September 17, 2023

The Jewish High Holy Days of Awe              Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano 

The Days of Awe stretch from the “head of the year,” Rosh Hashanah, to the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. These are days to begin again, to “return to the home of your soul,” to forgive and to be forgiven,  a time to make a new start. So, in keeping with our monthly theme of Welcome, let us welcome in the new year together, hear the shofar blow, sing the traditional songs, and “worship” (a shaping concern for all that is of worth) together. Click here to watch the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Karen Geer, Paul Sherman

September 10, 2023

Multigenerational Ingathering Water Communion Sunday w/ Backpack Blessing
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano & CDFM Michelle McKenzie-Creech

We gather in the waters this multigenerational Sunday as we welcome and are welcomed—welcomed back, welcomed home, welcomed in. Bring your hope for this New Chapter in UUCMC history, and bring a little water (from wherever is meaningful to you) to add to a communal bowl symbolizing the community we create together. Also, bring a dish to share for our potluck picnic following the service. And bring your backpack, bag, briefcase, purse—whatever will carry you through this new season—for a blessing. The congregational year begins in full with all of us in attendance. Let us gather in! Click here to watch the joyful service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UU Singers, Paul Vallin

September 3, 2023 10:30am

Rest is Resistance                                         Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

On this weekend set aside to honor and recognize the contributions of American Labor to our country’s development, we dive into Tricia Hersey’s Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto to examine rest as, itself, part of the same kind of resistance that gave rise to the workers’ rights movements. We are blessed to be joined by gifted pianist Helen Benham. Click here to watch the service.

Music: Helen Benham, piano

August 27, 2023

Celebrating the 8th Principle…               Elaine Held, Music Director Emerita and Friends

…through music, words, appreciation, and respect.  Click here to watch the service.

Music: Elaine Held, Helen Kho, Joel DeWitt, PJ Casbar, Craig Sunada and Sister Singers

August 20, 2023

The Spiritual Practice of Milking Goats                 Rev. Rosemarie Newberry, guest minister

Rev. Kendyl Gibbons developed an initial list of 5 spiritual practices for Unitarian Universalists. They provide a great framework for our faith. Rev. Newberry started training as a goat milker in June. She will share how milking goats contributes to her spiritual practice of undoing racism. Click here to watch the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky

Rev. Rosemarie has been a member of the congregation for over 30 years. She has now started her second retirement this year, after serving as a chaplain and a UU congregational minister in NJ, NYC, Long Island and Ohio.

August 13, 2023

The Interdependent Web—UU 7th Principle through Song       Rev. Elaine Silver, guest minister

Click here to watch the service on Sunday morning.

We are One Human Family and “there is only One of us.” Rev. Elaine discusses the UU 7th Principle and demonstrates through song, using different angles of the Interdependent Web. Click here to watch the service.

Music: Rev. Elaine Silver

Rev. Faerie” Elaine Silver is a highly acclaimed musician, performing and recording artist (22 CDs and counting) with a thriving Music Ministry. She is a Trans-denominational minister and Divinity Priestess who has garnered much attention in progressive churches and centers due to her unique method of delivering Music-inspired lessons, messages, workshops, and concerts. Also a Licensed Science of Mind Practitioner (RScP), she shares Truth Principles and Universal Law using lecture, songs, and audience participation, which bring about connectedness and a sense of ONENESS in many. She has worked with wonderful authors and speakers including Deepak Chopra, don Miguel Ruiz, Neale Donald Walsch, Marianne Williamson, Brené Brown, Alan Cohen, Wayne Dyer, and more. By the way, Elaine is originally from New Jersey and was well-known in the 80s and 90s as The New Jersey Folk Music Queen. She is delighted to be making her debut at UUCMC.

August 6, 2023

On the road to Afghanistan…and what happened after that
Rev. Julie Newhall, guest minister

Click here to watch the service on Sunday morning.

In 1971 a road trip from Antwerp ended in Kabul. There were surprises along the way, surprises there, and 30 years later the biggest surprise of all. And then a lot of grief. Click here to watch the recorded service.

Music: Helen Koh, Betsy and Craig Sunada.

Reverend Julie Newhall was ordained in our Earth Room in 2004.  She serves as Minister for the Unitarian Universalist Ocean County Congregation which was launched in the 1980’s by UUCMC members.  She has been a guest speaker and minister at numerous fellowships and congregations, as well as at the Auckland (NZ) Unitarian Church. When not in the pulpit, Julie watches the moon go by, talks with her cat and her daughter, reads voraciously and follows the Tour de France religiously. She lived in Sweden as a child and in Afghanistan and the Netherlands as an adult.

July 30, 2023

Addition for a Spiritual Community: Awaken An Untapped Power of UU
Dr. Calvin Chatlos, guest speaker

Our UU commitment to the worth and dignity of every person has an untapped power for spiritual transformative experience beyond the general spirituality of our UUCMC community. Psychological exploration of an unseen order of human experience awakens mystical powers of certitude, agape love, creativity, clarity of thought, universal morality, unshakeable faith, and cosmic purpose. Come, explore, and enjoy this opportunity for personal transformation. Click here to watch the service.

Music: James Lubrano and PJ Casbar

Calvin Chatlos is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Rutgers- Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a child & adolescent and addiction psychiatrist. His beginnings with Ethical Culture and training as a lay leader in the Humanist Institute, NYC have led to being a formal member of UUCMC since 2013. His religious and professional interests combine in his exploration of spiritual and other non-ordinary experience. A surprising discovery of its relationship to UU will be the topic of his “Reflections.”

James Lubrano is a Collaborative Pianist and Vocal Coach in the US and abroad. His local work includes performances and rehearsals with the Eastern Wind Symphony, Encore Orchestra of New Jersey, Grammy-nominated Rutgers Wind Ensemble & Symphonic  Winds, Rutgers Symphony Orchestra and the Monmouth Symphony Orchestra; as well as Ridge High School Choirs, The College of New Jersey Chorale, Celebration Singers Adult Chorus, and Rise Up Adult Chorus. He is also the Music  Director at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in New Providence, NJ.

July 23, 2023

Everyday Miracles in Poetry and Music
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano, Jan Boyarin, MLS; Liz DeBeer, EdD; and Friends

The miraculous way that poetry and music transport us to places we’ve never been, captivate us with storytelling, as well as express our innermost feelings, hopes, joys, and sorrows, will be on full display this morning as we hear from several congregants, as well as from superb pianist Evan Schwartzman. Click here to watch the beautiful service.

Music: Evan Schwartzman and Rev. Craig

July 16, 2023

Moving in and out of Faiths                            Rev. Julie Newhall, Guest Minister

As Unitarian Universalists we are encouraged to pursue an ongoing search for truth and meaning.  Where have you come from?  Is this your final destination?  Click here to watch the service.

Music:  Helen Kho

Reverend Julie Newhall was ordained in our Earth Room in 2004.  She serves as Minister for the Unitarian Universalist Ocean County Congregation which was launched in the 1980’s by UUCMC members.  She has been a guest speaker and minister at numerous fellowships and congregations, as well as at the Auckland (NZ) Unitarian Church. When not in the pulpit, Julie watches the moon go by, talks with her cat and her daughter, reads voraciously and follows the Tour de France religiously. She lived in Sweden as a child and in Afghanistan and the Netherlands as an adult.

