Unitarian Congregation of Guelph

Free Vocal Improvisation
2023-11-05 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Toronto) | 122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON, 122 Harris St., Guelph, ON-Ontario, N1E5T1, Canada
Let’s be present and listen deeply.
Let’s be together but not lose our unique selves.
Let’s look into each others’ eyes and sing to each other’s hearts.

Collective Free Vocal Improvisation takes you out of your everyday shoes and throws you into the present. Boom!
Experience the transcending mystery and wonder of life as it can be found in music and in relation to other people.

UCG Book Club
2023-10-26 19:00 - 21:00 | 122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON, 122 Harris St., Guelph, ON-Ontario, N1E5T1, Canada
Discussion on Naomi Klein’s new book Doppelganger.
Time and Dates: 7.00 pm, Thursday, October 26 (Parts One and Two) and Thursday, November 30 (Parts Three and Four).
“What if you woke up one morning and found you’d acquired another self – a double who was almost you and yet not you at all? What if that double shared many of your preoccupations but, in a twisted, upside-down way, furthered the very courses you’d devoted your life to fighting against?”
After you have read Naomi Klein’s new book Doppelganger, come and discuss the topics with others.
Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein review – across the great divide | Naomi Klein | The Guardian

"Closer to Fine"
2023-10-22 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
The Indigo Girls’ “Closer to Fine” (1989) is a song beloved by many, and as Rev. Victoria reminded us last Sunday, includes these wise lyrics: “Darkness has a hunger that’s insatiable, and lightness has a call that’s hard to hear.” We will continue our exploration of the theme of resiliency this week with music and poetry.

Peer Parenting Group for Parents of Kids with Neurodiversity
2023-10-21 14:00 - 15:30 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
Join us at UCG for snacks, games and safe conversations. There will be a Zoom option for those unable to attend in person. (Please let us know if you plan to attend this way so we can drop off supplies and provide a link). Ash will be on hand with our junior RE staff to engage the kiddos in fun games and crafts so the big people can chatter.
Let us know if there are any barriers preventing you from attending, so that we can brainstorm solutions together.
This program is open to all parents and guardians of neurodiverse kids; however, for those who wish to participate outside the community we ask that you please touch base with us so that we can ensure that there is enough staff on hand. There is a fee of $0-$12 per family per afternoon (cost based on the Canadian Unitarian Council’s sliding scale model) for those attending from outside the UCG community.
For more information, please contact Holly Jones (she/her) at adminATguelph-unitariansDOTcom

Mango Thoughts in a Meatloaf Town
2023-10-15 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
Join Rev Victoria this coming Sunday as she talks about Unitarian Universalism and why we attract such a wonderful – and unique – group of people. And, from there, the frustrations of being wonderful and unique. She will be incorporating themes expressed by Meg Barnhouse, a UU Minister/Musician who writes amazing music. She will be using Barnhouse’s lyrics to touch on some of the things that make us a great faith community, and some of the challenges in what it is we try to do.
Childcare with Ash and the junior staff will be available for this service.

Game Night
2023-10-13 19:00 - 21:00 | 122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON, 122 Harris St., Guelph, ON-Ontario, N1E5T1, Canada

On Optimism
2023-10-08 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
Join us Sunday for a screening of a talk by the late Barbara Ehrenreich “On Optimism”. The film will be approximately 30 minutes after which we will have a discussion. During our discussions on resilience one thing that came out was the societal pressure around a particular type of resilience. Ehrenreich gives a view on Optimism and Toxic Positivity that is unique and sure to provoke a lively discussion.

For those of you asking who was Barbara Ehrenreich, here is a brief synopsis through Wikipedia:
Barbara Ehrenreich (August 26, 1941 – September 1, 2022) was an American author and political activist. During the 1980s and early 1990s, she was a prominent figure in the Democratic Socialists of America. She was a widely read and award-winning columnist and essayist and the author of 21 books. Ehrenreich was best known for her 2001 book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, a memoir of her three-month experiment surviving on a series of minimum-wage jobs. She was a recipient of a Lannan Literary Award.

We regret that there will be no children’s program during this service. Children’s programming will return on Sunday, October 15.

Chalice Cafe on the Theme of Resiliency
2023-10-01 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
Please join us for an informal discussion on the idea of “bouncing back.” The service will include the chalice lighting, sharing joys and sorrows, and singing. Childcare with Ash will be provided on site. Please note that there will be no children’s program next week. This service will be help in person with an option to join by Zoom if preferred. Please email admin AT guelph-unitarians DOT com for the link.

