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Sunday’s Service November 24^th at Blue Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship  will be led by member Zarrin Reynolds, addressing the First Source of our spiritual life:  “Direct experience of the transcending mystery and wonder affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life.” 

In considering the “Symphony of the IS”, Ms Reynolds explains that “We are often taught to stop and smell the roses, to take time out to notice the wonder around us – but how often do we actually pause to listen to nature’s voice?”  In the hustle and hustle of daily life it is far too easy to tune out, and let the voice of the digital age drown the voice of the “IS.”   Be with us as we explore the transcendent beauty that is our world through words, music, and imagery.

Blue Hills UU invites everyone to services, beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday mornings at 230 W. Messenger St., Rice Lake, and on Zoom.  The zoom link is sent to members, and anyone interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

Chaplain Dennis Peters will be with us at Blue Hill Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Sunday November 11^th. to consider our  Third Principle: Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.  Offering an illustration of how this is perhaps  not supposed to work:    “After a long,  serious discussion with someone, laying out what I was thinking, I ended with the question “Are we good?” The response was: “I don’t know about you, but I am.” Peters suggests that this Principle is about a little more than that.

We expect a lively discussion period will follow, before our traditional “Third Sunday” Pot Luck following the service;  this month’s theme focuses on “Cranberries!”, so be prepared to enjoy some of our Wisconsin’s brightest, cheeriest offerings;  bring a dish to pass and enjoy camaraderie and nourishment with members and neighbors.

Blue Hills UU invites everyone to be with us for our services, beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday mornings in the fellowship hall at 230 W. Messenger St., Rice Lake, and on Zoom.  The zoom link is sent to members, and anyone interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

When we arrive at our Sunday Service next week, we shall have the Election of 2024 in our rear view mirror.  Blue Hills Unitarian Universalists will pause to reflect on the results, with Arthur Thexton to lead us in asking “Can we be both religiously liberal and politically conservative?” We have to live together — what shall be our covenant in working to make our nation function peacefully?  Our nation and state will continue to be politically polarized – how can religious liberals contribute to the political discussion without merely taking one side?  What kind of spiritual discipline will this take?” 

In the words of The Rev. Tom Schade: “Our religious commitments are challenges to what we believe and how we live. Our religious communities, both local and broader, are places where those challenges are brought home to us. I am regularly challenged by our religion about intimate details of my personal life. We are engaged, as a collective body, in thinking about how and what we eat, and whether our eating habits are consistent with our religious values.  Surely, our political loyalties deserve the same level of self-examination.” 

We are inextricably wedded to our fellow citizens in our large and diverse democracy, which is another way of saying that political conservativism is part of the interdependent web in which we all exist.

Blue Hills UU invites everyone to be with us for our services, beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday mornings in the fellowship hall at 230 W. Messenger St., Rice Lake, and on Zoom.  The zoom link is sent to members, and anyone interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

A favorite annual service at Blue Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is our  sharing of books and the joy, if not the critical habit of, READING!  With winter coming, we find time to curl up before a fire with a good book.  Or a dozen.  Members and friends are encouraged to share your finds of the past year on Sunday November 3^rd, as we BRIEFLY offer recommendations and critiques on those we’ve most enjoyed.  A list of those suggested will be circulated after the service.

Blue Hills UU invites everyone to be with us for our services, beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday mornings in the fellowship hall at 230 W. Messenger St., Rice Lake, and on Zoom.  The zoom link is sent to members, and anyone interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

Sunday, October 27^th., our member Maureen Skuban will lead us to consider “Death and Dying.”  Of the two guaranteed facts of life, birth and death – death is surely the more avoided topic, and as Unitarians, who don’t lean on sacred texts of other religions for surety, so … where do we seek comfort?  And what has Ms Maureen found to make it an engaging area of study?

“At some point, doctors and funeral homes hijacked the way we interact with the death of loved ones. For many, especially in western culture, death has become a taboo subject. Having those end-of-life conversations with loved ones is awkward -and mostly avoided. But we know talking about death doesn’t make it happen any  faster, neither avoiding the subject stops it from happening.  Did you hear about the Buddhist coroner who got fired? He kept listing the cause of death as birth”

So let’s talk about it!  Join Ms Skuban, host of Shell Lake Library’s “Death Café”, as she weaves the topic of death and dying into a positive, upbeat service.   Can she do it? 

Blue Hills UU invites everyone to be with us for our services, beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday mornings in the fellowship hall at 230 W. Messenger St., Rice Lake, and on Zoom.  The zoom link is sent to members, and anyone interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

Ch Dennis Peters will lead Blue Hills Unitarian Universalists in a study of “Humanism,” Sunday, October 22^nd.   In his homily, “The Action Side of UU”, Peters suggests we “… take a look at where Humanism fits into our world;   having been around for 100 years or more, there are questions that we might ask ourselves.”

