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Order of Service (Docx, “Word” file)
Susan O’Leary of Madison WI will spend the morning with the Blue Hills UU’s Sunday, August 16^th. to speak on “Kindness in These Times.”  As a member of Madison’s Snow Flower Buddhist Sangha, Ms. O’Leary has practiced in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, and will share with us insight and wisdom acquired through over twenty-five years of practice. 

An author of several books, the most recent “Delight in 1000 Characters,” is co-authored with calligrapher and Buddhist scholar, Kazuaki Tanahashi.   The text addresses the 1000 Character Essay, brushed by monk Zhiyong, which for 1500 years was the standard calligraphy text in East Asia for teaching writing.

As one of the first in a group of women admitted to Yale University as undergraduates, after completing her degree, Susan returned to the Midwest to earn a Ph.D in French at the UW Madison where she & husband Jim continue to make their home and are active in Madison’s diverse culture. 

Be with us Sunday to share Susan’s rich experience;  we meet in cyber space at 10 a.m.  The Zoom link will be sent to members by Saturday, though all interested are invited to participate;  visitors may contact Ken Hood > ken@bluehillsuu.org for the link needed to join the service.

Our own Kent Shifferd is plotting to bring the real dirt on “Dirt” to our Blue Hills UU’s this coming Sunday, August 9^th.  “Dirt”, Dr. Kent tells us “is not only amazing, but is quite literally the ground of our being.”   

We simply refer to the substance as “dirt”, but there is a significant difference between soil, loam and dirt:   dirt is what you get on your clothes and hands while working in the soil.  Soil is “made up of elements that have been decomposing since the earth was created, composed of bedrock and mountain stones broken down over eons by wind and rain.”   Be with us as Kent leads us to discover the importance of this element, and, as he would remind us:  “No dirt /no Us”

     We meet in cyber space at 10 a.m. Sunday.  The Zoom link will be sent to members by Saturday, though all interested are invited to participate;  visitors may contact Ken Hood > ken@bluehillsuu.org for the link needed to join the service.

Recently elected BHUU Board members will meet in regular Board session after the conclusion of the service, 11:00. New officers are Chairman Mark Van Etten, Vice Chair Pat Shifferd, Treasurer Jude Genereaux and members at large: Judy Barisonzi, Valerie Rude, Linda Tollefsrud and Ken Hood. Board meetings are always open to all BHUU members.

Order of Service (PDF)

Yard signs with the message to “SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FARMERS” have popped up along country roads and city byways.   How can we best do this, and what does this message mean to you? Do you have a relationship with a farmer you can ask what the message means to them?  Do you know what they want us to do?  Can we  find ways to learn from and actively support their contributions in our locality?

On Sunday, August 2^nd, Linda Thompson will lead us in thought as we consider how we may best be able to identify local products and gain access to them.  We’ll listen to music, read a story of farming life and perhaps actually hear from local farmers who can suggest ways we can “Support your Local Farmer.”

 The Blue Hills Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship gathers at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning, once again in cyber space through the magic of ZOOM.  The Zoom link will be sent to BHUU members, although all interested are invited to participate.   Visitors may contact Ken Hood > Ken@bluehillsuu.org for the link needed to join in the Zoom service.

Order of Service (PDF)

Blue Hills UU welcomes back Peighton Carter on Sunday, July 26^th.  Carter spoke to our fellowship in 2019 on Veterans’s issues and disabilities, and returns to us via Zoom this weekend.  Having recently completed her ministerial internship at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Eau Claire, Carter continues work towards a Masters in Divinity, concentrating on social justice and ethics as a fourth year seminary student at Iliff School of Theology.    

At our 10:00 service, Carter’s focus will delve into story telling and narrative justice, sharing her journey in combining advocacy work and ministry.  We are invited to discover along with her as she considers “How the sharing of stories and experiences can help inspire change and build a better beloved community.”

Blue Hills UU meets in cyber space at 10 a.m. Sunday mornings; the Zoom link will be sent to members by Saturday, although all interested are invited to participate. Visitors may contact Ken Hood > ken@bluehillsuu.org for the link needed to join the service

Order of Service for July 19
Richard Terrill returns to BHUU along with one of the members of a jazz quartet he plays saxophone with, to bring us a morning of reverence through thought provoking music.  Larry McDonough, of the quartet that goes by his name, will accompany Terrill on piano.  The musical pieces chosen seek to shed new light on our UU spirituality.

An award winning author, Terrill taught in the MFA program at Minnesota State University, Mankato as a Distinguished faculty scholar, retiring in 2017.  Joining talents with McDonough, a law professor at U Minnesota and practicing attorney with a pro bono group, the two will bring us this original work created by Terrill.