The Weeds Teach Me About Resilience
2023-09-24 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
Rev. Victoria Ingram
I live “rurally-adjacent”. In my neighbourhood, there are fields of definite
purpose, crops and orchards and grazing. But there are also expanses of land
that hold only wild flowers, grasses, thistles, and shrubs – in other words,
weeds. With no human stewardship, they grow, bloom, fruit, and seed,
coming back year after year. You can learn a lot from weeds – I have.
This Sunday, I’ll share my insights.
(We are especially delighted to have Rev. Ingram join us this Sunday for the first of a series of talks by her this year at UCG)

Welcoming our New Year: An Invitation to Explore Community Resilience
2023-09-17 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
Join us as we launch our new year by introducing the theme for the coming months. What does it mean to be a resilient community and how can we become even more resilient together? This service will be led by your Sunday Service committee and will include a reflection by one of our newest members, Pia Zimmermann. Please stay after the service for an “envisioning” session, a chance to share ideas and dreams about the future of the congregation in the coming year(s).
Childcare with our new senior nursery care worker, Ash Houghton (he/him), will be available on site. For the link, please email adminATguelphDASHunitariansDOTcom

Water Service
2023-09-10 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
You Tube Link: https://youtu.be/QfbfRFjE2M4

Cognitive Dissonance and its Relativity to Society and Religion
2023-08-27 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
This second summer Sunday service will look at cognitive dissonance and its relevance to religion and society. Can you hold diametrically opposite beliefs and values without feeling psychological discomfort and how do you behave when confronted with irreconcilable information?
Childcare will be provided by our junior RE staff.

Grand River invites us to "Life in the Construction Zone"
2023-08-20 10:30 - 11:30 | Grand River Congregation, 299 Sydney St. S., Kitchener, ON, N2G 3V8, Canada
Join Rev. Jess and musician Jay Moore & Friends for “Life in the Construction Zone.” We are always, in all ways, a “work in progress.” What are you working on? Childcare is available for this Sunday. For the Zoom link, or for more information, please contact Kristen Wilson, GRU Office Manager
manager AT grandriverunitarian DOT ca

Sunday Service: "Confessing Our Algorithms"
2023-07-30 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
We are all subject to social media which is collecting and recommending information to increase advertising revenues. Through our engagement, we influence our personalized algorithms and can form echo chambers and filter bubbles that reinforce our narrow beliefs, and silence alternative points of view to radicalize us. Come and confess your secret algorithms. Childcare will be available on site. If you require a zoom link, please email admin AT guelph-unitarians DOT com.

Join Grand River Unitarian for a Sunday Service
2023-07-23 10:30 - 12:00 | Grand River Congregation, 299 Sydney St. S., Kitchener, ON, N2G 3V8, Canada
Join Janis Collins and musician Becky Verdun for a thought-provoking Sunday service at Grand River Unitarian Congregation in Kitchener. Childcare is available for this Sunday. Note that this service takes place at Grand River Unitarian Congregation in Kitchener at 10:30am.

After Service Outdoor Social
2023-06-25 12:00 - 13:30 | 122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON, 122 Harris St., Guelph, ON-Ontario, N1E5T1, Canada
Come One, Come All, to our first Sunshine Room Tea Party outside (weather permitting) so that those who haven’t been to the building in person for fear of the virus can eat, drink (tea of course:) and be merry while enjoying IN PERSON conversations!
Where: The UCG parking lot, of course!
When: June 25th, after the flower communion and last service before summer.
If you have any food you’d like to bring that would be great, but if not, please bring the most important gift to others…yourself.
Help Wanted! If you are attending and physically able, we could use some help bringing in/out some tables and chairs. Please email Amanda at amandaloo1920@gmail.com to let us know.

