Rev. Sara LaWall; Michael Alvarado, Celebrant; Mike Lemieux, Music

Rev. Sara LaWall

A celebration of the Season, featuring stories, carols, poetry and a candle lighting to the music of Silent Night.

Rev. Sara LaWall

Join us for a time of reflection and respite on the longest night of the year.  Before we turn back to the light, let us sit in the dark together, accepting the blessings and the lessons that darkness offers.  Come celebrate an earth-centered Winter Solstice ... read more.

Rev. Sara, multi-generational service

BUUF choir and musicians

Rev. Sara LaWall

Rev. Sara LaWall

Rev. Sara LaWall

Rev. Sara LaWall

Rev. Sara LaWall

Rev. Sara LaWall

A Justice Sunday connecting with and honoring the work of our October Plate Partner, PODER of Idaho. PODER (Protecting Our Dreams and Empowering Resilience) is a collective collective of undocumented and Latinx organizers in Southwest Idaho working to raise awareness, mobilize, and empower ... read more.

Rev. Sara LaWall, Carrie Bastian

Join our BUUF pilgrims as they share their about their summer pilgrimage to Transylvania, the birthplace of Unitarianism and the celebration of our 25th anniversary with our partner church in Mészkő.

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Rev. Sara LaWall; Sharene Watsen, Celebrant

Join Soulful for an evening filled with our brand of creative, connective worship!  Together we’ll reach for the spiritual connections needed to come to peace with the mundane, unappealing, and lackluster of our days; because the uneventful sustains the whole of our lives.  In the ... read more.

Rev. Sara LaWall; Debra Smith, Celebrant

A justice Sunday honoring the work of our Plate Partner the  American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Idaho.

Rev. Sara LaWall

Multi Generational Service

Join us for our annual multi-generational Water Communion; a “welcome back” service when we regather as a whole community after our summer adventures. In a unique UU ritual, we’ll gather the waters of our community, whether from your summer travel, a ... read more.

Bill Reid, Guest Preacher; Mary Hester, Celebrant; Mike Lemieux, Musician

Rev. Sara LaWall, Emmie Schlobohm- DRE, Debra Smith

Imagine a future filled with engaged adults steeped in the philosophy of open minds, loving hearts, and helping hands. Adults who live their lives so thoroughly connected to and immersed in our Unitarian Universalist Seven Principles that the ... read more.

Rev. Sara LaWall, Michael Alvarado, Emily & William Emerson Paige, Mike Lemieux, Sarah Olson

Soulful Sunday is Boise UU’s alternative worship, focusing on contemporary music, poetic readings and contemplative moments. We join together every month for participatory, intimate services, nourishing our spiritual lives and sharing it ... read more.

hUUmanists; Gwyn Reid, Celebrant

This search for meaning and purpose is, for humanists, mostly making our way through the daily business of life, until we confront an extraordinary test, our own or that of another. How do we respond to the unthinkable, the impossible, one crisis ... read more.

In this volatile moment of our nation we are witnessing a widening divide in our communities as well as our government. We all sense a change is needed; a revolution, to fulfill the promise to unite people, to remind us of our connection to one ... read more.

At one point in our history over fifty percent of those who identified themselves as Unitarian Universalists called themselves Humanists in one form or another. That number is somewhat lower today, but Humanists are still of significant numbers and influence in Unitarian Universalism. Today we will ... read more.

What is your story? Why does it matter? How do the stories that we tell ourselves affect our reality? We will explore how the universal hero’s journey myth applies to the stories we tell ourselves and others about our lives and the world we live ... read more.

What is Happiness? Who is Happy? How Happy? Can Nations be ranked by Happiness? Thus, began Earle’s personal exploration of Happiness while working in Nepal and then visiting Bhutan. Two countries on the polar opposites of the Happiness scale.  As the director of a large Educational ... read more.

Stoicism, an ancient Greek/Roman philosophy, is often understood as basically “grin and bear it.” It is much more than that. Stoicism teaches a practical way to live in a difficult world. Drawing on his own experience with pain, Mark McGinnis will put forward ways we ... read more.

As Unitarian Universalists, many of us are motivated by a strong belief in helping others. But what about those times when “helping” doesn’t help? In this service, we will explore what happens when we carry stuff that doesn’t belong to us and consider what we ... read more.

As Unitarian Universalists, many of us are motivated by a strong belief in helping others. But what about those times when “helping” doesn’t help? In this service, we will explore what happens when we carry stuff that doesn’t belong to us and consider what we ... read more.

Do you think our nation is divided? Will you be active in the movement for what is good and right? Unitarians are needed now more than ever to protect the freedom to vote. Liza Long Music.

In this service we will explore the significance of our UU covenant-based faith and how our principles and traditions challenge us when we do not have doctrine and dogma to direct us.

Celebrating this Fellowship’s commitment to justice, equity, and compassion and our partnership with this month’s Plate Partner, Interfaith Sanctuary. Together we choose to bless the world and work for Justice in all its varied forms.

Join us for this beloved and beautiful UU ritual of Flower Communion. We will create a rainbow altar of flowers to honor the diversity and creativity of creation. In celebration the unique beauty all around us, in nature and in humanity, we open up space ... read more.

Rev. Sara LaWall; Gwyn Reid, Celebrant
Join us for our monthly Justice Sunday as we honor the work of this month’s Social Justice Plate Partner, Planned Parenthood. For 100 years, Planned Parenthood has been a leader in reproductive rights and women’s rights. Today their mission ... read more.

Rev. Sara LaWall; Mary Hester, Celebrant; BUUF Choir, Music
This month marks the 25th anniversary of our Partner Church relationship with the Unitarian Church of Mészkő, Transylvania. In June, a group of 23 members will embark on a pilgrimage and Choir Tour of the region ... read more.

In this time of heightened awareness and outrage about coercion, bullying and victimization, we hear different perspectives and often know pretty quickly where our allegiances lie. We desire justice as well as safety and peace. But, as author Salmon Rushdie has said, “Nobody has the ... read more.

Rev. Sara LaWall

Multi-generational service in celebration of Earth Day.

The landscape of North America is filled with places that hold deep, sacred meaning to the native people. Some are locations where special ceremonies took place. Other places are related to stories from long ago. Many of ... read more.

Rev. Sara LaWall, Michael Alvarado, Emily & William Emerson Paige, Mike Lemieux, Sarah Olson

Join us for this special service as we wrap up our Annual Giving Drive.

Celebrate Easter in a new light as we explore our role in choosing resurrection for ourselves and our world community. How do we choose to roll away the metaphorical stone? How can we embrace the theologies (old and new) of our Unitarian Universalist identity? Featuring ... read more.

Sermon by Jackie Groves; Patricia Heeb, Celebrant; Special Music by Rebecca Scott

Rev. Sara LaWall

4:00 p.m. at the Egyptian Theatre, Downtown Boise

Rev. Sara LaWall, Liza Long; Mark Zimmerer, Celebrant; Carrie Bastian, Music

With guest speaker Dr. Michael Bittner and Celebrant Mary Hester.

Explore a variety of perspectives on this month’s theme of perseverance as fellow members and friends share their reflections from the pulpit.

Rev. Sara LaWall; Sharene Watsen, Celebrant; BUUF Choir, Music

To persevere in life (whether in private or public spaces)  often requires us to face the darkness, the storms, turmoil and heartbreak. But what if experiencing these moments in their depths is an invitation to discover the ... read more.

Rev. Sara LaWall; Gwyn Reid Celebrant

A Justice Sunday, honoring the work of our plate partner, the ACLU, working to uphold the freedoms enshrined in our constitution for every single American. IN a time when our civil liberties feel more fragile and subject to attack, the ... read more.

