The Auckland Unitarian Church is an open, progressive and welcoming faith community. We walk diverse spiritual paths to find purpose and meaning in our lives, but we are united in our belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person.
Whatever your spiritual journey, you are welcome here.
Rev. Clay Nelson is our minister. Some Sunday sermons are delivered by members and guest speakers.
Our regular Sunday Services start at 10.30am. Additionally, Continue reading Welcome!
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Clay Nelson © 17 March 2019
Friday morning, I had today’s service and my talk all prepared. Friday evening, I had nothing to offer. The unthinkable, the unimaginable had happened. New Zealanders had been cast out of the Godzone with tears streaming down our face and our hearts broken. Our Muslim brothers and sisters lay dying and bloodied in a house of prayer. This couldn’t happen here, yet graphic news stories and social media told us otherwise. It has shaken us to our core even more than the earthquakes that had come from previously unknown fault lines in Christchurch. As traumatic as those were, they were natural acts. This act of hatred had not previously happened here. We didn’t think it could in spite of plenty of evidence that the deadly virus of white nationalism had become epidemic around the world. No house of prayer was safe if its worshippers were the marginalised or people of colour. Homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and racism has crawled out from the rocks they have been hiding under to be greeted as mainstream by right-wing political leaders and print and social media. But we thought we were better than that. We thought that was not who we are.
Continue reading Doing the impossible: finding meaning in the senselessLike all New Zealanders, the Unitarian community is horrified and shocked by the terrorist attack in Christchurch against our Muslim brothers and sisters. Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the 49 people who have died and to the dozens more who are wounded. We offer our unqualified support to the Muslim community in Auckland with whom we have built ties in any way that would be helpful.
As our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, has said this is New Zealand’s darkest day. It is one of those events that has shaken our understanding of who we are as a people. It will take some time to take stock and consider our future response to such deadly hate both personally and as a nation.
Auckland Unitarians will begin that process at our Sunday service at 10:30. All are welcome to join us as we remember and grieve for the victims and our loss of innocence.
As-Salaam-Alaikum,
Clay Nelson
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Clay Nelson © 10 March 2019
Last Friday was International Women’s Day. What better example of persistence is there than women resisting the dehumanising evils of patriarchy for over 5000 years?
As an example, I offer Senator Elizabeth Warren, a senator from Massachusetts who is currently seeking the Democratic nomination for president. Two years ago, she was a fervent opponent of President Trump’s nominee for Attorney General, Senator Jeff Sessions from Alabama.
Continue reading And still they persistRead below, or download the PDF
Opening Words include Fate vs free will by A Thomas Hawkins
Clay Nelson © 3 March 2019
When recently selecting topics for my March talks I was intrigued by historian Yuval Harari’s subtitle to Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, the sequel to his book Homo Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. The downside is I would have to read it first in a hurry. I wasn’t disappointed as it ticked my boxes for a good read: it was well written, it was entertaining, I learned lots of things, and it made me think critically. What I wasn’t prepared for were the chilling possibilities he laid out for the future of human beings. To my mind it makes 1984 and Animal Farm larks in the park suitable for bedtime reading to children.
Continue reading A Brief History of Tomorrow