July 9, 2023

Beautiful Survivor: The Story of the Lotus      Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

Many commented on the lotus imagery that accompanied my Installation service, including on the beautiful stole that was the congregation’s gift to me that evening. This morning, we will look to lotus wisdom for the journey of our lives together. We are joined by the exquisite talents of Richard Grossman and Helen Benham, who will share the music of Mozart and Robert Schumann’s “Three Romances.” Click here to watch the beautiful service.

Music: Richard Grossman, clarinet; Helen Benham, piano; Rev. Craig.

July 2, 2023

The Buddha’s Smile                          Rev. Allen Wells, Guest Minister

Click here to watch the service on Sunday morning.

A peek into the role of humor in religion, philosophy, and life. Click here to watch the service recording.

Music: Brian Gilmore

Rev. Allen Wells is a Buddhist Unitarian Universalist serving as Affiliated Community Minister of The Morristown Unitarian Fellowship. He maintains a mindfulness based psychotherapy practice in Morristown, N.J., and teaches meditation at Buddhist sanghas. Allen likes to cross disciplines and is particularly interested in the interplay between neuroscience and classical Buddhism. He strives to bridge our internal world of personal, spiritual aspiration with activist oriented work for social justice and environmental sustainability. You can find him both on a safu and on a picket line. For two decades, Allen directed The Allen Wells Center for Psychotherapy and Healing in Morristown, and he previously served as psychotherapist at the DiMele Center for Psychotherapy in NYC. Allen has served as minister of UU congregations in Weymouth, MA., Hollis Queens, and The First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn; he served as Director of Religious Education at the Morristown UU fellowship, as well as for two years at UUCMC in the 1970s! Most recently, he served as minister of the First Unitarian Society of Rockland County, NY. He loves poetry and dance and presents at the UU Fellowship of St. John, USVI each winter. He acknowledges that he hasn’t written any books because he says he would rather spend the time ballroom dancing!

June 25, 2023

UUA General Assembly 2023

Sunday Worship: Ever Willing: Becoming the People Our World Needs
Rev. Manish Mishra-Marzetti and Others

The pandemic has wrought change and created uncertainty for institutions, like our Unitarian Universalist congregations, and our wider world. Who and what are we becoming, individually and collectively? Our GA Sunday service explores these themes as we gather in community to celebrate the best of who we UUs are. Click here to watch the service

This week we encouraged people to enjoy the Sunday Service from the Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly, the largest annual gathering of UUs in worship.

June 18, 2023

Unitarian Laura Towne and the Port Royal Experiment: Education in the Sea Islands during the Civil War                                                           John and Cori Hoffman (Guest presenters)

In this service we will explore the life of the enslaved peoples of the South Carolina Sea Islands during and after the Civil War with particular emphasis on their education and the part played by Unitarian, Laura Towne, and her Quaker friend, Ellen Murray. The legacy of their efforts on behalf of the Gullah peoples of the Sea Islands continues to be felt today. Click here to watch the service.

Music: Elaine Held (Director of Music Emerita)

Cori Hoffman is a life -long Unitarian Universalist.  She holds a Master’s degree in education and spent her entire career as an educator including eight years as a Director of Religious Education, six of them at UUCMC. John has been attending UU service since 1969.  His career was as a trial lawyer. John and Cori have two grown children and have been Members of UUCMC since the early 1990s and are also members of the Beaufort, South Carolina UU Fellowship.

June 11, 2023

A Multigenerational Service of Bridging, Welcoming, and Flower Communion
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and CDFM Michelle McKenzie-Creech

100 years ago, at the Unitarian Fellowship of Prague, the Rev. Norbert Čapek inaugurated what we know as Flower Communion, when we impart blessings to one another in the form of flowers given and flowers received. As we finish out the congregational year, honoring our new Members, bridging our youth into adulthood, and participating in our annual Congregational Meeting, please bring a flower with you to the service to add to bouquets symbolic of us all.  Click here to watch the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UU Singers, Karen Geer, and Nicole Kennelly

June 4, 2023

Experiencing Delight                                          Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

During LGBTQ+ Pride Month, when our thoughts are with people of all affectional/sexual orientations and gender identities, we lean into our monthly congregational theme of “delight.” How is a congregation primed to be a place in which we can delight in one another, as well as what is perhaps more difficult yet, delighting in ourselves? Click here to watch the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UkUlele Orchestra

May 28, 2023

Atheism – Beyond the Bickering                               Tim Geiselman

Too often atheism is couched in polar terms. The conventional emphasis is on the disbelief of God’s existence and the dismissal of spirituality. This service looks to get past that lazy definition. Atheists tend to live in questions rather than answers, so we will spend the service exploring some of those questions. Click here to watch the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky

May 21, 2023

To This, I Give My Heart: Coming of Age
Coming of Age Teens, CDFM Michelle McKenzie-Creech, Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

Coming of Age is an important rite of passage that recognizes the transition from childhood toward young adulthood. Our 8th and 9th grade youth will share reflections on their journeys of discovery, growth, and transformation in this worship service designed by them. They will offer their hearts to the world, expressing their hopes and dreams for a better future. This is a special moment for our community as we come together to celebrate the spirit of resilience, creativity, and possibility that lives within each of us. Click here to watch the wonderful service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Cole Harbison, and PJ Casbar

May 14, 2023
In Person and Livestreamed

The End of Mother’s Day                                              Rev. Rosemarie Newberry

Traditionally, Mothers’ Day has a very large church attendance. People donned their best outfits, put on big smiles and made Mom queen for the day. It is not religious and was created to honor a sexist role.  Now it does not meet the needs of the ethics and reality of current society and families. It is time to end Mothers’ Day. Click here to watch the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, PJ Casbar and Karen Geer

May 7, 2023

We Sing the Stories of Who We Are: Music Sunday
Dr. Louise Chernosky, Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano, UUCMC Music Ensembles

Come enjoy a morning of creative musical expressions, as UUCMC’s ensembles “sing the stories of who we are.” Click here to watch the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UkUlele Orchestra, UU Singers, Just Folk, Sister Singers, Roots & Wings Drum Choir, Corealis Trio, and Friends

April 30, 2023

Joy as Resistance: Rock ’n’ Roll Sunday                  Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

“Rock and Roll” is many things to many people, but perhaps at its essence it is a sense of living vibrantly into one’s own space, undergirded by a sense of joy. In what may be a first for UUCMC, we present “Rock ’n’ Roll Sunday,” and are grateful to be joined by musicians from Asbury Park’s Lakehouse Music Academy. Are you ready? Click here to watch the fun service!

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Lakehouse Music Academy Rock ’n’ Roll musicians (Asbury Park)

Lakehouse Music Academy (LHMA) is a progressive music school committed to the development of comprehensive musicianship for every student, at every level, at every age. It is their mission to engage and enrich their students’ lives through access to complete, life-long music education. They value creativity, diversity, community, and music’s ability to improve the human condition.