This month, Unitarian congregations around the world are honoring and celebrating the 450th anniversary of the Edict of  Torda – a document declaring religious freedom and tolerance.  The framers’ intention was to overturn over 1,000 years of orthodoxy and conflict and allow an environment in ... read more.

Our congregation is sending a choral delegation to Romania this summer, in celebration of our 25 year partnership with Mészkő. How can this be more than just a trip for a small band of BUUFers, but a true pilgrimage in which the entire congregation takes ... read more.

Rev. Sara LaWall

Fire Communion – more details to come.

Join Rev. Sara LaWall and musician Mike Lemieux for a lovely contemplative service.

Celebrate the season with this fun and festive worship service for all ages. Children and youth worship with their families for our annual multigenerational Holiday Pageant. This year we present, “The Star,” the well-known players in the nativity story (Angeles, Shepherds, Magi and the Star) ... read more.

Rev. Sara LaWall, Wyatt Schroeder, William & Emily Emerson Paige, Sarah Olson,Michael Alvarado

Carrie Bastian, Music Director; Gwyn Reid, Celebrant

Rev. Sara LaWall; Emmie Schlobohm, Celebrant

A multigenerational celebration of the abundance of community, families worship together with story, song and spirit! We’ll enjoy our annual Apple Communion Ritual, sharing in the fruits of the season in sacred space.

Rev Sara LaWall; Patricia Heeb, Celebrant

Service is an act of one’s heart. It comes from a place of connection and spiritual depth. Serving is different from helping; requiring no obligation or quid pro quo. As participants in this beloved community, the call to serve is a ... read more.

In a New York Times op-ed piece, David Brooks reflected on institutions that leave a mark on people. He wrote, “Some organizations are thick, and some are thin. Some leave a mark on you, and some you pass through with scarcely a memory.” How ... read more.

Rev. Sara LaWall; Mary Hester, Celebrant; BUUF Choir Music

In this year of honoring our 25th Anniversary with our Partner Church in Mészkő, Transylvania and our upcoming Boise UU Pilgrimage, we celebrate the traditions of All Saint’s Day and All Souls Day from a Unitarian lens. At ... read more.

Rev. Sara with BUUF’s Boston Bounders

Soulful Sundown is Boise UU’s interpretation of alternative worship, focusing on contemporary music, poetic readings and contemplative moments. Since this worship team their monthly services in February of 2016, we have enjoyed bringing the monthly themes to life in new and creative ways–creating participatory and ... read more.

Theme: Courage

Debra Smith; Sharene Watsen, Celebrant

Four Shillings Short, Music

Rev. Sara LaWall & Philip Thompson; Patricia Heeb, Celebrant

A Justice Sunday sermon reflecting on the power and legacy of our October Plate Partner: The Idaho Black History Museum. The Museum not only celebrates black history locally and nationally, but also plays a vital role in ... read more.

Soulful Sundown is Boise UU’s interpretation of alternative worship, focusing on contemporary music, poetic readings and contemplative moments. Since this worship team their monthly services in February of 2016, we have enjoyed bringing the monthly themes to life in new and creative ways–creating participatory ... read more.

We UUs are a conventional tradition (as opposed to creedal one). Explore the meaning of covenant and our very first congregational covenant, voted on during our May Annual Meeting. Covenants express our highest aspirations about who we hope to be in relationship together. Our covenant ... read more.

As we wrap up our Next Steps Weekend and dive into this year-long strategic planning process, we are charting a course for our future. How do we welcome the vision for that future with openness and joyful anticipation? We’ll reflect on these essential questions to ... read more.

Join us for our annual multi-generational Water Communion; a “welcome back” service when we regather as a whole community after our summer adventures. In a unique UU ritual, we’ll gather the waters of our community, whether from your summer travel, a token from our overflowing ... read more.

Mary Hester, Guest Preacher; Wanda Jennings, Celebrant; Carrie Bastian, Musician

Welcome to the resistance! Over the last seven months, we’ve been overwhelmed new challenges testing our commitment to justice, human dignity, and compassion for each other and the world. How are we called to respond and what fortification do we need to be able to move forward from ... read more.

Patricia Heeb, Guest Preacher; Sharene Watsen, Celebrant; Carrie Bastian, Musician

Emily Emerson Paige, Guest Preacher; Gwyn Reid, Celebrant; Will Emerson Paige & Carrie Bastian, Musicians

When was the last time you said “Yes!” and then watched the world take your hand and dance? Explore searching for our voices through the questions that live inside us.  This ... read more.

Ann Sabin, Guest Preacher; Debra Smith, Celebrant; Carrie Bastian, Music

What do holding hands and climbing mountains have in common? Holding hands and climbing mountains are a couple of examples Ann uses to explain to others how her bipolarity impacts her capacity for intimacy, connectedness and ... read more.

Rev. Elizabeth Green, Guest Preacher; Mark Zimmerer, Celebrant; Liza Long, Musician

Liza Long, Guest Preacher; Patricia Heeb, Celebrant; Mike Lemieux, Musician

Roger Sherman, Guest Preacher; Debra Smith, Celebrant

What are the limits of religious freedom?  Do parents have the right to allow their children to die for their beliefs?  In Idaho the answer is yes.  How do religious liberals reconcile their respect for other faith traditions and ... read more.

Explore the spiritual themes of the summer blockbuster, Wonder Woman, woven together with stories from our annual UU General Assembly and our collective superpowers in serving the call for justice.

Wyatt Schroeder, Guest Preacher

Kenneth Watts, Guest Preacher

Jodi Peterson has worked with Interfaith Sanctuary for the past 11 years helping with fundraising efforts and programming for the guests at the shelter. In 2015, a tent city rose behind Interfaith Sanctuary dubbed Cooper Court.

Jodi brought aid to this group of chronically homeless and ... read more.

A sermon by artist Mark W. McGinnis on his 1990s project, “Designs of Faith,” that explores in both paintings and essays four Western, four Eastern and four Tribal religions. The studies for the paintings are in BUUF’s collection and hang in the north and south ... read more.

Celebrate the wonder of our beauty and diversity with our annual Flower Communion. This ritual first began in the Unitarian Church in Prague, Czechoslovakia by the Rev. Norbert Capek who wanted to honor the beauty in the diversity with a spiritual moment of liturgy. Today, ... read more.

Our Unitarian Universalist Association is in a time of great turmoil as we confront our institutional failure to become an anti-racist, anti-oppressive organization. Some brilliant and brave self-examination and real soul work is being done. Several leaders have stepped down, and a new leadership team ... read more.

Sermon text available HERE

We’ll explore a bit of the past and present of what it means to be part of the “Free Church” tradition as we celebrate our graduating seniors with the special UU Bridging ritual.

This special service is one of our UU traditions. Join our Coming of Age (Junior High) youth as they present this service of their creation and share their personal credos.

Special Music from the BUUF Women’s Chorus including the popular Women’s March anthem, “I Can’t Keep Quiet” by MILCK.

Join us for this Justice Sunday honoring and connecting with our May Plate Partner, The Women and Children’s Alliance as we explore the theme’s of women’s freedom, liberation, ... read more.

Sermon by Dr. Said Ahmed-Zaid, Islamic Center of Boise

Explore some powerful speeches of the four Caliphs or successors of Prophet Muhammad and what they understood as the role of government in society. Commentaries will be added to explore the revolutionary ideas put forth 1400 years on how to transform ... read more.

It is no secret we are in the midst of an ecological crisis. The impact of climate change continues to grow. This is nor merely a scientific crisis, but an spiritual one. As UUs committed to environmental justice and supporting our interdependent web, how are ... read more.

New Member Joining Ceremony

Sermon by Rev. Sara LaWall

Explore the Easter Story through the framework of Jesus’ ministry in standing against the systems of power and control of his time. What does resurrection look like for contemporary UUs in our own time and in our UU culture? Where are ... read more.

11:00 single service at the BSU Stueckle Sky Center

Join us for this joyous service of all ages as we celebrate the Circle of Love that is this beloved community. Enjoy music from our fabulous BUUF choir and our Soulful Sundown band as we say “Yes, and” ... read more.

We learn over time that for our spiritual health, we must learn to yield to forces outside our control.  But then that advice became obsolete.  A new call went out, urging us to stand and resist what was happening to our country.  Maybe resistance is ... read more.

The foundation of our UU tradition is covenant; the promises we agree to hold for ourselves, each other, and the world. BUUF has begun the process of creating its own “Covenant of Right Relations” specifically for our community. This can be a guiding document, and ... read more.

This special music service features our talented choir under the direction of Music Director, Carrie Bastian. enjoy music, poetry, celebrating the coming of spring and the turning of the Earth once again; honoring the cycle of evolution and revolution and the promise of renewal.

Join us for the kick-off of our Annual Giving Drive with special guest preacher, Cherie Buckner-Webb. Cherie is a fifth-generation Idahoan whose enthusiasm is as boundless as her talents. She is currently serving as Idaho State Senator for District 19 reaching across party lines ... read more.

9:15 & 11:15 a.m.

Rev. Sara LaWall

A Justice Sunday honoring and connecting with our March Plate Partner, Planned Parenthood.

Service times:  9:15 AM and 11:15 AM

Rev. Sara LaWall

This one line of a dark poem by Jack Gilbert reminds us that in times of doubt, fear, darkness and uncertainty, we must risk delight, we must allow music and beauty into our souls as nourishment for ... read more.

Rev. Sara LaWall; Sharene Watsen, Celebrant

Services at 9:15 and 11:15

Rev. Sara LaWall, Patricia Heeb Celebrant

The early Quakers considered silence to be a direct path to God.  This was a radical idea in its time.  Silence remains a radical idea today.  In our culture of iPhones, cell phones, the Internet, high-definition TV and continual bombardment of advertising, cultivating silence – ... read more.

Rev. Sara LaWall & Emmie Schlobohm, DRE

A multigenerational service (all ages worship together) to celebrate the Holiday Season in story, song and spirit.

Soulful Sundown is a contemporary, intimate, music-filled alternative service. Each month’s service follows the worship theme for that month.

Service coordinators: Emily Emerson Paige, William Emerson Paige, Sarah Olson, Wyatt Schroeder, Michael Alvarado and Rev. Sara LaWall
Music by: William Emerson Paige, Wyatt Schroeder, Sarah Olson and Michael ... read more.

A service about refugee justice, connecting with honoring our December Plate Partner the Family Medical Center Refugee Justice Program.

The second annual Music service featuring BUUF members and friends and the hymns and music that have inspired and informed their lives.

Rev. Sara LaWall & Emmie Schlobohm, DRE

A multigenerational celebration of community, families worship together with story, song and spirit! We’ll enjoy our second annual Apple Communion Ritual, sharing in the fruits of the season in sacred space.

Soulful Sundown is a contemporary, intimate, music-filled alternative service. Each month’s service follows the worship theme for that month.

Service coordinators: Emily Emerson Paige, William Emerson Paige, Sarah Olson, Wyatt Schroeder, Michael Alvarado and Rev. Sara LaWall
Music by: William Emerson Paige, Wyatt Schroeder, Sarah Olson and Michael ... read more.

Rev. Sara LaWall

This Sunday will offer a space of healing, reflection post-election.

Bring a small memento or photo of a dear departed loved one for the ofrenda (altar). Make sure it is well marked so that it will be returned to you after service.

Rev. Sara LaWall

Wanda Jennings, Celebrant

Community Sunday: Variations  on the Theme of Blessing

Rev. Sara LaWall

Do you that believe you are a blessing?
Do you own and honor your uniqueness?
Do your words bless others?  
Are there any words that have fallen from your lips lately that you need to go back and turn into a blessing?

Soulful Sundown is a contemporary, intimate, ... read more.

Rev. Sara LaWall Exploring and honoring the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Atonement is akin to our practice of right relationship, it is the ritual that allows us to renew that relationship with one another, with the world, and with the holy. BUUF Choir, Music Sharene Watsen, Celebrant

In exploring our monthly theme of anticipation, how does pessimism get in the way? When Unitarian minister Rev. Waitstill Sharp and his wife Martha left their family for Europe to help save scores of Jews from Nazi terror, there was no room for pessimism, only ... read more.

This month we are exploring the theme of Anticipation. What are you anticipating right now? Are you doing anything to make that happen?

Soulful Sundown is a contemporary, intimate, music-filled alternative service. Each month’s service follows the worship theme for that month.

Service coordinators: Emily Emerson Paige, William ... read more.

Join Rev. Sara LaWall and Emmie Schlobohm, Director of Religious Education, for our annual gathering of the waters and Multi-generational Water Communion Ritual to officially begin our new program year. Participants of all ages are invited to bring water from a special place, from your summer travels, or from your home. Think about ... read more.

This national holiday is about more than backyard barbecues. Labor day honors the creation of the labor movement who fought for fair labor conditions and wages for those whose work, yesterday and today) helps build this country, contributing to our social and economic achievements.  But ... read more.

Disability, in one form or another, affects all of us. Whether it is our own disability, or that of a friend or relative, disability is part of the human experience. How we deal with disability, both personally and publicly, is influenced by many factors including ... read more.

The work of being a “good” U.U. to say nothing of being a “good” human is enriching and rewarding, but often arduous and demanding.  What guides your directions and perceptions?  We’re going to be talking about maps.

Sermon by Patricia Heeb

David Scott, Celebrant
Carrie Bastian, Music

The Soulful Sundown worship team is bringing their contemporary, music-filled service to the Sunday crowd! This service’s theme is Rootedness and will explore ideas of what it truly means to be rooted. Get a chance to experience this new form of worship, or, if you’ve been ... read more.

Sermon by Bryan Lyda and Deanah Messenger of Anti-Racists in Idaho

We all must show up for racial justice. We need white people to show up for racial justice with both passion and accountability. Unfortunately, we can do more harm than good if we do not ... read more.

Gwyn Reid, celebrant: Liza Long, music

Mike Lemieux, music

Sharene Watsen, celebrant; Sue Langley, music

Dena Duke, celebrant; Liza Long, music

Debra Smith, celebrant; Mike Lemieux, music

Nancy Harms, celebrant; Mike Lemieux, music

Rev. Kalen Fristad has been a United Methodist minister for more than 38 years, is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship, and is President of the Christian Universalist Association. He traveled the country full time with his wife, Darlene, from 2003 to 2006 ... read more.

Sue Langley, music

Multi-Generational Service, with Rev. Sara LaWall  Music from the BUUF choir.

April 10, 2016

“Celebration Sunday: Now, More Than Ever, We are Called,” Rev. David Miller

The Magic Continues as we wrap up our Annual Giving Drive with special guest preacher, Rev. David Miller, Lead Minister of the UU ... read more.

“Metamorphosis: Shedding the Culture of Violence,” Rev. Sara LaWall

A Justice Sunday sermon honoring our April Plate Partner, The Women and Children’s Alliance

“Hitchhiking With Jesus” Rev. Sara LaWall (transcript), (Audio) March 27, 2016

Celebrating the vernal equinox in word and song

“Where the Magic Happens” Rev. Sara LaWall (transcript) (Audio) March 13, 2016

Don’t forget to SPRING FORWARD! (Daylight savings time begins March 13.)

