Author: Jude Genereaux

BHUU welcomes back  our traveling chaplain Dennis Peters, announcing that “It’s a day for metaphors. Let’s talk about hummingbirds!” Peters explains “When you look in the dictionary under the word “feisty,” there should very well be a picture of a hummingbird.

This little bird can be fearless. You can be weeding in the flowerbed, and suddenly find yourself nose-to-nose with the little one; their wings are moving so fast they generate a vibration like a giant bumblebee. And just as suddenly, it’s gone! Leaving you wishing “No – Wait, Come Back!”  Be with us as Ch Dennis leads the fellowship to discover how does this becomes a metaphor we may all take to heart.

Third Sunday each month is also a time for gathering after service to share in Potluck.  All are welcome to bring a dish to pass and enjoy camaraderie and nourishment with members and neighbors.  As always – everyone is welcome at BHUU;  Sunday services begin at 10 a.m., 230 W. Messenger, Rice Lake, and on Zoom.  The zoom link is sent to members, although anyone interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

Each year Unitarian Universalists pause to reaffirm our spiritual community as  fall approaches;  “Ingathering” became a traditional time of return from summer travels, as members gathered together again.. 

Blue Hills UUs will share a more informal Ingathering this year.  Our time together will be spent sharing our hopes and fears of the year just past, as well as those we foresee in the year to come. Music, joys & concerns and readings will supplement our shared reflections.

Be with us on Sunday, September 8th as we practice the ABC’s of Fellowship;  our service begins at 10 a.m., 230 W. Messenger St. in Rice Lake and on Zoom.  As always – everyone is welcome at our fellowship;  the zoom link is sent to members, and all interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

We begin our journey into September with our Sunday Service coming to us from All Souls Unitarian Church of Tulsa, Oklahoma.  All Souls was founded by people who came to Tulsa to seize the opportunities of a booming oil town – but could see that the presence of a liberal religious voice was needed for the healthy development of the community.  Envisioning a congregation coming together for the worship of God and the service of humankind, today more than 1,800 adults claim All Souls as their spiritual home.  

Their membership includes business, state and civic leaders – people from all walks of life holding a broad spectrum of personal and political views, and note that “Our building often houses both sides of a controversy. In a delicately and respectfully held balance, our congregation worships together while individually holding a broad spectrum of beliefs and unbeliefs”

Be with us at Blue Hills UU this September 1^st., as we link into a Sunday morning service with one of our dynamic affiliated Unitarian congregations;  our service will begin at 10 a.m., 230 W. Messenger St. in Rice Lake and on Zoom. As always – everyone is welcome at the Blue Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship;  the zoom link is sent to members, and all interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

What’s stokin’ your fire? Yankin’ your chain? In this fast and furious world of ours, there’s always an awful lot that gets us riled up … and quite often something wonderful we wish more folks would hear about!  Now it’s your chance to get it off your chest — SOAPBOX SUNDAY comes every once in awhile to Blue Hills UU, and returns again this coming service, August 25^th.  

So – dust off your current litany of such that needs our ATTENTION, warm  up your vocal chords and be with us to share that which is most pressing in your lexicon of all that needs more focus.

Services begin at 10 a.m., 230 W. Messenger, Rice Lake and on Zoom. As always – everyone is welcome at the Blue Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship;  the zoom link is sent to members, and all interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

Chaplain Dennis Peters with us at Blue Hills UU Fellowship to conduct the Sunday Service, August 18^th.  Peters will explore with our congregation the “First Principle” of our faith:  “The inherent worth and dignity of every person.” Many of us view the tenets of our “Seven Principles and Six Sources,” as the bedrock foundation of our faith, which has it roots in the same time period when Christianity was formed as it separated from Judaism; we look forward to an in depth study of them in the coming months.  

