What could be more Halloween than witches, wizards, scarecrows, and the like? With special music and theater, this week’s all ages service will follow the yellow brick road of Unitarian Universalism, as we learn what it is to grow, love, and serve together.
On All Souls Day we honor our ancestors, name loved ones we have lost, and remember the dead. This special service will include a ritual of remembrance. All who come are invited to bring a photograph or a memento of someone you are remembering for the altar. (Remember to set your clocks back one hour for Daylight Savings!)
Rev. Dr. Gabi Parks joins us to focus on the question of whether it is acceptable to use humor in church. Be ready for a lot of "LOL".
The Reverend Dr. Gabriele Parks came to the United States as a (legal) immigrant from Germany in 1991, with her husband Roger and her then six-year-old twins. Well, the kids are 39 now, and obviously a lot has happened.
Reverend Gabi discovered Unitarian Universalism in Columbia Maryland, where she joined UUCC in 1996. After serving in many volunteer roles at the church, she felt the call to UU ministry, and went to Lancaster Theological Seminary in 2001, where she received her Masters of Divinity after three years. Since then, she has served five congregations all over the United States, as an intentional interim minister; now called transition minister. In 2015, she went back to seminary, this time to Wesley in Washington DC, where she graduated with the Doctor of Ministry in the field of Narrative Theology.
She has served our congregation in York, Pennsylvania, until her retirement in February of 2019. She now serves four cats, her husband, and one rambunctious dog.
Transgender Day of Remembrance – Wednesday November 20, 7 pm at UCWC
Each year our congregation partners with community organizations to host a Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil. We will honor and share the names of transgender people who have lost their lives to violence in the past year, and have an opportunity for conversation and sharing. The vigil will be at UCWC, beginning at 7pm on Wednesday, November 20. Co-sponsors include the LGBT Equality Alliance of Chester County, West Chester University’s Sexuality and Gender Alliance, Arrive Therapy, Free Mom Hugs, and the Trans-Parent Support Group. If you would like to help with the vigil or help provide snacks afterward, please contact Rev. Dan at minister@ucwc.org.
“The Great UU Bread Service” - Rev. Dan Schatz and Cassie Lengel
Ready. Set. Bake! There’s no competition as we gather for one of our favorite services of the year. For this all ages service, we invite all members and friends of our congregation to bring a kind of bread that represents your background or in some way describes you or your family. (Store bought, homemade, and bakery are all fine.) Together we will share the bread and the stories that come with it. Gluten free bread is especially welcome so that everyone can participate in the bread communion.
This special service will be followed by a soup and bread lunch.
For those interested in finding out the latest information on what we can do to quell the national epidemic of gun violence in this country, please contact Tom Buglio by email at gun-safety