Gathering Music Welcome & Announcements Centering Prelude "If ye love me" Composed by Thomas Tallis Performed by the following members of the Vernon Chorale: Kate Adams Lisa Corriveau Rebecca Harris David Klotz Emily Letourneau Steve Westerberg Liz Whitely Introduction by David Klotz We are joined today by the Cameo Ensemble, whose members are representatives of The Vernon Chorale. The purpose of The Vernon Chorale is to provide a forum to learn and refine choral singing and to educate audiences through the presentation of choral music concerts while supporting young musicians. The Chorale has an upcoming concert at St. Bernard Church in Rockville on Saturday, December 5 at 7: 30 p.m. If you have any questions, the ensemble members will be available after the service at coffee hour. Chalice Lighting and Opening Words Opening Hymn #318 "We Would Be One" Words by Samuel Anthony Wright Music by Jean Sibelius Mary Bopp, piano We would be one as now we join in singing our hymn of love, to pledge ourselves anew to that high cause of greater understanding of who we are, and what in us is true. We would be one in living for each other to show to all a new community. We would be one in building for tomorrow a nobler world than we have known today. We would be one in searching for that meaning which bends our hearts and points us on our way. As one, we pledge ourselves to greater service, with love and justice, strive to make us free. Time For All Ages Lego Ritual Joys and Concerns Musical Interlude Offering The recipient of our November Community Outreach is Manchester Senior, Adult and Family Services, which provides social work and conservator services to any Manchester resident over age 18. Social work services can include providing information, guidance, assistance completing applications, advocacy, referrals, and outreach/wellness checks. Services are provided in-person (office, home, community), by phone, email or Zoom. Offering Music "Locus iste" Composed by Anton Bruckner Performed by The Vernon Chorale Reflection - Sid Soderholm Reading - Liz Garmise Excerpts from essay "Train Yourself To Always Show Up" By Rabbi Sharon Brous Closing Hymn #124 "Be That Guide" Words by Carl G. Seaburg Music by Thomas Benjamin Mary Bopp, piano (3 verses only) Be that guide whom love sustains. Rise above the daily strife: lift on high the good you find. Help to heal the hurts of life. Be that helper nothing daunts-- doubt of friend or taunt of foe. Ever strive for liberty. Show the path that life should go. Be that teacher faith directs. Move beyond the old frontier: though the frightened fear that faith, be tomorrow's pioneer! Extinguishing the Chalice and Closing Words Closing Circle May faith in the spirit of life And hope for the community of earth And love of the light in each other Be ours now, and in all the days to come.

Gathering Music (Mary Bopp) Welcome and Announcements (Rev. Josh Pawelek) Centering Calling the Quarters "To the Four Directions" Music by Mary Bopp Words adapted from Joan Goodwin's "To the Four Directions" Jenn Richard, vocals Mary Bopp, piano Chalice Lighting "What is Remembered Lives" by Starhawk and Lauren Liebling Opening Hymn #1009 "Meditation on Breathing" by Sarah Dan Jones Members and friends are invited to bring their photos and mementos to the altar. When I breathe in, I'll breathe in peace When I breathe out, I'll breathe out love. Story "The Next Place" by Warren Hanson Hymn #1002 "Comfort Me" by Mimi Bornstein-Doble Comfort me, comfort me, comfort me, oh my soul. Comfort me, comfort me, comfort me, oh my soul. Sing with me, sing with me ... Speak for me, speak for me ... Dance with me, dance with me ... Comfort me, comfort me ... Joys and Concerns Musical Meditation Offering MARC, Inc. provides the opportunity for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live meaningful lives of independence, choice, inclusion, and continuous personal growth. MARC, Inc. was founded in 1952 by seven families who were working together to support their children who were living with disabilities. Today, they have a campus on Sheldon Road in Manchester where they provide multiple services and programs, in addition to managing eleven residential homes. MARC supports almost three hundred individuals from twenty-seven towns in the Greater Hartford area. UR Community Cares UR Community Cares' mission is to keep older and disabled neighbors supported in their homes and active in their communities. Their programs include: "Neighbors Helping Neighbors," which provides volunteer support so that older adults and people with physical disabilities can live safely at home; "Cycling Without Age Manchester," which deploys an e-bike rickshaw to provide free recreational rides for older and disabled residents in Charter Oak Park and along the East Coast Greenway; the UR Community Tech Center, which offers free technology support and volunteers to answer questions about smartphones, tablets, laptops; and UR Vision Resources, a 100-page printed Blind/Vision Impaired Directory to ensure more people know what services are available. Offering Music "Starlight" by Muse Jennifer Richard, vocals Mary Bopp, piano Andy Ricci, bass Rev. Josh Pawelek, drums Remembering Our UUSE Ancestors Remembrances Reading "We Remember Them" Structured by April Rosario, with words by Sylvan Kamens & Jack Riemer Closing Hymn #103 "For All the Saints" Words by William Walsham How Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams For all the saints who from their labors rest, who thee by faith before the world confessed, thy name most holy be forever blest. Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou wast their rock, their shelter, and their might; their strength and solace in the well-fought fight; thou, in the darkness deep their one true light. Alleluia! Alleluia! O blest communion of the saints divine! We live in struggle, they in glory shine; yet all are one in thee, for all are thine. Alleluia! Alleluia! And when the strife is fierce, the conflict long, steals on the ear the distant triumph-song, and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong. Alleluia! Alleluia! Extinguishing the Chalice Closing Circle May faith in the spirit of life And hope for the community of earth And love of the light in each other Be ours now, and in all the days to come.

“Amazing Grace” – one of the most familiar and beloved hymns in the Christian world. It is a song about transformation: “I once was lost, but now am found.” I’m not the same person I was. I’ve grown. I’ve changed. In collective terms: We are not the same people we were. Together, we’ve grown. Together, we’ve changed. Together, we’ve transformed. This is the second sermon in a series on the six Unitarian Universalist values. This morning’s value: transformation. I want to share reflections on some transformations in our Unitarian and Universalist history that, for me, illustrate how, over time, liberal religious people consistently let go of older, more traditional ways of thinking about and practicing our religion, and embrace new ways in response to changes in the wider world—new scientific discoveries, new cultural expressions, new technologies, new social, economic and environmental conditions. Liberal denominations, congregations, clergy and theologians do not wall ourselves off from the world. We encounter the world; we embrace what we deem good in it; and we challenge what we find problematic. Through this process of encounter, embrace and challenge, we are inevitably transformed. I’ll speak about this dynamic in Unitarian Universalist history. Also, because it is National Coming Out Day, I want to say a few words about coming out as transformation. One of my guides in this discussion is the Unitarian Universalist Rev. Dr. Paul Rasor, who I believe is now retired as the Director of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom at Virginia Wesleyan College, and with whom I had the privilege of studying liberal theology in seminary. In his 2005 book, Faith Without Certainty, he says “like any other human endeavor, theology reflects the influences of its own social context. But while some theologies have sought to minimize this influence or even to separate from the larger culture, liberalism has embraced it. Among other things, this means that religious ideas are often adapted or restated in terms of the language and values of contemporary culture. It also means that theology often looks to the natural and social sciences, the arts, and other cultural sources in formulating its doctrines and other theological claims.”[1] Rasor calls this the central characteristic of liberal theology. He refers to it as “meditation” or “cultural adaptation”[2]—meaning that liberal theology—and by extension liberal denominations, congregations, clergy and lay leaders—mediate an ongoing dialogue between religion and the world. Through this dialogue, liberal religion slowly transforms. One of my favorite examples of religious transformation is the impact of the 1859 publication of Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species. The late historian of Universalism, Ernest Cassara, writes: “Darwin’s theory that life presently on earth evolved by adapting through natural selection held in it the greatest challenge Christianity had faced since Copernicus and Galileo. If Darwin was right, the Bible’s account of God’s instantaneous creation of [humanity] and other creatures was wrong. Evolutionary theory was in direct contradiction to the creation story in Genesis.”[3] Many Christian denominations rejected Darwin’s theory in 1859, and are still rejecting it today. Among Universalists, Cassara says, initial resistance eventually “gave way to a willingness to entertain the idea—however cautiously. Universalist thinkers in the vanguard insisted that religion had nothing to fear from science. By the 1870s they began to display an open sympathy which allowed them to begin the task of adapting the faith to the new scientific [theory].”