Upcoming Worship Services
Spring Theme: Interim Tasks: Making Connections for Support Beyond the Congregation:
May 12, 2024, “You’re Perfect, Now Change”
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
Mothering, whether performed by a mother or someone else, requires accepting a child as they are, while also encouraging and supporting growth. The necessity of loving what is and working for change is the core and the challenge of spiritual work.
May 19, 2024,“Loneliness and Connection”
Lay-Led Service
Last year, the US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared that our country is facing a public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection. The treatment for this is to increase social connection. How can we as a congregation foster a culture of connection?
May 26, 2024, “Near and Far”
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
How far away feels the goal of our UU sixth principle, “world community.” How distant feel the troubles elsewhere and how near our country’s own problems. On this weekend when we honor the dead who gave their lives in war, we ask what we, who are not world leaders or influential much beyond our own family or neighborhood, can do, to help create a world of “peace, liberty, and justice for all.”
June 2, 2024, “U Fabulous U”
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
Flower Communion
The events of Pride month honor the inherent worth and dignity of every person. So too, does the UU ritual of flower communion, which we will celebrate today. Bring a flower to church that represents the colorful, wonderful, unique blossom you are, and, as we parade our individuality down the center aisle to our shared altar be prepared to lose yourself in a bouquet of beautiful community.
June 9, 2024, "Let Me Be an Instrument of Peace"
Music and Technology Sunday
John Bergquist and Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
Our annual celebration of our UUCSC music program
June 16, 2024
RE Sunday
Jacki Weber and Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
Our annual celebration of our UUCSC religions education program.
Summer Theme: Letting Go and Beginning Again
June 23, 2024
Lay-led
June 30, 2024, “Up and Out”
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
The sun has reached the highest point in the sky, and though summer awaits, every day, now, will be a little shorter, the nights a little longer. So too, our church year continues through the end of August, but the end of June signals the end of our program year. We close the active part of our church year and turn now to needed rest. We recognize, we bless, and we release.
July 7, 2024
Lay-Led
July 14, 2024
Lay-Led
July 21 2024
Lay-Led
July 28, 2024, “Space Available”
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
Before the invention of perspective in art, an artist was limited in their composition to the surface plane of the wall or the canvas. With perspective, though, an artist could place images deep inside the picture (or at least seem to) as well as on the foreground. The spiritual need of vacation is to open up the flat surface of our regular lives to make space within ourselves in which new creation can occur.
August 4, 2024
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
August 11, 2024
Lay-Led
August 18, 2024,
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
August 25, 2024,
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
September 1, 2024
Lay-Led
September 8, 2024, "Beloved Community"
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
Ingathering, Water Communion
Our identity as individuals stands in tension with our identity as members of communities. Besides the actual communities we join, like a congregation, the American Philosopher Josiah Royce also spoke of the ideal community of all persons of good will he called the “Beloved Community.” Martin Luther King later borrowed the phrase. Jesus might have called it, “The Kingdom of God.”
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
September 15, 2024, "Free and Responsible"
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
September 22, 2024, "Enough"
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
My elevator speech for Unitarian Universalism is that “UUs believe that human beings are good enough, smart enough, and strong enough to create lives of health and joy for ourselves, for each other, and for the world we share.” It’s my faith that while we aren’t everything, we are enough.
September 29, 2024
Lay-Led
October 6, 2024, "Sin and Forgiveness"
High Holy Days
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
October 13, 2024, "Past and Future"
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
October 20, 2024
Lay-Led
October 27, 2024, "Is That It?"
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
November 3, 2024, "For Better or Worse"
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
November 10, 2024, "Some Gave All"
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
November 17, 2024,
Lay-led
November 24, 2024, "Enough is as Good as a Feast"
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
December 1, 2024, "Compassion"
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
December 8, 2024,
Lay-led
December 15, 2024, "Joy to the World"
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
December 22, 2024, "The Christmas Story"
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
December 24, 2024 Christmas Eve Service, 5pm
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
December 29, 2024, "Faithfully Flexible"
Hanukkah
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
January 5, 2025, "Who Am I, Really?"
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
January 12, 2025,
Lay-led
January 19, 2025, "The Ability to Achieve Purpose"
MLK Sunday
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
January 26, 2025, "Courage, Friends"
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
February 2, 2025, "An Optimistic Faith"
Candlemas
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
February 9, 2025,
Lay-led
February 16, 2025, "Flawed Leaders for Flawed People"
President's Day
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
February 23, 2025,
Stewardship Sunday.
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
I hope this space available for the person that places the highest bid for my sermon during the Fall Fundraiser.
March 2, 2025
Lay-Led
March 9, 2025, "Starting with Me"
Lent Begins
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
March 16, 2025, "Keeping it Real"
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
March 23, 2025
Lay-Led
March 30, 2025, "For the Beauty"
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
April 6, 2025
Lay-led
April 13, 2025, "Let Me Flower, Help Me Flower"
Passover
Liberation
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
April 20, 2025,
Easter
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
April 27, 2025
Lay-led
May 4, 2025,
Lay-led
May 11, 2025, "Continuous Creation"
Mother's Day
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
May 18, 2025,
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
May 25, 2025,
Memorial Day
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
June 1, 2025,
Lay-led
June 8, 2025
Music and Tech Sunday
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
June 15, 2025,
RE Sunday
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
June 22, 2025
Volunteer Recognition and Flower Communion
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels
June 29, 2025, "The Last Word"
Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels