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
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
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?
Poet Mary Oliver asks: “tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.” In this service, Rev. Laurel will ask a different question: “tell me about hope, yours, and I will tell you mine.” There are two ways to attend this worship service: In person: Worship service starts at 10:20 AM. We strongly … Continue reading Sep. 3, 2023 – The Fool or the Magician?
Each Sunday, the First Unitarian Church of Oakland hosts worship that connects us both to shared values in community and to something larger than ourselves. True to our Unitarian Universalist practice, what we connect to ranges from theistic to nature-based to non-theistic and many things in-between, but is always held as part of the multifaceted … Continue reading Aug. 27, 2023 – Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes
