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I used to be friends with Jesus when I was a child, at least in the way my church had taught me to be. Over the years we drifted apart. Like many of us who have reconnected with old friends on Facebook, it feels like I have become reacquainted with Jesus through the ideas of Paul Knitter and Marcus Borg. Is it possible that we might be friends again?
Karon Sandberg
Having a single afternoon service allows us a rare opportunity to experience our community all together in one room. Roger’s and Dottie’s sermon will focus on a poem by Rumi with the theme of “What do you think will happen?” and explore exciting possibilities of what might happen at the Fellowship in the coming months and years.
Revs. Bertschausen & Mathews
Unitarian Universalist congregations in the states find the pews filled with mostly white, middle class, well educated folks. My trip to the Philippines to visit our partnership church in Banaybanay showed me that our liberal and accepting theology resonates with the poorest of the poor and those with little education. Share in learning more about our partnership church and how they can teach us how to welcome more diversity in our Fellowship here.
Karon Sandberg
Our lives are filled with events and exchanges that cause us to hold on to hurts and transgressions caused by ourselves or others in our lives. Studies show that the chemical makeup of our mind and body actually shift when we are able to come to a place of forgiveness. What is this about? Who is actually served when forgiveness is offered? We will explore the benefits and struggles of inviting forgiveness into our lives.
Karon Sandberg
A panel will join us in sharing their personal stories of adoption. A variety of different perspectives from the triad of adoption—the birth parents, adoptive parents and adoptees—will be shared. This service recognizes that November is National Adoption Month and that adoption has touched a great many families in our Fellowship—including ours!
Rev. Roger Bertschausen & Bridget Kramer
World religions live in part via holy real estate, whether Chartres or the Himalayas, in Mecca or in the Black Hills. And live in rituals, whether millions going to the Hajj, or holding candles at midnight 12/24, or joining each week in a host of weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, memorial services, dedications, christenings. Yet for all of this that is seen clearly, spiritual power and its influences are largely unseen. And they are the basis and a first cause for all those religions. And inform the heart of science. And drive the pulse of healing. And reside in family and community. And deserve honor by our best reflections and richest metaphors. So this service will consider the wonders unseen underground, and how what is above ground grows, and how patterns have power to enrich and embrace.
Mark Marnocha
We will take a look back at this year of examining Big Questions and reflect on what we've learned through the year.
Revs. Bertschausen and Mathews
Society tells us that the winter holiday time is meant to be joyful for everyone. Many of us, however, are aware that the holidays can be anything but a time of celebration. Join us as we explore the "space between" to find peace and, perhaps, joy as the world bustles around us.
Jenny Straight
Some pundits say that every minister has only one good sermon in them - which they just recycle and recycle and recycle using different words and titles. As my time as your second minister draws to a close, I thought it might be interesting to think about what my one sermon has been. What is it I've been trying to say all this time?
Rev. Dottie Mathews
We Unitarian Universalists view ourselves as liberal, open folks who are consistently welcoming of diversity....at least that is our goal. The plain truth is that there are times when it is difficult to find that "soft place" of compassion when dealing with people who hold dramatically different views of faith and religion. What does it mean to be genuinely welcoming of religious diversity here and out in the world?
Rev. Dottie Mathews
"Ethical Eating: Food and Environmental Justice" was chosen at the 2008 General Assembly to be a 2008-2012 Congregational Study/Action Issue of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. Trish Kirk will introduce this CSAI and discuss the social and environmental consequences of our food
choices in her sermon 'Ethical Eating: Compassionate Choices.
Trish Kirk
Many spiritual paths lift up the possibility of "living spaciously"—that is, of living in an unhurried, thoughtful way that is full of heart and connectedness. I'll explore what living spaciously might mean, especially in our fast-paced and busy lives, and how go about cultivating a spirit of spaciousness.
Rev. Roger Bertschausen
When all you can do is pull out your hair: Facing life’s challenges with purpose and humor
09/20/2009
Former U.S. Attorney and Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager candidly speaks of her life's
twists and turns, describing her strategies for moving forward despite the challenges that have confronted
her and missteps she has made. She describes how family, friends, community, and a sense of purpose in
her work, afforded her the opportunity to move past challenges and view the future with optimism. Lautenschlager, an attorney for 29 years, now practices with a Madison law firm. She is married and the parent of three children and two step-children. Lautenschlager and her two sons, Joshua and Ryan, were, for several years, regular attendees of our Fellowship. FVUUF member Prerna Kvalvik is the favorite aunt of Peg's sons.
Peg Lautenschlager
The crisis in Darfur can seem like one of several world issues that is difficult to sort out and impossible to impact in a meaningful way. Dottie is joined by Helen Powling (one of our Senior High youth) in sharing information, hope, and opportunities for this Fellowship to make a difference there.
Rev. Dottie Mathews & Helen Powling
This sermon continues a 200 year-old tradition of UU ministers commenting on deeper issues and themes underlying election campaigns in a non-partisan way. In this election cycle, the Tea Party has loomed large. Why? And what does it mean?
Rev. Roger Bertschausen
Rev. Joseph Ellwanger is a retired ELCA Pastor who served an urban parish in the African
American Community in Birmingham, Alabama, 1958-67, and a central city congregation in
Milwaukee, 1967-2002. His organizing experience includes participation in the civil right
movement in Birmingham and Selma, Alabama, in 1963 and 1965, and various roles social justice groups in Milwaukee,1988-2002. Since Joe’s retirement from parish ministry, he has been serving as an organizer with interfaith social justice groups. Locally, Joe works with Fox Valley’s ESTHER group and he is a campaign organizer working especially on the statewide issue of Treatment Instead of Prison (TIP).
Rev. Joseph Ellwanger
We’ll celebrate the start of the new Fellowship year with our annual “Mingling of the Waters” ceremony.
Everyone is invited to bring water from your summer adventures near and far to share during the ceremony. Weather cooperating, the service will take place in front of our building by the "Welcoming Waters" pond.
Rev. Roger Bertschausen and the Rev. Dottie Mathews
I’ll pick up the baton from Dottie as we continue our February Big Question focus on the soul and the afterlife. My sermon will explore several different visions of what might happen after we die. Ultimately I think that any view of the afterlife probably says more about life in the here and now than about that mystery of what happens after we die.
Rev. Roger Bertschausen
Joseph Priestley is an important and fascinating person in our pantheon of UU spiritual ancestors.
In addition to helping found Unitarianism first in England, and then in the United States when he fled here after his home was burned by an angry mob in 1791, Priestley was also famous
as a pioneering scientist and an outspoken political dissenter. His contribution to our faith continues to help light our way, two hundred years later.
Rev. Roger Bertschausen
Abortion, gay marriage, gun control, the legalization of some drugs, affirmative action—these and other hot button issues continue to threaten to rip apart the fabric of our society. Is it
possible to find common ground on some of these issues? Is it desirable? What might some of this common ground look like?
Rev. Roger Bertschausen
Our beliefs influence how we live our lives on a daily basis. For many of us this can be challenged by our ever insistent culture, our vast responsibilities, or simply feeling overwhelmed and lulled in to inertia. How can regular spiritual practice keep our beliefs and convictions in the forefront of our decision making process? We will explore what gets in the way of this important piece of our spiritual journey and look at how spiritual practices can influence our lives and be a pathway to walking our talk.
Karon Sandberg
Margaret Fuller, that is, one of my favorite Unitarians. Don't be put off by the fact that she was born in 1810 - - she was way ahead of her time -- I hope to make her come alive this morning. Margaret believed that life should be lived to the fullest and she acted accordingly, despite social constraints and what other people thought she should be doing. The Rev. Ingham is the Minister of Prairie Lakes UU Fellowship in Ripon and the Green Bay Area UU Fellowship.
Rev. Sandra Ingham
With Roger's twentieth anniversary here and Dottie’s finishing her fifth year and preparing to leave the Fellowship for the Goodwill chaplaincy, this feels like the perfect time for us to reflect together on what we’ve learned at the Fellowship—lessons about the ministry, the spiritual journey, and life.
Rev. Roger Bertschausen and the Rev. Dottie Mathews
I’ll continue our focus on the afterlife by sharing my latest take on what happens after we die.
Rev. Roger Bertschausen
Many say that our souls hold our "essential self" -- that part of us that connects with the ethereal eternity. Others say there is no such thing - that what we see as our essential self is
merely an accumulation of interacting chemicals in our brains that came into existence during and following our gestation and end when our life ceases. What do you think -- a
piece of the Infinite? Or merely brain chemistry?
