Expanding Horizons

The Gods Might Not Be Crazy

With reference to the South African film, "The Gods Must be Crazy", Jennie Dyster gives us some brief vignettes of various Gods throughout history and across cultures. Jennie explores whether the Gods really are crazy. Or does the fault lie in our own pre-conceived notions of God(s) or shared across religious institutions and communities?

Gifts Our Children Bring

Today's service commenced with a celebration of the gifts and talents of our Sunday Club children - presented by them in music, song, and verse as well as telling some Christmas jokes. This has been recorded here as a separate podcast. Enjoy!

What Gifts We Bring

Today's service commences with a celebration of the gifts and talents of our Sunday Club children - in music, song, verse as well as telling some Christmas jokes. This has been recorded as a separate podcast.

In today's Address, Rob reminds us of the people within our Church who have laboured to made it happen. With the festivities of Christmas well and truly upon us, Rob uses the symbolism of lighting "blue" candles, to remind us of people who are struggling with sadness and depression this Christmas and to "hold them in love and light". Rob reminds us of the "heritage gifts" of members past and the gifts - "emotional labour" not gift-wrapped in ribbons and bows, often unseen and unheralded - of people whose gifts sustain our church and the wider community, today.
And most evocatively of all, Rob reminds us of the unspoken pain and emotional labour of Mary in her special gift to humanity: in giving birth to her baby, Jesus and Jesus' gift of unconditional, self-giving Love. Listen on!

The Solstice and Christmas

Today's service - held in Adelaide on 15th December, 2019, is a team effort introduced by John Hall with today's address - "The Solstice and Christmas" being presented by Barbara Willow and Jane Brooks. They ponder the association between the Solstices and Christmas which coincided with the Winter Solstice and the ancient pagan festivals that occurred in the Northern Hemisphere. After bringing in the harvest and the onset of winter, people had more time to celebrate the simple joys of life, fertility and love. Early Christians also chose the Winter Solstice to celebrate the Birth of Jesus and the pagan festivals that preceded Christmas, influenced how Christmas is celebrated in song, dance and folk-law - even here in Australia. Listen on!

A Multi-faith Service reflecting on the theme - "Serving in a Troubled World"

Sunday, 20th October 2019 marked the fifth annual multi-faith service, the fourth to be held in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide. It was introduced by our Minister and Chaplain at Pembroke School, Rev. Rob MacPherson - representing Unitarian Universalism - with contributions from leaders representing the major Faith Communities in Adelaide: Ann Aisatullin - Judaism, Rev Anne Hewitt - Uniting Church of Australia, Dee Sunyata - Buddhist (Naingma Tradition), Major Gratton Savage - Salvation Army, Manijeh Tavakoli - Bahá'i , Imam Atif Ahmad Zahid - Islam (Ahmadiyya Muslim Community), and Vani Shukla - Yoga Teacher with the Hindu Council of Australia.

Today's Annual Multi-faith Service will help you to understand just how much these faith traditions have in common when serving in a troubled world.

Gifts of Love and Duty

An address by our Minister, Rev. Rob MacPherson - recorded on Sunday, 1st December, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide.

Today, amidst the all-to-frenzied build up to Christmas, Rob seeks to discover the true nature of Christmas - of Giving and the nature of love that Kant describes as Practical Love, reflected in that giving. Much of Christmas is a "transparent fraud" - especially the (Father Christmas) fraud on children and their disillusionment on discovering it. It becomes "congenital" when they - in turn, perpetuate it through their children. Rob reflects on his own childhood and the significance of the curious and practical, Anglo-Irish gift of an orange. Listen on!

Staying with the Trouble

Today's service preceded the AGM of our Unitarian Universalist Church. Rob's address today was a very relevant and timely reflection on church governance and how - in what seems to be an emerging global tidal-wave of despotism - we will be challenged to give our fullest expression to the Fifth Principle of Unitarian Universalism: "the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregation and in society at large." Rob briefly mentions the history of democracy and observes the "messiness" of the democratic process - compared with totalitarian, dictatorial systems. However, rather than admonishing us to "stay out of trouble", Rob urges us to "stay with the trouble" of the democratic process - thereby giving our fullest expression to our UU Fifth Principle as the best and wisest way forward in church - and global - governance and decision-making. Listen on!

A Celebratory LGBTQIA+__FeastService

A series of sound vignettes of highlights from today's Feast Service in which our Unitarian Universalist Church Community celebrates the lives and the love of - and for - our LGBTQIA+ members and their community. This includes choral contributions from QWIRE - the LGBTQIA+ Choir. Listen on!

Meditative musings on the Poetry of the Sea

Today's service - held on Sunday, 13th October, 2019 - departed from the normal format. It took the form of meditative musings on "Poetry of the Sea". - read by two of our members, Jennie Dyster and John Hall. Some of these poems may be familiar to listeners; others - less so. Listen on!

Sally of Radio Adelaide interviews Bo and Aaron Poez

Sally of Radio Adelaide interviews Bo and Aaron Poeze, two loved members of our Unitarian church and members of the "Rainbow Community" in recognition of the International Transgender Day of Remembrance (ITDoR) and Transgender Day of Visibility (ITDoV). Bo and Aaron tell how it is to be transgender and discuss some of the local transgender initiatives such as two FEAST events being undertaken as part of ITDoR and ITDoV. The FEAST program booklet is available at https://www.feast.org.au/. Our Unitarian Universalist Church service on November 17 (next week) will be led by Bo and Aaron and will feature QWIRE (an LGBTQIA+ choir).