UUFSMA: “What Kind of Religion is Unitarian Universalism?”

UU Service
“What Kind of Religion is Unitarian Universalism?”

Rev. Angela Herrera

10:30 a.m., June 30, 2019

What kind of religion is Unitarian Universalism? Is it a religion? And if so, when did it start? The answers are more complex, and more interesting, than even long time UUs may realize. The Rev. Angela Herrera addresses the question at this Sunday’s Unitarian Universalist Fellowship service.

Many people think of religion as a set of beliefs shared by a certain group of people. But that is a distinctly “western” (i.e. European) perspective. Meanwhile, many UUs are unsure of how to speak of congregational life together. Do we hold “worship services” or “gatherings?” Are there “sermons” or “talks” or “presentations?” And when asked what our “religion” is about, UUs often find it easier to say what we don’t believe than to describe the heart of our tradition. She’ll delve into some of these questions and trace Unitarian and Universalist history all the way back to its ultimate origin.

The Rev. Angela Herrera is Senior Minister at First Unitarian Church in Albuquerque, an 850-member congregation where she has served since 2010. She holds a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School, and a Bachelors in Religion and Philosophy from Marylhurst University. Angela grew up in a blue-collar family in a conservative, small town in Oregon, which has shaped her liberal religious perspective.

She is committed to creating a big-hearted, open-minded faith community that serves people from many backgrounds and walks of life. Before entering parish ministry, she worked as a birth doula, and then as a student chaplain in a men’s maximum security prison and an inner city hospital. Recently, she and her congregation have taken an active role in welcoming the thousands of asylum seekers who’ve crossed the southern US border and protesting US immigration procedures that include incarcerating children. Her sermon “Asylum” was featured in the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee’s Guest At Your Table program for 2018-19.

Angela is the author of Reaching for the Sun, a collection of meditations published by Skinner House books, and was on the editorial team for Lifting Our Voices: Readings in the Living Tradition. She served as a member of the Faith and Reproductive Justice Leadership Institute at the Center for American Progress in Washington DC from 2014-2016. She currently serves as a Teaching Pastor for Meadville Lombard Theological School. She and her husband Carlos have two grown children. Their family speaks Spanish and English, celebrates their Colombian and American cultures, and enjoys spending time hiking and backpacking in the wilderness of New Mexico.

For more information about the UUFSMA, including our Sunday morning Children’s Religious Education program, Social Action outreach, weekly discussion groups, social activities, and Care Team, join us any Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at the Hotel La Aldea or check out our website at uufsma.org.

Our fellowship was born in 1987 when a small group of expatriate religious liberals came together to meet as Unitarian Universalists in San Miguel de Allende. The fellowship has been active and thriving ever since. Every UU church has it’s own flavor, and we are no exception. We are a combination of expats and visitors, each actively engaged and contributing to this wonderful Mexican community we love. Because there is a coming, going, and returning aspect, our spiritual community is extremely fluid.  There is a magic in San Miguel which draws us in and binds us together—both as members of the church and of the larger community. Our programming is led by visiting ministers, community leaders, and church members, so the variety is lively. We have opportunities to meet as UU’s each week at discussion groups, breakfasts, luncheons, and in various other ways. Depending on the season, attendance fluctuates between 40 and 140. Our primary focus is on funding social action within the surrounding community. We love good music, good discussion, good food, and having visitors. We invite you to join us any Sunday morning.

Members regularly post updates and information on this site. We also post meeting minutes and announcements there.

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https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/UUFSMA/info

Click on “membership”and follow the directions.

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We encourage you to use this site to communicate with other local UUs.