Would you like to "take a peek" inside the typical Sunday Service at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, Maine? We will post MP3 audio excerpts of selected services as time permits on this page.
All material copyright © Rev. Sylvia A. Stocker except as noted.
What do Charles Dickens, the Super Bowl, and our pledge drive have to do with one another? Rev. Stocker contemplates. Music: "Creative Spirit," copyright
© Grace Lewis-McLaren, a member of the congregation and performed by our women's choir. Used by permission.
Is religion binding? Blinding? Both? Or neither? Rev. Stocker ponders...
The Reverend Sylvia A. Stocker, preaching. Piano improvisation of “American the Beautiful,” performed by the Reverend J. Bradbury Mitchell,
Minister Emeritus.
A sermon about hope. The Reverend Sylvia A. Stocker preaching.
First service: Our high school group planned and produced this worship service to celebrate Beltane, the Celtic observance of May Day. Reflection by youth group advisor Becky Pelchat, chants led by Director of Religious Education Nicole Shanks. Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poem, “Spring,” read by youth group member Heather. Violin played by youth group member James and guitar by youth group member Dani.
Sermon by the Reverend Sylvia A. Stocker.
Readings given by the Revered Sylvia A. Stocker and Director of Religious Education Nicole Shanks. Hymn "When the Spirit Says Do," accompanied by David Dean.
A sermon by the Reverend Sylvia A. Stocker, exploring the first part of our mission statement, “Our mission is to be a spiritual community…” Rev. Stocker draws on the book
Spiritual Evolution, by Dr. George Vaillant.
Thanksgiving Intergenerational Service. Religious Education Director Nicole Shanks introduces the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee Guest at Your Table boxes, to raise funds for justice work all over the world. The sermon, by the Reverend Sylvia A. Stocker nods at our tradition of telling the stone soup story in our intergenerational Thanksgiving service, then takes off in a slightly different direction.… Music: Joseph Kosma’s “Autumn Leaves,” played by pianist David Dean.
A post-election sermon preached by Rev. Sylvia Stocker.
Mission Impossible
Today, National Coming Out Day and the tenth anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard, Rev. Stocker tells some stories about the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts to illustrate how people can make impossible dreams come true. This sermon anticipates the church's journey toward creating a new Mission Statement.
The Preservation of the World
In his book
Walden, Henry David Thoreau said, “In wildness is the preservation of the world.” Rev. Sylvia Stocker contemplates one of the wildest of creatures, the wolf, for lessons about human beings. She draws on the story of the Wolf Project, as described in the book
Shadow Mountain, by Renee Askins.
Choosing Peace, Being Peace
In honor of the International Peace Day, peace activist Lynn Ellis and Rev. Sylvia Stocker ponder what it means to choose peace. Lynn Ellis describes her journey to peace. Rev. Sylvia Stocker reflects on what it means to choose peace in light of the July shootings at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church and the shock jock rhetoric that may have been a contributing factor to those shootings.
Spanners
We can be “spanners,” Rev. Sylvia Stocker asserts. We can be an intentional intergenerational community – a group of seekers that spans the generations, fostering safe, healthy, and meaningful relationships among all. This sermon draws from
All Are Welcome, by James V. Gambone. Also included in this sermon is a story about Sylvia’s father, written by Rev. Anita Farber-Robertson.
Sanctuary
For Homecoming Sunday, Rev. Sylvia Stocker asks what it means to have sanctuary and to create sanctuary together. She refers to the children’s story told earlier in the service --
Sunflower House, by Eve Bunting, in which a young boy creates a special place for himself among tall sunflowers. In addition, she alludes to the morning’s reading -- “A Fist in the Eye of God,” an essay about a hummingbird building her nest, in
Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver.