A recent conversation with a newcomer to our church reminded me that the deep spirituality of naturalist and author Loren Eiseley might offer us some insight and help during these troubled times. With poetry and stories from Eiseley, we'll explore his insistence that, with courage, integrity and wonder, it is possible to live in two worlds at once: the natural world and the world of the human mind.

11.7.21 Rev Dr Jane Mauldin "Squat, Warty, and Wondrous: A Celebration of Loren Eiseley"

This Sunday it will all be on the table: Unitarian Universalism is "a living faith" and our current Principles and Purposes - much as we love them - may soon evolve into a new language. How do the words that we use to describe ourselves frame our worship, our programs, our religious exploration and the way we work together in the wider community? How do you describe UUism to a friend who might ask? With stories, music, images, and shared readings we will explore the proposed new "Article II," our possible new UU "Principles and Covenant."  This is a Sunday that you won't want to miss.

3.12.23 Rev Dr Jane Mauldin      "Who Do We Say We Are?"

"Why Do People Die? A Story About a Boy, His Rabbit, and a Quest for Meaning"  This Memorial Day Sunday, we will explore the powerful messages that death teaches us about life.

5.28.23 Rev Dr Jane Mauldin   "Why Do People Die?"

Unitarian Universalism opens up to each of us an option of not becoming a victim of our circumstances or surroundings, no matter how difficult the waves of your life (or our lives) may be. Wherever you are, we turn to Thich Nhat Hahn for his take on Zen, that "It is our responsibility to be master of the situation and to make use of whatever situation we are in to awaken," from Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet, p. 70. As the waves of life roll on, we join in celebration of reclaiming, and maintaining, our Agency.

6.4.23 Rev Jim VanderWeele    "Reclaim Your Agency"

Each of us has gifts and wounds from those who fathered us. Sometimes our fathers were biological dads; other fathers have been those who cared for us, nurtured us, coached us, or taught us at various times in our lives. Real fathering is a gift that we have received from men who gave with little expectation of return. Today with honesty, gratitude, sorrow, and tenderness we will forgive and celebrate our fathers.

6.18.23 Rev Dr Jane Mauldin   "Fathering"

Our guest speaker is Scierra LeGarde, member of our local Choctaw tribe. Service will focus on Choctaw history, language, and culture in our region.

11.26.23  Scierra LeGarde  Bochokwa - Lacombe’s Choctaw Heritage

Change is constant, and sometimes, but not always, change leads to transformation.  How can we each learn to observe change, and find our transformation in it?
How can our congregation, this beloved community, look at change and delight in the coming transformation?

4.28.24 Rev Leslie Runnels "Change is Gonna Come .. Right?"

Member  Ryan Burke shares his presentation on the exploitation and mental health struggles of military veterans, seen through the lens of the heavy metal song "Wrong Side of Heaven" by Five Finger Death Punch.

5.26.24 Ryan Burke  "Wrong Side of Heaven"

NSUUS congregational meeting to discuss:
1-changes in office administration and ministerial presence
2-need for board members (a Treasurer!) and committee chairs
3-introduction to the GUUMBO grant written by Rev Sara Green and Rev Leslie Runnels and the need for GNOUU participation in order to facilitate it.

Congregational Meeting 6.9.24

Bread for a Spiritual Life by Jeff Gauger

Jeff Gauger, a nearly life-long bread baker, will preach about how baking is, for him, a metaphor for leading a spiritual life rooted in Unitarian Universalist values. Jeff found Unitarian Universalism in Illinois in 2005 and has been a member of UU churches there, in North Carolina and in Shreveport and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He has served as a board member in multiple churches and always, always sings in the choir. He is a former long-time newspaper reporter, editor and publisher who now teaches journalism at LSU. For fun, he bakes bread, rides a motorcycle and edits the website 30SecondRead.com. He and his wife, Liz, have two adult daughters who, when they visit, ask their dad to make bread.

7.14.24 Jeff Gauger

Kali Yuga: Finding Light in Collective Shadow Work", by Heather Moller
The service will be led in person and on Zoom by Heather Moller.
Heather will explore the Vedic concept of yugas ("ages" or "eras") - particularly the Kali Yuga, which is identified by a descent into darkness. Bringing in a method of transformation known as shadow work, she will discuss how to embody light in times of darkness and upheaval, such as those described in the Vedas referencing the Kali Yuga.

7.21.24 Heather Moller

Observed the first Monday in September, Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.

9.1.24 Tamara Murray   "The Importance of Labor Day"

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in libraries, bookstores, and schools. The annual event highlights the value of free and open access to information and brings together the entire book community — librarians, educators, authors, publishers, booksellers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas. 

Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship. Our own Bonnie Schmidt will be sharing the book banning efforts right here in St. Tammany Parish.  It is a doozy of a story!

9..29.24 Bonnie Schmidt   Banned Books Week

10.6.24 Bonnie Poirier

Though we all experience Mardi Gras in South Louisiana, few of us consider Carnival's purpose outside of king cakes and parades. Join us as Erica Merchant delivers a sermon inspired by the carnivalesque in the writing of François Rabelais and Mikhail Bakhtin, which will begin with Music for Dancing, as you're willing and able. We'll explore Carnival's indulgent and liminal nature and examine how this vibrant celebration invites us to align with natural cycles, challenge consumerist culture, and embrace the magical and extraordinary. Let's explore the heart of Carnival together!

3.2.25  Erica Merchant- Lee  "The Unbearable Jubilance of Carnival"

How do we keep the faith and find strength when facing personal and collective hardships? This Sunday, Ashley Roe will explore this question through the metaphor of the "Upside Down" (Stranger Things fans unite!), stories of personal struggle, teachings of other faith traditions, and principles of our own UU faith. Come and find connection and community, as we remind ourselves we don't have to endure life's difficulties alone.

 

3.16.25 Ashley Roe "Instructions for Living In The Upside Down"

Join us this Sunday for a heartfelt and inspiring sermon by our own Cara Bovet, who will explore the essence of community and its power to uplift us in uncertain times. Drawing from timeless stories and personal reflections, Cara delves into how shared experiences and connections can enhance warmth, hope, and belonging in our lives.

3.30.25 Cara Bovet   "Soul of Community"

Please join us as we celebrate National Poetry Month with an All-Ages Poetry Service. 
Members of our congregation have stepped into the pulpit to share both original creations and cherished works by poets of many voices. You will also experience the collaborative artistry of our RE students, who have crafted a poem for this occasion. Experience the soul stirring power of poetry in community.

4.13.25  Poetry Service 2025

 In honor of Mother's Day, our Worship Chair, Tamara Murray, offers a heartfelt testament to her mother and the power of love, endurance and forgiveness. 

5.11.25 Tamara Murray "Homily to My Mother"

01 Can You Hear Sop

These are crazy, scary times. We don't know what's going to happen next. Is there something to worry about... or not? Should we seclude ourselves for a few months... or come out into the world and live our lives as usual? How can we truly be here for each other when we are being told we should perhaps refrain from hugging, kissing, or even shaking hands? How can we be a safe place, a "beloved community" for all of our members and friends, including those most at risk of illness? We will explore all of these questions together, and more, as we attempt to imagine how we can be here for each other, and live with hope, in such strange times.

Northshore Unitarian Universalists Lacombe, LA

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