“Offering Sanctuary,” Rev. Sara LaWall

An ancient spiritual practice, derived from a Latin term, meaning “divine reading.” It describes a way of reading spiritual texts whereby we gradually let go of our own agenda and open ourselves to what the spirit/the divine/our heart/the universe wants to say to us.

... read more.

(transcript)

(transcript)

Rev. Sara LaWall & Mike Lemieux

A special service, featuring art in word and music; no hymns, no sermon.
(And no audio recording, sorry.)

(transcript) January 24, 2016

Becky Groff, Wanda & Bryan Jennings, Bill & Gwyn Reid, Nancy Harms  January 17, 2016
Five BUUF members who traveled to Mészkő to participate in the dedication of the new Community House will share insights from their travels and visit in our partner village.

(transcript) A second sermon in a series exploring the concept of radical hospitality in our church, our lives and our community.

A justice Sunday sermon connecting with our Plate partner for the month, BUUF’s own Partner Church Boise/Mészkő Annual Scholarship Fund. We’ll reflect on our own passions and commitments as we join together in a Fire Communion, letting go and setting ablaze those things in our ... read more.

A silent service.
(No audio recording.)

“Christmas Eve Service, “Preparing Room”,” Rev. Sara LaWall

An ritual from our earth-centered tradition
(No audio recording.)

“Multigenerational Holiday Pageant,” Rev. Sara LaWall and Emmie Schlobohm

All ages worship together to celebrate the holiday season.

“The Open Heart: Music and Meditation for the Holidays,” Rev. Sara LaWall and Emmie Schlobohm

“Catch the Stones: Mercy, Brokenness, and Compassion,” Rev. Sara LaWall

A Justice Sunday sermon connecting with our December plate partner, the ACLU of Idaho and their work on criminal justice reform and the death penalty.

Carrie Bastian, joined by musical members Mike Lemieux, Patti Raino, Sarah Cox, Will Smith
(No audio recording.)

“Apple Communion,” Rev. Sara LaWall

All ages worship together to celebrate this season of gratitude. We will also be officially welcoming our Minister Emerita, Rev. Elizabeth Greene.

“Radical Hospitality,” Rev. Sara LaWall

This service also honors the Transgender Day of Remembrance, nationally recognized on Nov. 20.

“Experiencing the Holy,” Rev. Sara LaWall

“Inch by Inch to Fertile Ground,” Rev. Sara LaWall

A sermon about food justice, connecting with our November Plate Partner, the Boise Farmers’ Mobile Market

Stories from the Way Carrie Bastian and David Scott

How a 500 mile pilgrimage across Spain can change the stories we tell ourselves

“We Were Boston Bound,” Boston Bounders

Our Religious Exploration’s biennial “Coming of Age” program culminates in a pilgrimage to Boston to learn about our UU roots. The 2015 Bounders share their experience with us.

“Your Liberating Ministry: Toward a Shared Vision,” Rev. Sara LaWall

“Giving Life the Shape of Justice,” Rev. Sara LaWall

“Building Sacred Trust,” Rev. Sara LaWall

“A Blessing for Beginning,” Rev. Sara LaWall

“Gathering of the Waters,” Rev. Sara LaWall

“Extinction, Ecological Collapse and Pope Francis,” Mark McGinnis

Painter and writer Mark McGinnis will present work from his current project “Extinct and Almost Extinct: 50 Paintings” and discuss aspects of our current ecological crisis, referring to Pope ... read more.

“Moving Beyond the ‘Why?’ Questions,” Rev. Kenneth Watts

So often in the hospital I hear the “Why?” questions from family members, patients, and others in the midst of painful medical realities. In my early days of ministry ... read more.

“Journey,” Quest participants

This spring saw the end of the first offering at BUUF of the 19 month program for spiritual development, “Quest: A Spiritual Journey.” Fifteen participants, four leaders, and a back-up ministry team completed the ... read more.

The six part series may have been a UU history series, but it had some major spiritual impacts on me. We will explore how the journey of our UU ancestors can impact us in the present day.

“What is it about listening?” Matthew Sabin

In college I read John Brunner’s The Shockwave Rider wherein he proposed “a service that allows people to anonymously talk with another person who only listens.” I’ve been noticing this special ... read more.

“General Assembly: Who Knew It Would Be So Spiritual!” GA Attendees

The Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly, a five day annual meeting of delegates and attendees from congregations all over the United States met in Portland at ... read more.

“Spirituality, innovation, diversity, and radical inclusion,” Bill Reid

I will be asking a lot of questions this Sunday. Possible questions include, “Who is spiritual and who is not?” “Who decides?” “If we really welcomed everyone, what would ... read more.

This summer, Marshall and Ibis embark on their Songs of Solidarity tour, on which journey they will sing with nearly a dozen faith congregations in six weeks. They will lead singing in English, Spanish and Hebrew, and invite participants to experience the galvanizing power of ... read more.

Clara Barton, Universalist and founder of the American Red Cross, fought against slavery and the unfair treatment of women, the unacknowledged suffering and sacrifice of soldiers, the intransigence of American politics, and–at last–against the people in the very organization she founded. In this service we ... read more.

American servicemen and women, and their families, for two and one half centuries, have given and sacrificed mightily to achieve and preserve freedom and democracy for us. As we pay tribute to them, it is our duty and responsibility to honor them by reflecting and ... read more.

Maturity is a condition that we hope comes with age and experience, but just what it is and what we can do to gain it can be elusive. We will explore emotional, moral, mental and spiritual aspects of maturity and ways we mature.

The longest day of the year occurs on this Sunday during the service. At the summer solstice, the Sun travels the longest path through the sky, and that day therefore has the most daylight. Join us to sing and chant and meditate as we celebrate ... read more.

On this Sunday before Father’s Day, we will consider role of fathers and masculine energy in the world, in us all.

All Generations: Flower Power was the cry of a whole generation. The Flower Communion ritual represents the power and beauty the arises in a diverse community. What is BUUF’s flower power?

My time with you as your Interim Minister is coming to a close. We have done so much good work together, made a misstep or two, traveled some rocky roads, and come out happily at the end of our journey together. I will reflect on ... read more.

Even as the wars that are raged in our name are winding down at last, we are still a nation at war. Men and women are fighting in distant lands to protect us. Protect us from what? On this Memorial Day Weekend, we will consider ... read more.

Rev. Tom Owen-Towle describes Unitarian Universalists this way. How might we live up to this description? Which of these three parts are we best at – thinking freely, engaging mystery and the mystical, using our hands to be of use in the world?

Our Coming of Age youth will share their statements of faith that they have developed over the years and through the journey of discovery that has been our Coming of Age program for the last eight months. Join in on this celebration of youth and ... read more.

Statistics paint a bleak picture for mainstream religion in America. Attendance is way down across denominations and churches are closing their doors. We Unitarian Universalists sit near the bottom, remaining stagnant in our numbers for decades. To many, it seems we are dying. Couple that ... read more.

Life is full of challenges, adventures, opportunities for transformation and lots of the unknown. To dare greatly is to live with wholeheartedness, to step into uncertainty with a spirit of joyful optimism and love. Sometimes we will stumble and even fail. But if we pay ... read more.

Let’s celebrate the ways our faith helps us dig in and reach out to make a real difference in the world. In this single service at 10 a.m, we will celebrate all that BUUF is and will be and make our pledges for the coming ... read more.

Come get an infusion of hope for the future! Our Bridging Ceremony is a Sunday where we hear words of wisdom from our graduating high school seniors. Experience our next crop of community leaders and rejoice! Come help our graduating youth bridge to young adulthood ... read more.

