Play Video Dear Ones:  After four weeks exploring death and dying, this Sunday, our new series returns us to life…after all, it’s Easter!  Easter is a story of life’s persistence, and a refusal to let death or despair have the final word. Easter is a commitment to hope, and a faith in a future beyond whatever struggles we face today.   More often these days, people talk to me about dread for the future, not hope. And I get it. Some days, especially when I stay too long in stories of grief, and loss, and violence. When I get caught thinking the greed, and the extractio ..read more

This week, Rev. Sean Neil-Barron shared about harm reduction and recovery as part of our When Death Comes Series. As a follow up, we’ve gathered some helpful resources for further learning and impact.  Harm Reduction & Recovery Resources ..read more

Dear ones, Death comes for all of us.  It’s a reality most of us try really hard not to think about, and spend a lot of time and money hoping we can fend off. Death is inevitable, but also somehow we have whole industries selling us on ways to put it off. Death is also intimate, messy, and universal. But somehow we have made it invisible, distant, formal, and private. Something we could, or should avoid.   But this distance does not save any of us. Instead, it just keeps us from understanding and integrating this part of life into our lives. We need to turn towards, rath ..read more

Rev. Gretchen will lead a town hall on Feb. 24 at 1 PM. Please review the Annual Report and our updated 2024 Town Hall Data Packet for more details. A recording of the town hall will also be posted after the meeting ..read more

Dear Ones, There’s a lot about life today that can be overwhelming. Especially as we contemplate the realities of the upcoming presidential election year, wrestle with the painful violence in the Middle East and in Ukraine, or simply balance all that is required of us in our daily lives. Many of us are carrying grief or fear and navigating significant life changes. Even if we know how we could make a positive change or find a greater steadiness through these shifts, it can be difficult to muster the motivation or maintain the habit over a long enough time – there’s just so much we’re trying ..read more

In December, we gather. With friends, with family, in community. With music and food. We remember years past. We connect with people and memories. We find our way to hope once again.   Or at least, this is the idea.   Except too often, the holidays can become a list of events, tasks, and things to buy, and we start to forget the reason for all of it. The intentions behind the gathering, what we long to hear, and from whom. The journey worth traveling for. The way we hope to be changed in the coming together. Our real wish list.    As we worship for the first times in our n ..read more

Dear community, both within and beyond Foothills,  Since the horrific attack on October 7th, we have shared UUA statements, including from our President, the Rev. Sofia Betancourt, in response to the Israel and Hamas conflict, and the suffering and loss of life in both Israel and Palestine, as well as their follow up statement calling for a ceasefire. However, we have not made any statements directly from Foothills ministers or, more generally, from our community.  At first, this was from a place of shock and disorientation. The violence has been overwhelming, and the way forward is ..read more

When James Luther Adams (JLA), the most prominent Unitarian Universalist theologian of the twentieth century, was asked if he saw neo-fascism rising in American possibility, his response was crisp and clear.  Having witnessed firsthand the rise of fascism in Europe, JLA rejoined, “When the enemies of freedom come to “rescue” us from the regnant social chaos, they will not be wearing brown shirts and hailing der Führer; they will come waving the flag and clutching the Bible—seemingly innocent symbols of American culture.” According to a poll in 2022 by the Public Religion Research Institu ..read more

View a PDF of the November/December Communicator ..read more

Life has a way of throwing curveballs, and sometimes, we find ourselves in situations we never anticipated. But here’s the thing – even when the road is bumpy, the journey is worth celebrating. This Sunday, October 29th, we invite you to join us for a unique celebration that exemplifies the spirit of finding joy in life’s unexpected twists. In a world where we’re often told to wait for the perfect moment to celebrate, we say, “Celebrate Anyway!” When your plans go awry, and you find yourself stuck in an in-between, that’s the perfect time to raise a glass and dance to the rhythm of life. Why ..read more