Past Worship Services
Are you curious about UUCLV? Did you miss a service? Catch up here.
2
|
Lighting the Path Forward with the UUCLV Worship Team & Margaret Johnston | 08/20/2023 | Full Service There is lots to learn this Sunday. We will be sharing the results from survey we completed in the early summer and ideas in the coming church year. We will talk about shared leadership opportunities, adult religious education, and how we will be gathering input to develop the culture at UUCLV. Let's light our path forward together!
A Sermon from the Dark Side: The Intersection between Money and Living your Values with Keri Pool & Margaret Johnston | 08/13/2023 | Full Service We'll be discussing the tricky, not completely understood role of accounting/finance people in a non-profit organization.
Was Dracula a Unitarian? with Hilary Howarth & Kem Tetlow | 08/06/2023 | Full Service Using examples from our Transylvanian Unitarian cousins, the service will trace the remarkable recovery from impoverished post-communist days to the present. Might there be lessons from Transylvania to inspire UUCLV as we adapt to our new reality? Come and find out.
A Year Since Dobbs with Mairin O'Steen & Elaine Edmiston | 07/30/2023 | Full Service Last year the Supreme Court made a decision to overturn Roe v Wade. Not only an end to the right to abortion but an end to the right to privacy. Come for sadness for that which is lost and come for hope for the future!
Pleasure as Power with Nina Kuzniak & Donna Mead | 07/23/2023 | Full Service It is only through understanding our own internal power that we can generate the stamina it takes to live a life of liberation. Join us as we explore how to wrangle the "chaos of our strongest feelings" and consider ways to use them to change the world. Part 3 of 3.
Spiritual Beings, Human Experiences with Nina Kuzniak & Keri Pool | 07/16/2023 | Full Service How do we reconcile the beautiful, brutal experience of having bodies with our lofty and curious minds? Come for a multi-religious walk through our sources to learn how our relationship with our bodies and spirit is informed by the religions of the world. This is part two of a 3-part series.
Pleasure Activism with Nina Kuzniak & Ariel Sublett | 07/09/2023 - Full Service Pleasure activism is us learning to make justice and liberation the most pleasurable experiences we can have on this planet. This is part one of a three-part series. Together, we can make the revolution irresistible.
The Green Samaritan Group with David Seven McClenton, Mark Bergtholdt, & The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey | 04/16/2023 - Full Service The Green Samaritan Group, Born From The Roots Of Vegas Roots Community Garden, Is a Grassroots Organization, Whose Mission Is To Continue To Provide The Greater Las Vegas Community With The Opportunity To Learn How To Compost And The Importance Of Composting And Waste Reduction, How to Grow Food In The Desert, Learn About Agricultural, Gardening And It's Connection to Human Wellness.
Easter Sunday with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey | 04-09-2023 - FULL SERVICE Easter, Something Old, Something Maybe New, Something Possibly for UU’s. Easter is a difficult holiday for Unitarian Universalists, probably the most difficult of all that recur in our liturgical calendar. It fosters mixed emotions, some pleasant, some troubling, some from long ago memories filled with family, friends, treats and trips.
Transformation from the Inside Out: Men, it is time now to change with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey & Keri Pool | 03-12-2023 - FULL SERVICE I wonder about this call to transformation: does it imply there is something broken or wrong about us that needs to be fixed? Do we have to subscribe to a lifetime of reimagining ourselves or even change?
Article II: Join the Conversation with Mairin O’Steen, Mark Bergtholdt, Margaret Johnston, and Keri Pool | 03-05-2023 - FULL SERVICE After two years of drafting and feedback, the Article II Commission has released their proposal for the new wording of Article II of the UUA bylaws. Come learn about Article II, hear some opinions from the UUCLV community, and reflect on the proposed changes.
Hope Filled Meditations of the Heart with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey and Kem Tetlow | 02-26-2023 - FULL SERVICE Hope Filled Meditations of the Heart is a service about sharing Black joys, Black concerns, Black hope through the prism of both our Unitarian Universalist Association and our world.
Climate Realities Our Personal Responsibilities, Our Collective Call to Action with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey and Margaret Johnston | 01-22-2023 - READING & SERMON Everyone can help limit climate change. From the way we travel, to the electricity we use and the food we eat, we can make a difference. Let’s take this opportunity of the new year to change the course of history. Let us at UUCLV move toward that elusive green sanctuary. Join us for a lively discussion and talk back as we discern our call to action.
