See COVID protocol below.

Our Sunday Services begin at 10:30 AM ET, unless noted below, and are open to all and are on ZOOM.  So, wherever you are, you’re welcome to attend, observe and, if you feel like it, participate.

Our Service reflects the fact that we are more than a “Church”.  We believe in variety and dialogue vs. preaching.  This is reflected in the diversity of our ministers and having discussion as part of the Service.  The 4th Sundays of the month typically brings speakers from all walks of life and interests.  On the 5th Sunday musicians, from a variety of genres, are invited into our historic, beautiful building.  After all Services you are welcome and encouraged to stay for coffee and socializing in our dining room.

NOTE:  ALL SERVICES AND DISCUSSIONS ARE IN THE BUILDING AND ON THIS ZOOM LINK.  YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT A TRUSTEE (listed in the “Contact” section of this web site) FOR THE LINK.    For details on past talks, see PAST SERVICES (below) and the Newsletter page of this web site.

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APRIL 2024

7^th – Rev. Rev Tanya Adams

14^th – Rev. Kurt Hohmann   “Ripples in the Well”.    Just as the sun nourishes the soil and the rain quenches the thirst of the earth, so too do our actions ripple outwards, shaping the world in ways both seen and unseen.

21^st – Rev. Bud Adams

28^th – Guest Speaker – Jerome Julian.  Jerome is a Chicago educator and a musician.  His talk – “Beyoncé, Beatles, and Blackbird” – will be on Zoom, and via the big screen in the Service area.   Jerome says, “It will be a brief 30 minute talk on rock and roll and race”. (Q & A after).  Beyoncé recently released a country music album, using it as a teaching moment to reclaim the legacy of the little-known black influence on country music. She includes a Beatle song Blackbird on her album as well, and I’ll go into the controversy of Paul McCartney taking perhaps a bit too much credit for his advocacy of civil rights in this country.” 

PAST SERVICES ————————————————————————–

March 2024

3rd –  Rev Andrea Abbot.    Thinking Differently: Many families, beside my own, are affected by autism. This sermon considers some of the issues around autism as well as other conditions that are part of our human neurodiversity.

10th  – Rev Kurt Hohmann.   Awakening to Renewal: The Promise of Ostara.  Earth awakens from her slumber, bursting forth with life. Change is the very essence of existence!

17th  – Rev. Bud Adams

24^th –  Chris Kubenberger.    Camp Bionary and Beyond

31^st –  Music concert by Just Joe.

February 2024

4^th – Rev Tanya Atwood Adams

11th  – Rev Kurt Hohmann.   Bridging Darkness and Light: Embracing Imbolc’s Renewal.  As we leave behind the darkest days of winter and prepare to welcome the coming spring, it is also time to consider which seeds of change we might choose to plant and nourish.

18^th  – Rev. Bud Adams

25th– Rev. David Weissbard.   We are told that Hippocrates, the philosopher/physician of the fifth century before the common era,  said, “That which is used – develops. That which is not used wastes away.”  In modern language that translates to “Use It or Lose It.”  That proverb has a number of applications. For my 176th and final sermon in your pulpit, we’ll be considering some of the applications of that proverb.

January 2024

7th– No Service.  Snowed out  

14th – Rev. Kurt Hohmann.  “A Gift of Love”.  Service will be held in the sanctuary.
January’s Soul Matters theme is Liberating Love. How can something as amorphous as love—a concept that takes many forms, that can shift from day to day, sometimes minute to minute—be liberating? 

21st – Rev. Bud Adams.

28th – Peg Peck.

December 2023

3rd – Rev. David Weissbard.    As I struggle with trying to understand how we have gotten into some of the messes in which we find ourselves, looking back at some sermons from a decade ago, I found one in particular that I believe is still timely and worth an update. This Sunday we will be returning to “The Virtue$ and Vice$ of $elfishne$$.  I trust you will agree that it is, sorry to say, even more relevant today than it was in 2011.

10th – Rev. Kurt Hohmann.    Service will be held downstairs in the dining room.
In this Yule season of short days and long, cold nights, the strength of community brings light and warmth into our lives. Join us once more in the Germanic ceremony of sumbel. Individually and as a community, we will honor our guiding spirits, heroes, ancestors, and one another. You are welcome (but not required) to share a poem, a story, a song, a reading…and perhaps a promise for the coming year. Blessed Yule!

17th – Rev. Bud Adams

24^th – Rev Andrea Abbott

November 2023

5th– Rev. David Weissbard.    It is risky committing to preaching on an active subject.  There is so much being printed about the Gaza war that it both hard to ignore the moral issues and simultaneously hard to know where to go with it.  But the thing about a UU pulpit is a congregation has the expectation that we will not duck the hard ones. So, while reserving the right to change the subject if I can’t get it together, I am intending on asking sermonicly, “Which Side Are You On?” 

12th – Rev. Kurt Hohmann.  Reflections: Celebrating Life’s Journey

19th – Rev. Bud Adams

26^th – Geraldine Gorman, RN PhD, Clinical Professor, Clinical Practice, College of Nursing, University of Illinois Chicago.   ““What Hospice Teaches Us About Nonviolence”.   Gerry is in Chicago, thus she will be on Zoom and on the big screen at 1st U.