Flower Communion
2023-06-25 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
Save the Date!
The Flower Communion, which is 100 years old this year, is a cherished ceremony among UU congregations worldwide. It is a celebration of “beauty, human uniqueness, diversity, and community” created in 1923 Norbert Čapek, in Prague, Czechoslovakia. As well as a celebration of the sixth principle (The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all), it’s also a welcome to summer and a (Temporary) farewell to our regular scheduled services until the fall.
An integral part of the communion is the sharing and distribution of flowers, so please bring flowers from your garden if you will be at the sanctuary. The communion will be led by one of our Lay Chaplains, Carey McDonald.
For more information on the Flower Communion, here are some primers from the UUA on the ceremony and also the centennial:
https://www.uua.org/worship/holidays/flower-ceremony
https://www.uua.org/worship/lab/flower-ceremony-centennial
Note that due to the after service social in the parking lot, parking will be available on Harris Street and at Ferra Flooring (322 York Road). Hope to see you there!
Childcare with our junior staff will be available on site at 122 Harris St. Guelph.
For the Zoom link, please email admin@guelph-unitarians.com
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/A8zXhvo2vxM

Walking the path of Reconciliation (Darin Wybenga)
2023-06-18 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
Prior to working with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Darin Wybenga was an educator in elementary schools in Southern Ontario. Specializing as a teacher of history and geography, he also served as a vice-principal and curriculum coordinator. In recent years, Wybenga has worked for the MCFN as the Traditional Knowledge and Land Use Coordinator for the First Nation’s Department of Consultation and Accommodation. His work in the department primarily consists of educating project proponents about the history of the treaty lands, territory, and people of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. I will bring a few wampum belts with me and talk about the spirit of Reconciliation (as I see it) between First Nations and Settlers. If we walk down the path of reconciliation together in peace, respect, and friendship we will eventually reach por goal. Service Leaders: Margriet and Paul

Photos provided

Learning and Listening, Solitude and Connection
2023-06-11 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON, 122 Harris St., Guelph, ON-Ontario, N1E5T1, Canada
In the UUWellspring program focused on Sources, we have explored the six sources of Unitarian Universalism, meeting bi-monthly in a format that centers on a practice of deep listening. This Sunday, join Hannah and Lorna and other members of the Sources group, as we share some of what we have been learning through sitting together, sometimes in silence. Deep listening catalyzes the profound connection between solitary reflection and communal interconnection, and the results are mysterious and often joyful!
Childcare with our junior staff will be available on site at 122 Harris St. Guelph.

New Members' Service
2023-06-02 08:00 - 17:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
Join Hannah Schell and some of our community’s friendly new contributors as we welcome our new members, learn about them and explore the theme of belonging. If you plan to attend online, please email Holly for the link at admin@guelph-unitarians.com. Childcare available on site.

Outdoor Nature Walk Service – Ignatius Jesuit Centre
2023-05-28 11:00 - 12:00 | Ignatius Jesuit Centre
Spring is a great time to immerse ourselves in the joys of nature, the mysteries of
migrating birds, ephemeral spring wildflowers, and animals emerging to the abundance of
spring. Guelph is especially blessed with the 600-acre Ignatius Jesuit Centre of farmland and
forests, with seemingly endless hiking trails open to the public.
Ignatius also has the spiral Stations of the Cosmos, Stations of World Religions, and the
Labyrinth, that seem almost designed specifically for Unitarians! Come commune with nature
and the cosmos with Paul Smith and Andrea Scapinello.
We will have a mobile service outdoors combining some usual elements of a service with a stroll
through the Stations of the Cosmos, and a leisurely nature walk to explore some of the farm
ecosystems, and whatever plants and wildlife reveal themselves.
Weather permitting, please join us at the Ignatius Farm Workshop parking area and Stations of
the Cosmos at 11am. See map for directions.
Note from Igantius: Please note that parking may be a challenge this weekend with all of the community gardeners. Parking on roadways is strictly prohibited, so if the farm workshop parking lot is full, the parking lots at Orchard Park (the big brick building when you first come in) would likely be your best bet.

CUC National Service
2023-05-21 10:30 - 12:00 | Zoom
We will gather from across the nation to celebrate what has brought us to this moment in making manifest our new principle: promoting “individual and communal action that accountably dismantles racism and systemic barriers to full inclusion in ourselves and our institutions.“ This is a promise worthy of this time and the fullness of our creative energies.
The Sunday morning worship service will be led by Rev. Eric Meter of the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa alongside Rev. Diane Rollert of the Unitarian Church of Montreal, Rev. Fulgence Ndagijimana, youth and young adults, and others.
Raised Unitarian Universalist, Rev. Eric has served our congregations in Northern California, upstate New York, and in the U.S. Great Lakes region. Proud to now be in Canada, he and his wife have family in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as Germany, and the United States.
All are welcome to join us at our Sunday Worship Service.