The Urgency of Now: Reflecting On MLK- Centering Justice with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey and Lisa Bailey | 01-15-2023 - READING & SERMON As we reflect on what's changed and what hasn't in the 55 years since King's assassination, we find ourselves perpetually in the fierce urgency of now. Building on becoming more centered, we're going to look at what possibilities exist for UUCLV's vision and mission to be realized in the larger community.
|
2
|
All That We Share Is Sacred: Beauty Abounds with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey Sunday, May 15, 2022 | FULL VIDEO SERVICE - UU’S and the act of prayer or meditation this at times can be a challenging subject for us to navigate. Join us for this service as we open a dialogue with each other and lift up the beauty of being in it all! Is belief in a personal God necessary in order to pray? Why do we pray when we’re in need? How might prayer work? This morning we’ll explore some of the faces and functions of prayer. Centering Thought: "If the only prayer you say in your entire life is ‘thank you,’ that will be enough." – Meister Eckhart
Walk In Beauty: Live In Peace with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey Sunday, May 8, 2022 | FULL VIDEO SERVICE - Our lives for the most part come and as it is so they go. The journey may be long one or relatively short. As Unitarian Universalists we honor the 6th source and 7th principle which say:
- Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature. - Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. This is our way as UU’s. This is for many of us, our prayer. May we at UUCLV cultivate beauty and respect for life in its many manifestations. Solidarity For You & Me | Sunday, May 1, 2022 | FULL VIDEO SERVICE - May Day, also called Workers' Day or International Workers' Day, is a day to celebrate the historic struggles and gains made by workers and the labor movement. While the US and Canada celebrate the work of the labor movement in September, this day is known worldwide. It can be our opportunity at UUCLV to speak up, speak out, and to stand with our human family globally in solidarity and love. Workers of the World Unite! And create the Beloved Kingdom where each person's inherent worth, dignity and abilities is honored and celebrated.
Embodied Healing Rituals: Sufi Islam's Pathway to Peace & Love with The Reverend Summer Albayati | Sunday, April 24, 2022 | PARTIAL VIDEO SERVICE - Experts tell us that we are in liminal times and experiencing collective trauma that yearns to be healed. What can we learn from the Sufi Islamic embodiment rituals practiced to bring more healing into our own lives and communities? How can embracing embodied healing help heal and lead us to collective salvation, freedom, peace and love? Please join us as we welcome the Rev. Summer Albayati from the Pacific Western Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association this Sunday, and let us explore the answers in a spirit of love.
Remembering, Redirecting, Rewarding with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey Sunday, April 17, 2022 | FULL VIDEO SERVICE - Spirit of life, we come together this Easter morning to rejoice in the ongoing creation around us and within us. We come to rejoice, but we also come with burdens of sorrow and pain, of shame and fear, of false obligation and false pride. On this Easter morning may we discover a joyous and courageous faith enabling us to set these burdens down.
Awakening With Tarot with Ariel Sublett | Sunday, April 10, 2022 | FULL VIDEO SERVICE - #UUCLV #UU #UnitarianUniversalist #UnitarianUniversalism #UUCLVEvent
#SundayService #Community #Zoom #tarot #awakening Islam & Us with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey | Sunday, April 3, 2022 | FULL VIDEO SERVICE - Wisdom is more than just knowledge. In fact, sometimes we have to unlearn things to have greater wisdom. Sometimes wisdom is found in uncertainty, making mistakes and the ineffable experience of our interconnectedness with the interdependent web of all existence. Sometimes wisdom is found in experiences deeper than just the cognitive. Welcome to an awakening into the intersection of Islam and the other monotheistic religions from the Middle East. Join us for a UU encounter with another Unitarian faith.
Transgender Day of Visibility with Jo Culver, Sophia Hart, & Margaret Johnstone | Sunday, March 27, 2022 | FULL SERVICE VIDEO - Today we honor the accomplishments and real lives of trans people. Please join us for some first person stories from our community and beyond as we honor a group too often neglected and harmed.
Women, Religion, and Our Society with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey | Sunday, March 20, 2022 | FULL VIDEO SERVICE - Unitarian and Universalist women were at the forefront of the first wave of feminism and worked tirelessly for a woman's right to participate in the public sphere, from the pulpit to the ballot box. Today we have more women in our ministry than men. Today more women are elected to public offices than ever before. In fact, I believe that our very future depends on the rights, opportunities and brilliance of women to set the course for the human family. Let's look at the past and let's support the present as women take the lead. Let’s celebrate Women in our congregation, our community and our world.