[4] On Unitarian side, many historians point to the late 19th-century theologian Francis Ellingwood Abbot as a leader in adapting religious thought to evolutionary theory. The historian Sydney Ahlstrom described Abbot as “the first American theologian to develop a system of religious thought in complete consonance with Darwinian evolution.”[5] The historian David Robinson said Abbot “saw evolutionary philosophy as the first opening of an insight into the universe as an evolving organism.”[6] Or consider the Rev. Eleanor Gordon, assistant minister to the Rev. Mary Safford at the Unitarian Church in Humboldt, Iowa in the 1880s. In addition to running the church’s Sunday school, she was also principal of Humboldt’s public school. The historian Cynthia Grant Tucker says that “Gordon insisted that her students approach whatever was studied in the scientific spirit. Instead of simply accepting what was offered to them as fact, they were expected to use their powers of observation and reason to form their own perceptions of truth…. [As a result,] she was frequently called before the school board by its trinitarian members for teaching what they referred to as flagrant ‘Unitarianism.’ Generally, this meant teaching evolution, or anything that smacked of it, and this, [Gordon] learned, could be nothing more than telling a physiology class that the thumb’s position across from the other fingers was what had made all the arts of civilization possible.”[7] Apparently, there were “no such problems in Gordon’s Sunday School, where the youngsters … were studying Darwin and Emerson and reading Scripture in the light of the higher biblical criticism before they had reached the age of twelve.”[8] Remarking on changes within liberal religion in response to Darwin, the British Unitarian doctor and scientific researcher, W.B. Carpenter, in an 1882 address to the National Conference of Unitarian and other Christian Churches said “If any one, a quarter of a century ago, had ventured to assert that within twenty-five years from that time we should be able to study the Chemical and Physical conditions of every body that the telescope can render visible with the highest powers possible to use—that we should be able to follow by its means the actual progress of that great Evolution of the physical universe which is now regarded as beyond the reach of discussion—every one would have believed [them] a dreamer.”[9] And yet, in a Unitarian Sunday School in rural Iowa, children were studying the theory of evolution as part of their religious education curriculum. That is, in response to the theory of evolution, Unitarians and Universalists of the 1880s were not the same religious people they had been 25 years earlier. They were growing. They were changing. They were transforming. In more recent history, in response to the social ferment of the 1960s, we’ve seen significant transformation as a result of Unitarian Universalism’s efforts to understand and dismantle its own sexism, racism, white supremacy culture, homophobia, transphobia, ableism and more. I’ve preached previously about the successes we’ve had as a denomination, like the 1977 “Women in Religion” Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly resolution, which opened the door to women having equal access to leadership positions within our faith, and which resulted in the UUA becoming the first mainline denomination in the world to achieve gender parity among its clergy. Or our Welcoming Congregation work, launched in the late 1980s, which has opened doors for LGBTQIA+ people to openly and proudly participate in our congregations as members, leaders and clergy. Or our denominational work on welcoming and including people with disabilities. Or our denominational antiracism work, which consistently asks the question: how do we as a historically white denomination welcome, include and empower black, indigenous and people of color within our congregations? And how do we hold ourselves accountable to the goals and vision of black, indigenous and people of color organizing for justice in the wider community? This work is far from complete; but because of it, we are not the same people we were at the 1961 founding of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Together, we’ve grown. Together, we’ve changed. Together, we’ve transformed. Our congregation was certified as a UUA Welcoming Congregation in 1999—almost 30 years ago. Because so much has changed in the wider culture since 1999, and because there has been such cruel and pernicious backlash against LGBTQIA+ people and communities in recent years, our Program Council, along with our Denominational Affairs Committee, has begun pursuing renewal of our Welcoming Congregation certification. Which is why I want to remind us that today is National Coming Out Day. This observance was the brainchild of two activists, Rob Eichberg and Jean O’Leary, who wanted to capitalize on public momentum from the October 11th, 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The purpose of that march, among other things, was to dramatize the federal government’s inaction in confronting the AIDS crisis. The following year, on October 11th, 1988, Eichberg and O’Leary launched National Coming Out Day both to give people the safety of a community in which to be themselves, and to build the power of the gay rights movement by increasing its visibility.