chalice with rainbow flame
First Unitarian Universalist Church of Essex County

Calendar Archive 2011-12


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, September 11th, 2011, 10:30 AM -- The Wrathful God of History -- Rev. Darrell Berger

Our Ingathering worship this year happens to fall on the tenth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center. I will try very hard to honor this without allowing the tragedy to consume what is also a very festive traditional celebration for us. We will gather on the lawn, weather permitting, a bit before worship and process into the sanctuary.

Unitarian Transcendentalist Theodore Parker wrote, "I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice. Things refuse to be mismanaged long."'

This is for Unitarian Universalists a statement of faith. My faith has been sorely tried lately. Perhaps yours has been, too.

We will also include the Water Ceremony as part of worship. Please bring a bit of water from your summer travels to add to our community bowl. Of course, water from home is always welcome, too!


tiny rainbow chalice Wednesday, September 14th, 7:30 PM -- Board of Trustees meeting, Sonen Room.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, September 18th, 10:30 AM -- The Hidden Injuries of Class -- Rev. Darrell Berger

This title is entirely stolen from a book by Richard Sennett and Jonathan Cobb in 1972. It clarified for me many of my experiences growing up in a working class area outside Toledo Ohio, with parents who had aspirations for me that took me far away from Ohio and the working class. Though it is seldom discussed, Unitarian Universalism harbors many fugitives from the classes to which they were born. How did we find our way to a UU pew? What can we do to help others find us?


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, September 25th, 2011, 10:30 AM -- Report from GA -- Georgiana Hart

Georgiana will speak on how the General Assembly in Arizona in 2012 will influence our work in the church this coming year. How the Unitarian Universalists in Phoenix will focus on action embracing our immigrants rather than a "business as usual" agenda; how some actions in New Jersey this sum-mer refuted other states repulsion of their immigrant people and how a program of visiting detainees and education can influence our thinking here in Orange. The process of initiating and voting on Actions of Immediate Witness will not be carried out in 2012, but the issues presented this year on strike supporting of grocery workers, fighting racist hearings on the Muslim population and legislating for maximum disclosure of corporations represented much of the work of the GA.

Promoting social action and our Share The Plate program come together this same week when Karen Dinkins of Planned Parenthood will be sharing their needs and aspirations for the community.

The Social & Earth Action Committee will be meeting this Sunday after the service at 12 Noon to discuss upcoming activities and actions which include a discussion on the book The Death of Josseline.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, October 2nd, 2011, 10:30 AM -- How Many More Rivers to Cross? -- Rev. Darrell Berger

Having recently finished Maggie Thompson's memoir, I was amazed at how many "chapters" there have been to her life. The ability to keep changing, and not merely aging, is not easy.


tiny rainbow chalice Wednesday, Octber 5th, 2011 7:30 PM, -- Celebrations & Music Committee meeting, Sonen Room


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, October 9th, 2011, 10:30 AM -- A Saint for the Twenty-first Century -- Rev. Darrell Berger

St. Francis of Assisi is the favorite saint of many UU's, with his love of animals, humility and spiritual growth. I recently discovered a saint who could be called the Saint Francis of the new world: St. Martin de Porres. Learn why this saint is an inspiration to us and to the whole world as it faces the future.


tiny rainbow chalice Saturday, October 15th, 8:00 PM -- Black Maria Film Festival, in the Parish Hall. Admission $10. For more information, including films that may be included, see this press release (MS Word).


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, October 16th, 10:30 AM -- UUism and Mysticism -- Rev. Rosemarie Newberry

Unitarian Universalism is considered a religion for rationalists. How can mysticism be a part of our faith? This service looks at our history with mysticism and how it might fit into our lives today.

Rev. Rosemarie Newberry is an ordained Unitarian Universalist Minister. Currently, she is working as a chaplain at the New Lisbon Developmental Center. She has worked in UU congregations in NJ, Long Island and Cleveland. She is an affiliated community minister at the UU Congregation of Monmouth County in Lincroft, NJ. Rosemarie lives with her two daughters, a cat and a dog - an all female household. She enjoys day hiking and studying German.


tiny rainbow chalice Wednesday, October 19th, 7:30 PM -- Board of Trustees meeting, Sonen Room


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, October 23rd, 10:30 AM -- Pilgrims for Today -- Rev. Ben Tousley

This service will be a lively, participational and moving meditation on the many people such as immigrants, Native and African Americans who have journeyed to America and how we can be pilgrims in our own times. Ben’s longtime musical partner, Sue Kranz, will join Ben on flute and vocals. This service will be intergenerational. (Ben says it will be appropriate for children seven or older--younger than that, he thinks they might be a bit restless.)

A graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Rev. Ben Tousley has brought concerts and services to over 100 UU churches during the past 29 years. His Community Music Programs, which brings programs of songs and stories to schools and libraries, was awarded the Boston Beyond War award in 1989. Among his six albums are his 1997 children’s CD, "Lookin' for a Rainbow," and his recent CD, "Take My Hand." He has also served as a chaplain to college students and the elderly, as hospice bereavement coordinator and as volunteer coordinator for a homeless shelter. He currently teaches part-time at Springfield College School of Human Services in Boston and works part-time as chaplain for Hospice of the North Shore in Danvers.

Sue Kranz is a native New Jerseyan who has been much in demand as a vocalist and instrumentalist in Boston area. A gifted singer-songwriter, she has released three recordings of original songs and covers and has often appeared with the women's singing group Constellations. A world traveler who has collaborated musically from Peru to Nepal, Sue has likewise brought her creative gifts to her classroom as an elementary school teacher for many years in Cambridge and western MA.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, October 30th, 10:30 AM -- American Autumn -- Rev. Allen Wells

The way we personally can adapt to our troubled times and learn to live fully in them is the same as thow our social and economic culture can adjust to the reality of a changed world and transform itself to become sustainable and thrive. It's all about a change in consciousness.

Rev. Allen Wells is Director of Allen Wells Counseling in Morristown, N.J. a holistic mind/body, spirit counseling center, and specializes in the new field of Contemplative Psychotherapy, sometimes referred to as Mindfulness Psychotherapy. He served as minister of UU congregations in Weymouth, Mass., Hollis Queens and at The First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn, and also served as Director of Religious Education for the UU Congregation of Monmouth County and the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship. Most recently he completed a four year term as Consultant Minister of The First Unitarian Society of Rockland County, N.Y. He holds a graduate in counseling from the University of Chicago, and a postgraduate degree in counseling from the Instititue of Religion and Health in N.Y.C. Allen’s life long interest has been in unifying our internal, personal, psychological world, which we commonly call spiritual, and our external political, social, economic, environmental world, which we usually consider material. He defines himself as an earth-centered, Buddhist, UU. You can find him on the picket line or teaching meditation.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, November 6th, 10:30 AM -- Jesus is for Losers -- Rev. Darrell Berger

For years we have seen athletes crossing themselves in the batter's box, pointing to the sky while they trot around the bases, or kneeling on the sidelines in collective prayer before the kickoff. These rituals have been around for over a century, and used to be called "muscular Christianity." This Sunday we will take a look at this interesting and long-lasting phenomenon, and also examine what happens to one's faith when an all-powerful God chooses your team to lose.

A teen group from East Orange Planned Parenthood, our current Share-the-Plate partner, will present a brief sketch after worship in the Parish Hall, live on stage!


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, November 13th, 10:30 AM -- Honoring Your Inherent Worth & Dignity -- Melanie Davis, PhD, CSE

The 1st UU principle affirms the inherent worth and dignity of all people, yet we may neglect to affirm our own. Melanie offers a spiritual framework for using affirmative self-talk that frees listeners to focus less on their flaws and more on serving others.

Melanie Davis, PhD belongs to the UU Congregation of Somerset Hills, where she serves as vice president. Through her firm, Honest Exchange LLC, she provides professional development on sexuality topics for healthcare providers and educators. Through the New Jersey Center for Sexual Wellness, she consults with individuals and couples. Dr. Davis is the Unitarian Universalist Association's OWL Program Associate, she oversees the upcoming revision of the Grades 7-9 sexuality education curriculum. She holds a B.A. in mass communications and a Doctorate in Human Sexuality Education. She is the author of a workbook titled, "Sexuality Talking Points: A Guide toward thoughtful conversations between parents and children."


tiny rainbow chalice Wednesday, November 16th, 7:30 PM, Board of Trustees Meeting, Sonen Room


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, November 20th, 10:30 AM -- Coming Home to Zucotti Park -- Rev. Darrell Berger

Is the next generation of progressive American activists coming of age in a small park near Wall Street? This is Homecoming Sunday for our congregation. Homecoming is by nature a nostalgic enterprise. Seeing young people in peaceful protest against corrupt power is a very nostalgic experience for many of us. Let us not, however, limit ourselves to nostalgia. Here is a homework assignment before this Sunday: get down to Zucotti Park and see what is happening! It's history, man.

