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“Purple Theology: The Music & Message of Prince”

– Simone Monique Barnes and Rev Erin Walter

Seven years after his death, Prince’s work continues to influence and inspire the world. With religiously themed music and lyrics, combined with an ongoing exploration of identity, self-expression, truth-telling, joy, injustice, grief, and of course, love, Prince’s deeply spiritual music offers a theology of liberation. 

As we look inside, look around, and look beyond ourselves, we begin to ask questions like, “How do we perceive and define our individual selves?” “What role do we play in our collective healing?” “How can we survive and thrive in times of heartache and oppression?”  “How do we imagine the next chapter of our lives, our church, our world?”

Come as you are, whether you are seeking healing for your own spirit or healing for the wider world, invite friends, and prepare to take in moving music from the First UU band, soloists, and instrumentalists. The church’s important pre-congregational meeting will follow the worship service.

Simone Monique Barnes: Informed by the arts, prayer, meditation, and yoga, Simone Monique Barnes is an interdisciplinary artist, writer, educator, and lay minister. Simone was born and raised in New York City, and has called Austin, Texas, home for over ten years. Simone enjoys joy practices such as Laughter Yoga Teacher and Afro Flow Yoga. She holds a master’s degree in Arts in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

“Talking about Money,” co-led by Karen Neeley and Hannah Meehan:

Money: we can’t live without it but our culture tells us that the love of it is the root of all evil.  So, how do we truly understand our attitudes toward this “necessary evil”?

TXUUJM NEWS – TIME TO SING! Texas UU Justice Ministry April 27th update. Call your legislators and SING in support of LGBTQIA+ rights. Subscribe Here. 

REMINDER: Thursday night Action Hours are a place to take action together in community every week on Zoom, with UUs around the state! Plus the final Friday of the month (April 28, May 26) at 12 p.m. noon on Zoom. Details here.

It feels like everyone is at least knee-deep in the Texas legislature, some are up to their chins, others up to their eyeballs, and a few might be in over their heads… So, we’re going to take a respite from the external battle for justice.

We’re going to go mythic and explore a fairy tale called The Handless Maiden from one of my guides Dr. Martin Shaw. Through the magic of story, may we be blessed enough to learn how to be heartbroken in ways that fortify our resolve and nurture our ability to distinguish right from wrong and health from disease, one that restores our faith in showing up and persevering.

This event will be held in the First UU’s Sanctuary on Tuesday, April 18th at 6 p.m.

Social Action Meeting will be held after service in the Sanctuary from 12:15 – 1:15 p.m. Childcare will be provided.

In the meantime, come see us at the Social Action table during coffee hour every Sunday to learn more about our pillars and get involved!

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin
Sermon: LITURGY: THE (EARTH)WORK OF THE PEOPLE

by the Rev. Sara Green

Service Co-Led by the Revs. Sara Green and Chris Jimmerson

Followed by:
A Community Potluck
Hosted by First UU Earthkeepers

March 26, 2023
Service at 10:45 a.m. in the Sanctuary
Potluck* at 12:15 p.m. in Howson Hall and Courtyard

Rev. Sara Green is a southern cis/queer, Black femme minister and farmer living in New Orleans. She imagines liberation/salvation/beloved community as communities that have the ability to eat good food together, experience pleasure in their bodies and regularly put their hands in the soil – all while free from fear and violence from existing social structures, and while living into the cultural and legal changes necessary for this world to exist.

Rev. Chris Jimmerson is the Acting Senior Minister for First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin. He has a strong calling toward anti-oppression, interfaith and social justice work and has been especially involved in immigrant rights and racial justice. He loves leading worship and the pastoral work of ministry.

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*Please bring potluck offerings to the kitchen before the service at the temperature at which they need to be served. Put your name on all dishes and utensils.

April 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th from 7 – 8:30 p.m. on Zoom

The world has turned upside down for many of us in the last few years. How do we learn from
what we have encountered and discover meaning to equip us to move into the future? We’ll draw
from UU and other writers as we put our own experience into perspective as we make meaning.

Who knows? Maybe we’ll even grow into wisdom. Register here. 

Three stimulating opportunities for adult religious education are coming up:

Braver Angels Workshop
Saturday, March 25th from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Howson Hall

If you are heartsick about the rancor tearing our country apart,
If you believe that your opponents should not be your enemies,
If you believe that America’s best days can lie ahead,
JOIN US for our FREE workshop, SKILLS FOR BRIDGING THE DIVIDE.
This workshop teaches crucial capabilities for having respectful conversations that:
• Improve our ability to re-frame difficult conversations.
• Explore creative ways to discover seemingly hidden areas of common ground between us.
• Develop good boundary-setting capabilities to ensure that our conversations begin, progress,
and conclude in more respectful ways, even in difficult moments of interaction.
Click here to register for this free event.

For more information, contact Laraine Altun at laltun@braverangels.org.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Practice Group
Sundays at 1 p.m. from March 26th – May 28th, except April 23rd and May 21st (congregational
meetings)

Through the emphasis of NVC on deep listening—to ourselves as well as others—we
discover the depth of our own compassion. NVC can be seen as both a spiritual
practice that helps us see our common humanity, using our power in a way that
honors everyone’s needs, and a concrete set of skills which help us create life-serving
families and communities.
Please join us to learn more and practice using these compassionate skills together.
Register here.

For more information, contact Laraine Altun larainea@gmail.com.

Making Meaning in an Upside Down World with Rev. Jonalu Johnstone
April 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th from 7 – 8:30 p.m. on Zoom.

The world has turned upside down for many of us in the last few years. How do we learn from
what we have encountered and discover meaning to equip us to move into the future? We’ll draw
from UU and other writers as we put our own experience into perspective as we make meaning.
Who knows? Maybe we’ll even grow into wisdom. Register here.