Wikipedia states “the term generally denotes a focus on human well-being and advocates for human freedom, autonomy, and progress …” viewing humanity as responsible for:  the promotion and development of individuals, espousing the equal and inherent dignity of all human beings, and emphasizing a concern for humans in relation to the world, with a “reliance on science and reason rather than revelation from a supernatural source to understand the world.” Humanists tend to advocate for human rights, free speech, progressive policies, and democracy.

Blue Hills UU invites everyone to be with us for our services, beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday mornings in the fellowship hall at 230 W. Messenger St., Rice Lake, and on Zoom.  THIRD SUNDAY each month is also a time for gathering after service to share in Potluck; bring a dish to pass and enjoy camaraderie and nourishment with members and neighbors. The zoom link is sent to members, and anyone interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

Arthur Thexton, member of the James Reeb UU congregation which he helped to establish in Madison, will be with us at Blue Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship this Sunday October 13^th.  His sermon, “Old Wine in New Bottles” will highlight observances of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and what significance they may have for UU’s.  Thexton promises “This will be an unusual service for us, with adapted ritual and congregational participation in a “UU Liturgy for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur”. 

For those of us merely aware of these high holy days, but with little understanding of their significance, the morning promises to be an enlightening exposure to the practices, their meaning and significance to those  of the Jewish faith.  “What can non-Jews learn from the High Holy Days?”

Thexton attended Meadville/Lombard Theological School, received his M.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 1974, after graduating cum laude from Beloit College in 1972.  He went on to earn a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1977, and served as an Assistant District Attorney in Barron County during the mid-1980’s, before spending the majority of his career in Madison, WI

We invite everyone to be with us for our services, beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday mornings in our fellowship hall, 230 W. Messenger St., Rice Lake, and on Zoom.  All are welcome at Blue Hills UU; the zoom link is sent to members, and anyone interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

We invite everyone to be with us for our services, beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday mornings in our fellowship hall, 230 W. Messenger St., Rice Lake, and on Zoom.  All are welcome at Blue Hills UU; the zoom link is sent to members, and anyone interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

Rev Terry Cummings will celebrate St. Francis of Assisi, the patron Saint of animals and the environment, at Blue Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Sunday October 6^th.  A thirteenth century monk, St Francis founded the Franciscan order which still exists today.  Many faith traditions, including UU’s celebrate St. Francis Day with a blessing of the animals during the service.

We shall follow this tradition in honoring all creatures great and small. Those present in person or on Zoom will be invited to share stories and memories of their favorite animals, and may bring pictures to share –or may bring their pets to the service. Guest speaker Rev. Terry Cummings will offer a blessing to all that are present, in person and in the hearts and minds of members and friends.  Rev. Terry will also share a reflection on the spiritual connection between people and animals in her sermon, “Animals Are People Too.”

We invite everyone to be with us for services, beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday mornings in our fellowship hall, 230 W. Messenger St., Rice Lake, and on Zoom.  All are welcome at Blue Hills UU; the zoom link is sent to members, and anyone interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

What do we know regarding the separation of church and state? Other than that it was meant to be a primal standard in our nation, has that blurred?

Five years ago, the 270-member Beth Adam synagogue of Loveland, Ohio, bearing the standard of “Old to Bold”, placed the issue of separation of church and state at the center of their social justice work.

Beginning with a humanist approach to their mission, it took several years of work and study to create a 45-minute, imaginatively illustrated presentation on the subject, which they have presented in person and via Zoom to more than 25 groups around the country.  We are graced to be able to have their team speaking and interacting with us via Zoom at our own Sunday service, September 29th.

We invite everyone to be with us for our services, beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday mornings in our fellowship hall, 230 W. Messenger St., Rice Lake, and on Zoom.  All are welcome at Blue Hills UU; the zoom link is sent to members, and anyone interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org

Blue Hills Unitarian Universalists will focus study on the “Second Principle” of their faith: “Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations” during the Sunday service of September 22.   The importance of these values in our lives and communities are regarded as bedrock to a functioning society.  

We’ll look to the renowned defense lawyer, Clarence Darrow, to guide our discussion by examining one of his historic cases. Dubbed “the absolute king of trial lawyers”, Clarence Darrow was a powerful and skilled attorney whose work highlighted and enacted much needed legal and social reform. He began as a specialist of labor law, transforming from a corporate lawyer into a civil rights activist who backed the working class and other marginalized populations.  We expect a lively discussion to follow the presentation.

All are invited to be with us on Sundays;  services begin at 10 a.m. in the fellowship hall at 230 W. Messenger St., Rice Lake and on Zoom.  Everyone is welcome to our congregation; the zoom link is sent to members, and all interested may request it by contacting patriciashifferd@gmail.com. https://bluehillsuu.org