We meet again in cyber space next Sunday, July 19^th at 10 a.m.  The Zoom link will be sent to members by Saturday, although all interested are invited to participate;  visitors may contact Ken Hood > ken@bluehillsuu.org for the link needed to join the service.

As we move into the hot Hot HOT of summer 2020, it will be in the cool of our own homes as we gather on ZOOM for our Sunday service. This coming week, Blue Hills UU will once again welcome pastor Dennis Peters to lead us in ritual and share a timely message on Democracy. 

DEMOCRACY.   Peters will challenge us to consider “At what point is our nation no longer a democracy?”  Are we still a democracy when a president threatens military power to quell unrest in our separate states?  What can we do as citizens to preserve our freedoms and keep democracy safe?  How DO we respond in this dangerous era?  And who among us are in the most danger?  

We will consider such provocative questions when we meet again in cyber space next Sunday, July 12^th at 10 a.m.  The Zoom link will be sent to members by Saturday, although all interested are invited to participate;  visitors may contact Ken Hood > ken@bluehillsuu.org for the link needed to join the service.

Moving into July, our post Fourth of July service on the morning after, July 5, will bring the Blue Hills UU’s together in a revival of our Friday night “Coffee House” gatherings.   With a few changes.   First of all, we’ll be meeting at 10 a.m.  Sunday morning.  Most dramatic however, we’ll not be in our church, but in each of our own homes via ZOOM.   

Bring your own coffee – tea – OJ and snacks, but even more important:  be prepared to share your experiences of this summer’s challenges, limits, impressions and hopefully you’ve experienced some joyful times. We might start with: “It’s Summer!” Rather than hosting a guest speaker, the Coffeehouse will feature YOU … there will be time for everyone to chat, so please join in.  Our member Judy Barisonzi will help bring this time together for our enjoyment and edification. 

BHUU continues to meet in cyber space via ZOOM for our morning service, and urges all to take part.  The Zoom link will be sent to members during the week, but everyone is invited to participate;  visitors may contact Ken Hood > ken@bluehillsuu.org for the link needed to join the service.

Order of Service for July 5

(photo by Brian Kelsey)

Sunday’s Blue Hills Unitarian-Universalist service will be led by member Ginny Gelineau, accompanied by friends from the Gelineau’s winter home in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas.  As they became active in immigration issues in this target area, the Gelineaus came into contact with the “Angry Tias and Abuelas of the RGV” – a group of nine women who banded together in June 2018 to focus on family separation and the zero tolerance policies of our government.  The group has been joined by volunteers from all over the U.S. who are helping either in person or in creative ways from a distance.

Two of the members, Beverly Ortiz and Madeleine Sandefur will speak to us LIVE from the Rio Grande, sharing their mission, goals and accomplishments in this challenging arena.   More information and their mission statement can be found at www.angrytiasandabuelas.com.

BHUU will continue to meet in cyber space via ZOOM for our 10:00 Sunday morning services, and urge members as well as guests to take part.  The Zoom link will be sent to members during the week, but all are invited to participate;  visitors may contact Ken Hood > ken@bluehillsuu.org for the link needed to join the service.

As we pause on Father’s Day to tumble memory, remembering our own relationships with our dads, in observance of this special Sunday Pat Shifferd will lead the Blue Hill’s UU’s in exploring the many concepts of “Father” in both our religious and cultural history.  As a sociologist, Pat will challenge us to “Consider the implications of how the legacies of male-dominance have weakened in the present day” and how that may have changed our society.  She will also welcome the fellowship to take time to honor our own fathers.

We continue to meet in cyber space through the gift of ZOOM for our 10:00 Sunday morning service, we urge members as well as guests to take part.  The Zoom link will be sent to members during the week, but everyone is invited to participate;  visitors may contact Ken Hood > ken@bluehillsuu.org for the link needed to join the service.

We’re excited to have Arthur Thexton, well know Unitarian-Universalist speaker and member in the Milwaukee area, return to Rice Lake and the Blue Hills UU Fellowship this coming Sunday, June 14^th.   Arthur’s message will consider the topic of Vulnerability:   “So often we think of vulnerability as an unfortunate situation. We as a nation are vulnerable to an attack, for example. Our job position is vulnerable to layoff. Our computers are vulnerable to viruses. But is vulnerability always a negative?”  

Join us on ZOOM as Mr. Thexton leads the service at 10:00 Sunday morning.  The Zoom link will be sent to members during the week, but everyone is invited to participate; visitors and guests may contact Ken Hood > ken@bluehillsuu.org for the link needed to join the service.