The light will return: this is the promise of the Winter Solstice. Can we appreciate the sacredness of both the darkness and the light, night and sunlight? What can we learn to appreciate from both of these positions of the sun? Join us as we honor and celebrate the teachings of Winter Solstice.
As Winter approaches, our human imaginations get ignited by an insatiable yearning for joy and life. As the cold approaches, and indoor fireplaces are lit, it is good for us to take the time to recognize the joy that exists, if only we could open to it. What joy awaits us, and what joy has … Continue reading Opening to Joy
December 8 is Bodhi Day: a worldwide honoring and celebration of the Buddha’s awakening under the Bodhi tree. What does it mean to be awake? How can we cultivate awakening into our daily lives during these tumultuous times? Join Linda Scharf, a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner and the leader of our Meditation group at UUYO as … Continue reading Bodhi Day: Celebrating Awakening
We’ve begun to engage the theme of “holding history” in the month of November. “Holding history” is the practice of holding complexity: pain and joy, life itself in our kind awareness. With an awareness of our Indigenous kin, and the awareness of ancestral memories, let us engage this very important question: How can “holding history,” … Continue reading The Last Sweet Bite: A New Thanksgiving
As we participate in our annual pledge drive for 2022, it is good to ask ourselves some basic questions: What are we pledging to do? What pledges/promises are we committing to in our lives? Our church relies 100% on your financial pledges in order to thrive and fulfill its mission as an incubator for transformation, … Continue reading I Pledge
This photograph was taken of a recent Italian immigrant family who were living in a slum along East Federal Street. Bill Lawson, a lecturer from the Mahoning Valley Historical Society mentioned: “They’re still smiling.” Youngstown has often been a destination for people seeking a better quality of life. How did we get to become who … Continue reading Holding History
In multiple cultures, the veil between the living and the dead, the veil between the human and spirit world, is understood to be thin and porous this time of year. Communication is possible. What do we hope to communicate this year to those we’ve loved and who have passed on to the other side of … Continue reading The Veil is Thin
A key to cultivating relationships is the ability to be authentic, honest in the expression of ourselves. Through the process of adaptation to various circumstances it can be tricky to parse out how much of our life is a sincere reflection of our values, and how much is merely adaptation to expectations. How can relationships … Continue reading An Authentic Life
Relationships are complex, even with those we love and get along with. It’s even more complex with those we disagree with both in ideology and behavior. Is peaceful coexistence a mere fantasy, or something that we can live into? Come join us in the process of cultivating relationship.
Youngstown has witnessed an uptick of person-to-person violence in the last few months. There are also policies like gerrymandering that inflict violence on groups of people who need a voice in our community. How can we respond as a community to violence in a way that honors the truth and beauty of who we are … Continue reading The Antidote to Violence
