This notice is to ask you to please dig deep this coming Sunday 19th January.
The Offertory this week will be donated to the Australian Red Cross to help with the Bushfire disaster relief fund.
Thanks in advance for your part in making this a significant donation!
Follow this link to Donate directly to the Australian Red Cross
Derek Handley © 12 January 2020
Whichever way we get at it or try to describe it, it is the pursuit of happiness that has held centre stage for much of human history across centuries, sects and civilizations.
Continue reading Bridging the Gaps between Reality and HopeThey are doing a lightning tour of New Zealand over the next 8 days, which includes the following 2 concerts:-
Do get to see / hear them if you can.
Read below or download the PDF
David Hines © 29 December 2019
A month ago I saw one of the most spectacular sights of my life.
Continue reading What swallows can teach us about global warmingRead below, or download the PDF
Clay Nelson © 15 December 2019
People sometimes wonder why Unitarians celebrate Christmas. Even some Unitarians do. It’s quite understandable considering our scepticism about Virgin births, moving stars, the birth of Saviours of the World, divine babies in human form, and whether or not any of it is history. I, however, wonder why Christians celebrate Christmas (and of course they didn’t for the first few centuries after the birth of Jesus). Christians have struggled with Christmas ever since the Emperor Constantine declared December 25th to be the day of Jesus’ birth. Well, somebody had to decide. The Gospels certainly didn’t tell us when the blessed event happened. Since then how to celebrate it or whether or not to celebrate it at all has consumed untold hours of theological debate.
Continue reading A Subversive Christmas ReduxRead below, or download the PDF
Opening Words are A poem by Philip Appleman, “O Karma, Dharma, pudding & pie”
Clay Nelson © 8 December 2019
Today we welcome you, Gerard, Tess and John, as our newest members. We are delighted, but it is only fair to warn you that challenges lie ahead for all those who sign the membership book. One of the biggest is explaining what the heck a Unitarian Universalist is.
Continue reading “O Karma, Dharma, pudding & pie”Opening words are ‘Expect Nothing’ by Robin Tanner
Closing words are ‘Remembering that the universe is larger’ By Marjorie Newlin Leaming
Derek Handley © 1 December 2019
Last month, my wife and I were in Japan watching the wrong team win the Rugby World Cup,
but we also went to visit the ancient city of Kyoto.
Deep within the quiet, peaceful labyrinth of dozens of 15th and 16th century temples in the Myoshinjii compound –
there is a temple called Shunkoin.
Continue reading What not to expect when you are expectingNo recordings this week
Read below, or download the PDF
Opening words are ‘When I die’ by American poet and feminist May Sarton
Closing words are from The Book of Joy | Dalai Lama & Desmond Tutu
Clay Nelson © 10 November 2019
I once had a rabbi friend who summarised life for me: “We spend the first half of our life accumulating stuff and the second half getting rid of it.” Well, one of the benefits of immigrating to a new country in my mid-fifties was getting rid of a lot of stuff well ahead of schedule. However, there were a few things I couldn’t let go of yet. One was a blown glass frog that is a work of art and the other is a large Wedgewood serving plate. While they are both beautiful and valuable, that is not why they now reside in New Zealand. They belonged to sisters. The plate was treasured by my maternal grandmother Flora Mae (AKA Granny) and the frog by my great aunt Velma Amanda (AKA Auntie).
Continue reading I am what survives me