Cheryl will explore the philosophy and practice of Appreciative Inquiry as it relates to the UUCD and also to our own lives. In the words of Plato, "We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."
Rev. Cheryl Jack lives in Whitby with her husband Andris and four-legged BFF Domino. She enjoys guest preaching and officiating at rites of passage, along with her participation in Big Sisters and Lakeview Manor. We've all heard the saying "out of the mouths of babes." While this saying celebrates the wisdom of children, our culture tends to overlook the significant contributions made by young people. This Sunday's service celebrates our youth, and the important role they play in our families, congregations, and in the world.
Lori Kyle is the UUCD’s recently hired spiritual leader. In May 2014 Lori completed her Master of Divinity degree. She hopes to be ordained in 2015 following her meeting with the Unitarian Universalist Association Ministerial Fellowship Committee in April. A litany of thanksgiving will be part of this service and a presentation around 'common courtesy'. Please... attend.
The irreverent Ric Jones earned a Master’s from Oklahoma State University focusing on cross-cultural communication and in May 2012, received a Master of Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, Illinois. Ric is a certified Healthy Congregation/Organizational facilitator and has completed both the basic and advanced clinics in Emotional Process in Family Systems. His educational background helps to provide a framework to continue to support corporate executives and congregational leadership focused on transformational change, stress management and how family of origin and social locations impact the person and the organization. On May 16 of this year, Ric became a Canadian citizen and he recently moved to Bowmanville. Have you ever noticed that congregations usually hold their Blessing of the Animals services around this time of year? This is because October 4th is the day that celebrates St. Francis of Assisi... a man who had a deep love for animals and nature. During this service we will not only celebrate Franciscan spirituality, but will also examine how it informs our UU faith.
Lori Kyle is the UUCD’s recently hired spiritual leader. In May 2014 Lori completed her Master of Divinity degree. She hopes to be ordained in 2015 following her meeting with the Unitarian Universalist Association Ministerial Fellowship Committee in April. The complete sermon can be read below: Author Rebecca Solnit writes, “To hope is to give yourself to the future, and that commitment to the future makes the present inhabitable.” Where do we draw strength from when our dreams are so often of a world we won't live into and how is that future imagined? How do we, as Unitarian Universalists, recognize that vision is more than eyesight and hope is more than a wish.
Christopher Wulff, is a seminarian at Emmanuel College in Toronto studying for UU Ministry. A fifth-generation Unitarian Universalist, he is passionate about youth and young adult ministries, developing churches with mission, and building intentional communities. The complete sermon can be read below: We live in a generally secular society that does not place significant emphasis on religious matters. As people of faith, we recognize the value that practising this faith brings to our lives, and thus our inclination is often to spread the word! This is especially true when faith communities such as our own are interested in growing. We will explore considerations for marketing not only our faith tradition of Unitarian Universalism, but also what it means to market our UUCD community.
Lori Kyle is a 51 year-old Midwestern (Kansas City) native who moved to Toronto with her family five years ago. She currently resides with her partner Margaret and two children (Maddie, 15, and Nathan, 13) in Toronto. In May 2014 Lori completed her Master of Divinity degree, and hopes to be ordained in 2015 following her meeting with the Ministerial Fellowship Committee in April. Her primary aspiration for ministry is to work in a congregational setting. Prior to preparing for a career in ministry Lori worked as a social worker in the area of mental health. Her personal interests include hanging out with her family, hoping her favorite team (Chicago Bears, of course!) will make it to the playoffs, watching non-scary films, and reading a well-written novel. The complete sermon can be read below: The season of autumn is one of both beauty and loss, as shadows lengthen and our memories of summer recede. Meanwhile, many of us are striving to maintain optimism in the face of significant challenges facing our world. How can we make this a time of hopeful harvest, gathering the spirit we need for the days ahead? Where can hope be found in today’s uncertain times? Today’s message of inspiration weaves together contemporary voices of active hope, including poetry and song to strengthen us for the journey.
Lynn Harrison is a Candidate for Unitarian Universalist ministry. She served as Intern Minister at First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto in 2013-14 and will complete her Master of Divinity studies at Emmanuel College (University of Toronto) in 2015. Lynn and her family (husband David and two children aged 20 and 17) are members of Neighbourhood UU Congregation in Toronto’s east end. Lynn is also an award-winning singer-songwriter whose music has been heard on CBC Radio’s Vinyl Café, Fresh Air and other programs. The complete sermon can be read below: We celebrate the welcoming waters of our spiritual community with our annual water in-gathering ceremony. Remember to bring a small amount of water from your summer experiences to pour into our water chalice. This will be a multi-generational service.
At the Picnic Shelter at Heydenshore Park on the shores of Lake Ontario in Whitby. The street address of the Heydenshore Pavilion is 589 Water Street, Whitby. The picnic shelter is located east of the main pavilion, and east of the water play area and playground, in a grassy area overlooking the lake. Bring your bathing suit to play in the splash park afterwards. If you can, bring a blanket or lawn chair to sit on during the service. Some picnic table bench seats will be available.
This special service celebrates our coming of age youth and flower communion. Our youth will share their credos and we will promise to support them as they blossom into young adults. Bring a flower to share for our communal bouquet. This will be Rev. Fiona’s final service with UUCD.
The Rev. Fiona Heath has been our half-time consulting minister. In August 2014 she will begin a full-time settled ministry at the Unitarian Congregation in Mississauga. Best wishes Fiona! We have tremendously enjoyed your professional leadership during your 15 months at UUCD. |
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