The Land of Plenty with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey | Sunday, March 13, 2022 | FULL VIDEO SERVICE - Our culture is fascinated with money. We all know the degree to which money is the real religion of America . Yet someone recently asked me, “Isn't the first rule of stewardship: Never talk about money?” I was not surprised to hear someone say this, as it's been the practice in churches for a long time: Don't talk with people about money—you'll only make them uncomfortable. Yet I disagree. I think we are longing to talk about money, even in our discomfort. Our congregation, our denomination, our nation needs to reassess our relationship to money and things. I think we are ready.
Holding On with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey | Sunday, March 6, 2022 | VIDEO OF SERMON - Unitarian Universalism is today a faith of joiners. If it were not for the more than half of us who have come in by choice made later in life, rather than entering by birth or upbringing, we could not be what we are today. But it is not only the bravery to join that sustains this or any other religion: it is also the courage to stay. In our congregations, and amongst ourselves, it is somewhat common to exchange tales of the faith that we left behind in order to become UU. For some of us, this is an opportunity to unpack , and perhaps to heal wounds from our previous religious lives. What I wish for, and would one day hope to see, are spaces made for those Unitarian Universalists, both "joiners" and "lifers" who have had their hearts turned upside down by this faith and who, despite those wounds, are still here, still trying to grow, still changing the world. Join us as we hold on!
Black UU’s a Multiplicity of Ideas, Philosophies and Histories with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey | Sunday, February 27, 2022 | FULL VIDEO SERVICE - The new realities are one-in-five Black Americans (21%) are not affiliated with any religion and, instead, identify as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” and this phenomenon is increasing generation by generation as we move farther away from traditional communities and seek out new ways to be in the world. Join us for a lively conversation with Muslims, Christians, UUs and more as we look to a new day with all of the people of the world sharing spiritual time together.
Coming to Understand We Need Others with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey | Sunday, February 20 | VIDEO OF SERMON - What does it mean to a Unitarian Universalist to be called to hospitality? And what or who is calling us? I believe we as UU’s are called to radical hospitality. This is what I learned as a young boy at Community Church of NY. This was once our denomination's largest congregation and the history and legacy of who CCNY is and was informs all I do in ministry. So how do we widen the circle? How do we open our space in an inviting way to people that are often culturally different than most of us? How do we engage one that speaks another language? Let's come together and find a way to open our doors, open our hearts, open our congregational life to the future .. for the handwriting is already upon us and Spanish and Hispanic culture, language and spiritualities are here to stay. The calling, wherever it comes from, is there. The question is, will we answer?
Love for the Entire World with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey | Sunday, February 13, 2022 | FULL AUDIO OF SERVICE - This service will kick off what I hope will be our renewing our vows as a Welcoming Congregation. Our association asks us to do this. Why? Because people, places and understandings change. Let's open our hearts, minds and congregation to the LQBTQIA communities with love and joy.
|
2
|
The Agency of Women (and how men continue to create obstacles, consciously or not) with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey | Sunday, March 14, 2021 - We'll discuss toxic masculinity and internalized sexism and how even the best of us continue to make mistakes when it comes to supporting the females and female identifying people in our lives. As Maya Angelou says, Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. Let's learn how to do better together. Our partners, family and friends deserve it.
From Mariam to Susan with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey | Sunday, March 7, 2021 - The incredible journey of women that have severed humanity in deeply profound and spiritual ways! This service is all about the women who have shaped and altered the religious landscape of our world. Join us as we both adore them and find strength from them as we step into our present together.
Wandering Around the Morass of Health Care | A Lay-Led Worship with Kem Tetlow & Tim Parker | Sunday, February 28, 2021 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said in 1966 “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.” He also joined with suits against southern and northern hospitals for failure to treat blacks and poor people. Our subject is health care issues as part of the Beloved Community.
Build Back Better with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey - February 21, 2021 - President Biden believes to his core that there’s no greater economic engine in the world than the hard work and ingenuity of the American people. We UU’s have been in solidarity with Americans as they struggle, we've been respecting the working women and men who get up every day to build and sustain this country. Now more than ever support mechanisms and communities of care are needed. Our beloved UUCLV needs each of us. Our pledge campaign is about garnering resources to fund the shared ministries of UUCLV. This service is about our vision, our mission and our covenant and how we engage the city and communities around us. Join us for a forward look into our bright tomorrow.
Covenant, Culture, Compassion with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey - Sunday, February 14, 2021 - We are in the midst of a year unlike almost any other: The trauma of the pandemic; The insurrection and disharmony of our political life; The issues that arise from the linked oppressions inherent in our nation; These and so many challenges. Hence today's service. We are a covenantal community;. we have spaces filled with peoples from cultures far and wide; we are a compassionate people ready to step into the future with hope, vitality, and optimism.