This service will be followed by our Homecoming Potluck, at 12 noon in the Parish Hall.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, November 27th, 10:30 AM -- Why We Cry: Tears In The Fabric of Community -- Rev. Phil Passantino

Why do we cry? There are scientific explanations and spiritual explanations. Both point to the same idea: tears are healthy for people and their communities.

Rev. Phil Passantino is an ordained minister who has spoken in UU Fellowships from the Poconos to Ireland. He officiates unique and meaningful weddings, baptisms and funerals for people of all faith backgrounds. He's also a singer who writes UU hymns. His website is http://www.AmazingCeremonies.com.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, December 4th, 10:30 AM -- "That All the World Should be Taxed." -- Rev. Darrell Berger.

This title, taken from the beginning of the Christmas story as told in the Book of Luke, is inspired by the opinion I sometimes hear and read these days, that the problem with taxes is not that the rich pay too little, but that the poor pay too little! I find this a very interesting approach, especially when voiced by Christians. As the holiday season builds, this worship will focus on those aspects of Christianity that sometimes get forgotten among the glitter.

Social & Earth Action committee meeting, 12 Noon, Parish Hall.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, December 11th, 10:30 AM -- Huzzah!!!: The Tale of a Good King -- Darcy Hall

Fast, fun and funny, loaded with music and songs, this program features church members in a Holiday Play about Good King Wenceslas. Inter-active, inter-generational and inter-galactically appealing. Performed by the Willing and Able Theatre Company. Huzzah!!!


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, December 18th, 10:30 AM -- Winter Celebration Service: Honoring Family, Tradition & Community -- Lakesha Groover

Our service will focus on the various holidays traditionally celebrated during the winter season, including but not limited to Kwanzaa and Christmas. This will be an intergenerational service filled with stories and songs, highlighting the importance of family and honoring the our many traditions.


tiny rainbow chalice Wednesday, December 21st, 7:30 PM -- Board of Trustees meeting, Sonen Room.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, December 25th, 10:30 AM -- Christmas Mornings -- Rev. Darrell Berger

Christmas morning has a special flavor to it. This worship remembers Christmases past and reflects on what might make Christmas 2011 memorable


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, January 1st, 2012, 11 AM -- New Year's (Late) Morning Brunch

There will be no formal service this morning. Instead, the Celebrations & Music Committee would like to invite our Members and Friends to a New Years' Morning Potluck Brunch. We ask that a few people bring something to share with five others. Nothing fancy. Coffee, tea and juice will be provided. Brunch will start at 11 AM. Contact Gregory Giacobe at 201-823-2459 or


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, January 8th, 10:30 AM -- The Wheels of Ezekiel -- Rev. Darrell Berger

This Old Testament prophet might be the first person to see, or think he saw, an unidentified flying object. UFO buffs often speak of Ezekiel's vision as the first encounter of the third kind. What did he see, what did he think it meant for his people, and how different is his vision and prophecy from those who look to the skies for visitors today?

After this service, at noon, the book discussion on The Death of Josseline continues,in the Parish Hall.


tiny rainbow chalice Wednesday, January 11th, 7:30 p.m. -- Celebrations & Music Committee meeting, Sonen Room.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, January 15th, 10:30 AM -- The Civil Rights Struggle in 2012 -- Rev. Darrell Berger

Martin Luther King Day tends to be a celebration of the history of the civil rights struggle, but what of its future? Two Unitarians were killed in Selma. What are we putting on the line today?


tiny rainbow chalice Wednesday, January 18th, 7:30 p.m. -- Board of Trustees meeting, Sonen Room.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, January 22nd, 10:30 AM -- Crossing Beale Street -- Frank Holstein

Have there been times in your life when you develop serious doubts about whether your good works and efforts really will bring a better world? Whether our religious principles really can reform society? A few years back, I confronted this exact challenge, and overcame my despair on a business trip to Memphis when I crossed over Beale Street.

