Awakening love & justice in our lives & in the world.
Upcoming Sermon
Worthy Later, Worthy Now: Lessons from van Gogh
jo van kuilenburg
Sunday, July 20, 11 am, in person & on Zoom
Vincent van Gogh is, easily, one of the world’s most famous artists. But during his life, society marginalized him for his Madness and mental illness. After his suicide, his family continued to celebrate his art, forever enshrining it in our culture. In this service, we’ll reflect on how Madness can gift us spiritual clarity, and explore the role memory has to play in building a more just world.
Worship Leader Bio: jo van kuilenburg (they/he) is a first generation dutch-english immigrant who feels the Spirit of life in art, history, and the company of others. they are an autistic Mad person who is working towards a world where instability is recognized as a strength. in his free time, you can find him reading newspapers from the 19th century or taking photos of graffiti.
Upcoming Sermon
Circles and Elephants
Brenda (Bren) Crowding
Sunday, July 27, 11 am, in person & on Zoom
Circles and elephants- what could they possibly have in common? As we explore their messages and symbolisms, we will find lessons of strength, interconnectedness, and healing. Join us as we reflect on how circles and elephants can guide us and provide solace in their constancy amidst life’s chaos.
Worship Leader Bio: Brenda (Bren) Crowding (she/hers) has over 35 years of experience working in the criminal justice and human services fields including 20+ years with the state of California as the first queer person and woman to be appointed Deputy Director of the Offices of Internal Affairs and Civil Rights. Bren holds a master’s degree in human services from Lincoln University. She has been an academy instructor, a master trainer, and a presenter/keynote speaker at national conferences throughout her career. Since her “retirement” in 2020, Bren continues to consult and teach on topics including equity, implicit bias, principled policing, vicarious trauma, multigenerational strategic workforces, LGBTQI+ allyship, and…elephants! In her spare time, she works at a substance abuse treatment facility.
Spirituality, Translation, and Taoism: Understanding Over Thousands of Years
Many of the texts we see as foundational to our collective understanding of the world, culture, and faith practices are not native to English, but at one point have been reinterpreted from another language. In this service we’ll explore how Taoism, a philosophical tradition dating back over two-thousand years, can help us think about language, and what it means to truly read and understand what another human has written.
Interested in worshiping with us? Learn more about our Sunday morning services and other spiritual practices.
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Eager to work for social justice in our time? Learn more about how our congregation supports efforts to end mass incarceration, advocate for immigrants and refugees, and more