Black, UU and Proud: From Joseph Jordan to BLUU with the Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey - February 7, 2021 - As a Unitarian Universalist whose family has been active with our association since the early 1900’s I have a unique perspective with both great joys along with a few sorrows. Join UUCLV for a journey filled with folks that proclaimed this faith and continue to challenge it to live up to its promise. (Video of Sermon Available) The Shift - January 31, 2021 - Mathew Taylor leads us in service. They are a Queer, Pro-Black, Unitarian Universalist Pagan. Mathew is an Intern Minister at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rockville. Conversations with the President with the Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey - January 24, 2021 - Imagine we had a sit down with President Joseph Biden. What would the conversation be like? Are the stakes very high? Yes, we are at a critically important moment in our nation’s history. What will you ask him? What do you think he needs to hear? How can our faith lead us into the most important dialogues of our lives. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Real and Imagined - A Joint Service Presentation: UUC of Las Vegas and UUC of Las Cruces - January 17, 2021 - Let us honor and remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Decades after Dr. King’s death, we continue struggling to make his vision of peace and racial harmony a reality. Let’s examine the progress we’ve made and explore how far we have to go. (Video of Sermons & Video of Full Service Available) Imagination & Being with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey - January 10, 2021 - It is January, 2021. Let’s get imaginative! Are their links between imagination, ethics, and the life of the spirit? What role does imagination play in the formation and growth of our religious, spiritual, and human identities? What does it mean to be brave with our imaginations? What can we create when we unleash imagination? (Audio of Sermon Available) The Rest is Drag with Cooper Garrett - January 3, 2021 - World famous drag queen superstar, Rupaul famously says, "We are all born naked, and the rest is drag." Drag queens have been a force behind many social justice movements but most notably in the fight for Queer liberation. What lessons can we learn from drag queens as we strive for social justice? |
2
|
Teresa of Ávila, Jedi Master - December 27, 2020 - A long time ago, in a country far far away, there lived a cloaked order of women so radical in their love, so radical in their existence, the dark side sought to eradicate their order. It would not be incorrect to think that we are talking about the Jedi Order from Star Wars. However, there was a real life Jedi living in the mid 1500s albeit sans light saber. Come worship with us this Sunday as we talk about Jedi Master, Teresa of Ávila.
Christmas Eve Service 2020 - December 24, 2020 - Share our special service of Unitarian Universalist lessons and carols, with readings from many traditions, experience the peace of sharing our closing hymn “Silent Night.” By lighting a candle, or flashlight at home but together with all of our UUCLV family.
Winter Solstice - Welcoming Back the Light - December 20, 2020 - As we approach the longest dark day of the year, and the "birth of the sun", the days incrementally begin to grow in light. We will speak about why we honor this tradition and what it means to us, personally, remembering ways we have marked this reflective time of year.
Finding Light in Difficulty with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey - December 13, 2020 - To some our religious freedoms and our right to political resistance have been questioned and trampled recently. These ideas and notions are major themes in the story of Hanukkah and the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire. In this service we will explore how and why these themes are just as relevant now as they have ever been. Join us for an engaging service filled with the past the present and a look into the future.
Enlightenment in Unitarian Universalism with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey - December 6, 2020 - Since the introduction of Buddhist texts to the United States in the mid-nineteenth century, Buddhism has been very influential among Unitarians and, over the last thirty years, Unitarian Universalists. Early Unitarians, such as Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and Ralph Waldo Emerson responded with great enthusiasm to Buddhism’s emphasis on individual experience, rather than appeal to scriptures or belief in miraculous events, as the basis for authority in spiritual matters. Join us on December 6th as we celebrate Bodhi Day and our UU connections to this spiritual path.
