Services

Flower Celebration

Everyone, please bring a cut flower or flowers with you this morning to share with others. We will celebrate this ritual, which was initiated 100 years ago by Norbert Capek, the founder of the Unitarian Church in Czechoslovakia, and honors the beauty and individuality of each individual and the bouquet we create by joining together with … Continued

Patriotism

In recent decades, we have seen the rise of a new “religious” nationalism that presents itself in the guise of particular brand of “patriotism.” As members of a religious community, we are guided by values that transcend national interests, so it is important to examine the difference between true patriotism (a noble virtue) and nationalism … Continued

UUA General Assembly Worship (Convention Center)

No services will be held at Sunnyhill on this date, but we encourage everyone to attend the UUA General Assembly worship service at 11:00 a.m. on June 25, at the Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh, free and open to the public. More information at: https://whova.com/embedded/session/PISMDKNnhGA9toqRIoSZAGFswTnlfNTyrOGv9YhLnSM%3D/2979447/:

Put Love at the Center

Sunnyhill member (and former board president) Josh Broaded will explore Unitarian Universalists values, and the role that love plays in drawing together different people and ideas.

PRIDE

Being a “welcoming congregation” is not merely an academic exercise or just a nice thing to do. Welcoming our LGBTQIA+ siblings is a life-affirming and potentially life-saving act. In this service we will examine what we can do to work for justice for LGBTQ people while becoming a more fully inclusive and welcoming congregation.

Bridging

This is the time of year when graduations, commencements, and other transitions are celebrated. What does it mean to bridge from what has been to what shall be? Why is it important to commemorate such occasions? And what can be learned from occupying these liminal “in between” spaces? This service will include a bridging ceremony … Continued

Memorializing and Moralizing

National holidays in America have largely become occasions for shopping mall sales, sporting events and backyard barbecues. Many of these holidays have also become celebrations of materialism and militarism–and a good bit of narrow moralizing around these themes. How might we honor these holidays while resisting their less savory aspects?

What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do

Most of us have experienced moments in our lives when we are caught off-guard by something big for which we were not prepared. In fact, over the past few years, some of us have experienced many such moments. This sermon will offer some suggestions about what to do when you don’t know what to do.

Improvisational Parenting

In recent decades, there have been numerous theories and methods of parenting put forth by experts and others–many of which may be helpful, but none of which answers every conceivable challenge or circumstance. In the end, much of parenting involves making it up as one goes along. What are the important aspects of improvisational parenting … Continued

Coming of Age

Credo is a Latin word, which is generally translated as “I believe,” but its literal meaning is closer to “what I set my heart to.” Sunnyhill’s Coming of Age (COA) class will share what is close to their hearts in this service, which is a capstone of the COA curriculum.