May 15, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, May 15, 11am
Our Coming of Age 9th-10th graders will share their credos in this beloved UU tradition. These teens have worked all year to explore, define, and articulate their spiritual beliefs, what they set their hearts to, and how they can live their values in the world. What does it mean to be a Unitarian Universalist at this moment in their lives? We hope you will come to learn from our youth and honor their journeys in this milestone year of faith development.
May 8, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, May 8, 11am
Rev. Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead Minister
This Sunday we will celebrate those who have mothered us in our lives. If you would like to share a photo of your mother or anyone who has “mothered” you (your dad, aunt, sister, neighbor, etc.) send it to me via email attachment and I’ll add it to the slides for Sunday. minister@uuasheville.org. Below is a photo of four generations, my grandmother, my mother, me, and my daughter, Leslie to encourage you to share your memories.
May 1, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, May 1, 11am
Rev. Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead Minister
There is so much to celebrate! And celebrate we will with music, a UU skit, and a time to recognize our newest members and our wonderful volunteers who make this community beloved.
Apr 24, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, April 24, 2022 11am In person
Rev. Claudia Jimenez, Minister of Fatih Development
Join us for a time to reflect on the Earth that sustains us, grieve the damage we humans have inflicted upon it and recommit ourselves to act collectively for environmental justice.
Apr 17, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, April 17, 2022 11am In person
Rev. Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead Minister
This Easter Sunday, through ritual and story, we will reflect on these questions as they might relate to the theme of hope and resurrection: How did we survive Covid? What did we learn? How did we stay connected?
Apr 11, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, April 10, 2022 11am In person
Dr. Edwin Murillo, Guest Speaker
Dr. Edwin Murillo is the Department Chair of Latin American Studies at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. He has also been a professor at Penn State University-Berks. He received his doctorate in Romance Studies from the University of Miami. Most of his work focuses on Latin American Existentialism and his articles have appeared in Hispanófila, Crítica hispánica, and Hispanic Journal, among many others. His poetry, written in Spanglish and Portuñol, has appeared in various international journals. At UTC, he teaches Latin American studies, Spanish language, composition, and literature courses, as well as creative writing in Spanish. His short-story collection Midnight Vallenato is available through Floricanto Press.
Apr 3, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, April 3, 2022 11am In person
Rev. Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead Minister
Everyday miracles, that can make life worth living, happen all around us in every moment. There’s a wonderful greeting card about the humdrum of life (for those of us that sleep with cats) that says something like, “Some days it’s just not worth taking the cat off your face.” We’ve all had days like that! But then, there are those other days when our eyes are open wide and we can see the beauty in even a blade of grass, or days when we make the time to experience the joy of laughing with a friend, old or new, or taking time out to just have fun!
Mar 27, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, March 27, 2022 11am In-person
Rev. Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead Minister
Making Lao Tzu’s wisdom relevant in our lives and in our dream of a better world.
If there is to be peace in the world, there must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations, there must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities, there must be peace in the neighborhoods.
If there is to be peace in the neighborhoods, there must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home, there must be peace in the heart
Mar 13, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, March 13, 2022 11am In-person
Rev Cathy Harrington and members of the Transition Team
Join us as we outline the next steps in the Interim process that include choosing your Search Team!
Mar 6, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, March 6, 2022 11am In-person
Rev. Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead Minister and members of the Transition Team
We Raise Our Sights is a looking back with gratitude to the remarkable people who recognized the need for the hope and the promise of liberal religion and did something about it.
Feb 27, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, February 27, 2022 11am In-person
YRUU (high school youth group)
The YRUU group (high school youth) will share their original drama of how the Grinch tried to demolish UU-Asheville by unleashing a scourge on our community.
Feb 24, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, March 20, 2022 11am In-person
Guest speaker/singer-songwriter, Lea Morris will lead us in imagining a fantastical future. Send Rev Cathy a sentence or two about your wildest dream for UU Asheville, and Lea will spin your dreams into a song or two!
Lea was born in Baltimore to a father who toured the world playing trumpet in the funk band Black Heat and a mother who dreamed of opera while performing with her siblings in the Jones Family Gospel Singers. Lea was singing on the pulpit of the Baptist church where she grew up as soon she could speak. When she discovered the acoustic guitar as a teenager, she began teaching herself to play by writing songs.
Having shared the stage with luminaries including Odetta, Mavis Staples, Dar Williams and Anthony Hamilton, Leas sound seamlessly blends gospel, jazz, country and R&B into her own style – SoulFolk.
