The First Unitarian Church of Oakland has a longstanding tradition of having a multigenerational “bread communion” on the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day. The ceremony is an open invitation to commune together by taking turns offering a basket of bread to one another. The communion will be facilitated by Rev. Laurel Liefert and Worship Associates Sarah … Continue reading Nov. 19, 2023 – Breaking Bread Together
We live in a power-over world. How can we learn and model another way – power with, also called relational power. Instead of having winners and losers, can we be together and help one another in mutual cooperation? Rev. Laurel Liefert will lead the service with the assistance of Worship Associate Emily Stoper. The service … Continue reading Nov. 12, 2023 – The Exquisite Risk
Trust, our November worship theme, is an essential quality for this faith community to thrive and grow. Each of us, in our own ways, has experienced the pain of having our trust betrayed, of losing faith in something or someone we counted on. As we seek to rebuild, to heal ourselves, our congregation, and our … Continue reading Nov. 5, 2023 – Regaining Trust
As the veil between the world of the living and the dead grows thin, we gather to mourn and learn from the mighty dead – especially those species lost to climate change. What if the more-than-human Ancestors can teach us all we need to preserve our world? We grieve their loss and ask them for … Continue reading Oct. 29, 2023 – Sunday Worship Service
All of us are probably familiar with the question “who am I?” Have you ever asked yourself the equally important question “whose am I?” As individuals and as a faith community, to whom and what are we accountable? This Sunday we will have an Ingathering, a beautiful ceremony of welcome in which we will create … Continue reading Oct. 22, 2023 – Not For Ourselves Alone
We humans use stories to make sense of the past and to project ourselves into the future. That future is rarely as we had imagined. Sometimes it completely fails us. Is this a flaw or a feature? And how can Unitarian Universalism help us? Join Sarah Watts and Dick Bailey along with pianist Ian Llacer-Chamberlain … Continue reading Oct. 15, 2023 – When the Future Fails
Our bodies remember everything, the pleasure, pain, joy, trauma, even the imprint of our ancestors. Let ours be an embodied faith as we worship, sing, heal, and grow in community. This Sunday we will have a short introduction to Interfaith Light & Power, our renters on the third floor. Joyful Noise Band and Crescendo Choir … Continue reading Oct 8, 2023 – Our Bodies, Ourselves
In a community of seekers like ours, with a diverse spectrum of beliefs and unbeliefs, in a faith without a creed- what holds us together? Guest musicians Vincent Raines and Persisters. There are two ways to attend this worship service: In person: Worship service starts at 10:20 AM. We strongly recommend that you wear a … Continue reading Oct. 1, 2023 – What Holds Us Together?
On the eve of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, Emily Stoper and Jeanne Rana will explore how some ancient practices can help us deal with our wrongdoing so that we can be forgiven, forgive others, strengthen our communities and feel at one with all beings. We will do a ritual of renewal and … Continue reading Sep. 24, 2023 – Atonement and Renewal in Love
Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Matthew 7.3. That profound, perennial human question is attributed to Jesus in the New Testament. During the stresses of lockdown and COVID it was apparent that people’s reflexive coping mechanisms were very often … Continue reading Sep. 17, 2023 – The Enneagram