The third Sunday each month is also a time for gathering after the service to share in Potluck with the members.  All are welcome to bring a dish to pass and enjoy camaraderie and nourishment with members and your neighbors.  As always – everyone is welcome at BHUU;  Sunday services begin at 10 a.m., 230 W. Messenger, Rice Lake, and on Zoom.  The zoom link is sent to members, although anyone interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

One of our most looked forward to Sunday Services at Blue Hills Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship, consists of music and poetry.  On August 11^th., members and guests are invited to share their best loved selections of poetry, be it that of their own, or a favorite author.  Guest pianist Kathy Schultz will be present to provide her wonderful, lilting offering of hymns and perhaps some of your own favorite musical selections.

All are welcome at Blue Hills UU;  services begin at 10 a.m., 230 W. Messenger, Rice Lake, and on Zoom. The zoom link is sent to members, although anyone interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

Rev Terry Cummings will conduct the Service at Blue Hills UU, Sunday, August 4^th. , and delve into the “Living Tradition of Unitarian Universalism.” Drawing from the Six Sources of UU, Rev Cummings dedicates the morning to the second source: “Words and deeds of prophetic people which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice compassion and the transforming power of love.”

Cummings will reflect on the words and deeds of current day leaders whom history may one day judge to be such persons. Discussion always follows the services at BHUU, and everyone is welcome to take part.  Services begin at 10 a.m., 230 W. Messenger, Rice Lake, and on Zoom.  The zoom link is sent to members, although anyone interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

Having grown up in Rice Lake, our member Dr. James Bradley, retired biology  professor of Auburn University, Alabama, returns to his home turf as often as possible to enjoy fishing on Red Cedar Lake, and being part of his home town for a spell.  

Sunday, July 28^th, Jim will share a view of science with the Blue Hills Unitarian Universalists that considers “Science as a 21^st Century Myth,” exploring how the findings of modern science can contribute to a 21^st Century  myth to live by that enriches our spiritual lives.  One asks “How can that be? Aren’t science and myth polar opposite ways of knowing?” Dr. Bradley shares that he has come to see they have more in common than first meets the mind.  

All are welcome Sunday, July 27^th as Dr. Bradley explores the concept that “a cosmogonic myth is a story with two major components: a cosmos and an ethos. A myth’s cosmos tells about ultimate origins – of the world, of humans, of Everything. A myth’s ethos tells us how to live a good life.  Science provides us with a wonderful 21^st Century cosmogonic story that can feed the spiritual dimension of our lives.”

As always – everyone is welcome at BHUU;  Sunday services begin at 10 a.m., 230 W. Messenger, Rice Lake, and on Zoom.  The zoom link is sent to members, although anyone interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

On Sunday July 21^st. visiting Chaplain Dennis Peters returns to the Blue Hills Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship to celebrate the hymns inspired by Christianity and religion in general, over the centuries.

Among all religious teachings and practices, this central feature, music, manages to rises above much of the struggles experienced in all sects.  Ch. Peters shares that this one very positive note, inspired by religious practice, often speaks louder and sends a clearer message than many other forms of communication. We’ll plan to listen to some of the classics.  Expect to be inspired!

Third Sunday of each month is also Pot Luck at BHUU – bring a dish to share with your neighbors and members of the fellowship to enjoy  nourishment and camaraderie.   As always – everyone is welcome at BHUU;  Sunday services begin at 10 a.m., 230 W. Messenger, Rice Lake, and on Zoom.  The zoom link is sent to members, although anyone interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

Arthur Thexton returns to the Blue Hills Unitarian-Universalist pulpit this coming Sunday, July 14^th.   Always one to provoke thought, Arthur asks “What does Dr. Seuss have to do with religion?” Nearly everyone is familiar with the work of Dr. Seuss, and many religions have tried to claim him as one of their own – although he apparently never joined any congregation. Thexton’s Sunday services are always followed with lively discussion, so be with us as we query “Was Dr. Seuss he a UU, closet or otherwise?”

A frequent guest speaker at Blue Hills UU, Arthur successfully attended the Meadville Lombard Theological School, then studied at the University of Chicago before obtaining his law degree from the UW Madison.  He served as Assistant District Attorney in Barron County during the mid-1980’s, and lived with his family in Rice Lake.

As always – everyone is welcome at BHUU;  Sunday services begin at 10 a.m., 230 W. Messenger, Rice Lake, and on Zoom.  The zoom link is sent to members, although anyone interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org