Speaker & Worship Leader:- Rachel Mackintosh

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Follow this shortcut to the bottom of the page for the various readings, videos, etc. shared in the service.

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Rachel Mackintosh © 9 March 2025

Please take a moment to close your eyes and breathe.

Breathe in the possibility of tomorrow

Breath out what is done.

In our wedding vows, Clay and I said to each other, “I love you with all I am and hope to be. I promise to be with you as you are and as you will be.”

As we will be is not as we are. Everything changes us.

And change is loss.

Speaker:- Daniel Kanter
Worship Leader:- Viv Allen

Daniel Kanter is senior minister of the First Unitarian Church of Dallas, one of the largest UU churches in the USA, and author of the book, Faith for the Unbeliever.

In this second talk for us during his sabbatical visit to Aotearoa New Zealand, he will share his views on Unitarian Universalism in India, based on his recent visit to India as part of his sabbatical.

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No text this week

Meditation / Conversation starter

• What is the quality of your spiritual life?

Speaker:- Daniel Kanter
Worship Leader:- Shirin Caldwell

Daniel Kanter is senior minister of the First Unitarian Church of Dallas, one of the largest UU churches in the USA, and author of the book, Faith for the Unbeliever. He is visiting Aotearoa New Zealand as part of his sabbatical. In this talk, he will share his views on what being a Unitarian Universalist means to him.

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No text this week

Meditation / Conversation starter

• Many of us had our early experiences in different churches; but have chosen to join this church. What influenced your choice to come to the Auckland Unitarian Church either as a member or a visitor?

Links

Opening Words:- include “What is Success?” by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Chalice Lighting:- “Different Yet United” by Pat Uribe-Lichty

Reading:- “Don’t Hesitate” by Mary Oliver

Closing Words:- “As we go forward” by Cheryl Block

Speaker & Worship Leader:- Alix Geard

Stories, parables and memes show us patterns which we may choose to live by. In ways big and small they can set the courses of our lives and help define the groups who share them. Considering that, what stories do we want to share?

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Alix Geard © 16 February 2025

About stories

You’re going to get my musings in 2 different sections with 2 different flavours today.

Today, I want to talk about stories.

This means, a little sadly, that I’m mostly not going to tell stories, certainly not with the poetry and resonance some of them deserve. When I do speak of specific stories I’ll summarise them.

Speaker & Worship Leader:- Rachel Mackintosh

Audio to come

Follow this shortcut to the bottom of the page for the various readings, videos, etc. shared in the service.

Read below, or download the PDF

Rachel Mackintosh © 2 February 2025

Why do we repeat this ritual every year? It isn’t just to brag about our travels. When we share our water in the common bowl, it reminds us that while we are separate people, we are also part of an interdependent community.

You probably know about the water cycle.

Speaker & Worship Leader:- Kate Lewis

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Kate Lewis © 22 December 2024

Given that we’ve been communicating with each other since birth, it’s a wonder that it is still so difficult for most of us. Too often, we misunderstand, hurt and offend each other and only listen to each other enough to be able to rebut the other person’s point of view. Although our second principle includes striving for compassion in human relations, often our communication is anything but. Maybe there’s a better way.

Speaker:- Zeo Haami
Worship Leaders:- Rachel Mackintosh and Betsy Marshall

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AUC © 15 December 2024

True to our Unitarian tradition of having an open pulpit, this past week we welcomed Zeo Haami as our speaker. Zeo is Community Organiser with Te Ohu Tāmaki, of which our church is a member.

In her address, Zeo highlighted the difference between Te Tiriti (as the agreement between Māori and the British Crown) and the Principles of the Treaty. To explain the difference, she used the analogy of marriage, where there are two key parts: the legal contract and the relationship. Te Tiriti can be seen as the legal contract while the Principles can be compared to the living relationship part of marriage.

After hearing Zeo, we had an opportunity to stand up for justice by making submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill currently before the New Zealand Parliament.

If you were unable to attend the service and/or the workshop, you still have an opportunity to learn about the Bill and make a submission. As the submission deadline of 7 January is fast approaching, please contact me for background information as well as tips on how to write one.

Submissions:

• can be made by anyone of any age
• only have to be a few bullet points
• can be made online at bit.ly/treatyprinciplesbill or handwritten.

Several members also have offered to make their submissions available as examples.

Betsy Marshall
Unitarian/ Te Ohu Working Group Member
betsy_marshall@icloud.com

Links

• Te Ohu Tāmaki

Speaker:- Viv Allen
Worship Leader:- Shirin Caldwell

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After a short talk about the latest research on how it’s been shown that there is a link between the amount of green space in our lives and our better health, mood and longevity, we’ll break into small groups and discuss this.

Viv Allen © 8 December 2024

Once upon a time in ancient Greece in the town of Delphi on the slopes of Parnassus, there stood a temple. This was a temple to the god Apollo. The ancient Greeks believed in many gods who had many different responsibilities. Apollo was the god of the sun, of music and dance, of healing and disease, and many, many more.