In-person at the Theatre, Robert C. Gillett Student Commons
Livestreamed on the CUC’s YouTube channel
Interactive on Zoom https://bit.ly/2023-05_NationalService

Virtual Town Hall
2023-05-17 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Ontario’s healthcare is being privatized. Find out what you need to know.

The Privatization of Public Healthcare
2023-05-14 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
Speaker: Karen Rathwell, Guelph District Heath Coalition
Karen is the current Chair for the Guelph/Wellington Coalition for Social Justice, a community group consisting of sixteen not for profits and local union groups. She has retired from a 28 year career as an educator and continues to pursue her keen interest in local and global water issues. She brings her enthusiasm for life and commitment to community to all she continues to do.
On Sunday Karen will share a review of the current issues involved in the privatization of Ontario’s public healthcare system. She will invite all to learn more at the upcoming virtual Town Hall on Healthcare Privatization – May 17th – 7-8:30pm and encourage everyone to participate in the largest citizen led Referendum that has ever happened in Ontario. This Referendum will be an opportunity for everyone in Ontario to have their voice heard and to stand up for our national healthcare.

Nursery Care will be provided on site at 122 Harris St.

With whom do we stand?
2023-05-07 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
As Unitarians, social justice, equality and social action are close to our hearts. What better way to explore what we stand for, and with whom we stand, than through song? Join Janette, Rick and Seanna for a morning of music, with a special focus on the songs of Carolyn McDade.

Nursery Care will be provided on site at 122 Harris St.

Rehearsal for Sunday's Service (All welcome)
2023-05-05 19:00 - 20:30 | 122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON, 122 Harris St., Guelph, ON-Ontario, N1E5T1, Canada
Join Rick, Janette and Seanna as they rehearse the music of Carolyn McDade for Sunday’s Service.

May Day /Beltane
2023-04-30 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
This annual fire festival traditionally looks forward the bounty of summer. This year we will focus on some of the hardships we are leaving behind, so that we can open to growth more fully. As with every pagan service, we will highlight our belonging to the mystery and miracle of the universe. Come sing and dance with us. Blessed be. The Green Team are your service leaders: Rebekah, Diane, Janette, Christine, Lorna, Aspen, Rein and Linda. There will be nursery care and a special activity for kids on site at 122 Harris St. If you prefer to attend online, please email admin@guelph-unitarians.com for the link.

A "visit" to Unicamp (note: no need to gas or charge the car for this one!)
2023-04-23 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
It’s hard to describe Unicamp as anything other than magical. Unicamp is home to so many of us. Whether we grew up attending or recently discovered it, Unicamp is a place where many of us feel accepted and free to be ourselves; a place where we build lifelong bonds and a sense of community where we live out our UU values. Unicamp has Kids’ Camps (during July) and family and adult programming that anyone is welcome to join throughout the rest of the summer (from mid-May to mid-October). The land and the community are exceptionally bright and loving. This 50-acre valley, hidden near the small town of Honeywood, Ontario, takes care of us. It has a pond we can swim in, forests and meadows we explore and relax in, a communal dining hall, a spiritual center, access to Cowpie Hill with a beautiful view of Mulmur County, Sunday services (which are outdoors if the weather is nice), weekly dances (which always includes our classics: the Time Warp and Cecelia by Simon and Garfunkel), and so much more.
Join Joanna Barrington (Unicamp’s Director) and Kaitlyn McLay (Unicamp’s Children’s Program Director) as they talk about the magic of Unicamp and invite all who have never been to check it out!

Nursery Care will be provided on site at 122 Harris St.
Looking for more information on Unicamp? Check out their brochure.

Evil: God’s Problem (and Ours)
2023-04-16 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
Many thoughtful people have wondered, why does God allow so much suffering in the world? Philosophers call this “the problem of evil” and it is this question that has led many to atheism, or to no longer believe in a traditional understanding of God. We will consider some different religious and non-religious responses. How do we wrestle with this question as Unitarian-Universalists living in the world today? Speaker: Hannah Schell
Service leaders: Margriet and Michael, with help from Janette, Seanna, and Brian.
Nursery Care will be provided on site at 122 Harris St.
Please email admin@guelph-unitarians.com for the service link.

Easter Memories
2023-04-09 11:00 - 17:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
Join us for an informal chalice cafe in which we share memories (from silly to serious) of Easter. How do you mark the arrival of spring? If you have a favorite seasonal song or a beloved old hymn from this time of year, please bring it to share. Hosted by Hannah Schell. Please email admin@guelph-unitarians.com for the zoom link.
