unitarianfellowshipregina

The Injustice of War

Presenter: Joe Thauberger
In all wars, each side believes the other to be the aggressor. Each side is fighting a war of defence. We are always in the right, and the other side is always in the wrong. We are always the good guys, and those on the other side are the monsters. Yet, in all wars, governments lie and deceive in many ways. There are no “good wars”. And, it is often the justification of previous wars that leads us to engage in new wars.

INTERSPIRITUAL COMPETENCE

Presenter: Andrew Quackenbush


What is interspiritual competence? We will consider the usefulness of spiritual self-assessment and the value and pitfalls of adapting our spirituality to the practices of others.

Famous Unitarians - Susan B. Anthony

Presenter: Heather Lau

Susan Brownell Anthony (1820-1906) was an American social reformer and feminist who played an important role in the women’s suffrage movement. She was raised a Quaker, but after her family began attending the First Unitarian Church of Rochester, New York in the mid-1800s, Anthony joined them, and remained a Unitarian for the rest of her life.

Prairie Spruce Commons – Regina’s First Cohousing Community

Presenter: Dave Lareau

Cohousing is a concept that came to North America from Denmark where it emerged over 40 years ago. It describes neighborhoods that combine the autonomy of private dwellings with the advantages of shared resources and community living. Some people call cohousing neighborhoods a return to the best of small-town communities. Others say they are like the close-knit neighborhood where they grew up, while futurists call them an altogether new response to social, economic and environmental challenges.

Sanctuary

Presenter: Carol Porter

The original meaning of sanctuary is a sacred place such as a shrine. As these places became used as safe havens, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety, a shelter from danger or hardship. What (or perhaps who) has provided sanctuary for you? This was a participatory service introduced and facilitated by Carol Porter.

Famous Unitarian Series: Kurt Vonnegut

Presenter: Joanne Green

Kurt Vonnegut was a writer first and Unitarian second. Although his father and grandfather were Unitarians, he himself participated infrequently in Unitarian congregations. Vonnegut is best known for his novel Slaughterhouse Five, based on his experiences in Dresden during WWII. According to one biographer, Vonnegut was a genuinely religious man who believed that morality can exist without traditional religion. Many of Vonnegut's beliefs and practices were very much in tune with Unitarian Universalists and he spoke at many Unitarian gatherings, including the General Assembly in 1986.

A Liberal Religious Understanding of Easter

Presenter: Helen Christiansen
This adaptation of a Unitarian Easter sermon enabled us to look at Easter from a Unitarian Universalist perspective. It allowed us not to “skip Easter” but to explore its meanings in ways that enable us to grow in our commitment to creating a world that is more compassionate and just.

We're Here! Now What?

Presenter: Ponziano Aluma
A family crisis promoted the writing of my book: "We're Here! Now What?". My basic beliefs in God have shaped my views on the newcomer experience. Refugees about whom we know very little, and who also know very little about us, arrive on our shores. Although we have no control over the events that give rise to exodus and migration, we do have choices over what roles to play in the resettlement of newcomers once they are here. And that starts with making an effort to understand them, as well as helping them to understand us.

Mental Health Centre in the Village of Geel, Belgium

Presenter: Jim Hutchings:  
Mental Illness has always been with us. Patients were sometimes treated quite cruelly in attempts to effect a cure. Other times, quite kind approaches were used to try to make desired changes. Over the centuries, one small community in Belgium stood out as a model for the treatment of mental illness. We will examine the story of Geel and how it became, for some, the "Gold Standard" for the treatment of the mentally ill.

CUC month

Wayne Williams talks to us about what it means to be UU (Unitarian Universalist) and how we are a part of a National organization, the Canadian Unitarian Council.  He presents a sermon entitled "Faith Beyond our Walls",  originally given by Rev Victoria Ingram, who is minister at 1st Unitarian Church in Hamilton .