Each month we feature a spiritual theme (see below) which we weave into Sunday worship, Religious Exploration and many of our small groups and gatherings. Each month’s theme is also highlighted in the aesthetic elements of the sanctuary. We send out the theme resources found here (eadings, spiritual exercises, and reflection questions) in an monthly worship email so you can explore the theme on your own or with your family members and friends. These theme resources come from the Soul Matters Sharing Circle,  a UU theme-based program with more than 140 UU subscribers.

Social Justice Monthly Plate Partners

Each month we introduce our Plate Partner , an organization whose work and mission are connected with our UU social justice mission and values. Rev. Sara and the Social Justice Council often explore additional opportunities through collaborative programming (ex: book discussion, arts opportunity, issue forum, workshop etc). For more information about the plate partners below, please visit our plate partner webpage.

May 2026 Spiritual Theme:

Welcome to Awakening Curiosity 

UU minister, Victoria Safford, speaks of curiosity using the metaphor of perception and sight. She writes:

“To see, simply to look and to see, is an ethical act and intentional choice; to see, with open eyes, is a spiritual practice and thus a risk, for it can open you to ways of knowing the world and loving it that will lead to inevitable consequences. The awakened [and curious] eye is a conscious eye, a willful eye, and brave, because to see things as they are, each in its own truth, will make you very vulnerable.”

Consequences. We rarely think of curiosity in terms of consequences. But Rev. Safford seems to have it right. There is a type of curiosity that is about enjoyment and adventure. This way of understanding curiosity invites us to experience life as a playground. But when we look closely at our lives we realize there’s another type of curiosity at play. This kind leads us, not to playgrounds, but into dark alleys and pathless woods. It demands, not just our attention, but our courage. It’s not interested in entertaining us with the wonders of the world. Instead, it wants to enlist us in the work of the world.

Just think of how we UUs talk about our dances with curiosity. We don’t just tell stories about peppering our poor Sunday School teachers with “Why?!” and “Who says?!”; we tell stories about how asking why got us kicked out of Sunday School. We don’t just talk about being open-minded; we talk about how our open-mindedness led us to leave home and family and walk a lonelier path than we wanted. And recently, many of us have leaned into the hard work of being curious about our role in upholding institutional racism and structures of white supremacy, which is clearly about more than learning new and interesting things about ourselves.

And here’s the important insight revealed by these stories: As hard as these paths of curiosity are, we are grateful for them! Which in turn suggests that there is a part of us that doesn’t want curiosity to just be fun or interesting. It wants curiosity to change us, to make us anew. This part of us wants to be altered, not just enriched. 

So, maybe we need to tweak this month’s theme a bit. Maybe, what we need to hear is not simply “Awaken your curiosity!” but “Awaken the kind of curiosity that comes with consequences!”

Friends, it is, of course, fine to be inquisitive for the fun of it. At the same time, we must remember that curiosity is not a game. Well, actually, maybe it’s the greatest game. The one that drives us to constantly become more, for our sakes and for the sake of others.

Plate Partner: Global Talent

Global Talent, a program of Jannus, Inc., was started in 2014 to address the individual and systemic barriers to employment that well-educated and highly skilled Idahoans, immigrants, and refugees face. 

Through partnerships with Upwardly Global, The Idaho Department of Labor, College of Western Idaho, local refugee resettlement agencies, committed volunteers, employer collaborations, and dedicated staff, we helped change peoples’ lives and showcase their true potential. As a result, 100+ Global Talent alumni have obtained professional positions that more fully utilize their skills and talents, helping to make our community stronger, more sustainable, and prosperous for all.

Meet Malak, Mohammad, Neal, Luma, Rasha, Ali and other Global Talent alumni and read their incredible stories of finding their way back to their professional careers!

100+ job seekers benefiting from the Global Talent curriculum

80% of job seekers completing the program find jobs in their field within 1 year of program completion

431% average earnings increase for those placed