October 2023

10/1 – Rev. David Weissbard    “Optimism in a Time of Despair”

10/8  – Rev. Bud Adams

10/15 – Rev. Kurt Hohmann.   “Samhain: Trick or Treat“.
The season of jack o’lanterns, spooky scenes, and trick-or-treaters is upon us once more. Do we ever outgrow the desire to hide ourselves behind costumes and makeup and masks?

10/22 – Music with Winfield Ihlow

10/29  – Rev. Andrea Abbott.    Celebrate Halloween

September 2023

9/3 – Rev. David Weissbard.

Monday will be Labor Day.  One of the sad things about human nature is our tendency to set aside special days to celebrate something important, and before long, to forget what the purpose of that celebration was.  How often have you thought about why Congress voted in 1894 to set aside Labor Day as a holiday?  My title for Sunday’s sermon, “The Perishing Class: 2023.”

9/10 – Rev. Kurt Hohmann

Mabon: Restoring the Balance.  Just as the Autumn Equinox represents a time of balance between light and dark, so too can we find ways to find our own balance in a world of turmoil, and recognize the darkness as a canvas for the light to shine more brilliantly.

9/17 – Rev Bud Adams

9/24 – Jennifer Bittner, vetranerian, and naturalists.    “An Introduction to Honeybees”

August 2023.

8/6 – Rev. David Weissbard.  “Another Day that will Live in Infamy.”  This week I went to see the spectacular film, Oppenheimer.  It’s long (3 hours) but it is very well done.  It is, of course, about the “father of the Atomic Bomb.”  By coincidence, Sunday is the anniversary of the dropping of that bomb on the residents of Hiroshima.  How could I not address that?

8/13 – Rev. Kurt Hohmann.  “Lughnassad: A Celebration of Sharing”.  In Gaelic myth, Lugh shares his mastery of many skills, and teaches us the importance of lifelong learning and embracing the diversity of talents and abilities, within ourselves and others. As we enjoy the first fruits of Earth’s bountiful harvest, we are reminded to share with the greater community the fruits of our own labor.

8/20 –  Rev Bud Adams.

8/27  –  Speaker Jody Brown – “Losing Someone: The Price of Love is Grief”.

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July was TNT Month!   Tunes and Talk.  We gave our ministers a summer break, so on the 1^st, 3^rd, and 5^th Sundays there were Tunes – a variety of genre – provided by outstanding local and national musicians.  On the 2^nd and 4^th Sundays there was Talk – speakers who enlightened us on topics that held our interest.  

7/2, 10:30 AM:  Tunes – Bob Raymonda – guitarist, vocalists, song writer and Pete Nagurney – guitarist.     Play list.  Youtube. 

7/9, 10:30 AM:  Talk –   Julia Ganson – SU PhD,  world traveler, activists for justice and peace.  She spoke about her Fulbright experience in Palestine.  “Living Under Military Occupation: A Year in Palestine”.

7/16, 10:30 AM:  Tunes –  Tom Neilson – guitarist, singer, song writer – and Lynn Waldron – Singer.  Tom and Lynn are based in MA and were on 1st U’s big screen TV via the regular Sunday Zoom link.  

7/23, 10:30 AM:  Talk – Open discussion of what “home” means to each of us. 

7/30, 10:00 AM:  Tunes – Michael Damani, an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and vocalists based in Chicago, performed via Zoom on 1st U’s big screen TV via the regular Sunday Zoom link. 

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June 4th- Rev. Kurt Hohmann   “Embracing the Gift of Delight“.  Delight is an everyday gift, a reminder that life is meant to be enjoyed, and that we should always be seeking out those things that bring us happiness.

June 11th – Rev. David Weissbard.  Pride Month.

June 18th – Rev Bud Adams

June 25th – Jody Brown.  “The Spiritual Journey of Harold and His Purple Crayon”

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May 7th – Rev. David Weissbard   “Drawing Larger Circles”.  I have mentioned more than once over the years that I believe that religion, at its best but sadly not always, is about encouraging people to “draw larger circles.”

May 14th- Rev. Kurt Hohmann

“Celebrating the Creative Spark”.  Creativity is a powerful force, nothing short of magic.  It flows throughout all of nature and each of us, connecting us to spirit and the deeper truths of our souls.

May 21^st – Rev Bud Adams

May 28th – Ralph Singh.  Author, Educator, Story Teller and Community Builder 

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April 2nd- Rev. David Weissbard

“Sumbunall”.  They say that ministers tend to preach sermons that they most need to hear. I know that is true of me.  Twelve years ago I delivered a sermon that I believe bears repeating — at least, I need reminding of its message.  I dare say I believe many of us can use a reminder of it from time to time. I hope you will agree.

April 9th – Rev. Kurt Hohmann

“Chocolate Hares & Colored Eggs – A Season of Hope.” Can the contents of an Easter basket contribute to a greater sense of hope, optimism, and positivity?