April 23, 2023

Compassion, Hope, and Climate Change: An Earth Day Service
Blair Nelsen, Guest Speaker

As we celebrate the climate action work of many in our congregation over more than 20 years, we recognize that the climate crisis poses a threat to our physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. Climate emotions like eco-anxiety and climate grief are rational responses to this existential threat. By honoring and moving through climate distress, we can practice radical community care and keep ourselves engaged in actions for the long haul. Click here to watch the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Karen Geer

Blair Nelsen is the Executive Director of Waterspirit, spiritual ecology nonprofit, currently located in Rumson. Blair holds an MA in Religion from Yale Divinity School. Prior to attending Yale, Blair lived and worked in the Amazon and Atlantic forests of Brazil for 11 years, where she was engaged in grassroots ecological and spirituality work. Blair has been hoping to attend a service at UUCMC, but something always seems to get in the way. She is delighted for the opportunity to join us.

April 16, 2023

Reading as Opportunity: Libros para todos           Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

Sometimes resistance means the creation of new opportunities. The gift of reading is one such powerful forger of possibilities, and this service will center one of Rev. Craig’s favorite things to do in the world—reading. All proceeds from the offering will go to Libros para todos (Books for All), a group that changes the lives of under-served children in Mexico’s Guanajuato state. Click here to watch the recorded service.

Music: Elaine Held (Music Director Emerita), Marel Hidalgo

Marel Hidalgo is 14 years old and has been playing guitar since the age of four. He has played in multiple venues, festivals and TV shows including The Day of Rock in Denver, Harry Connick, Jr. show on Fox, and multiple times at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Marel will be going to Spain this summer to study guitar. He lives in Bradley Beach with his parents, Mahonrry and Islen, who own the vegan Mexican restaurant, Luna Verde.

April 9, 2023

Practicing Resurrection: A Multigenerational Celebration of Easter
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

The last line of Wendell Berry’s powerful poem, “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front,” is an exhortation to “practice resurrection.” This Sunday, we’ll explore living into the Easter story of resistance, death, and resurrecting love…with some help from Berry. For our youngest congregants, the yearly Egg Hunt will follow the service! Click here to watch the recorded service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Dante Kanterezhi-Gatto and Alexandra Kanterezhi-Gatto, UU Singers, Elaine Held

April 2, 2023

Leaving “Egypt”: A Celebration of Passover          Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

And, so, we come to the yearly telling of the story of deliverance of the Israelites from oppression in Egypt, surely one of the seminal accounts of resistance in a sacred text. What “Egypts” have you left (or are you trying to leave) behind?  Click here to watch the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UkUlele Orchestra

March 26, 2023
In Person and Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube

2023 Myra Zinke Lecture: Geraldine L. Thompson, New Jersey’s First Lady
Professor Jane Scimeca, with Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

How many times have you driven past Thompson Park, Thompson Middle School or the Geraldine L. Thompson Care Center and wondered about the person behind the name? Professor Jane Scimeca will describe the life of Geraldine L. Thompson, with special focus on her dedication to social reform. Please join us for a discussion of the important work of the amazing life of New Jersey’s “First Lady.” She was dedicated to humanitarian and institutional reform and founded social service organizations that addressed health, prison reform, mental health reform, child welfare, nursing, and much more. Click here to watch the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UU Singers

A congregant of UUCMC, the late Dr. Myra Zinke, a Holmdel internist and psychiatrist, recognized very early how cultural issues impinged on women’s physical and mental health. She held a steadfast ethical vision and left a bequest to us for an annual speaker on women’s issues and to promote gender equality.

Jane Scimeca teaches at Brookdale Community College where she holds the rank of Professor of History. She earned a Master’s degree in History and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies from Rutgers University. Prof. Scimeca is a master teacher and loves teaching and working with students. She teaches a variety of courses including Women’s History, World Civilization I and II, and New Jersey History. Most recently, she is writing a biography of Geraldine L. Thompson, titled Mrs. Thompson Saves the Day.

March 19, 2023

Vulnerability and Resilience: The Aging Process
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and Friends

Among the treasures in our congregational midst are the stories from those Members and Friends going through the aging process. How does facing vulnerability help, in fact, to create the personal resilience to live vibrantly in the face of loss? And how can we—all of us—learn from one another and live more appreciatively into gratitude and love, together? Click here to watch the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, PJ Casbar

March 12. 2023

Our Bodies, Our Choices                                   Rev. Dr. Tracy Sprowls, guest minister

January 22nd marked the anniversary of Roe v Wade and so this morning we consider how views of our bodies affect the work of reproductive justice. Click here to watch the service.

Music: Elaine Held, Sister Singers

Rev. Dr. Tracy Sprowls is the Transition Minister at the UU Fellowship of Centre County in State College, PA. This is her 24th year serving our congregations as a minister. She holds a Master of Divinity degree and a Doctor of Ministry degree from the New York Theological Seminary. In addition to her work in Centre County, Tracy is a writer with several published articles and several unfinished novels. She loves reading, knitting, writing, riding her bike, yoga, and the beach. She lives in Summit, NJ, with her husband, David, and their two dogs, Jova and Macy, when she isn’t in PA.

March 5, 2023

Click here to watch the service on Sunday morning.

A New Chapter for UUCMC: For Such a Time as This
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano, CDFM Michelle McKenzie-Creech, Stewardship Task Force

On this multigenerational inaugural day of the Stewardship campaign that will lead UUCMC vibrantly into A New Chapter, we take inspiration from Member testimonies, and from the Jewish festival of Purim: the story of Queen Esther, who learned that she was, as are all the members and friends of this Beloved Community, “born for such a time as this.” Click here to watch the joyful service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UU Singers, UkUlele Orchestra, Roots and Wings Drum Choir

February 26, 2023

Celebrating Humanity: A Sikh Perspective on Universal Love
Sarbmeet Kanwal, PhD, guest presenter

Love does not arise from delighting in our commonalities; it gets its power from affirming the shared humanity that underlies the shallow differences that we find so daunting. It was the awakening to this fundamental truth that spawned Sikhism, some 500 years ago. Its teaching is as relevant today as it was then. Click here to watch the recorded service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky; Diljit Singh, Jas Kaur, Harnidh Kaur (musical guests)

Sarbmeet Kanwal, PhD is an award-winning educator and a pioneer in novel ways of teaching quantum physics and astronomy. He holds a PhD in Theoretical Physics from the California Institute of Technology. Sarbmeet has an aptitude for explaining intricate scientific concepts in easy-to-understand ways. He speaks and writes on topics that lie at the intersection of science and spirituality, and is the author of a TEDx talk on our cosmic story of origin, titled Chaos to Cosmos.

Sarbmeet is a follower of the Sikh religion and a long-time board member of the Monmouth Center for World Religions and Ethical Thought where he helped initiate several interfaith projects including the founding of an award-winning youth leadership program called MOSAIC, which stands for: Mobilizing our Students for Action to build Interfaith Community.

More recently he has been assisting in teaching courses at Deeptime, an organization that believes that understanding our deep past is foundational to solving our current problems. Sarbmeet hopes that scientific revelations about our origin can bring some healing and harmony to our deeply fractured world.