[10] As a cis-gendered, hetero person, I don’t have my own story of coming out. There’s a part of me that isn’t entirely comfortable commenting on what is a very personal, often very painful experience for LGBTQIA+ people. But as your minister, I also don’t feel comfortable not commenting on what it means to come out—especially on National Coming Out Day. I’ve been wondering about the act of coming out as an experience of transformation. Many people describe the experience as transformative, but not necessarily in the sense of becoming a new person. It’s more commonly an experience of leaving behind the person one was raised to be—a false person, a conformed person, a mask, a façade—in order to become and live as the person one has always been at their core, the true self, the actual self. This is who I really am! Or as Lady Gaga sings, “I'm beautiful in my way / 'Cause God makes no mistakes / I'm on the right track, baby / I was born this way.” And though coming out can be painful, especially when family, friends and community refuse to accept your true self, it is also often an experience of liberation, joy, peace and coming home. Having said that, I was recently moved by the reflections of a United Church of Christ minister, the Rev. Heather McDuffee, who suggests that coming out isn’t always a return to one’s original self. In her sermon, “Be-coming Out,” she says, “Thanks Lady Gaga, but I wasn’t really ‘born this way.’ I grew this way: like a bent tree, adapting to wind and water, salt and sun.” She continues: “I lost a lot: my husband, my job, my sense of self. But, thank God, I also gained a lot…. I have an amazing life: a new girlfriend, a new definition of family, a new definition of ministry. Be-coming out has been a long process. But it’s my process. Be-coming out taught me about being human and about being spiritual. Be-coming out shows all people that we can adapt, grow, and emerge victorious.”[11] For everyone in this UUSE community who has come out, or who is contemplating coming out, I want to acknowledge and celebrate your transformation, no matter how you understand it, in all its messiness, pain, joy and liberation. And for all of us, I want to celebrate this positive aspect of our Unitarian Universalist history, our decades of work as a denomination and as an individual congregation—work that is not finished—expanding our welcome to LGBTQIA+ people and to so many more who are marginalized or demonized by the wider culture. When I contemplate that work, I realize: We are not the same people we were. Together, we’ve grown. Together, we’ve changed. With the aid, perhaps, of some amazing grace, together, we’ve transformed. Amen and blessed be. [1] Rasor, Rev. Dr. Paul, Faith Without Certainty: Liberal Theology in the 21st Century (Boston: Skinner House Books, 2005), pp. 12-13. [2] Rasor, Faith Without Certainty, p. 11. [3] Cassara, Ernest, Universalism in America: A Documentary History of a Liberal Faith (Boston: Skinner House Books, 1984) p. 36. [4] Cassara, Universalism in America, p. 37. [5] Rasor, Faith Without Certainty, p. 14. [6] Robinson, David, The Unitarians and the Universalists (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1985) pp. 209-210. [7] Tucker, Cynthia Grant, Prophetic Sisterhood: Liberal Women Ministers of the Frontier, 1880-1930 (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1990) p. 51. [8] Tucker, Prophetic Sisterhood, p. 51. [9] Carpenter, W.B., excerpt from a speech delivered to the National Conference of Unitarian and other Christian Churches at Saratoga, U.S.A., September, 1882. Republished as “Science and Religion” in Reasonable Religion (London: British and Foreign Unitarian Association, 1893). See: https://www.unitarian.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/1893_Reasonable_Religion.pdf. [10] I am drawing this history from Sosin, Kate, “The History of National Coming Out Day Contains Both Pride and Pain,” at Them.Us, October 8, 2021. See: https://www.them.us/story/the-history-of-national-coming-out-day-contains-both-pride-and-pain. [11] McDuffee, Rev. Heather, “On Be-Coming Out.” See: https://www.uua.org/worship/words/homily/be-coming-out-homily.