Feb 20, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, February 20, 2022 In-person
Rev. Claudia Jimenez, Minister of Faith Development
What is the promise of Unitarian Universalism? Join Rev. Claudia and worship associate Charlie Marks as we explore how UUism calls us to engage in the world today. How do we avoid despair and maintain hopeful engagement? Thank you to all who submitted haikus for our service.
Feb 6, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, February 6, 11am YouTube
Rev. Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead Minister
This Sunday we will explore the finer points of Mission and Vision. Who were we? Who are we? Who do we want to become? The pandemic has changed many things about our lives, and we have learned a great deal about what truly matters.
Join us as we contemplate and examine not only the mission and vision of UU Asheville, but also how our personal mission and vision intersects with that of the congregation in this time of transition on so many levels.
Jan 30, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, January 30, 2022, 11am YouTube
Rev. Dr. Neal R. Jones, Guest Minister
It takes intention, effort, and practice to be miserable. I’ll give you some proven strategies for perfecting this skill.
Rev. Dr. Neal R. Jones is a psychologist at the Pisgah Institute in Asheville. Born and raised in North Carolina, he earned his B.A. from Wake Forest University, his M.Div. from Southeastern Seminary, and his Psy.D. from Baylor University. He has served as the minister of five congregations in North and South Carolina, Texas, and Pennsylvania, most recently at Main Line Unitarian Church near Philly and at the UU Congregation of Columbia, South Carolina. He also serves as the chair of the national Board of Trustees of Americans United for Separation of Church & State. Rev. Dr. Jones teaches and practices a spirituality of personal wholeness, relational respect, and social justice.
Jan 16, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, January 16, 2022, 11am Zoom
Rev. Claudia Jimenez, Minister of Faith Development
On this day when we honor the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we explore his call to co-create Beloved Community and how it relates to the 8th Principle Project.
“We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”
Dec 26, 2021 | Sermons
Sunday, December 26, 2021 – A prerecorded service led by Rev. Cathy Harrington, with Worship Associate Adam Griffith. The service features a homily by Rev. Susan Frederick Gray, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
As we look ahead to the New Year, we have an opportunity to draw our attention to what sustains us, to draw our attention to the sources of love and care and gratitude in our lives. In her holiday homily on gratitude, Susan Frederick Gray quotes adrienne maree brown, “I have had to soften my grip on a fearful future narrative and return to the humility of the present.”
Dec 24, 2021 | Sermons
Friday, December 24, 2021
5pm YouTube and In-Person
7:45pm In-Person only
Both services will be nearly identical, led by Revs. Harrington and Jiménez:
Vaccinations, masks and registration required to attend in person. The 5pm service will be live streamed on a closed link and can be watched at any time thereafter. To receive the closed link, sign up for worship service emails on our home page.
We gather to mark a night our ancestors have marked for thousands of years. Stories of kindness, generosity, hearts re-opened to love, and the miracle of hope will center our time together. You are invited to be touched by story, by candlelight, by tradition, by ancient rhythms of the soul. Come and share in this timeless celebration of mystery, magic and wonder.
For the 5pm service, music will be provided by Sandra Goodson, vocalist, and Dr. Leslie Downs, Music Director. Click here to register for the 5pm Christmas Eve Service.
For the 7:45pm, there will be a Pre-Service Mini-Concert Followed by an 8pm Service. Music will be provided by Tabitha Judy, soprano, and Dr. Leslie Downs, Music Director. Click here to register for the 7:45pm Christmas Eve Service.
Dec 19, 2021 | Sermons
Sunday, December 19, 2021 11am YouTube and In-person with reservation
Rev. Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead Minister and CUUPS
Solstice is from the Latin sol stetit meaning sun stood still. Carolyn McVickor Edwards explains this in her book, The Return of Light. “For six days in the northern hemisphere’s December, the sun ceases its southernly crawl on the horizon and appears to rise and set in almost the same spot. The ancients watched this quiet drama with drawn breath. Would the sun move again? Would life itself continue?”
Join us as we pay homage to this perennial rhythm of winter solstice with stories and rituals from around the world.
Dec 16, 2021 | Sermons
Sunday, January 9, 2022 11am Youtube and In-Person
Rev. Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead Minister
We experienced a forced slow-down due to Covid-19 lockdowns, and I hoped that people would recognize that slowing our crazy lives down is a better way to live. But it seems we have slipped back into our old habits moving from one peak experience to the next. Our 21st century society is moving at a dizzying pace! How can we reclaim and sustain a healthy balance in our lives?
Dec 12, 2021 | Sermons
Sunday, December 12, 2021 11am YouTube
Rev. Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead Minister and Rev. Claudia Jimenez, Minister of Fatih Development
The temptation these days is to focus on what’s wrong in our world, Cathy and Claudia will invite us to reflect on the many reasons to be hopeful and to choose to joyfully engage the world with curiosity, compassion and love.
