As part of this Sunday’s Service, we look forward to welcoming new Members. Our Annual Congregational Meeting will be held in the sanctuary immediately after the service, and will be followed by a social gathering for the Fellowship in the adjoining social hall. This in-person service will take place in the sanctuary at the JCSVV … Continue reading Until We Meet Again
We Celebrate this Mother’s Day with a sermon and message featuring the original poetry and spoken word by Minister Anthony Mtuaswa Johnson. Reverend Anthony will share poems from his published book of poetry entitled “What If God Is a Woman?” The works are “poetry and spoken words for the rest of us, that speak to … Continue reading What If God is a Woman?
This sermon will be all about “Joy,” that sometimes-elusive feeling of spontaneous happiness, usually denoted by a smile or two. We shall ponder and explore questions such as: Who helps you see the joy in front of you? What were you first taught about “deserving joy”? How has joy surprised you during Covid? How has … Continue reading Being Open to Joy
This Easter Sunday sermon will focus upon what lessons we may glean for ourselves as we recognize the most important and oldest festival of the Christian church. What does this ancient celebration have to offer us in our times of tumult? Is it our time of Resurrection? Our time of the changing of the seasons? … Continue reading Rolling Back the Stone
“Poetry may make us a little more aware of the deeper, unnamed feelings which form the substratum of our being, to which we rarely penetrate, for our lives are mostly a constant evasion of ourselves,” so wrote T.S. Eliot. We are pleased to offer another worship service which will focus upon naming and claiming our … Continue reading Poetry as a Spiritual Practice – 2.0
In the spirit of SUUF and me, I will share my journey with the Islamic faith. I was born a Baptist, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. My parents became a part of the great migration of African Americans from the South to the cities of the North. In our case, it would be Chicago. It was here … Continue reading Islam & Me
I love words and music. There are not many song lyrics that move me as much as the lyrics of the song “Why?” by Annie Lennox. This Sunday we will explore the personal meaning that these lyrics conjure up in my mind’s eye. The message is always in the music. “This is the book I … Continue reading Why?
We all have experienced the presence of Beauty and the sight of something Beautiful. There is also a beauty inside of each of us that we carry. The philosopher Blaise Pascal reminds us “in difficult times, carry something beautiful in your heart.” During these times of tumult, we all require courage, commitment, hope and self-love. Every … Continue reading Beauty
This week we shall explore and ponder Faith together. When we talk about Faith, sometimes it can make our heads spin. Is your idea of Faith too complex or too personal? How do you and I renew our Faith when so much seems to be falling apart? Do you and I really need to question … Continue reading What is Faith?
This week’s talk honors music and its presence in our lives. Music has always been a gateway for me. A way to touch the Divine in everything. When I heard, many years ago, the lyrics to “Tin Man,” it resonated and still does so today. The song offers us a reminder that we are all … Continue reading Nothing to the Tin Man