Rev. Dottie Mathews
in more depth than is possible within our regular service. This is a chance to learn ever more about our diversity, as well as the connections that bind us together. This year's panel will be: Travis Britzke, a 'recently joined' UU; Ed Calhan, a UU Humanist for many years; Maryanne Marx (Adhimoksha), a Buddhist teacher, UU; and Renee Taylor, a Follower of Tao, UU.
Margaret Alexander
Over the years, the world of UU International Partnerships has been ever growing and expanding. Come and learn about the directions we are heading now and the promise that lies ahead with our exciting new programs and collaborations. Lee Boeke Burke, Outreach Coordinator for the UU Partner Church Council (PCC), will present this service with both a PCC overview and a special focus on the UUs of the Philippines!
Lee Boeke Burke
This will be a reprise of the sermon I did for our newly dedicated partner church in Deva, Transylvania, last November. The sermon is an exploration of how to love one another within a
congregation and beyond our walls as we contemplate our ten-year-old partnership with our Deva brothers and sisters.
Rev. Roger Bertschausen
When soldiers go off to war, they leave behind loved ones. Their experience on the home front is challenging in different ways from the soldiers on the battlefield. We’ll hear a panel of members who
will share their personal experiences on the home front. The service will also include music performed by Doug Wheeler.
FVUUF Panel of Members
Karon Sandberg shares her journey on a Global Justice Trip to Guatemala and how, even in the midst of crippling oppression, hope and peace are found in the divine spirit of the children.
Karon is in Seminary preparing for the Unitarian Universalist ministry and is being sponsored by the Fellowship.
Karon Sandberg
Pondering the astonishingly vast cosmos - and imagining the possible multi-verses beyond – might make us feel struck to our core with awe and wonder – and, at the same time, entirely inconsequential within the context of this colossal, unfathomable system. Given what science knows about the expanse of time and space, do our little lives matter? Let's explore this, another in our ongoing series of Big Questions, together.
Rev. Dottie Mathews
B Alford and Erik Leveille explore how Music, Poetry, particularly by Rumi, and Nature help them make sense of the world and be able to live more authentically and connected to a compassionate heart. B has been a singer songwriter since the age of thirteen. Erik plays violin with the Fox Valley Symphony and numerous other regional symphonies.
B Alford / Erik Leveille
We are often reminded that in order to understand the experience of another, we need to "walk a mile in their shoes." In this service, we will journey with those who deal with poverty every
single day of their lives. Importantly, this is also the weekend of the Fox Valley CROP Walk, which offers us an opportunity to show our care for those whose most basic needs are in doubt.
Please join us for this weighty and meaningful conversation
Rev. Dottie Mathews
A sermon raising awareness of domestic violence/partner abuse in the LGBT community by the Rev. Dottie Mathews. This message will also examine the tendency toward violence in society and within each of us.
Rev. Dottie Mathews
A summer of inflation, rising gas prices, apparently quickening global warming impact, food shortages and riots, a war between Russia and Georgia and the return of some of the old Cold War angst, and a gunman opening fire in a UU service. Is the world going to hell? How can we make sense out of all of this?
Rev. Roger Bertschausen
Approximately 70 FVUUF members and friends are finding deeper connections in our community and exploring their spiritual journeys through their Covenant Group. Find out how this is happening as some Covenant Group members share their experience and discover if this may be an option in your life.
Our Covenant Groups
Acknowledging that there is a diversity of political opinions within the Fellowship about the proposed laws at the focal point of the controversy gripping Wisconsin, I will step back and look at the situation through a spiritual lens. How did we get to this point? Where do we go from here? What are the lessons we might learn?
Rev. Roger Bertschausen
This sermon title is from a verse of “Enter, Rejoice and Come In.” As the Fellowship continues to grow, the changes keep on coming. We can especially see that in our building
campaign, our re-envisioned Wellspring and social justice ministries, changes in our worship life, and my upcoming sabbatical. I’ll reflect on change, where the Fellowship is headed, and where I am after twenty years of ministry with you.
Rev. Roger Bertschausen
Religion may provide guidebooks, but none of them prepare us for the journey. A vacation with one's eyes locked in the index of the travel guide promises little enthusiasm and less enlightenment. So how shall we be mindful, move toward spiritual growth, and facilitate healing? How shall we greet and join our fellow pilgrims? It will likely occur though the intercession of GOD - the Good Orderly Direction upon which AA is built. Guides for that Direction appear also in the more salutary forms of spiritual practice as delineated by psychological research, and within the sacred directions upon the Earth and Sky. This presentation will pull together strands of 12-Step philosophy for change, the research of psychologists such as Ken Pargament, and the wisdom of the Medicine Wheel.