Thanksgiving Thoughts with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey - November 29, 2020
Transgender Day of Remembrance with Cooper Garrett & Katherine Weinberg - November 11, 2020 - "The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), also known as the International Transgender Day of Remembrance, has been observed annually (from its inception) on November 20 as a day to memorialize those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia. It is a day to draw attention to the continued violence endured by transgender people." -Wikipedia
Seeking Collective Liberation with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey - November 15, 2020 - What is the role of men in feminism? For men, feminism can provide the inspiration for shifting towards a true era of equality. Men's participation in gender justice movements can support and hopefully strengthen feminist and womanist and all people seeking balance, wholeness and healing within the human family. Join us for a service filled with possibilities, hopes, and dreams. (Audio of Sermon Available)
Healing Into Wholeness with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey - November 8, 2020 - Much of our language around healing is not about wholeness, but about ableness. Shifting our ideas from the ideals of ableism to a deeper understanding of wholeness can help us heal ourselves. This change in perspective might also enable us to be supportive towards the wholeness of others, whether they are healing by our definition or not. Join us with the UUCLV family for an important service about our journey into understanding our whole human family. (Audio of Sermon Available)
Healing Our Nation, Healing Ourselves with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey - November 1, 2020 - As a spiritual, religious, covenantal community, when we come together we can model and create the Beloved Community. We have an opportunity to develop a culture of Love where we can all thrive. This nation of ours, this world of ours is in crisis. The crisis is so much more than the pandemic, this election season, or even the climate issues facing us all. We can no longer afford not to work together in a holistic way. Let this service be a beginning for reconnecting the values espoused by sages and profits from across the ages. Together we stand and divided we fall. Let's get to work UUCLV - our community and world needs us! (Audio of Sermon Available)
Harry Potter and the Sacred Spark - October 25 - A video sermon presentation provided by the worship committee - "The dancer Martha Graham once said: “There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and since there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique; if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost." Inspired by this quote, we will talk about the sacred life force (or spark) that runs through each of us, and we’ll explore the practices, beliefs, and systems that, like the dementors in Harry Potter, drain the vitality from our lives. Come experience an uplifting and inspiring service that will help us reclaim passion and vibrancy in our lives." (Video of Full Service Available)
Am I My Brother’s Keeper? with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey - October 18
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” -Stephen R Covey - Our nation has so much turmoil within it now. Maybe it always did and some of us if not many of us weren’t listening. Beginning with the initial colonial period extending through our separation from Great Britain and moving past the Civil War, Jim Crow, into the present time we’ve failed each other in so many ways. Deep listening to our indigenous peoples of the world; America, Australia and Africa would begin to alter many of our views about life if we could really hear them? Join us at UUCLV as we deep dive into ideas and narrative from other sources and hopefully listen well. Celebrating Our Connections with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey - October 11, 2020 - During this service we acknowledge, share the history, heritage, and accomplishments of Hispanic and Latino Americans of the Unitarian Universalist world, past and present. (Audio of Sermon Available)
Deep Listening with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey - October 4, 2020 - In our society today, so many people are in pain. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all of us could practice deep listening so we could begin the journey towards healing a broken world.
A Hardware Store as Proof of the Existence of God by The Reverend Dr. Daniel Kanter - September 27, 2020 (Video of Full Service Available)
The Great Awakening in the US & in Us - September 20, 2020 with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey - Although the first Great Awakening was a reaction against the Enlightenment, it was also a long term cause of the Revolution and beyond.
Water, Renewal & Transformation with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey - September 13, 2020 - UUCLV had an ingathering of our community and we shared waters from our travels or homes. (Audio of Sermon Available)
Renewing Our Spirits with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey - September 6, 2020 - Just like a doughnut that's been left out too long, life can sometimes seem stale if we let routine take over.
Love Means Having To Say You Are Sorry - Aug 30, 2020 - A Lay-Led Worship Service with Bruce Turner
The Fruit of What's Gone - Aug 23, 2020 - A Lay-Led Worship Service with Mary Phillips - Looking at what is gained from loss.
VOTING: What is up is down, what is down is up. - Aug 16, 2020 - A Lay-Led Worship Service with Mark Bergtholdt - An exploration of how we need to reshape our thinking on elections to live our UU values.
On Black Unitarian Universalist Theology and the Uprisings This Time - Aug 9, 2020 with Special Guest Speaker: Gregory C. Carrow-Boyd - Reflecting on a still emerging explicitly Black Unitarian Universalist theology and the nonstop uprisings across the country since May of 2020 will equip us to lean boldly into the demands that are being made of us a people of faith.
Lammas; Lughnasadh: Harvesting Stories - Aug 2, 2020 - A Lay-Led Worship with Terri Boling - Our multi-generational service centered around the time of first harvest when the grains and first fruits become ready. Stories were shared reinforcing the abundance and gratitude of the season.
The Power of Youth - July 26, 2020 - A Lay-Led Worship with Erin Mara - Youth are an important part of our society in creating social change. What can we do, as a community, to support and empower the youth around us?
Shaping Change - July 19, 2020 - A Lay-Led Worship with Cooper Garrett
You Have To Ride The Wave - July 12, 2020 - with guest speaker, The Reverend KC Slack - "...you had to constantly try to understand what was going on and how to survive in this space... and how not to... go under. You're on your own, and then, politics is in your life. You have to ride the wave." - Arundhati Roy
Moving Into Interdependence - July 5, 2020 - A Lay-Led Worship with Kem Tetlow - Cycling through dependence, independence and interdependence. |