On this day, people who call themselves “Cajuns” pause to remember their exile from Acadia, and their harrowing migration to other parts of the world.  Almost one third of Acadians died along the journey.  This chapter in history continues to resonate for those everywhere who are displaced, and those who yearn to re-connect with the … Continue reading Sunday Service December 13: “Evangeline Follows Her Heart: Reflections on Acadian Remembrance Day.”

This past summer Aaron Kawamura quickly took the opportunity to travel to the capital of Mongolia for two months, only knowing that he would be there for two months and would volunteer for Amnesty International. During that time he lived with a host family and explored the country. He joins us this Sunday to to … Continue reading Sunday Service December 6: “ Human Rights Halfway Around the World .”

We shall explore Gratitude as a religious practice—as both a discipline and as an ethic.  Come to ponder thoughts and feelings from our experience, poems, photos, and readings.  Service Leaders:  Linda Amspaugh and Sallie Killian.

November 22:  “Giving Thanks, Practicing Gratitude.”  Hopedale members Celia Ellison and Genevieve O’Malley Knight will present our intergenerational Thanksgiving service.  We’ll distribute Guest at Our Table boxes, share our traditional Thanksgiving web, and reflect on what happens when gratitude becomes a daily spiritual practice.  Service leader: Genevieve O’Malley Knight.

Source musician Ralph Stanley from Coeburn, Virginia in the heart of the Clinch Mountains has performed some 150 shows annually since 1946. He holds honorary doctorates from two universities, received the National Medal of the Arts, is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and belongs to the Primitive Baptist Universalist Church. … Continue reading Sunday Service November 15: “Circuit Rider of the Past.”

In the first of two services exploring Appalachian lives, music and religion, Curt Ellison considers a two-week 1927 Victor field recording session in Bristol, Tennessee that produced the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers, reshaped the direction of recorded popular music, and gave Bristol its designation as the “Birthplace of Country Music.”  Service leader: Celia Ellison. … Continue reading Sunday Service November 8: “Orthophonic Joy.”

As Ohio becomes ground zero in another Presidential election, the March 15 primary and July 18 Republican Convention in Cleveland will draw national attention. Remarkably, the state parties agreed on a bi-partisan November 3 referendum on redistricting to remedy gerrymandering, and a lawsuit preserved early voting.  Republicans continue to promote changes that Democrats regard as … Continue reading November 1: Sunday Service, November 1: Voting Rights and Wrongs 2015”

October 25 is St. Crispin’s Day, a day immortalized by Shakespeare in his play Henry V, with a speech calling upon outnumbered English troops to rise up as a “band of brothers.”  That phrase, and Shakespeare’s speech, have taken on lives of their own in popular culture, and they beg many questions, about loyalty, about … Continue reading Sunday Service, October 25: “Band of Brothers, Band of Others: Thoughts on St. Crispin’s Day.”

On October 18, many countries throughout the world recognize International Necktie Day, and people consider the history of this fashion accessory.  Join Diane Wright as we consider the meanings behind neckwear of all kinds, and how our “outerwear” reflects — or doesn’t reflect — our inner journeys.  Have a meaningful bolo tie?  A bowtie with … Continue reading Sunday Service, October 18: “The Ties that Bind: Thoughts on Ties and Clerical Collars on International Necktie Day.”

When you’re retired and the children are gone, you have some time to think; you have time to pursue interests beyond those of family and job. Jim Blue (Jennifer’s father) retired in 1999 after a research career at Bell Labs and the     National Bureau of Standards/NIST, mostly doing mathematical modeling of physical systems. He’s … Continue reading Sunday Service, October 11- “What I’ve Learned Since I Retired.”