By Ann Kuffner
At last, the new “Science of Awe” is proving what we humans have known intuitively, and what we Unitarian Universalists have said explicitly, for decades… Those “direct experiences of transcending mystery and wonder”—named in our First Source—are downright good for our health. Drawing on teachers from Adrienne Maree Brown to Dacher Keltner and Ed Yong, the Reverend Nancy Palmer Jones invites us to expand our sources of wonder and to name the ways that not-knowing helps us to live in uncertain times. What fills you with awe? Join us on March 26 for a chance to learn, share, and enjoy!
In June 2022, after 17 years serving as the Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Church of San Jose, the Reverend Palmer Jones jumped from parish ministry into full-time community organizing as Director of Faith Leader Formation with Santa Clara County PACT (People Acting in Community Together). In addition to “Mistakes and Miracles,” she is the co-editor, with the Reverend Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley, of “Soul Work: Anti-racist Theologies in Dialogue.” Her earlier vocations included professional actor and freelance book editor. Throughout her life and diverse vocations, the unifying thread lies in her experience with the power of story to transform lives and deconstruct oppressive systems. She continues in this work with “steadfastness and joy”—her 2023 Words of the Year.
Unitarian Universalism is a liberal faith inviting its community to gather around a set of harmonizing values and principles for living. Our UU Fellowship welcomes people of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Belief in a divinity is not the central issue around which we gather for worship and generous action. Rather, we come together with a belief in community, love, compassion, social justice, reverence for nature, and the spirituality of music, all within the interconnected web of existence.
UUFSMA donates generously to support nonprofit organizations that provide health, educational, and environmental services for underserved communities in the San Miguel region. Please support this work by clicking on the website home page Donate button.
To participate in our online Sunday Service, visit www.uufsma.org and click on the Zoom Service button on the home page. If requested, enter password: 294513. Sign-in from anywhere Sunday mornings between 10:15am-10:25am CST. Enjoy previous services at https://www.youtube.com/UUFSMA.
In addition to continuing live Zoom services, UUFSMA has returned to in-person Sunday services. Masks are optional, but a distanced area will be reserved for those preferring. UUFSMA meets at the hotel: Posada de la Aldea on Ancha San Antonio 15.
Unitarian Universalist (UU) Fellowship Sunday Service
“Why We Need Awe: Exploring UU Sources of Inspiration”
Reverend Nancy Palmer Jones
Sun., Mar 26, 10:30am
Posada de la Aldea Hotel
Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/414604040
Password: 294513