April 16h – Rev Bud Adams

April 23rd – Ron VanNorstrand – Retired Civil Rights Lawyer, Military Veteran, Peace Activists.  “Afghan Youth Voices: If We Had Only Listened”.

April 30th – Music service Stephen Mullane – Singer & Songwriter.   StephenMullaneMusic.com               Music concert featuring singer, song writer and poet Stephen Mullane.  Stephen is also on Facebook at Stephen Mullane Music.   This event is free and open to all.  Brighten your Sunday morning with great music from a great guy!   (In building and on Zoom.  See above for the link.)

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March 5th- Rev. David Weissbard

“Selma Is Sacred Ground” That’s the heading on an open letter to President Biden and the Members of Congress from Bishop William Barber, co-chair of the Poor Peoples Campaign, and others.  I have added my signature to that letter which was issued as a call to remember and act in response to the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965.  As UU’s we are called to “Affirm and Promote: Justice, Equity, and Compassion in human relations.” March 5th being the Sunday closest to the anniversary, we will be looking at the history of Bloody Sunday, our UU involvement in its aftermath, and the responsibility that history lays on us.

March 12th – Rev. Kurt Hohmann
Celebrating Eostre: the Rebirth of Spring

March 19^th – Rev Bud Adams

March 26th – Peg Peck.  Peg will speak on “Vulnerability – Living and Protecting the Memory of Those Who Have Gone Before Us”.  Peg is a retired teacher, educational researcher, writer and musician.  She says her favorite title is Gramma.

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February 5th- Rev. David Weissbard   The Day I Almost Stood Up for Jesus.

February 12th – Rev. Kurt Hohmann.   Power of Love.

In this season of red roses and hearts that accompany Valentine’s Day, it can be easy to pigeonhole this thing we call love. Yet Gandhi said, “Where there is love there is life,” and the Affirmation of Faith at this church begins with Love – on a wider and more powerful scale. Certainly there is much more to this force of nature!  Read the full talk.

February 19th– Rev. Bud Adams

February 26th – Briteny Alton – Oswego Children’s Advocacy Center

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January 1st – Rev. David Weissbard,  “Searching for the Meaning of Life.”  

January 8th – Rev. Kurt Hohmann. Ground and Center: Finding Your Inner Soul.  Grounding is reinforcing our connection to the Earth. Centering is reinforcing our connection to ourselves. 

January 15th – Rev. Bud Adams

January 22nd – Lucy Stieber leads a discussion “Finding Your Center”.  This will be in the lower level of the building and on Zoom.

January 29th – Music concert featuring singer, song writer and poet Stephen Mullane.  Stephen is on Facebook at Stephen Mullane Music.   This event is free and open to all.  Brighten your Sunday morning with great music from a great guy!   (In building and on Zoom.  See above for the link.)

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2022

December 4th – Rev. David Weissbard. “The Empty Creche”.  Who’s behind the supposed war on Christmas?

December 11th – Rev. Kurt Hohmann  “Yuletide Community”.  We will pay honor to our guiding spirits, heroes, ancestors, and each other.  This service will be held in the lower level to facilitate involvement.

December 18th– Rev. Bud Adams

December 24^th – Rev.  Andrea Abbott

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November 6th – Rev. David Weissbard.  “ The Lesse Vessel?”   

November 13th – Rev. Kurt Hohmann.  “Change of Season, Season of Change”

November 20th– Rev. Bud Adams

November 27^th – Juliette Forshaw & Mike Judge.  SUNY Oswego Musicians

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October 2nd – Rev. David Weissbard – “High Holy Days and Us”

October 9th – Rev. Kurt Hohmann  “Finding Courage through the Samhain “Season.”

October 16th – Rev. Bud Adams

October 23^rd – Peg Peck

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September 4th – Rev. David Weissbard.   “Hate: The Threat to Democracy.” (See Newsletter for details)

September 11th – Rev. Kurt Hohmann.    “Finding the Places We Belong”

September 18th– Rev. Bud Adams.   “The Drive to Belong: The Hidden Costs”

September 25th– Erin Barry.   “Belonging”

June 12th – Peg Peck

March 6th – Rev. David Weissbard

March 13^th – ARNY Stieber – Soul Matters  (See the March Newsletter for more information)

March 20th – Rev. Bud Adams

March 27th  – Rev Andrea Abbott – Dedications  (See the March Newsletter for more information) 

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Feb 6th – Rev. David Weissbard – “Chronologically Gifted (or Cursed)”

Feb 13^th  – Peg Peck – Black History Month & Soul Matters -Widening the Circle

Feb 20th – Rev. Bud Adams

Feb 27th –  Erin Barry – “Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable”

COVID PROTOCOL

Please observe the following:

• If you don’t feel well, please do not come.
• All people are encouraged to wear a mask while inside our building no matter your vaccination status. Masks are available for your use if you forget yours.
• All people are encouraged to continue to use hand sanitizer.
• Groups using the building are encourged to use these same protocols plus their group’s protocols. 
• If you come down with COVID-19 after attending a service or gathering, please contact Trustee Nancy Hallock at (315) 533-7067 or at njhallock@gmail.com.