Rev. Matt Alspaugh is the minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Youngstown.
Winter Solstice is the day when the sun begins to climb back up in the sky, offering more light each day. For many of us, Winter Solstice carries deep sensual hope and anticipation for brighter times to come. We’ll celebrate the day with poetry, song, drumming, and light. We will hold a child dedication ceremony. … Continue reading Solstice – Calling Back the Light
In Dickensian England, the phrase “having expectations” meant you expected to inherit wealth upon the death of a relative. Which seems both crass and morbid to us. But what do we mean by expectation? What happens when we expect too much? Or too little? In this dark time of the year, we explore authentic expectation. … Continue reading Great Expectations and Not-So-Great Expectations
A ‘Letter to the People of the Future’, asks our distant children to remember us… that even in our many failings, remember us for our dreams. What might our dreams be for our descendants, the people of the future? What might we do to begin to realize those dreams? Worship Leader: Matt Alspaugh Worship Associate: … Continue reading Letters to the People of the Future
We’ve learned that gratitude is not merely a feeling that come to you, it is a state that you can consciously create and amplify, even share with others. We will explore some practices, rituals, even games for creating greater gratitude in ourselves and our families. We will continue the conversation during our traditional Thanksgiving dinner, … Continue reading The Gratitude Game
November 2 is All Souls Day on the Christian Calendar, a day of remembering the dead, our relatives, ancestors, and others. In the UU tradition, All Souls reminds us of the Universalist understanding of universal salvation, suggesting the “cloud of witnesses” is not just the faithful, but everyone. We’ll explore these ideas and celebrate All … Continue reading Clouds of Witnesses
The Grim Reaper visits us all. As we approach Day of the Dead, Halloween, All Souls Day, We consider death as the final letting go in life. How do we (or do we even) talk about our own deaths? Do we make choices and plans? How are others involved? Following this service, we will hold … Continue reading I Praise My Destroyer
The July Atlantic Magazine included an article called “The End of Work” (BTW featuring several Youngstown stories) which explored increasing job loss due to technology. If we in America define people though their work, how is this affecting lives and society? What might the future hold? (It might not be pretty.)
We explore recent research on the growing group of people who identify themselves as “Spiritual but Not Religious”, who reject church but claim their own individualized spirituality. We explore how these people align with Unitarian Universalism, and how they might connect with us, even if not in church.