February 19, 2023

A Sunday Kind of Love                                       Rev. Charlie Dieterich, guest minister

250 years ago early Universalists distilled the Bible down to three words from the New Testament letters: “God is Love.” Back in 1960 Etta James sang “I want a Sunday kind of love…a love that’s on the square.” In 2023, what sort of love do you look for on Sunday morning? Click here to watch the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UU Singers

Rev. Charlie Dieterich is a retired Minister living in Kingston, NJ. Rev. Charlie has served congregations in Erie, Pennsylvania, in Norfolk, Virginia, and in Pomona, New Jersey.  In retirement he continues volunteer work with the UU Trauma Response Ministry and has become involved in local history and in ham radio.

February 12, 2023

Love at the Center: A Multigenerational Service
Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM

The Board of the Unitarian Universalist Association believes that one core theological value, shared widely among UUs, is love. As we end the 30 Days of Love campaign, we will reflect on how love has been the center of our faith from the beginning and how it will lead us into the future. On this Sunday, we recommit to practices of personal and community action rooted in love and debut UUCMC’s Multigenerational Love Art installation that celebrates love in all its forms and serves as a visual reminder of the power of love. Click here to watch the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Betsy and Craig Sunada

February 5, 2023

Being an “8th Principle” Congregation
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano, 8th Principle Thinking Group, Committee on Congregational Ministry, and Rainbow Coalition

Two years ago, we adopted and added an 8th Principle to the seven already widely-known throughout Unitarian Universalism, one that set us on a course to dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and in our institutions with a goal of journeying toward the spiritual wholeness of Beloved Community. This Sunday, we’ll explore how it’s going and be inspired by testimonies from our own community. Click here to watch the service.

Music: Helen Kho

January 29, 2023

Click here to watch the service on Sunday morning.

The Way of the Philosopher                            Rev. Seth Fisher, guest minister

The New Jersey portion of the UU Ministers Association’s Metro NY Chapter engages this morning in a pulpit swap, with each minister taking up residence in the pulpit of another. We are lucky to have with us the Rev. Seth Fisher, minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hunterdon County, in Frenchtown, NJ. Rev Seth writes about his topic: “We’re all philosophers in some sense. What’s your philosophy?” Click here to watch the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UkUlele Orchestra

The Rev. Seth Fisher serves First Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hunterdon County, NJ. He previously served churches in Chicago and Evanston, IL as well as Annapolis, MD. He received a Master of Divinity degree from Loyola University Chicago in 2013 and was ordained to Unitarian Universalist ministry in 2015. He is grateful for this opportunity to visit the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Monmouth County!

January 22, 2023

Being Our Selves                                                   Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

Although being our selves can be a relatively reliable source of delight, allowing ourselves to experience that delight can be a more difficult endeavor. As our bodies and minds shift over time, being ourselves can be, or become, a struggle. This morning, we practice embodying gratitude for our selves, finding kinship with one another in the process. Click here to enjoy the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky and Karen Geer

January 15, 2023

Thirty Days of Love: A Multigenerational MLK Day of Worship and Service
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and CDFM Michelle McKenzie-Creech

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, and in collaboration with Side with Love, we enter a multigenerational celebration of Thirty Days of Love: nurturing our spirits, deepening our understanding, and taking action on our values for collective liberation. In keeping with our monthly theme of Finding Our Center, our community will center the needs of others in service projects after worship. Click here to watch the service on YouTube.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UU Singers and Rev. Craig

January 8, 2023

Dancing in the New Year                                  Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

Joining us for this service are the Core of Fire Interfaith Dance Ministry, a women’s modern dance ensemble, and UUCMC member Yamê Bado, who will perform raqs sharqi, a Middle Eastern form of dance. Together, we will dance our way into what will be a banner year for UUCMC, and, we hope, a year of blessings for all of us. We may be “dancing in the dark,” but “we will face the music together.” Click here to enjoy the recorded service.

Music and Dance: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Core of Fire, Yamê Bado, and Rev. Craig

Yamê Bado is a RYT® 200 Yoga Alliance certified yoga teacher, a YOGABODY® Breathing Coach, a Middle Eastern dance teacher with over 15 years’ experience, and a professional mermaid/underwater performer. She has a passion for learning, teaching, and empowering clients with the tools they need to create peace and joy for themselves, from the inside out.

Led by Dr. Carol Penn, the Core of Fire Interfaith Dance Ministry is a diverse group of socially conscious women of a certain age creating an intentional community of faith and spirituality. Through the creativity of dance, they deeply express and celebrate all that gives life meaning, seeking to bring greater consciousness, compassion, and social justice to our world.

January 1, 2023

Holiday Sing Along
Elaine Held, Angie Morfogen, Pam Adams, and Joe Donahue, readers

The wonder of the old and the new…words and music for a New Year. Join in on a hymn-sing…old favorites and maybe new ones, and words to ring in the change to 2023. Click here to watch the recorded service.

Music: Elaine Held, Music Director Emerita 

December 24, 2022 4:00pm

A Christmas Tale: Family Candlelight Service
Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM and Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

This service of songs and stories includes our pageant, “Christmas in the Barn,” with a part for every child. Arrive a little early to collect your costume. In the UU tradition, we believe that every child is the hope of this world. Click here to enjoy the recorded service.

Music: Maya Kimmel, Chalice Singers, UkUlele Orchestra, Thomas Cannizzaro, Dr. Louise Chernosky

December 24, 2022 8:00pm

“Good Tidings of a Great Joy”: Lessons and Carols Candlelight Service
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

Come and experience the wonder of the season, centered in the experience of the shepherds as told in the Gospel according to Luke. Candles, stories, and beloved carols tell the tales of Christmas. Click here to watch the recorded service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UU Singers, Elaine Held, Sister Singers, Karen Geer, Rev. Craig

December 18, 2022

A Multigenerational Celebration of Hanukkah, Solstice, and The Litany of Lights
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and CDFM Michelle McKenzie-Creech

On this day, we ring in Hanukkah and we honor many faiths as we gather to celebrate the dawning of new light which follows the longest night of the year. Click here to watch the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UU Singers, Just Folk, Karen Geer

December 11, 2022

Delighting in Wonder                                         Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

Bringing our congregational theme for the month front and center, we will explore practices of developing our capacities for felt wonder. If congregational community is meant to do anything, it is surely to remind us of the beauty at the heart of our being together and of our responsibility for caring for the ecosystems that contain us all. Let us delight in one another and in our world. Click here to watch the recorded service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UkUlele Orchestra, Rev. Craig

December 4, 2022

What’s Awe Got to Do with It?                         Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM

The experience of awe is a fundamental part of being human. Awe alters the way we process information and see the world. On this day, we will explore the transformative power of awe from two different perspectives, science and spirituality. Click here to enjoy the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, PJ Casbar

November 27, 2022

The Advent of the Holiday Season: Living the Present                 Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano 

It’s the season of Advent, of waiting, of anticipation, of longing—also, the countdown to the end-of-year holidays begins, the consumerist madness creeps up on us, and, as if in a flash, it’ll be 2023. This Sunday, we will reflect on moving from a preoccupation with presents to a focus on the present. We’ll try to slow down, breathe, and take in the presence of our congregational community for the extraordinary gift it is. Click here to watch the recorded service on YouTube.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Just Folk

November 20, 2022

Wake Up Grateful: A Multigenerational Service of Thanksgiving
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and CDFM Michelle McKenzie-Creech

