Sunday Mornings at Cedars

Rev. Jennifer Alvair, Guest Minister

Gregory Cook, Worship Associate

Sometimes beauty has the power to shake up the status quo, re-examine our assumptions, and invite curiosity. Come join us as we learn to embrace the paradox of beauty, wonder and courage as wise companions on our spiritual journey.

Rev. Jennifer Alviar is a Unitarian Universalist minister, spiritual innovator and avid community builder. She cultivates positiv...

Kathryn LaFond, Guest Speaker

Nancy Philip, Worship Associate

When fear tries to drive the bus of our lives, how do we remain loving? We live in a world increasingly hostile to those fighting for liberation, fighting for freedom from harm. The gifts in this moment may be that we are forced to learn how to center, ground, nourish, and focus.

Kathryn LaFond, Intuitive Energy Healer/Health Coach, Author and Wise Woman Herbalist, ...

Gregory Cook. Guest Speaker

Nancy Philip, Worship Associate

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson said “The Universe is under no obligation to make sense to you." While this is certainly true, we (collectively, all of humanity) have learned how to describe and predict many things. From Johannes Kepler's observation that celestial bodies travel in elliptical orbits to the complex differential equations of Quantum Electrodyna...

Rev. Kari Kopnic. Guest Minister

Jenny Weaver, Worship Associate

When you care deeply, whether for others, your community, or the world, it’s easy to overlook your own well-being. Come and explore how self-compassion is not a luxury, but a vital practice for those engaged in caregiving and justice work. Drawing on the insights of Kristin Neff, Tricia Hersey, and Israa Nasir, we’ll reflect on how to cultivate inner resilience and ...

Rev. Margo Rinehart, Cedars Minister

Johanna Munson, Worship Associate

This sermon is a kick-off for all the learning and visioning we will be doing together in the months to come. Let us work together in building a co-ministry of support, beauty, and restoration.  John O'Donohue says, "We each possess an imagination. Everyone, whether they like it or not, is involved in the construction of the world."

Reverend Margo Rinehart is now o...

Rev. Barbara Cornell, Guest Minister

Nancy Philip, Worship Associate

Hope is tricky, especially when things are going wrong. Does it mean hoping for a cure, or turning this disaster around, or what exactly? In this sermon, we'll consider the changing nature of hope and explore our options for getting through these uncertain times.

Rev. Barbara Cornell was in an About Your Sexuality class when she was a senior in high school. From 1993...

Rev. Rose Edington & Rev. Mel Hoover, Guest Ministers

Jenny Weaver, Worship Associate

Springtime and gardening go together and have us imagining Beloved Community as a garden. Imagine the soil of Beloved Community as the ground of being that nurtures Unitarian Universalism. What do we want to cultivate? How do we handle the weeds? Will everyone be welcome? Camille Dungy's book "Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Gar...

Rev. April Frazier, Guest Minister

Johanna Munson, Worship Associate

Moral injury is a human condition, suffered as a part of living in a world where we, others, and the earth are harmed by actions or the failure to act. How do we integrate these experiences to be able to continue to live when everywhere we look there are more reasons to cry in agony, scream in anger, or perhaps become numb? Let's talk about what keeps us going, ...

Rev. Kate Lore, Guest Minister

Nancy Philip, Worship Associate

We ALL face challenging changes and losses in our lives—whether it be a change in our health, the loss of a loved one, or the evaporation of a dream. And every time we face such changes, we are offered a powerful spiritual choice.

Rev. Kate Lore is a Unitarian Universalist minister known for her work in social justice and community ministry. She has served in various r...

Speaker: Jennifer J. Wilhoit, Ph.D.

Worship Associate: Mike Cox

This talk will focus on the potent inner/outer landscape: the intersection between who we feel we are internally and how we behave in the world. As areas of confluence in the natural world, ecotones are especially rich in biodiversity. Viewing ecotones as a concept, we can begin to apply their value in human contexts – in particular, to guide us in how we conceive of our...

Rev. Carol McKinley - Guest Minister

Gregory Cook - Worship Associate

The architect, philosopher and futurist R. Buckminster Fuller wrote, “We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims.” In our changing world, that call has become increasingly urgent: when we hear it, how can we respond in ways that help create the future we hope to see?

The Reverend Carol McKinley, now retired, lives in Olympia and is an affiliated c...

Guest Minister - Rev. Kate Lore

Worship Associate - Jenny Weaver

Life doesn't always pause when our hearts are heavy, our minds are fractured, or our spirits feel like they're unraveling. This truth is both raw and universal. And yet, we endure. That's the miracle of being human--we endure. Somewhere in the depths of our pain, we find reserves of strength we didn't know we possessed.

Rev. Kate Lore is a Unitarian U...

Guest Minister - Rev. Barbara Gilday

Worship Associate - Johanna Munson

Visiting an elderly uncle in Toronto recently, I was shocked to discover that he was actively dying and none of his 5 children or other family members was present. I realized that in our culture, we have very little information or encouragement to be present in this difficult but transformational and often deeply spiritual time. I will share stories from my work ...

Madeline Ostrander, Guest Speaker

Gregory Cook, Worship Associate

Reflecting on the power of community and the potential for small actions to have larger impacts and ripple effects, and about mindfulness and the importance of paying attention to details.

Madeline Ostrander is a science journalist and writer whose work has appeared in NewYorker.com, The Nation, Sierra magazine, PBS's NOVA Next, Slate, and numerous other outlets. He...

Guest Speaker - Kathryn LaFond

Worship Associate - Johanna Munson

In the Celtic world this is a time called Imbolc, known to bring the gift of insight and inspiration. A time to bring our curiosity, our questioner forward, to act as midwives for what brings justice and truth to a world badly in need. How might we discern between how we live currently and what the world is asking of us? And, how can we keep our own hearth-fires alive ...

Tyler Weaver, Member and Guest Speaker

Mike Cox, Worship Associate

We are living in a time of great division within our country. Tyler and Mike will discuss why we believe finding common ground is important for the health of our families, communities and country. We will be breaking up into small groups to explore what we can do as individuals and as a congregation to address these divisions and then sharing those ideas. We believe...