Dec 5, 2021 | Sermons
Sunday, December 5, 2021 11am You/Tube
Rev. Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead Minister
As the days grow shorter, we are eager for the solstice when light begins to grow again. Christians observe Advent as waiting for the birth of Jesus, but non-Christians, Agnostics/Theists, Jews, and Humanists can view this time as waiting for the rebirth of love, justice and peace. We are all waiting for the pandemic to end. We are hoping for an end to the discordant in our nation’s politics. In a novel I was reading recently, a Native American elder told the hero who was suffering from despair, “You can continue to walk with despair, but you can choose a different companion.” How about hope or expectant waiting?
Nov 28, 2021 | Sermons
Sunday, November 28, 2021 11am YouTube
Rev. Claudia Jiménez, Minister of Faith Development
Join us for a service of song and gratitude. Even in this weird, seemingly apocalyptic time, there are many opportunities for gratitude.The simple gifts we receive each day: a kind word, a colorful card, a bird at the feeder can bring delight. Come prepared to share the gratitude in your heart that co-exists with sadnesses and challenges in all our lives.
Nov 21, 2021 | Sermons
Sunday, November 21, 2021 11am Live Zoom
Rev. Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead Minister and Universal Rainbow Unity (URU) Members
This service is an opportunity to learn about transgender people and learn how to be an ally and help change the culture, making society a safer for transgender people and for all people (trans or not) who do not conform to conventional gender expectations.
We will take time to observe Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20th (watch the eNews for more information).
Nov 14, 2021 | Sermons
Sunday, November 14, 2021 11am Live Zoom
“To meet the enormous challenges of today and build a more just future, we need big ideas and bold change. We must fundamentally transform the way things are, so that we do not perpetuate systemic inequities and repeat the harms of the past.” Mary Katherine Morn, UUSC President
Guest at Your Table (GAYT) is UUSC’s annual intergenerational program to raise support for and awareness about key human rights issues. Since UUSC works in more than 20 countries, with over 50 grassroots partners, there are thousands of individuals involved in and who benefit from the work that our members make possible.
Nov 7, 2021 | Sermons
Sunday, November 7, 11am Live Zoom
Rev. Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead Minister
UU ministerial students are required to take at least one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), and I took my unit during the summer after my first year of seminary. I spent ten weeks training as a chaplain at a major trauma hospital in Greenville, SC. During this time, I struggled felt inadequate in situations where I was asked to pray with patients. After an intense summer of wrestling with my theology and showing up for people when they needed me, I resolved my difficulty with the meaning of prayer. You might be surprised to hear what I learned that challenging summer.
Oct 31, 2021 | Sermons
Sunday, October 31, 2021 11am Live Zoom
Rev. Claudia Jiménez, Minister of Faith Development
Join us for our annual service to recall loved ones (human and otherwise) who are no longer with us. Please bring a picture or memento for our “All Souls Table” so we may all honor their memory. Weather permitting, we will gather outdoors and stream the service. There will be candle lighting in the sanctuary. After service there will be a Halloween parade, treats (for children and four leggeds) and food for sale by our Coming of Age Youth).
Oct 24, 2021 | Sermons
Sunday, October 24, 2021 11am Zoom
Rev. Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead Minister
The Bible says that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and similar sentiments are reflected in Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. Challenging this belief, Rev Cathy will explain why giving and receiving are equally important and one cannot exist without the other. It is harder to receive than to give, and Cathy will share her own journey of learning this important lesson: : Giving and receiving are parts of the same divine dance that need to be synchronized. To receive a gift graciously is indeed a form of giving.
Oct 17, 2021 | Sermons
Sunday, October 18, 2021 11am Live Zoom
Mariela Perez-Simons, Guest Speaker
Oxytocin, the Nervous System, and the Biology of Love.”
How the practice of devotion can help us heal our nervous systems as well as our ecosystems.
BIO: Rev Mariela is a Cuban-American maestra & minister in the Unitarian Universalist denomination; she currently lives in Grand Rapids, MI from where she teaches about religious naturalism and intimacy with the natural world.
Oct 10, 2021 | Sermons
Sunday, October 10, 2021 11am In-Person and Zoom
Rev. Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead MInister
Animal blessings originate out of the Catholic tradition; however, many Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregations have adopted this practice and have made it a uniquely UU type of blessing. Our seventh principle which states that we are all a part of an interconnected web of existence is the underlying motivation for many of these services.
The entire service will be held outside at UUCA with LIVE music, but it will also be available to watch on Zoom. There will also be a place in the service to commemorate beloved pets who have passed so send a photo with the name of the pet to Cathy at minister@uuasheville.org.
