Tony's sermon will be about the power of saying no, even when the rest of the world is asking for a yes.
Tony Larsen was our minister here at Unitarian Church North for 4 years (2019-2023), having served before that at Olympia Brown UU in Racine for 40+ years. He was raised Catholic, and studied to be a Catholic priest for 10 years before being ordained to the Unitarian Universalist ministry. He received his B.A. in philosophy from Maryknoll College in 1971, his M.A. in theology from Maryknoll School of Theology in 1973, and his D.Min from Meadville/Lombard Theological School in 1975.
9:50 – Join for informal conversation (optional)
10:00 – Service begins
11:00 – Coffee hour
This will be a look at the role the pilgrims played in the separation of church and state.
Sarah Oelberg has been a special education teacher, has written special ed. curriculum for our U.S. Office of Education, was a faculty member at Yeshiva University in New York and at NYU, and trained special ed. teachers in Iowa. She followed her heart as the first in her six-generation Unitarian family to become a UU minister. After serving churches in Nebraska and Minnesota, she retired in 2001 and now she frequently speaks at UCN. She and husband Gerald raised four children and have six grand- and four great-grandchildren.
9:50 – Join for informal conversation (optional)
10:00 – Service begins
11:00 – Coffee hour
Having been raised, nurtured, and educated in two languages and cultures (English and Latvian), Janis will reflect on what he has learned from his experience in the worlds of religion, theology, and the visual arts. Janis' education includes studies in Primitive Religion, Philosophy, Psychology and a thesis titled "Vincent van Gogh; A Journey from Darkness to Light." Although born into a Lutheran home, Janis' varied and diverse background has led full circle from his initial childhood wonder at the inherent miracle of life, to what UU members call the 7 Principles.
Pastor Kinens is a retired E.L.C.A. minister and has served 38 years as a parish pastor in the Lutheran Church. He is also a former Art Teacher, Watercolor artist and father of 5 adult daughters. His wife Aina is also an artist and sculptor, currently designing and making jewelry. Their oldest daughter Sasha is currently the Artist in Residence at the Pfister Hotel. The Kinens family is Latvian by birth and still have family living in Latvia. Shortly after retirement in 2018 Pastor Kinens started writing a blog titled “justjanis.blog” in which he reflects on life, theology and this wondrous creation of ours! As a side note, Janis began his ministry in Racine, Wisconsin a year after Tony Larsen became the minister at Olympia Brown UU in Racine, Wisconsin, and they both retired at the same time! Janis considers Tony one of his pastors.
9:50 – Join for informal conversation (optional)
10:00 – Service begins
11:00 – Coffee hour
Scott writes, “At this festive holiday season -- when the birth of Jesus is widely celebrated across our culture -- it seems only right to seriously reflect (from a Unitarian Universalist perspective) on what his life and teachings did (and did not!) mean. Warning: I will directly refute some widely promulgated ideas about the legacy which this prophetic teacher lived and died for.”
9:50 – Join for informal conversation (optional)
10:00 – Service begins
11:00 – Coffee hour
The meaning of worship is
to be shaped by
what is of worth.
We gather together in spiritual community because we need constant reminders of what matters most in life. In a world of heartbreak and dehumanization, our congregations and communities call us to our better selves. We learn to live with more wisdom, more connection, and more compassion.
Our Worship Services are weekly reflections that weave together our own thoughts and experiences with music, beauty, poetry, and words that both comfort and challenge. Our programs for all ages inspire and awaken us to our capacities to make a difference in our own lives and in the world.