Frank Holstein is from the Unitarian Universalist Church at Washington Crossing, NJ, where he was previously Chair of the Worship Associates Committee and member of the Board of Trustees. He is currently a member of the Crossing Chorale and the Membership Committee. Raised in the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, NJ, where he later married his wife Amelia in 1965, both Frank and Amelia were long-time residents of Teaneck, NJ, and for many years attended, with their two children, the Central Unitarian Church in Bergen County before moving to Mercer County. Frank was previously Counsel in the Legal Division of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and a partner in a private practice law firm, and is now retired.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, January 29th, 10:30 AM -- How Doo Wop Brought Harmony to the Street -- Rev. Darrell Berger; pianist Dave Braham, drummer Diego Lopez, bassist Bob Funesti and multi-woodwind specialist Ray Johnston.

This is our annual Jazz worship, featuring Dave Braham, Ray Johnston and their friends. Bring your friends! The sermon will visit the land of Doo Wop, of harmonies heard on the streets of every borough and city in the 1940's and 1950's. We will also discover whatever happened to Run Around Sue.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, February 5th, 10:30 AM -- An Uncertain Recovery, Unrealized Dreams and Unrepentant Hope -- Rev. Cornell Brooks

Rev. Brooks, President and CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, will be preaching about seeking a just economic recovery as well finding the strength to pursue justice when jobs and even hope are in short supply.

The Rev. Brooks, a fourth-generation ordained minister, was honored as a Martin Luther King Scholar at Boston University School of Theology. He later earned a JD from Yale Law School. He currently serves on the Boards of East Orange General Hospital and the NJN/Public Broadcasting Authority. He previously served as senior counsel for the Federal Communications Commission and as a US Department of Justice trial attorney, where he secured at the time the largest government settlement for victims of housing discrimination.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, February 12th, 10:30 AM -- Abraham Lincoln's Religion -- Rev. Darrell Berger

With so much attention being given to the religion of the various Republican candidates for President, I thought it might be of interest to examine the religion of the first Republican president.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, February 19th, 10:30 AM -- The Groundhog as Spiritual Guide -- Rev. Deborah Roth

Prophesy and purification are the recurrent themes of midwinter festivals worldwide. What do we need to sweep out of our inner landscape to make way for the possibilities of Spring? We'll explore the ancient origins of Groundhog Day and its relevance to us in modern times.

Deborah Roth is an Interfaith Minister and Spiritual Life Coach. She is a longtime member of the 4th Universalist Society in New York City where she has convened New Moon and Full Moon SisterCircles for the past 15 years. "Rev Deb" can be reached through http://spiritedliving.com/.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, February 26th, 10:30 AM -- "Dem Dry Bones" -- Rev. Darrell Berger

"Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones" are the lyrics to one of the most enduring gospel songs. To whose bones, exactly, do they refer? Those found in the Book of Ezekiel.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, March 4th, 10:30 AM -- Neither Slave nor Master -- Rev. Darrell Berger

Abraham Lincoln said, "As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master." This is a statement of universal and radical equality, worthy of and implicit in the teachings of the great spiritual teachers of all times. What does this mean for a country that is just now beginning to acknowledge class struggle?


tiny rainbow chalice Wednesday, March 7th, 7:30 PM -- Celebrations & Music Committee meeting, Sonen Room.


tiny rainbow chalice Saturday, March 10th, 5 PM to 9 PM -- Memorial Service for Maggie Thompson

Please join us for a celebration of the Life and Goodness of Maggie Thompson who has left us to go on the Great Safari. Please bring songs, stories, and poems to share, as we wish her well on this new voyage. In lieu of flowers, Maggie has requested that we make contributions to her beloved church.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, March 11th, 10:30 AM -- Prophetic Imagination -- Lara Campbell

We will explore the role of our imagination in the lives of UU women in honor of women's history month. All are invited to ponder the possibility of their own prophetic imagination.

Lara Campbell is a fifth generation Unitarian, raised as a Unitarian Universalist in northern Minnesota. She served as the Director of Religious Education for Community Unitarian Church at White Plains from 2003-2012. Lara holds a MA in Marriage and Family Therapy from Michigan State University and a BA from the University of Minnesota. She is an Our Whole Lives trainer and a Consultant for the UU District of Metro NY. Lara is a candidate for UU ministry and will be graduating in May of this year with a Masters of Divinity from New York Theological Seminary.


tiny rainbow chalice Saturday, March 17th, 7 PM -- Simple Pleasures: social event/mini fund-raiser

Perhaps you have a delicious dish in your freezer that you have been waiting for an opportunity to defrost and share with friends? This is the event you have been waiting for! Also, this evening will feature a Silent Auction. We encourage you to think of auction activities that are local, do-able and fun. Some great things already contributed by members that you will be able to bid on:

Questions/RSVPs/auction items contact or call Darcy at 973-763-5552.

tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, March 18th, 10:30 AM -- Wearing Green on Thursday -- Rev. Darrell Berger

In my high school forty years ago wearing green on Thursday meant that you were "queer." For decades I wondered if this was just something around my school, and how such foolishness got started. It so happens to have originated with the Roman and Christian conquest of Ireland, and the oppression of the native population.


tiny rainbow chalice Wednesday, March 21st, 7:30 PM, Board of Trustees meeting, Sonen Room.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, March 25th, 10:30 AM -- The Universe Story -- Rev. Phil Passantino

What spiritual wisdom can be gained from examining the 13.7 billion-year history of the Universe? Are we the waking universe itself? Phil will give a musical sermon. He'll share songs he wrote that are inspired by the work of Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme, two leading theologians in the quest to integrate science and spirituality.

Phil Passantino is an ordained minister who has spoken in UU Fellowships from the Poconos to Ireland. He officiates unique and meaningful weddings, baptisms and funerals for people of all faith backgrounds. He's also a singer who writes UU hymns. His website is www.AmazingCeremonies.com.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, April 1st, 10:30 AM -- The Last Supper and The First Communion. -- Rev. Darrell Berger

What exactly did Jesus establish at what is known as The Last Supper? Who is included and who is not? Who decides?


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, April 8th, 10:30 AM -- Do I need a Savior? -- Rev. Darrell Berger

A friend recently asked, “What does a savior do, exactly, and why might I need one?” Good question; tough to answer. I’ll try on Easter Sunday.

Brief meeting of Social Action Committee after service to discuss budget request.

tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, April 15th, 10:30 AM -- The Soul of Cyborgs -- Rev. Allen Wells

The Dalai Lama has said that he could be reincarnated into an advanced computer. We human beings will be transitioning through a cyborg existence into a transhuman life form faster than you might believe. Once a Luddite and skeptic, I am now making my peace with this evolution. I see now that every spiritual question we have ever raised is more important than ever. I'd like to take a look at some of these questions before us and consider how we might begin dealing wilth them now.

Rev. Allen Wells is currently Director of Allen Wells Counseling in Morristown, N.J. a holistic mind/body, spirit counseling center that specializes in Contemplative or Mindfulness Psychotherapy. He has served as minister of UU congregations in Weymouth, Mass ., Hollis Queens and at The First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn as well as Director of Religious Education for the UU Congregation of Monmouth County and the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship. He graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in counseling, and earned a postgraduate degree in counseling from the Institute of Religion and Health in NYC. Formerly a therapist of the DiMele Center for Counseling & Psychotherapy in Manhattan, Allen's life long interest has been in unifying the internal, personal, psychological world, commonly called "spiritual", and the external political, social, economic, environmental world, -- the material world. He defines himself as an earthcentered, Buddhist, UU.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, April 22nd, 10:30 AM -- The Rise of the Millennial Feminists. -- Rev. Darrell Berger

The millennial generation is now coming of age, having been born in the 1980’s. Few have identified as “feminists.” I think this might be changing. Our Earth Day celebration will show how this generation might save the earth, or, more precisely, save humanity from itself.


tiny rainbow chaliceWednesday, April 25th, 7:30 p.m., Board of Trustees meeting, Sonen Room.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, April 29th, 10:30 AM -- Setting Ourselves Free: A UU Theology of Liberation -- Jennifer Kelleher

Society can trap us. We are born into systems and structures of which, sometimes, we feel we have no control. How do our Unitarian Universalist values play into our day-to-day lives as we live within these constraints? How do we break free?

Jennifer Kelleher is the Ministerial Intern at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Cherry Hill and a Candidate for the Unitarian Universalist ministry. She began her path to ministry within her home congregation in central New Jersey, where she served as an active lay leader for almost a decade. She has served as chaplain at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She has also worked at Cathedral Kitchen in Camden, NJ, a non-profit organization that provides meals and health services within the community. Prior to professional ministry, she held a career in pharmaceutical marketing and has also worked in public relations and as a television news reporter. She will receive her Masters of Divinity from Meadville Lombard Theological School, a Unitarian Universalist seminary located in Chicago, IL in May. Originally from New England, she was raised in the First Parish Church of Plymouth, Massachusetts, a Unitarian Universalist congregation.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, May 6th, 10:30 AM -- Maypole Dance -- Melanie Axel-Lute & Darcy Hall

Weaving (or unweaving) the tangled history of the maypole and its relationship to UUism in America. Followed by the actual dancing of our maypole.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, May 13th, 10:30 AM -- How I Got Here.

Rev. Darrell Berger will host guest speakers Georgiana Hart, Anne Miller, Greg Giacobe and Bill Slezak as they each tell their story about how they came to Unitarian Universalism and to our congregation.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, May 20th, 10:30 AM -- Exploring Our Connection to Water -- Jim Walsh

Water is all around us, making up over 3/4 of the Earth's surface and nearly 2/3 of our bodies. Despite the prevalence of water and the how important it is for life, it is not often that we stop to think about water and our relationship to it. During this discussion, we will not only explore our relationship to water, but how the utilization of water for profit by the fracking industry, industrial food production and water privateers is changing how we interact with water and what we can do about it.

Jim Walsh is a dedicated political organizer with over ten years experience working in local and national movements to empower communities to work for social, racial and economic justice. Jim currently serves as the Eastern Region Director for Food & Water Watch. In this capacity, Jim is overseeing and implementing a regional strategy to ensure the wellbeing of the public triumphs over private interests who profit from the exploitation of the essential resources of food and water.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, May 27th, 10:30 AM -- Thinking Faith Alive -- Eve Stevens

We Unitarian Universalists dedicate much of our spiritual practice to intellect and reason. We draw from many religious traditions along with personal experiences to feed the never ending growth of our individual and UU faith. This sermon will explore the balance between the irrational, the logical, the projected, and the divine by examining what the field of psychology and its various theories tell us about our spiritual needs, how we interact with the divine and how we form our faith as a result.

Eve Stevens grew up in small town South Carolina as a nearly cradle UU. After studying history in Upstate New York and working as a teacher's aide for Albany City Schools she started at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Eve was recently granted candidate status by the UUA and is pursuing ordination in the UU ministry after graduation in May 2013.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, June 3rd, 10:30 AM -- Children's Festival -- RE Committee

Join us as we wrap-up this year's RE program by celebrating the work and accomplishments of our children. This service will be coordinated by our RE Committee and conducted by our DRE Lakesha Groover. Service will be followed at 11:30 AM by our annual Church Picnic, in the Parish Hall or outdoors if weather permits.


tiny rainbow chalice Sunday, June 10th -- Flower Communion -- Rev. Darrell Berger ,

This worship service will precede our Annual Meeting. We hope the worship service will begin an all congregational conversation about the nature of our ministry in the future, and some concrete steps to realizing it.

Annual Congregational Meeting at 12 noon. with agenda including:

Sunday, June 17th -- Tour of the Yogi Berra Museum -- Rev. Darrell Berger

This is not a worship service, at least not in the usual sense. Darrell auctioned off his special tour of the Yogi Berra Museum, in Little Falls, on the campus of Montclair State University, at our service auction. There is room for more participants. Cost is $20. Meet at the front door of the museum at 12:30. A New Jersey Jackals game starts at 2pm for those who wish to enjoy a ballgame in the afternoon. Batter's up!


tiny rainbow chalice Wednesday, August 22nd, 7:30 PM -- Celebrations & Music Committee meeting, Sonen Room