Mark Marnocha
The Rev. Drew Kennedy has been the senior minister of the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee since 1986. During this tenure his congregation has been one of the fastest growing UU congregations in the country. His sermon will be about the spiritual “soul-work,” if you will, of finding ways to bless our pain and to somehow transform the struggles of our lives into wisdom, which arguably is a perennial spiritual challenge.
Rev. Drew Kennedy
The Rev. Paul Beckel has been an annual guest in our pulpit since he became the minister of the First
Universalist Unitarian Church of Wausau in 2001. He writes about his sermon, "Religion is in many ways
like language, and being multi-lingual is no easy task. So appreciating another person's religious perspective
may require extra effort on literal, poetic, and cultural levels. But this effort pays off when we find that our
different words -- and our other diverse ways of expressing ourselves -- need not divide us."
Rev. Paul Beckel
Justine Urbikas is the Unitarian Universalist Association Trustee for the Central Midwest District. As the first UUA Trustee who is a young adult, her election last year made history. She writes about her sermon: “We each individually generally know for what it is we strive, for what change we would like to be in the world. Our congregations, area clusters, regions, Districts, neighboring Districts, up to the UUA have individual - and collective - visions. These change and become broader as each target area becomes larger and larger with more constituents to please, and more varying viewpoints of what it is we are specifically working towards. And yes, the principles do unite us, as do so many other things we UUs commit ourselves to. But what measurable things are we striving for on our different levels? As the UUA embarks on the next steps of working under policy governance- developing our ends statements (end goals) - what is your agenda? What do you think the UUA should be striving to be and do?”
Justine Urbikas
Hospice Chaplain Karon Sandberg explores the universal connection we experience when we are truly listening to one another.
Karon Sandberg
Do you have a vision for your life? Where do we look for our vision? Carl Jung wrote, "Your vision
will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens." Let’s look inside our own hearts, and into the heart of our congregation today as FVUUF celebrates the installation of The Rev. Dottie Mathews as Associate Minister, and the vision she brings to our shared life. The Rev. Suzelle Lynch has served as minister to Unitarian Universalist Church West in Brookfield, Wisconsin since 2003. She previously served as minister to the Kitsap UU Fellowship in Washington State, and is a lifelong UU.
Rev. Suzelle Lynch
What’s on your mind? Are there questions you have about the spiritual journey, theology, ethics, the Fellowship, life in general, or a thousand other things? This is your chance to ask! Your questions will be the focus of my sermon. Because I won’t see your questions in advance, spontaneity rather than well thought-out answers are the order of the day. It’s a lot of fun! So,
come with your questions!!
Rev. Roger Bertschausen
The Pursuit of Happiness. We all want it. Many eternally "chase" it. Recognizing the joys within us and determining how to tap into that happiness can be a bit like trying to hold onto water, OR...it can be a natural state.
Cyndi Graham
As we kickoff the capital campaign to help make Fox Valley a larger and more welcoming space, we will reflect on how and why giving generously to our religious community helps us grow as well. The Rev. Don Southworth is the acting Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association and is one of the most powerful and compelling preachers in our movement.
Rev. Don Southworth
We come, as Unitarian Universalists, from a long, proud line of heretics and blasphemers, people whoʹve said no to orthodoxy, hypocrisy, oppression. But to what do we say yes? In what do we place our faith? What do we love, and live for, live by? The Rev. Safford has been Minister of White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church since 1999, following a ten-year ministry at Northampton, Massachusetts. She is widely regarded as one of the premier
preachers in Unitarian Universalism today; both Roger and Dottie would put her right up at the top of their lists.
Rev. Victoria Safford
In true UU fashion, I believe the answer depends on your world view. How does someone answer this question if they believe in a strong code of ethics? What if someone feels the path of
history ultimately leads to peace and harmony or chaos and ruin? What if someone views the universe as amoral and without a grand plan? How would you answer this question? Is there a
universal answer?
Jim Coakley
The Project Promise Poverty Coalition has the bold goal of eliminating poverty in the Fox Valley. Several leaders of the Coalition will share the history of Project Promise, the Coalition’s mission and structure, and how people can get involved to end poverty in the Fox Valley.
Debra Cronmiller