What's happening at UUSE? Lots of things. So many events here to keep your mind occupied and your hands busy. Faith is a Verb November 1, 2026 In this service, we explore what it means to put our faith into action, to make our principles and our values evident and tangible in our lives, and the healing available to ourselv... Heart Centered Kirtan November 8, 2026 Sunday, November 8, from 3 PM $30 suggested donation at the door. All are welcome - No one turned away. About Heart Centered Kirtan Live music and call-and-response mantra singing, ... Happenings There’s Always Something Good Going On Affinity Groups Birds of a feather Read More ROMEOS 2nd Tuesdays Read More Coffeehouse & Open Mic 1st Saturdays Read More Yoga Wednesdays 10:00AM Read More Ladies at Lunch Alternating Thu/Fri Read More Manchester Women's Sacred Singing Circle Thursdays Read More Upcoming Events Calendar Contact the office for details - email: info@uuse.org phone: 860.646.5151 Refresh Sunday 11/1/26 Read More Author Event at UUSE With S.J. Taylor November 1st at 1 PM Join Author S. J. (Sam) Taylor as she discusses her latest book, Helga the Fair. A reimagining of several Icelandic sagas, this story follows 13-year-old Helga ... Sunday 11/1/26 Read More Author Event: "Helga the Fair" Sunday, November 1st at 1:00 P.M. Join Author S. J. (Sam) Taylor here at UUSE on Sunday, November 1st at 1:00 P.M. She'll discuss her latest book, Helga the Fair. A reimagining of s... Sunday 11/1/26 Read More Sunday Services Schedule November Ministry Theme: Healing Join us at 9 or 11 AM The 11 AM Zoom service login and call-in information is shared through the congregational eblasts on Wednesdays and Saturdays.... Sunday 11/1/26 Read More Stop & Shop Cards Sales This Sunday, Stop & Shop cards will be sold on the first Sunday of the month after the 10:00 A.M. service. We now can use debit or credit cards for these purchases. Come support thi... Sunday 11/1/26 Read More "Living Our Faith" Do you have an experience of our UU faith in action bringing healing to yourself or someone else? Perhaps it was a small act of kindness: a casserole left on a doorstep, a visit, a ... Monday 11/2/26 Read More AA - Mondays at Noon Every Monday at Noon Tuesday 11/3/26 Read More Hope in Hard Times Tuesday, November 3 at 3:00 P.M. In these troubling times, many of us feel anxious, despondent, or alone. On Tuesday, November 3 at 3:00 P.M., Rev. Josh Pawelek and members of the P... Tuesday 11/3/26 Read More Buddhist Group Buddhist Group meets at 7 PM on Zoom the first Tuesday of the month for meditation and discussion of a Buddhist perspective on the monthly ministry theme. Email Nancy Thompson at uu... Thursday 11/5/26 Read More Manchester Women's Sacred Singing Circle Every Thursday at 7 PM We sing songs and chants from a variety of traditions, including some written by women from circles around the country, including our own. All are about the e... Saturday 11/7/26 Read More Fall Clean-Up Saturday, November 7th Looking for a way to connect with others in the UUSE community? The Building & Grounds Committee has the perfect event for newcomers, long-time members, young... Saturday 11/7/26 Read More Fall Clean-up, Saturday, November 7th Looking for a way to connect with others in the UUSE community? The Building & Grounds Committee has the perfect event for newcomers, long-time members, young and old: the annual Fa... Sunday 11/8/26 Read More Music + Mantra: Heart Centered Kirtan Music + Mantra@UUSE With Heart Centered Kirtan Sunday, November 8, 3pm I always struggle to explain kirtan to someone who hasn’t experienced it yet. At its core, kirtan is a way to... More...

