Sermon Archive 2026-27
Click here for sermons prior to July 1, 2026
The Courage to
Step Off the Porch
with Pastor Jackie Ryan, Guest Speaker
Special Music by Paul Bennett
August 2, 2026. What do a grumpy old balloon salesman, an eager wilderness explorer, and the experience of doubt have in common? Using Pixar's Up as our guide, we'll explore why doubt isn't the opposite of faith - it may actually be where faith and spirituality begin. Our greatest transformations often happen in community in those moments we "step off the porch." Expect a few laughs, a few balloons, and perhaps a new way of thinking about doubt—not as something to overcome but as part of what makes us fully alive.
Jackie Ryan is an ordained minister called to Nativity Lutheran Church in Bend and a doctorate student at George Fox University, Portland Seminary. She enjoys living in the Pacific Northwest, and the love and compassion of community.
Walking Each Other Home
with Judy Hurlburt and Guests, Lay Leaders
August 9, 2026. Lay leader Judy Hurlburt is joined by a panel of UUFCO congregants who have hiked the Camino de Santiago trail: Ben Morgan, Chris and Flora Patrick, Grace Kennedy, Katrina Hays, and Max Merrill. Interwoven throughout the service we will explore where “home” is, where our journeys are taking us, and how we might treat one another along the way so we find peace on our journeys.
The Camino de Santiago is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle James in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition holds that the remains of the apostle are buried. Pilgrims follow its routes as a form of spiritual path or retreat for their spiritual growth.
Creativity, Spirit & Stories
with Jane Kirkpatrick,
Guest Speaker
August 16, 2026. Stories are the most powerful way we have of organizing human experience. As D. H. Lawrence once noted, “The stories tell us who we are and who we will become.” Today’s message is about our stories, their healing power and their importance in creating meaningful lives. It is also about author Jane’s personal story as a writer, mental health professional, homesteader and storyteller, and how Spirit threaded through her journey with a hope listeners may see and value more the threads within their own stories.
Redmond resident Jane Kirkpatrick is a NY Times bestselling and award-winner author of 43 titles most based on the lives of historical women. She is also a homesteader, the former director of Deschutes County Mental Health and a consultant for 17 years to the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs working with families of children with disabilities.
Gaia, Mother Earth & the Oneness of Everything
with Jim Scott,
Guest Speaker & Musician
August 23, 2026. Unitarian Universalist musician, Jim Scott, intersperses original songs and readings with his personal reflections on a spiritual ecological awareness. The idea of Mother Earth or "Gaia" being a living organism with the same physical attributes as humans connects us with our life support system. Our spiritual response is deeply needed now as "the spirit of life on earth is in crisis." Jim's uplifting songs provide the balance to the wake-up call, leaving participants with a vision and inspiration to take the healing into our own hands.
From his work with the Paul Winter Consort where he was co-composer of their celebrated Missa Gaia/Earth Mass, Jim has long been an activist for peace and the Earth with his music. Jim’s songs are in our UU Hymnbooks and he’s visited over 700 UU churches. Former Co-chair of the UU Ministry for the Earth, Jim helped create the "Green Sanctuary" program. His "Earth and Spirit Songbook" has been widely acclaimed by UU congregations.
If God is a DJ
with Rebecca Miller,
Lay Leader
July 26, 2026. We explore the spirituality behind dance, as well as the connections dance can create between individuals and their community or each of us and our divine spirit. Come dance (in body or spirit!) as we explore how dance affects people all over the world and the joy and the healing it can bring.
Rebecca Miller is a life-long UU and dancer whose love of all kinds of music and of moving her body inspired today's talk. Outside of dancing, she works as an author speaking agent, and grabs every opportunity Bend offers to be outdoors, be it camping, hiking, kayaking, or breathing in the clean air.
250 Years and
The Gap One Breath Deep
with Rev. Jen Youngsun Ryu & Rev. Scott Rudolph
July 5, 2026. With love located at the center of our values, Rev. Jen, from our Eugene congregation, explores what UUs mean by "love." Rev. Scott wonders abou tlove's place in 250 years of American history. Our service unites live elements and recorded pieces from Sunday morning worship at the Unitarian Universalist Association's annual General Assembly, which occurred two weeks ago.
Rev. Jen Youngsun Ryu (she/her) serves the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene, arriving in 2021 while the building was still closed and the congregation was finding its way back to one another. Born in Seoul and raised in Ohio, she found Unitarian Universalism as a young adult in Baltimore and was drawn to a faith that honors both the tough mind and the tender heart.
Weaving a Web
with Music & Love
with Rev. Scott Rudolph,
Amy Brock & Chris Patrick
July 19, 2026. Spiders can teach us about the web of community, interconnectedness, and the stories that shape our lives. We inherit webs and we create them. Here at UUFCO, music is one of the threads that we use to weave the fabric of this community. When we spin our web together with the strands of curiosity and compassion, we find ourselves entangled in a more just and joyful network.
Director of Religious Education for Children & Youth, Amy Brock, and our House Band Leader, Chris Patrick, join Rev. Scott for this service.
Seeds of Nurture
with Rev. Erika Spaet,
Guest Speaker
July 12, 2026. There are many ways to consider progress. Whether forward movement is personal or cultural, claiming this can be important. But, there is also the danger to be found in the hallucination of progress. Practices of presence might help us discern the difference.
Rev. Erika Spaet is originally from New Jersey and moved to Portland after college to cut her teeth as a community organizer and live in intentional spiritual community. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California, and now serves as the pastor at Storydwelling in Bend. She is married and enjoys cooking, reading, and singing lullabies to her boys.
