Sunday Service: The Very Model of a Modern Unitarian - Guest Speaker: Catherine Vance - People thought that Walt Whitman, the iconic American poet who wrote Leaves of Grass, was weird, but he was the very model of a modern Unitarian...back in 1855. What made him ahead of his time? And what makes us proud models of Unitarian Universalism in our unbalanced society today? How are we the vanguard for attitudes and a way of life that hopefully will look mainstream in the future? Bay Area UU is the sponsoring congregation for Catherine Vance in her journey toward ministry. She is an interfaith chaplain for the UTMB Hospital System and just completed her Master of Divinity at Iliff School in Denver and a two-year internship at the UU Fellowship of Galveston. She will bravely appear before the UU "mighty fine" ministerial fellowshipping committee this fall.

Sunday Service: Blessing of the Backpacks - Rev. Katie McQuage-Loukas - It’s back to school! And even for those of us who have left those days behind, it may still be a time to shift modes, even if it’s still feeling pretty summery. Come receive blessings on your transition, whatever that may be, with special blessings for our students.

Sunday Service: A Place at the Harvest Table: A Celebration of Belonging - Guest Speaker: Joss Bergeron Bisbano - “Where is your place at the Harvest Table? What feeds your spiritual hunger? How do you experience Belonging in a community? Why do you return throughout the seasons of your life? We will celebrate that which we offer, that which we need, and everything we share.” Joss Bergeron Bisbano (They/Them) is a queer, Indigenous CHamoru, eclectic Wiccan Priestess, Interfaith Minister (ULC) and Chaplain whose current work centers on reindigenization and decolonizing safe sacred spaces, and training folks to reclaim their own sacred space. Joss is a classically trained cellist, punk cabaret geek, and double certified life coach. Their favorite text message ever sent goes, “Time for me to leave on the motorcycle now before I’m late to Improv Class at the church.”

Sunday Service: The Art of Making Mistakes - Guest Speaker: Rebecca "Artie" Throop - Rebecca "Artie" Throop reflects on what art has taught them about mistakes: how to make better mistakes, enjoying the process, and showing others imperfections. Artie grew up in this congregation and is the child of David and Kathy Throop. After studying Religion and Studio at Rice University, they were working as a Bicycle Mechanic and as the Young Adult Ministry Intern at First Houston. This fall, they will be attending Harvard Divinity School on their path to becoming a Unitarian Universalist minister.

Sunday Service: Belief-The Outward Journey - Guest Speaker Alok Kalia, MD - As Unitarian Universalists, we have neither a shared vision of a divine nor a creed. Yet every Sunday we gather to worship in community. What unites us and keeps us together? Alok Kalia, MD, is a retired professor from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He is a long-time member of the Bay Area Unitarian Universalist Church. Dr. Kalia’s beliefs come from Hinduism, and he puts them into practice as a Unitarian Universalist.

Sunday Service: God Has No Gender: Celebrating the Theology of the Unitarians in the Kashi Hills - Guest Speaker Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen - Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen is the senior minister of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, in Midtown. He is a Visiting Fellow with Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford, and studied at Meadville Lombard and later at Harvard. He offers his thoughts this morning on ways of conceiving of the divine.