Resurrection is such a powerful metaphor. Even if we don’t believe in the literal and physical resurrection of the body, we get to consider what the metaphor can mean in our spiritual lives. Easter is both a holy day for us as Unitarian Universalists, and ... read more.

We can only accomplish the great work we yearn to do if we are standing together. The work of transformation, the work of justice, the work of growing compassionate hearts. When we stand together, our voices, our generosity of spirit, our financial and personal resources, ... read more.

The world often seems more frightening than ever before and new threats seem to confront us almost daily. Yet the longer and larger trends show this to be the least violent time in human history. How can this be so? And if it is so, ... read more.

We talk often of the shared ministry of the church, shared among minister, staff and the laity. Yet often people invest only the minister with the authority to “do ministry.” If the work of the church is all ministry – from pulling weeds to serving ... read more.

Rabbi Dan Fink of Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel will be speaking on: “The Shorter Longer Way.” The title is drawn from a tale from the Talmud, which speaks of our journeys and transitions, as individuals and in community. Rabbi Fink will focus on the way ... read more.

Our world is so polarized and people are becoming more and more entrenched in their views. It seems each side thinks of themselves as virtuous and the other side as deluded if not outright evil. How might bringing an attitude of curiosity shift our polarization?

What about the experience of being singled out and assumptions made because of culture (ala Ferguson). What can those from “white” culture do to learn more and communicate better with others from different cultures, etc. Sue is the representative from Boise’s District 17.

Ours is a tradition of the free pulpit and the free pew. Whose pulpit is it anyway and who is free to speak in it? What is freedom of the pew and how is it exercised. Important questions all, especially as you prepare to offer ... read more.

Privilege and oppression have been themes in American culture throughout our history. We all have parts of ourselves that are privileged and parts that are oppressed. How can we come to recognize our own privilege and examine it so that the world can be a ... read more.

Ours has been a humanist faith, long before the advent of the Humanist movement in the early 20th century. From Renaissance humanists to the advent of Universalism to William Ellery Channing to Walt Whitman, ours has been a faith concerned with human lives and human ... read more.

The Sum of All Reverence, Rev. Dana Worsnop (Feb. 1, 2015)

Sharing the joys and celebrations of our community are a real bonus of being a part of the Fellowship. And, sometimes we need to reach out to one another when times are not so joyous. What are lessons from a pastoral care perspective—Rev. Jackie shares ... read more.

Sunday’s service will focus on the fourth of six steps (Discussion/Negotiation) towards attaining “Beloved Community,” as outlined by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It matters how we talk to one another. It especially matters how we listen. It matters that all voices be lifted. Honored. ... read more.

More than 400 years ago, our Unitarian forebears spoke as a voice for religious tolerance in the midst of the violence of the Reformation. For this they were targeted by both Catholics and Protestants. What do we yet have in common with those Unitarians’ direct ... read more.

Join us for a Fire Communion Service as we burn away what is no longer needed from the past year and face the future together. The future is always uncertain and we live in times when many are predicting disaster from many points of view. ... read more.

The early Quakers considered silence to be a direct path to God. Join Nancy Harms for this simple service. We will have our traditional silent Quaker service in the sanctuary for adults and older children and youth.
(No audio recording.)

We will celebrate Christmas Eve with stories of Christmas that renew our sense of mystery and wonder at this time of the year. We will sing carols, light candles and welcome magic and mystery once more into our lives at this darkest time of the ... read more.

Come celebrate an earth-centered service as we welcome the dark and the return of the light. We will celebrate the Solstice on Sunday, Dec. 21.
(No audio recording.)

“Believing in Christmas,” Debra Smith and Emmie Schlobohm

Come join us for a lively All Generations Holiday service. There will be carols and reflections and we invite everyone – children, youth and adults – to come aboard ... read more.

“Peace on Earth,” Rev. Dana Worsnop

One of the central messages of the winter holidays is “peace on earth, goodwill to all.” In celebration of the season, the choir and our BUUF musicians will take us on ... read more.

Our Christmas traditions as we celebrate them now are not even 200 hundred years old. In many parts of Colonial America, celebrating Christmas was banned. Find out how Unitarians helped save Christmas from itself.

During the week of the 10th of August, three pilgrims attended the Russell Lockwood Leadership School training. Dana told us that it would be transforming, but that turned out to have been an understatement.

We will once again celebrate a Bread Communion in an All Generations Thanksgiving Service. So often we speak of gratitude for all that we have. Sometimes it is also useful to consider that which we do not have, and how both can enrich our lives.

There are so many stories we tell about the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag and Thanksgiving, complicated by many layers and many perspectives on the truth. The Pilgrims at the heart of it are our direct religious forbears.

Neither happiness nor joy last, nor are they supposed to. Joy is perhaps more intense and more ephemeral. When have you felt the ecstatic uplift of sheer joy? How does it inform your spiritual Life?

We celebrate All Souls Day with a ritual of remembrance. It is said that the veil between the living and dead grows thinner at this time of year. Though perhaps our connection to those who have passed simply feels closer when we create such rituals ... read more.

As the saying goes, Good fences make good neighbors. Sometimes fences can be unnecessary obstacles and yet they also set good, clear, healthy boundaries. How do we discern when to say yes and when to say no? An age-old human conundrum.

How do you invite the shyest parts of your self to come out and play? What sorts of people and experience do you invite into your life? Who is invited into the church and by whom? How might we all make a practice of inviting ... read more.

John Lennon warns us about Instant Karma. Sometimes the powerful truths of life and death and love will catch us unawares and we come face-to-face with ourselves and the world in an instant. What do we do next when that happens?

Co-facilitators Jo Victoria and Gil Guerrero from the UUA Transitions office will share their personal perspectives on the experience of identity, and how our understanding of identities impacts the ministerial search.

Liza Long is the mother of a child who has bipolar disorder. She wrote an emotional response to the tragic school shooting in Newtown, which the Boise State University online journal The Blue Review published as “I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother.” In her book, The ... read more.

After a year-plus of preparation and consideration, who are you now, and who do you still want to be? These are the perpetual questions of interim ministry … and of life.

If the church is doing its good work in our lives, we should feel called forth in some way. How are you called, and to what?

We will re-gather as an entire worshiping community with the annual Merging of the Waters Service. We’ll hear the story of a certain queen in a distant land who had some trouble with a particular bubble and learn how we might avoid similar troubles.

Although many associate missionaries with Christianity, especially with Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, there have been, historically, missionaries from a multiplicity of faiths. Typically, however, people do not associate Unitarian Universalists with missionaries. So, why not us? This and other burning questions will be pondered (perhaps ... read more.

Reem Anani is a displaced Palestinian who will share out of her knowledge and personal experience, broadly covering the history of the Palestinian-Israeli issue, as well as touch on what is happening today, making us aware of the social justice issues involved and why it ... read more.

BUUF members who attended the Pacific Northwest District Assembly in Spokane and the Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly in Providence, RI will be relating highlights of those forays into the UU world beyond BUUF!

Earlier this year many of us participated in an Appreciative Inquiry process to learn from each other what it is that we care about in our past, what we want to keep and leave behind on our continuing journey and what we want the future ... read more.

The great diversity of views held by UUs include monotheism, polytheism, atheism and many spiritual traditions. How can they all be “true”? We will explore what is going on in our experience that allows—indeed, makes necessary—this diversity and why it is important to us and ... read more.

We all have a box full of (metaphorical) tools. Our social, technical and professional tools we use daily and are probably in good repair. Do you consider religion to be in your tool box? If so what condition is it in? Whether you think of ... read more.

