being a happier person and making the world a better place.” Sandra Ramos, of Ringwood, founded the first shelter for battered women in North America in 1970, and ever since has led the struggle to strengthen laws against domestic violence and advocacy for victims. She currently serves as executive director of Strengthen Our Sisters, a shelter for battered women and children in northern New Jersey. Ramos was the 2006 recipient of the Sunshine Foundation Peace Award and the 2001 recipient of the Russ Berrie Award for Making a Difference. In 1999, her life’s work was featured on NBC’s “4 Stories.” She has spoken before groups throughout the U.S.
FINDING YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE
Guest Speaker: Sandra Ramos
Sunday, April 11th
Rev. Ann Benedetto
The Origin of the Flaming Chalice and the Importance of Ritual
How many of us know the symbolism of the UU flaming chalice? Many UU’s are not big on the practice of rituals. This Sunday sermon explored the origin and legacy to date of “the” UU ritual of the Flaming Chalice, as well as why it might be important to incorporate consistent rituals into our daily lives. Being human is often not easy. This sermon looked at the possibility of ritual as a positive tool to help us with our humanity.
Sunday, April 4th
TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH In recognition of “Womyn’s Herstory Month,” Rev. Ann Benedetto examined “Women’s Tragedy and Triumph: Generations Connected”.
Guest Minister: Rev. Allen Wells
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Sunday, March 28th.
Rev. Benedetto’s sermon recalled the Triangle Shirtwaist
during the 11 a.m. service on Factory Fire in New York City on March 25, 1911. She said, “This service addressed the challenges and accomplishments of yesterday's strong immigrant women working in America, and how their struggles, tragedies, sacrifices and victories have impacted and benefited our lives today.”
Sunday, May 2nd
FOUR WILY WORDS AND A WARNING
Guest minister: Rev. Allen Wells
Guest minister Rev. Allen Wells talks about “Four Wily Words…and a Warning” during the May 2 service at the Lakeland Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 231 Parish Drive, Wayne, NJ.
"The words we use influence the way we see the world,” notes Rev. Wells. “Most of us casually use four words whose connotations can subvert our consciousness, if we are not mindful. I'd like to explore the seductiveness of these words. And I'll offer a warning about our language, in general, that can save us from theological conundrums and help free us from personal suffering."
UN-BECOMING OURSELVES
On Sunday, March 21st, Guest minister Rev. Allen Wells explored questions of identity. "It's easy to trap ourselves by thinking we are who we were, who we should be and/or who we might become,” says Rev. Wells. “According to The Buddha, though, we trap ourselves by thinking we are even a self at all! Most of our fighting occurs around protecting our identities as persons, organizations, religions and countries."
Rev. Wells asked: “What if we could escape from ‘ourselves’ and enjoy undivided, unbounded, free-flowing living? What might such freedom mean for us, and what might it mean for jurisdictions such as Israel and Palestine?'”