Our lives, just as they are, are full of reasons for gratitude. Not that being thankful is necessarily the first thing on any of our minds first thing in the morning! What would it mean to, in writer Kristi Nelson’s words, wake up grateful? One thing’s for sure: whenever we gather as a multigenerational community, we are all blessed. Click here to enjoy the recorded service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UU Singers, Paul Vallin, UkUlele Orchestra

November 13, 2022

Everything Must Change                                   Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano        

On this Sunday, the first after the midterm elections, we will reflect on change, both for the good (change desired, change worked for, change achieved) and for the not so good (unexpected change, hard change, painful change). Whatever the election results, this covenanted congregational community will remain a powerful vehicle for change in our own lives and in the world. Come be inspired all over again. Click here to watch the recorded service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Karen Geer, Rev. Craig

November 6, 2022

“A Healing for the World”                                 Worship Service with Jim Scott        

Jim mixes songs and stories in a message of peace and reconciliation for a wounded world and our struggling society. Amid wars, cataclysmic weather events, and an economic collapse, any long term visions of sustainability have lately been obscured if not abandoned. In this season of optimism and renewal of spirit for the work we have before us, our charge is nothing less than a job of healing, the earth and ourselves. Click here to watch the recorded service.

Music: “All words and music by Jim Scott unless otherwise noted.”

This worship service funded in part by the Endowment Committee.

October 30, 2022

We Remember Them: A Service of All Souls        Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano 

Join us in this annual service of recognition and remembrance of those who have died this year, as we celebrate and grieve those who have joined the ancestors. Click here to watch the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, PJ Casbar, UkUlele Orchestra, Rev. Craig

October 23, 2022

The Stories We Tell: A Multigenerational Hallowe’en Service
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM

Midway between the September equinox and the December solstice, when the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds is said to be at its thinnest, we tell stories of the ancestors—to salve our fears about death, and to remember. This year, we give All Hallows Eve its due: all are invited to come dressed for a multigenerational service including a costume parade! Afterwards, we celebrate with a Trunk or Treat gathering outside in the front parking lot. You don’t want to miss this one! Click here to watch the recorded service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, ImpromptUU Body Percussion group, Joel DeWitt

October 16, 2022

Courageous Together                                       Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

This morning, we will delve more deeply into our monthly theme of “courage.” Courage is more than brave acts of daring-do: as important, or more so, are the courage to persevere, the courage to work for change, and perhaps most difficult of all, the courage to be fully and gloriously oneself. In all of these, congregational community is a great source of strength. Click here to watch the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UU Singers

October 9, 2022

A Time of Harvest: The Lessons of Sukkot            Rev. Craig Rubano

The Jewish seven-day festival of Sukkot brings the High Holy Days to a close that began last month with Rosh Hashanah. In this harvest time, Sukkot (also known as the Festival of Booths or Tabernacles) is observed by building outdoor temporary structures underneath which families and friends can eat, and remember times of hardship and times of joy, all while being in nature, underneath the stars. This morning, we will learn about Sukkot and the lessons it teaches all of us about community. Click here to watch the service.

Music: Evan Schwartzman, Joel DeWitt

October 2, 2022

Congregational Democracy: Understanding the Contract-to-Call Process in Calling a Minister  The Contract-to-Call Task Force

For just the fourth time in our congregation’s 65-year history, we are embarking on the process of calling a settled minister. This service will be dedicated to explaining the Contract-to-Call process. Come join us and listen to the members of the Task Force explain this democratic process–one that is conducted by the congregation under its lay leadership, and focuses on involving the whole congregation. Several small group gatherings, both in person and virtual, will follow, including two after the service that day. Click here to watch the service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Paul Vallin, PJ Casbar

September 25, 2022

Apology, Forgiveness, Renewal: The Days of Awe            Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

At the heart of the ten “days of awe” that stretch between the head of the year, Rosh Hashanah, and the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, is a time of turning one’s life over, and seeing where things might be mended so that one can enter into a renewed state of being oneself. To seek and grant forgiveness is key, so knowing how to make and recognize a proper apology is in order. Today, we will celebrate the Jewish High Holy Days and learn, from Aaron Lazare’s short book on the subject, the elements of an adequate apology. Click here to watch the beautiful service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Karen Geer, Joel DeWitt, Paul Sherman

September 18, 2022

Let There Be Peace              Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano & Members of The Monmouth Center for World Religions and Ethical Thought: Dr. Rao Andavolu, Dr. John Calvin Chatlos, Jennifer Lieberman

In celebration of the Sept 17th planting of a peace pole (it was on display in the lobby in July) at the Sarva Dharma Service Center in Farmingdale, and in anticipation of the United Nations’ observance of International Peace Day on the 21st, members of the Monmouth Center for World Religions and Ethical Thought (MCWRET) reflect on peace alongside ruminations provoked by a summer of reading Wayne Teasdale’s The Mystic Heart. With human violence so prevalent around the globe, let’s join together with UUCMC’s vital adjunct organization and call upon peace for our world. In this service, we covenant with our faith development teachers as Family Ministry small groups begin. Click here to watch the recorded Service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky

Dr. John Calvin Chatlos is a child and adolescent and addiction psychiatrist by profession and a Humanist by choice as a member of Ethical Culture and Unitarian Universalism. He is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Rutgers University where he is director of an outpatient addiction and mental health treatment program. His father was a Protestant minister, and Calvin grew up near Gettysburg in a small town where Catholic Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton based her religious order. He has developed the “Human Faith Project” designed to empower the worth and dignity (wisdom/compassion/courage) of all religious/spiritual and ethical traditions to work toward Unity of purpose in expressing our spiritual core as part of Gaia awareness. Calvin is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Monmouth Center for World Religions and Ethical Thought (MCWRET). 

Dr. Rao Andavolu, MCWRET Co-President, is a physician by profession, Hindu by birth, born in India. He came to the US at age 24 and specialized to become a pathologist with subspecialty training in blood banking. He believes that all of creation is an expression of the divinity and in the commonality of all religions. He has been a member of Sri Sathya Sai Organization of US and of Sarva Dharma Service Center, both spiritually oriented service organizations, for more than 25 years.

Jennifer Lieberman draws comfort, inspiration, and meaning from various faiths and religions, but she was raised with a fairly strong Jewish upbringing and celebrated her Bat Mitzvah at age 13. Born and raised in Long Branch, New Jersey, she feels blessed to have lived near and attended school with people from diverse backgrounds and was raised to accept and embrace those differences. One of her most treasured accomplishments was earning her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Rutgers University in 2015, becoming a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) the same year, and will soon be a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Her strong belief in spirituality, as well as the belief that everyone deserves an equal chance at living life to their highest potential, is the foundation of both her career in the mental health field, and her personal vision for the world. Being a MCWRET Board member is a perfect way to work towards that vision.