What’s In Your Toolbox? Matthew Sabin (July 27, 2014)

Last August, 18 intrepid members of BUUF entered the Quest program, a two year personal spiritual development curriculum including 6 weekend retreats, monthly meetings, and instruction and support to commit to a daily spiritual practice. Together with 14 Spiritual Companions and supported by a seven ... read more.

This summer, let’s set sail down the river of life and discover if all we really need to know, we learned in a song we sang in kindergarten. Perhaps “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” was penned by a mystic sage or Zen master?

We all like to be of service to others. But what happens when we get asked “If there is anything I can do, let me know.” Are we too independent? Proud? What if allowing others to give to us, is in fact a service to ... read more.

Rabiou Manzo, Shannon Davis-Jones, Danel Jones; International Rescue Committee

During the past decade, more than 5,000 refugees have resettled in Boise. Who are these people and how have they fared in Boise? How do they find housing and jobs, and deal everyday with the myriad challenges ... read more.

I have only one message. Every sermon or part of a sermon I have done at BUUF over the past nineteen years has been, at heart, about one thing, and this is another of the same!

As we enter Pride season, this congregation has much to be proud of in its advocacy for the LGBT community. We will consider what has been accomplished in bending the “moral arc of the universe” toward justice, as well as what there is still to ... read more.

In this all-generations service, we will take up the story of the Garden of Eden and how we can see all the earth as a garden in which to flower. We will share in BUUF’s annual Flower Communion.

How does an institution such as a church go about showing appreciation? Today, we will formally appreciate the service of a number of stalwart members who have decided it’s time to step aside to make room for a new generation of volunteers. And we will ... read more.

On this Memorial Day Weekend, we will consider the deep connections of our religious heritage to the founding values as a nation. And we will consider how those values might call us to respond to those who have fallen in military service.

Often when we speak of God, we do it in the negative, speaking of the God we don’t believe in – the bearded grandfather in the sky, the smiting and vengeful omniscient presence that alternately judges us and answers prayers. Yet is there another way ... read more.

We all have had many people—women and men—who have mothered us through our lives. We have all been mothers, whether we have children in our lives or not. On this Mother’s Day, may we honor all our mothers.

Come get an infusion of hope for the future! Our Bridging Ceremony is a Sunday where we hear words of wisdom from our graduating high school seniors. Experience our next crop of community leaders and rejoice! Come help our graduating youth bridge to young adulthood ... read more.

The Yoga Sutras are 195 short aphorisms written by someone named Patanjali 2500-3000 years ago, as an instruction manual for living a life that will lead to enlightenment. In January of 2014, Mark Zimmerer began a project of compiling different English translations into one document. ... read more.

Resurrection, rebirth, new life arising from the ashes are powerful archetypes. The story of Easter is one of them. How do we embrace the concept and reality of resurrection in our lives and in the world?

Falling and Rising, Rev. Dana Worsnop (April 20, 2014)

The title of this sermon comes from a letter written by author Flannery O-Connor a month before her death from lupus. It provides us with a way to consider suffering: how it is experienced and how it may be reflected upon, both by those who ... read more.

“Loving the Hell out of this World – Celebration Sunday,” Rev. Cecilia Kingman and Rev. Dana Worsnop

The religious life can break our hearts, and break our hearts open. What do you find heartbreaking? What gifts can flow ... read more.

“Peacemaking as a Spiritual Path,” M’Tae

M’Tae will present the tenets of the Zen Peacemaker Order: Not Knowing, Bearing Witness and Loving Action and discuss their origin and ways to observe them in daily life.

Based on the Appreciative Inquiry Workshop a team of experts has stretched, challenged and put their imaginations to the test to come up with inspiring ideas to consider for the future of BUUF. We will be sowing seeds for the imagination. To further provoke you ... read more.

Our tradition arises from deep Judeo-Christian roots. What does this mean for those among us who reject a more traditional view of Christianity? What does it mean for those among who still find meaning and spiritual depth in those roots?

The trickster spirit of foolishness and folly has much to teach us, especially when times seem overfull, anxious or simply serious. On this Sunday we will invite whimsy and delight into lives that can often seem too serious.

During this interim time, you get to reflect on ministry. What are the qualities you want in your next minister? What do you want your next minister to do among you? Ministry is a 24-7, and yet no minister can do it all. Rev. Dana ... read more.

What would our lives look like without Hope? Is Hope a help or hindrance? When Pandora opened the lid to her jar all the evils that befall the human race escaped: “burdensome toil and sickness that brings death to men”, diseases and “a myriad other ... read more.

We often say we are a covenantal rather than a creedal faith. We come together not because we share beliefs but because of the promises we make to one another. So that we can learn and practice loving well. As 16th century Unitarian Francis David ... read more.

We are called as humans seeking connection to be generous to and with one another. Living with an open-heartedness, giving and receiving love and kindness and forgiveness. What does practicing such generosity look like?

The congregation of our Unitarian Partner Church in Mészk? dreamed for decades of having a community house where the congregation could gather altogether for meetings, classes, programs, and for regional youth gatherings. Most of the people who originally conceived of such a place are no ... read more.

On this Martin Luther King Sunday we will consider the intricate and intimate connections of mutuality which bind us to one another. What might Dr. King have had to say about economic justice and the vast economic inequities of our present day?

Hospitality – Being open and welcoming to one another – is one of the highest values in most all the religions of the world. Yes, even as so many mis-use their religion to separate themselves from others. It is the message of Jesus, of the ... read more.

What do you need to burn away from the old year that you might enter the new one more lightly? Come to this fiery and lively service in which we will burn away old burdens, old habits, old patterns in a flash. Come consider what ... read more.

The early Quakers considered silence to be a direct path to God. This was a radical idea in its time. Silence remains a radical idea today. In our culture of iPhones, cell phones, the Internet, high-definition TV and continual bombardment of advertising, cultivating silence—as opposed ... read more.

“Lessons and Carols,” Rev. Dana Worsnop & Emmie Schlobohm, Director of Religious Exploration

With all the voices shouting out about the meaning of Christmas, how can we find our own way into the message of this time of year? How can we enter the story of the myth and the mystery of the birth of Jesus in a ... read more.

In our modern world, we can become distant from the rhythms of nature. Technology can insulate us from the turning seasons. We lose these rhythms at the cost of our wholeness. As we approach the darkest and longest night of the year, let us gather ... read more.

“Deck the Halls,” Children & Youth from Religious Exploration & Emmie Scholbohm (Two recordings: 9:30 and 11:15)

It’s time again for our annual tradition of Deck the Halls Sunday! This ... read more.

Through readings and through Christmas music from around the world, the BUUF choir and musicians will explore the idea of the holy child of Bethlehem, as created in each culture and as found within each person. This will be a mostly music Sunday.

Participants in the Adult RE class All Things Shining will share their insights and discoveries of how people understood a meaningful life at various times in Western history, from ancient Greece to the present. They will also share their own ways of making their lives ... read more.

Come join all ages – from infants to sages – to give thanks for our many blessings. We will tell stories, sing songs, celebrate community as we turn toward the Thanksgiving holiday. We will partake in a Bread Communion, so please bring bread in small ... read more.

We often think that choice is a good thing, that the more choices we have the happier people are. But there is a point at which the returns start to diminish and in fact even reverse. We will consider our choices as we anticipate a ... read more.

“Idaho Safe Schools,” Zach Bramwell and Anna McClain-Sims

Idaho Safe Schools Coalition is the only organization in Idaho that serves Idaho’s LGBTQ youth. Our mission is to help Idaho schools become safe places where every family can belong, where every educator can teach, and where every ... read more.