Child programs, kids, toddlers, sunday school, youth programs, adult education. Children & Youth Ministry The Children & Youth Ministry (CYM) at UUSE offers a thriving program for all young people from infancy through senior high and more! Classes are held on the Garden Level at UUSE, concurrently with the second (11am) service from September through June. In the summer months, we offer a lighter schedule which runs concurrent with the 10am service. Registration Form About Children & Youth Ministry Our Children and Youth Ministry (CYM) offers a thriving program for all young people from infancy through senior high and more! The CYM program is a cooperative effort; we utilize a team approach, with one adult from each family volunteering in some capacity in CYM. We urge families to become informed about UUSE philosophy, themes, and activities by attending services, participating in parent meetings, engaging in discussions with the Director of Children and Youth Ministry, Minister, CYM committee members, classroom volunteers, and other families. The CYM Committee also sponsors many multi-generational events, including winter holiday celebrations, Trunk-or-Treat, game nights, movie nights and more. UU Principles, Children’s Version: • Every person is important. • Be kind in all you do. • We’re free to learn together. • We can search for what is true. • All people need a voice. • Build a fair and peaceful world. • We care for the earth. Sources We Draw From: The living tradition we share draws from many sources, including: • Direct experience of mystery and wonder; • Words and deeds of prophetic women and men; • Wisdom from the world’s religions; • Jewish and Christian teachings; • Humanist teachings using reason and science; • Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions. Program Goals: • Continue to make community and connection the primary focus of our ministry, in order to build a strong support system for our children, youth, and families. • Foster UU identity formation by providing opportunities for children and adults of all ages to engage in fun and meaningful activities together. • Strengthen our commitment to dismantling systemic racism by selecting curricula, books, music, and movies with an anti-racist lens. • Build a community that cultivates pre-emptive radical inclusivity. New or Visiting? Be sure to let a greeter know if you’re visiting a service and would like to know more about our program. They will be happy to put you in touch with our Director of Children and Youth Ministry, Emmy Galbraith, on the Garden Level. We are happy to welcome you into our program at any time! If you are able, we strongly encourage that you connect with Emmy prior to a first visit so your child can know what to expect. Her direct email is dcym@uuse.org . Additionally, the CYM Committee is always available for questions or comments at our dedicated email: uusecym@uuse.org . Contact Us Emmy, the Director of CYM, can be reached by email at dcym@uuse.org And the CYM Committee is available for questions or comments at uusecym@uuse.org

Music plays a key role in our services and in our congregational life. Upcoming Concerts & Musical Events Contact the office for details - email: info@uuse.org phone: 860.646.5151 Sunday 11/8/26 Read More Music + Mantra: Heart Centered Kirtan Music + Mantra@UUSE With Heart Centered Kirtan Sunday, November 8, 3pm I always struggle to explain kirtan to someone who hasn’t experienced it yet. At its core, kirtan is a way to... Sunday 11/8/26 Read More "Heart-Centered Kirtan" Sunday, November 8 at 3:00 P.M. at UUSE Live music and call-and-response mantra singing, led by walli Libby Volckening (vocals and keys), with Dan Thomas (guitar), Zach Gregory (bas... More...