September 11, 2022

Welcome Home: A Multigenerational Ingathering (Gathering In for a New Congregational Year!)
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM

On this day of holy remembrance, the 21st anniversary of a deep wound to our consciousness, we remember that one of the strongest of salves is to embrace one another just as we are. We welcome you back—you of all ages and genders and affectional orientations and races and ethnicities and socioeconomic statuses and yes, of all religiosities and belief systems—welcome home to a place of radical belonging (“belonging” is our monthly congregational theme). In this first in-person Ingathering service in three years (!), children and youth will participate in a Blessing of the Backpacks for a new year of learning and adventure. Click here to watch the joyful service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UU Singers, Roots and Wings Drum Choir

September 4, 2022

Consciousness Karma and Climate Acceptance               Rev. Allen Wells, guest minister

Albert Einstein famously proclaimed that “We cannot solve a problem with the same thinking that created it.” How does his wisdom along with that of The Buddha explain our climate crisis and reveal the possibility for surmounting it? Click here to watch the recorded Service.

Music: Elaine Held, Music Director Emerita

Rev. Allen Wells is a Buddhist Unitarian Universalist serving as Affiliated Community Minister of The Morristown Unitarian Fellowship. He maintains a mindfulness based psychotherapy practice in Morristown, N.J., and teaches meditation at Buddhist sanghas. Allen likes to cross disciplines and is particularly interested in the interplay between neuroscience and classical Buddhism. He strives to bridge our internal world of personal, spiritual aspiration with activist oriented work for social justice and environmental sustainability. You can find him both on a safu and on a picket line. For two decades, Allen directed The Allen Wells Center for Psychotherapy and Healing in Morristown, and he previously served as psychotherapist at the DiMele Center for Psychotherapy in NYC. Allen has served as minister of UU congregations in Weymouth, MA., Hollis Queens, and The First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn; he served as Director of Religious Education at the Morristown UU fellowship, as well as for two years at UUCMC in the 1970s! Most recently, he served as minister of the First Unitarian Society of Rockland County, NY. He loves poetry and dance and presents at the UU Fellowship of St. John, USVI each winter. He acknowledges that he hasn’t written any books because he says he would rather spend the time ballroom dancing!

August 28, 2022

Sing and Rejoice! Honoring Our Women Composers: A Hymn-Sing
Music Director Emerita Elaine Held

An opportunity for our community to get to know and to sing the beautiful music written by women found in our two hymnals. Who are they and how have they contributed to our singing tradition?! Click here to watch the recorded Service.

Music: Elaine Held and Sister Singers.

August 21, 2022

Ordinary Miracles                                               Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

The definition of the word “miracle” is, perhaps unexpectedly, quite approachable: “Something that has a surprising outcome, in a good way, different from what was expected.” There is nothing necessarily supernatural about effecting miraculous outcomes: all it takes is collective will and a surfeit of love. This morning, we will hear music and stories about, and find inspiration for the effecting of, miracles in our world. Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky and Rev. Craig.

August 14, 2022

Rights vs. Obligations                                          Rev. Rosemarie Newberry

Rev. Newberry found this quote on Facebook a few months ago that inspired her to consider a different way of looking at her life and her purpose. Let’s look at this together: “The single biggest thing I learned was from an indigenous elder of Cherokee descent, Stan Rushworth, who reminded me of the difference between a Western settler mindset of ‘I have rights’ and an indigenous mindset of ‘I have obligations.’ Instead of thinking that I am born with rights, I choose to think that I am born with obligations to serve past, present, and future generations, and the planet herself.” Click here to watch the Service.

Music: Joel DeWitt

August 7, 2022

Archery Practice                                                  Rev. Charlie Dieterich

College? New job? Eventually they leave home This week we will revisit Kahlil Gibran’s words about children, or friends or colleagues. What is our role in their lives? Where did we learn that role? How were we taught it? Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.

Music: Brian Gilmore

Rev. Charlie Dieterich is a retired Minister living in Kingston, NJ. Rev. Charlie has served congregations in Erie, Pennsylvania, in Norfolk, Virginia, and in Pomona, New Jersey. He was an intern and chaplain resident in New Orleans after attending Starr King School for the Ministry, in Berkeley, California. Since retirement he’s become involved in history and in ham radio.

July 31, 2022

Rehumanizing the Other                                   Pauline E. Nijander

It can seem pretty difficult to build Community in a world where society tends to dehumanize the “other.” Is this particular pattern of dehumanization new, or has it been around for a while? Join us on this Sunday as we explore the dangers of dehumanization and how we can rehumanize those that are different from us. Click here to watch the recorded Service.

Music: Helen Benham and Richard Grossman

Pauline E. Nijander just completed her fourth year as a student at the Drew University Theological School in Madison, NJ where she is studying for the Unitarian Universalist ministry, and where she was just awarded the Dorr Diefendorf Award for excellence in homiletics. Pauline has been a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton since 2013, where she has served in various leadership roles, including being the ministerial intern in the 2019-2020 academic year, and now, as the Seminarian. As a proud transwoman and lesbian, Pauline has spoken often to different community and student groups about her perspective and life in hopes of educating people through honest and engaging conversation about trans* life and issues. For this work, she was awarded the 2017 Triad House LGBTQ+ Champion Award from LifeTies. Along with her wife, Michelle, and their sweet pitbull, Ingrid, Pauline resides in Ewing, NJ.

July 24, 2022

Stories Anyone?                                                   UUCMC Writers’ Workshop
Jane Reskof, Bob Kelly, Mary Carol Day, Woody Ross, Florrie Hill

One of the UUCMC Writers’ Groups will offer up stories, fables, adventures, and even personal interests for your insight and enjoyment. This Writers’ Group has been meeting for 20 years, exchanging thoughts on selected topics. Won’t you join us to see what we are about and share in our musings on sundry topics? Who knows?…there may even be a chuckle or two in the midst of more serious writing. Click here to watch the recorded Service.

Music: Helen Kho

July 17, 2022

The Getting of Wisdom                                      Rev. Julie Newhall

If you have spent any time around children, you know they like to ask questions, lots of questions. Especially, “Why?” How do you answer? For example, what do you say when asked, “Why is the sky blue?” Click here to watch the recorded Service.

Music: Helen Kho

Reverend Julie Newhall was ordained at UUCMC and has been speaking at and serving UU congregations since 2001. She has been leading worship at the UUOCC in Murray Grove for the past eight years. When not in a pulpit, Julie walks in Thompson Park, talks to her cat, and works her way through crossword puzzles in The New Yorker. Sometimes she completes them.

July 10, 2022

All Who Come                                                       Rev. Carol S. Haag

Let’s explore together some of the meanings of our Unitarian Universalist commitment to inclusion. How do these commitments show up in practice? What are the challenges to our commitments? And what can we bring to the table? Click here to watch the recorded Service.

Music: Darrell and Mary Courtley

Rev. Carol retired after 13 years as the religious educator (DRE and MRE) with The Unitarian Church in Summit, NJ. Since then, she has served on the Murray Grove board, as member, President, and currently chairing its Development Committee. She is a strong advocate for Universalism as the central, vital force in our Unitarian Universalist movement. She believes that Universalism embodies the critical message of inclusion for our time.

Universalism: Love that won’t let you down
Love that won’t let you go
Love that won’t let you off.

July 3, 2022

Supporting our Democracy                              Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

This morning, we will celebrate the United States of America, one of the world’s shining stories of imperfection in an always striving movement toward a more perfect union. As we begin to steel ourselves for the journey toward midterm elections in the fall, we will hear passages from Frederick Douglass’s searing 1852 speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” and experience Searches for Meaning from voices on Reproductive Justice as well as the UU the Vote contingency of our Social Justice Committee. Click here to watch the recorded Service.

Music: Elaine Held (Music Director emerita), Joel DeWitt

June 26, 2022

Our Children are Watching                             John and Joseph DeMasi

We will all be judged by future generations. What will our legacy be? Join award winning UU contemporary folk singers Joseph and John DeMasi for this inspiring and thought provoking  musical service.

Award-winning twin brothers Joseph and John DeMasi are contemporary folk singers, songwriters, and recording artists whose songs are imbued with their Unitarian Universalist beliefs of love, inclusion, tolerance, understanding, and worth and dignity for all. With Joseph on guitar and John on guitar and fiddle, the DeMasi Brothers bring a unique musical experience full of wit, humor, intellect, and poignancy to every concert and service they present. Click here to watch the recorded Service.

Music: the DeMasi Brothers

June 19, 2022

It’s Been a Long Time Coming                         Lorraine Stone and Dr. Carol Penn

“Bittersweet.” The very essence of the word relays the reality of June 19^th, or Juneteenth, as it became known to the enslaved Africans living in Texas in 1865. And so far away from the rest of the settled, eastern, United States was Texas, that freedom became an afterthought to the men wielding the power to grant it. “Oh by the way, the war is over. And there was an emancipation proclamation, too! Yeah. No more war. No more slaves. YOU’RE FREE!!” And what to the slave is your emancipation? Where will he live? How will she eat? The freedom to be homeless and hungry. With nothing to your name. June 19^th. Freedom has come. Wither shall thou goest? Click here to watch the Service.

Music: Vel Johnson, Saxophone, Elaine Held

June 12, 2022

The Blessing of Diversity: A Multigenerational Celebration of Flower Communion    
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM

In the ritual of Flower Communion, we impart blessings to one another in the form of offered flowers: flowers given, flowers received. In this, we partake of a ceremony originating in post WWI Czechoslovakia, at the Unitarian Fellowship of Prague, soon to become the largest Unitarian congregation in the world. Please bring a flower with you to the service to add to the bounty that symbolizes each and every one of us in all of our diversities. Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky and UU Singers

June 5, 2022

Exploring Gender: A Service of LGBTQ+ Pride          Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

Gender is much more complicated than it may seem to persons whose biological/anatomical sex, gender identity, gender expression, and/or attraction lines up with societal norms—in actuality, we are all somewhere on continua of each of those four matrices. In finding ourselves participating in gender’s complexities, we celebrate the blessing of all our genders, and kick off Pride Month in Beloved Community. Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Elaine Held and Rev. Craig

May 29, 2022

A Memorial Day Service: Remembering      Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

The capacity for memory is one of the essential threads holding together communities, and yet daily stressors can impede the very creation of memories, leading to a paucity of treasures to savor over time. We can take memory for granted, but it is an enormously complex and wondrous thing of beauty that can haunt as much as bring joy. Click here to watch the Service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Joel DeWitt, UkUlele Orchestra

May 22, 2022

Celebrating Our Faith: Transitions and Milestones
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano, CDFM Michelle McKenzie-Creech, and members of the Coming of Age for Adults class

This Sunday will be a celebration of recent new members and of our staff milestones, all in the context of hearing Statements of Faith from participants in the recent five-session Coming of Age for Adults class led by Michelle and Rev. Craig. Click here to watch the Service.

Music: Ken Lipkowitz

May 15, 2022

Imagination – A Tool and a Gift                      Tim Geiselman

History has shown that those who realize change have vivid imaginations. They work through the short term setbacks by holding onto long term visions. How can we better utilize the gift of imagination to see past the grind of daily headlines and breaking news stories? This service will key on imagination and how it has shaped who we are, who we can become. Click here to watch the recorded Service.

Music by Dr. Louise and Ruby Chernosky.

May 8, 2022

Gratefulness for Caregivers                             Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

On this Mother’s Day, we will broaden the scope of things a bit and draw upon the stories of those persons who have given us the beauty of care. We will explore deploying a practice of gratefulness for the gift of connection. Who are the caregivers who have been most special to you? Click here to watch the Service.

Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky and Rev. Craig.

May 1, 2022

Nurturing Beauty – All Music Sunday
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano, Dr. Louise Chernosky & UUCMC’s Musicians

We step into May’s theme of “nurturing beauty” by taking time to celebrate the music in our congregation. Please join us for a morning of music and movement, brought to you by UUCMC’s performing ensembles. As Eric Whitacre writes, “May our singing be music for others, and may it keep others aloft.” Our first live All Music Sunday since 2019! Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.

Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky, UU Singers, UkUlele Ensemble, Sister Singers, Just Folk, Roots and Wings, Joel DeWitt, Elaine Held, Core of Fire Dance Ministry.

April 24, 2022

Earth Day – Together We Can Save Our World
Pat and Steve Miller and members of Climate Action Team (CAT)

Earth Day honors the 7th Principle: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. This service will highlight the steps UUCMC has taken from the early 2000s and continuing to the recent innovations in 2021-2022 to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions from the Meeting House, and what we as individuals can do and must do in our own lives so that we together provide a livable world for our children and grandchildren. Click here to watch the Service.

Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky, UkUlele Orchestra.

April 17, 2022

Click here to watch the Service on Sunday morning.

Sing Songs of Freedom: A Multigenerational Celebration of Passover and Easter
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and Michelle McKenzie-Creech

Join us for a multigenerational celebration of Passover and Easter, complete with the return of an in-person Easter egg hunt! Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.

Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky, Elaine Held, ImpromptUU Singers, Rev. Craig, Paul Vallin.

April 10, 2022

Waking up to Justice                                           Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

Memorialized in the story of Jesus of Nazareth riding a donkey into Jerusalem at Passover time, his followers waving palms, Palm Sunday celebrates the living out of one’s values in the public square. This morning, we celebrate our social justice ministries. Click here to watch the Service recording.

Music by Helen Kho.

April 3, 2022

Awakening                                                              Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

As Spring brings nature “back to life” before our eyes, it is almost as if the earth itself is asking us to see things anew, urging that we awaken to new possibilities, fresh perspectives, nascent wisdom. How are you awakening to the world around you these days? How might you? Click here to watch the recorded Service. 

Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky and Roots and Wings Drum Choir.

March 27, 2022

If Not You Then Who?                                        Rev. Latasha D. Milton

Our new neighbor minister offers us a call to action, a call to being involved in your community.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”  Hebrews 12:1 NIV

As the Great cloud of witnesses that has stood against injustice and oppression before us, we are called to continue the work to be agents of love. We are all interconnected within the fabric of love, called to bear each other’s struggles. If we do not take the mantle to continue the work, then who will stand? Click here to watch the recorded Service.

Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky and Paul Vallin.

Rev. Milton is the Senior Pastor at Hamilton United Methodist Church in Neptune, NJ. She has served in various ministry contexts over the years. She is passionate about God’s people being liberated to authentically serve God in the fullness of their gifts and talents. She desires to preach a transformative truth that reveals the heart of God to transform the world. She is passionate about standing against injustices to children and youth and being a voice for education equity. She received a M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary with an emphasis in Black Church Study. She has a M.S. in Counseling and Early Childhood from the University of South Miss. She has a B.S. in Pre-Med. Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Prior to establishing residence in New Jersey, she called St. Louis home. She is a licensed Zumba and Zumba Strong (combat) instructor. When she is not teaching Zumba, she enjoys photography, reading, playing golf and tennis, and watching sports.

Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky and Paul Vallin.

March 20, 2022

Draw the Circle Wide: “Spring into Stewardship” Sunday            Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

We celebrate our Annual Stewardship Campaign with a reminder that our relationship to money need not be constricting, but liberating, one that allows us to push outward the boundaries of our concern, drawing ever wider the circles of our lives. The 2022–23 congregational year will be one of deep renewal, in line with our monthly theme for March: “Renewing Faith.” Bring your pledge forms in-person to the service as, together, we draw the circle of UUCMC wide, and wider still. Click here to watch the Service recording.

Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky, UU Singers.

March 13, 2022

Congregational Ministries Equal Community
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and members of the Committee on Congregational Ministry (CoCM)

This morning, we will explore the concept of “ministry,” and how we all contribute in different ways to create Beloved Community. Whether our participations are through dance, music, social justice activities, worship services, book discussions, or even vacuuming the halls, the needs are many, and the community is enriched by our shared ministries. Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.

Music by Elaine Held (Music Director emerita), Helen Kho

March 6, 2022

Annual Dr. Myra Zinke Service*

Reproductive Health in the Garden State: How does a Beloved Community address reproductive health inequalities?
Dr. Jennifer Howard, MD, MPH

Racial and other disparities persist in New Jersey for reproductive health. The problem is ancient and mentioned in Luke 8:43 –” And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any.” How can we dismantle such systems of inequalities? Click here to watch the recorded Service.

Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky and the UkUlele Orchestra.

Dr. Jennifer M. Howard has been the President of the League of Women Voters of NJ since May, 2021, after serving on the Board. She is a member of the Princeton LWV. Jennifer is a practicing OB/GYN physician in NYC and previously practiced in NJ. She has been a Vice President for the African American Parent Support Group (a parent advocacy organization with over 25 years of addressing racial disparities and educational achievement gaps in African-American students), a preceptor to medical students and residents, a medical director of a reproductive health organization and a former Board of Trustee for a reproductive health organization. She went to Harvard/Radcliffe for an undergraduate degree, Howard University’s College of Medicine for her medical school degree, and Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health for her Master’s.

*Dr. Myra Zinke left UUCMC an endowment to fund an annual guest speaker on a topic of concern and interest to women.

February 27, 2022

Love Letters to UU                                              Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM

I’ll never forget how I fell in love with Unitarian Universalism and its saving and life-giving message of love and hope. I wanted to scream about it from the highest mountains and the tallest peaks until someone told me we don’t do that sort of thing because it is evangelism. Evangelism is simply the act of telling the good news, and I believe we have a lot of that to share. What’s your UU love story? Click here to watch the Service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky and UU Singers

February 20, 2022

Celebrating Black History Month: A Multigenerational Worship Service                 
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM

The first “Black History Month” was held at Kent State University in 1970 as a way of remembering important events and people in the history of the African diaspora. While the isolation of one month out of a year for celebrating African-American History has had its critics, the opportunities it presents for learning and exploration, akin to that in other month-long identity-based commemorations, can serve to bring us together across generational lines. Let’s bring in the whole family for a morning of discovery and wonder.  Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky

February 13, 2022

Doing What Must Be Done                                Charles Loflin, Executive Director UU FaithAction NJ

Social justice work is integral to Unitarian Universalism but sometimes a source of tension among and within congregations. UU theologian James Luther Adams suggests freedom of belief demands social justice action. How do we collectively determine where to put our energies? What is the “work that must be done”?  Click here to watch the Service on Sunday morning.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky and Roots and Wings Drum Choir

Charles Loflin serves as the Executive Director of UU FaithAction NJ. He is a 2021 graduate of Meadville Lombard Theological School having earned a Masters of Divinity degree. He also holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from the University of Louisville. Charles served the Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship from 2019-2021 under the supervision of Rev. Alison Miller. A member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, he calls Montclair home. 

February 6, 2022

The Limits of Empathy                                        Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

The definition of “empathy”—“the ability to understand and share the feelings of another”—leads to widespread questions about anyone’s ability truly to “understand” or “share” another’s feelings. But the limits of empathy are a good place to start in the worthy quest to enter into relationships with those different from ourselves. Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.

Music: Evan Schwartzman

January 30, 2022

Living with Intention: The Artist’s Way            Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

Living with intention, our monthly congregational theme, begins with pathways for a good orderly direction in our creative lives. In tandem with the Adult Religious Education Committee’s January Common Read, we will use insights from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way to discover possibility, abundance, and connection. Click here to watch the recording of  the Service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky and UU Singers

January 23, 2022

Hands Across America: Healing Community Trauma        Dr. Mary Early-Zald

In the United States, we are a people of trauma: it is revealed in the hostility and reactivity of our discourse. From her own experiences, clinical psychologist, hospital chaplain, activist, and about-to-be-ordained UU minister Dr. Mary Early-Zald brings stories of healing. Click here to watch the recorded Service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky

January 16, 2022

The Sum of Us: A Multigenerational Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM

In The Sum of Us, political commentator and strategist Heather McGhee exposes the most consistent fallacy of racism—that it benefits most white people. McGhee demonstrates that racism hurts everyone, and urges us toward what she calls the “solidarity dividend” resulting from everyone working together to dismantle racism’s hold on the American body. We will celebrate the MLK legacy by looking forward, as we discover ways to be of service. Click here to enjoy the Service.

Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Rev. Craig

January 9, 2022

We Three Kings?                                                    Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano

In part two of the Christmas story according to the gospel of Matthew, the child Jesus gets involved in a geopolitical plot that includes Magians, migration, murder, and mayhem. Rounding off the 12 Days of Christmas, the feast of Epiphany celebrates new insights, new directions. How might we move more fully into community in 2022? Click here to watch the recorded Service.

Music: Brian Gilmore

January 2, 2022              

See, Speak, Live                                                    Minister Kerwin Webb

The first Sunday of the new year is the ideal time to cast a vision and set the tone for the remainder of the year. This service will encourage the congregation to be purposeful and intentional as they begin creating and living into their desired futures. Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.

Minister Webb currently serves as the Associate Pastor of Youth and Young Adults at Second Baptist Church of Asbury Park, the President of the Greater Red Bank branch of the NAACP, coalition liaison for the New Jersey Social Justice Remembrance Coalition, and Board Chair of the T. Thomas Fortune Foundation. In 2012, Kerwin founded the RMW Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on child development, youth outreach, and adult empowerment. Minister Webb is an organizational coach and a training and development consultant, with a focus on helping individuals and organizations achieve personal and organizational goals. More info at kerwinwebb.com.

Music: Core of Fire Dance Ministry and Dr. Louise Chernosky

Core of Fire are women of significance who have created an intentional community of faith and spirituality, working in the area of social justice through dance. It is their tradition to dance “Let it Be” on the first Sunday of the year at UUCMC. All who know the movements are invited to join in.