We will celebrate the Mexican holy day Día de los Muertos and consider what death has to teach us about living. We will also share a Ritual of Remembrance honoring those who have passed from our lives.

The stories we tell end up defining who we are. What are the stories of this congregation? How do they define you? Are they a complete view? Which stories will carry you into the future and which do you want to move beyond?

Though we are often encouraged to live in the present, be mindful in the moment, in truth the past and the future are present in every breath. Everything that has gone before has brought us to this particular moment, and the future is forming even ... read more.

Our Junior High youth once again journeyed to Boston this past summer on their bi-annual pilgrimage. Come hear from this crop of Boston Bounders about their adventures in Beantown and beyond.

The great insights of the Buddha include the realization that everything is always changing – arising and passing away. Human suffering arises when we resist this deep truth, when we wish to hold onto the way things have been or wish to avoid some future ... read more.

Ours is a faith with a wide theological embrace. Francis David said we need not think alike to love alike. Keeping our embrace wide and open is one of our highest values and one of our greatest challenges.

Practice makes perfect, the saying goes. Yet perfection is a daunting standard. How does that change if we shift perspective and seek and affirm progress over perfection?

During the Jewish High Holy Days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur the Book of Life is (metaphorically) open and we have a chance to make amends, to turn a new page, to renew our Yes! To life. We will enter the spirit of the ... read more.

Water Communion All Generation Service. Let us dive in to this year of changes, challenges and opportunity together. We’ll hear the poetry of Shel Silverstein and music from the choir and we’ll engage in covenant with our Interim Minister, Rev. Dana Worsnop.

You may remember reading The Book of Job back in Sunday School and thinking it was a huge bummer. It kind of was. But could our man Job have lessons for the 21st century reader? This and other burning questions will be pondered as David ... read more.

A moving story of a world turned upside down by a moment that forever changed a life.

100 years of psychological and religious study have led many researchers to the conclusion that the human search for meaning (spirituality?) is expressed in four major ways, based on four major personality temperaments.

UUA President Peter Morales has called us to create an expansive and inclusive ... read more.

Boise-based journalist Nathaniel Hoffman will present a brief history of migration and marriage from the earliest human wanderings to the era of the “Deporter in Chief,” based on his new book, Amor and Exile: True Stories of Love Across America’s Borders, co-written with Nicole Salgado, ... read more.

We speak of Unitarian Universalism as a “faith tradition.” But what is faith? We will reflect on this question, and on what faith might be especially for UUs, as well as what it is not or should not be.

Mary knew the baby Jesus was her son. But what if the kid wasn’t yours? Not just in a village 2000+ years ago, but today. Your sister’s kid. The local schoolchildren. Our congregation’s youth. When a child acts out, is it someone else’s problem? Or ... read more.

Thought about how the moon has inspired us, motivated us and been an ever present part of all our lives?

Do Unitarian Universalists pray? I believe they do if they are alive and serious about life. So, I’d like to spend a few minutes thinking about how we can do it — and still be Unitarian Universalists. I will suggest some possible implications of daily ... read more.

Caught between anxieties about tomorrow and fretting about yesterday with thoughts streaming through your mind, it can be very difficult to be in the present moment. Rick will be talking about learning to live in the present through mindfulness. Mindfulness is an ancient Buddhist practice, ... read more.

Wanda, Bryan and Elton will share their experiences at this year’s GA in Louisville, KY. Much is changing this year with the shrinkage of the UUA Board, moving of UUA headquarters, and general reorganization. Learn what all this means for BUUF and the future of ... read more.

What does it mean to be “the church”? What benefits are to be gained by being part of an organization that still ties itself to terminology used for two thousand years by the Christian tradition and our own UU tradition that was born out of ... read more.

Jeannette Maré, Ben’s Bells founder and Executive Director, will lead an in-depth discussion of the challenges and opportunities we encounter in every interaction as we strive to create a kinder community. During this conversation, Jeannette will reflect on her own personal experiences with kindness in ... read more.

Whether being webmaster, trying to be committee chair (twice), teaching sexuality to our youth or serving espresso most Sundays, I’ve been looking for where I fit. Early on the way I was told to look for my ministry. That sounded like excellent advice. It turns ... read more.

Carrie Bastian and musicians, Janine Larsen, Pacific Northwest District Executive, Linda Laskowski, Unitarian Universalist Board trustee from the Pacific Central District and Virginia Phillips, Elizabeth’s sister join Elizabeth with Music! Poetry! Colorful stoles for everyone! A glorious farewell as Elizabeth and her guests cross our ... read more.

“Story Link, Linking parents in prison with their children, through stories,” Eileen Dingledein and Wanda Jennings

Your heart will be moved by the stories told of keeping family connections alive as inmates record stories for their children.

This is the LAST official sermon Elizabeth will preach as our minister! In it, she would like to deliver Serious Advice Learned Over the Years—but it seems a little earnest for the occasion. Instead, she will share her favorite jokes, and reflect on what “lessons” ... read more.

Our Coming of Age youth will share their statements of faith that they have developed over the years and through the journey of discovery that has been our Coming of Age program for the last eight months. Join in on this celebration of youth and ... read more.

Recollecting a long-ago sermon she presented here (1988) on a much-loved song, the Grateful Dead’s “Ripple,” Elizabeth will share some of her truths that have remained pretty much intact through the years.

The book “Three Cups of Tea” inspired us with stories of building schools in their world. In spite of the recent controversy, what inspired us remains valid. Come hear what was different about this story, and how we can apply it to our lives.

Scientists teach us cause and effect and how to sustain (or not) systems. Poets teach us how to love. This morning, in honor of Earth Day, we’ll look at a very mundane topic—dirt, through the eyes of a scientist and the heart of a poet. ... read more.

“The Scholar’s Lamp: Passing on the Light,” Rev. Elizabeth Greene, Susan Beasley & Carrie Hope

Susan and Carrie are our “Bridgers” this year, seniors in high school who are making that first step into what we traditionally call adulthood. Both young women will share some of ... read more.

Follow the adventures of woodland creatures as they explore our fourth principle – a free and responsible search of truth and meaning. Please join us for this service involving all ages with stories, music, and merriment.

There’s Demeter and her daughter Persephone. There’s Jesus on the cross, brought to life two days later. There’s Isis and Osiris. There’s Elizabeth’s little rhubarb plant, living miraculously through neglect and presumed death. Resurrection abounds!

As the Supervisor of Clinical Pastoral Education at St. Luke’s Medical Center, Jackie works with chaplaincy students with diverse beliefs and ways of understanding spirituality. Her students, in turn, learn to minister to patients, family and staff with equally diverse beliefs. It’s no wonder that ... read more.

Nearing the Vernal Equinox, when day and night are equal, the star wheel is turning, moving us into spring. Join us for this mostly music Sunday, featuring our choir and additional guest musicians. There will even be a wee bit o’ Celtic music for St. ... read more.

The Fellowship has survived many transitions in the past and will continue to do so. Mary Schwartzman will describe the evolution of our beloved Fellowship from 1967, when she and Alan arrived as newlyweds, to Elizabeth’s arrival in 1988. We each play a part in ... read more.

Elizabeth attends St. Michael’s Episcopal Church when she is not at the Fellowship, and deems John Thornton, former Episcopal Bishop of Idaho to be one of the best preachers she has ever heard. John will speak to us about stewardship, what that means in the ... read more.

Is spiritual experience real? When we pray, what happens? Does consciousness depend entirely on your brain and the unique way it works? Can science explain God? Join us for an exploration of how faith and spirituality affect us physically, emotionally, and spiritually as set out ... read more.

Elizabeth believes firmly that an attitude of reverence can be the concept that unites Unitarian Universalists of all beliefs and philosophies. It is deeply spiritual, and it cuts across the distractions of falsely-divisive belief systems.

Many of us probably think that Idaho has no African-American history. Cherie Buckner-Webb, a several-generation Idaho African-American, will let us know otherwise. And, she will sing, always a wonderful experience.

What does a person learn from 25 years of parish ministry, with the same congregation? Elizabeth will share a few of her learnings—some of which might surprise you.

As we continue our preparation for the interim period, accredited UU interim minister, Don Rollins, will lead us in a look at the good things that lie ahead. Don is the Interim Minister at the UU Church of Eugene, Oregon.

In May 1993, BUUF became one of a number of UU congregations to enter into a partnership with a Unitarian congregation in Transylvania. Our partnership with Mészkõ has been an incredible 20 years for both congregations. The sixth principle of the Unitarian Universalist Association is ... read more.

For the Second Annual BUUF Pioneer Sunday, Elizabeth will reflect on the life and service of Jim Tompkins, who served our church deeply and widely, in earlier days. We will also ponder what it is to be a pioneer, how we all are—sometimes unknowingly—pioneers in ... read more.

Our task as we enter this New Year is to renew ourselves in the love and labor of filling out our individual biography. We do that by taking hold of the threads in life that seem to assist in this enterprise, in our vocation, our ... read more.

The early Quakers considered silence to be a direct path to God. This was a radical idea in its time. Silence remains a radical idea today. In our culture of iPhones, cell phones, the Internet, high-definition TV and continual bombardment of advertising, cultivating silence—as opposed ... read more.

Can you find the Christmas Eve star, one of the mainstays of Elizabeth’s childhood? Can we feel the joy of a light blazing in the winter sky, announcing humanity’s divine births? On Elizabeth’s last Christmas Eve with us, can we join in the love that ... read more.

The question declares itself, bringing up questions like: what god does an atheist not believe in? what is the role of language in our lives, and is it static? are there words that fundamentally should be off-limits in a Unitarian Universalist congregation?

This annual favorite is a reflective service celebrating light’s return and pondering what we want to leave in the darkness and what to bring into the light.

We Unitarian Universalists often substitute “soul” for the original “wretch” in the beloved hymn “Amazing Grace.” Elizabeth’s position is that we’re fooling ourselves when we do this, not to mention missing the possibility of real transformation, especially of suffering.

The gospels say there was “no room at the inn” for the birth of the infant king. Is there room in our hearts this holiday season to adore the holy and beloved, in all its many forms and traditions? Come explore this question through music ... read more.

It’s time again for our annual tradition of Deck the Halls Sunday! (Two recordings: 9:30 service and 11:15 service) On this year of celebrations for and with Elizabeth, this year’s Deck the Halls is all about WinterGreene Holidays. Come explore worldwide and green traditions, the ... read more.

Back in 2009 Loren read a book by Michael Dowd titled “Thank God for Evolution,” which really changed his perspective on the relationship between science and spirituality. In the book, it says that evolution is the greatest religious story ever told. Loren’s belief is that ... read more.

You do not have to be transgendered or have transgendered friends, to find this issue moving and relevant. Who are we, as humans? What is it to find yourself “other” in our society? What are the ties that bind?

Commemorating Veteran’s Day, Elizabeth will reflect on patriotism and other commitments to causes larger than ourselves. What calls us to move “out of ourselves,” to step from the ordinary into areas we might not have ever thought we would dwell in?

Elizabeth is retiring in June, after 25 years as our minister, and the most common question she hears these days is, “What are you going to do?” She will offer some sort of answers to that question.

I spent nearly three years living in Canada, and I loved it there. But it was not my country. My country was the United States, even when the changing times here was bad. When faced with change in the places we know, how do we ... read more.

BUUF is a remarkable spiritual community. What makes it so? Elton will reflect on how congregations like BUUF are meaningful and essential to individual transformation and collective growth and why they are vital to our democratic culture.

How do we talk about hunger? What assumptions underlay the language we use in America when talking about hunger and poverty? “Public assistance,” “entitlement,” “welfare,” “food insecurity,” and “charity.” Our word choice relates to a way of seeing the poor. It relates to a story, ... read more.

We are always creating, building, maintaining—and sometimes tearing down—community, each of us in different places all the time. How do we deal transformatively with this fact of existence? How do we cherish being together, respecting each other and the whole that is greater than the ... read more.

Our speakers are members of BUUF Medians, the church’s young adult group (about 20-40 years old), rising up to let us “oldsters” know something about their lives and values.

Linda Laskowsky, Elizabeth’s beloved roommate on the national Unitarian Universalist Board, is honoring us with a visit. She asks, “Why do we pay dues to our national and district organizations?” and comes up with surprising answers

What goes into creating one’s personal theology/philosophy? Elizabeth will share experience, authors and people that have contributed to hers.

Once again—for the last time while Elizabeth is our minister (she’s retiring in June)—we join for “homecoming,” the first Sunday in the program year. Bring water from your summer travels, for Water Communion.

Life is often not easy. So how do we survive when life becomes very difficult? What is it that we can use to go another week, or day, or even hour? This is a story of the survival of one person who had their share ... read more.

Members of the newly formed BUUF Quest Steering Committee, Jackie Groves, Elizabeth Greene, Mike Philley, Jay Wechselberger, Lynne Tolk, Bill Renwick and Mark Zimmerer share our hopes, dreams and concrete plans to offer this curriculum developed by First Unitarian Society in Madison WI, to the ... read more.

How has your spirituality progressed? Other than your outright experiences, who or what has helped you along? Come listen to Gail share with us some of her spiritual gurus, sayings, and practices that help her with her along this trek we call human life.

A reviewer recently wrote “The old sage (Cohen) may not have any more answers than when he started, but he’s still asking questions to the end, looking for the truth and the holiness.” The metaphors and melodies of this venerable musician inspire our own look ... read more.

This spring, 10 or so people read and discussed what many consider “the great American novel,” F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.” Some were impressed with a theme that resonates today: how the concentration of wealth leads to corruption. Others were taken by the author’s ... read more.

David Scott will take a light-hearted look at worry and attempt to answer the following questions: What is worry? What behaviors do we engage in that allows worry to flourish? When is worry useful and when does it become non-productive? Security blankets are optional.

A recipe for fun = 6 kids + 10 adults for 16 days on 6 rafts through the most beautiful canyon in North America! So begins the Boice, Carmen’s family adventure in June 2011! How they did it and why they’d do it again (in ... read more.

Immigration was the Big Topic of the Justice Unitarian Universalist General Assembly! Wanda and Bryan Jennings and Elizabeth Greene went to the Unitarian Universalist Association Justice General Assembly in Phoenix in June where the theme was Social Justice with a strong emphasis on Immigration. Come ... read more.

We are living in chaotic and challenging times. Why and how can we find the strength and courage to go forward? During her lifetime of non-profit work, Sue’s thinking has evolved about self-improvement, work, and retirement. Joanna Macy (one of the wisdom voices of our ... read more.

Exploring the ways in which our body, mind and spirit influence each other. As Mary Oliver says: The spirit likes to dress up like this: ten fingers, ten toes, shoulders, and all the rest

“It ain’t unnecessarily so,” John Connors

Zen is commonly thought to be some some blissful state where all is wonderful and serene. Zen Buddhism is not what you think. Rather, it is more about how you live. It is about paying attention. Join us, for a ... read more.

Four years ago, Greg Duffy, went to the Midwest to take part in a writing workshop. His journey took him through a period in his family’s life that was challenging to say the least. Greg tells his touching story, which explains his plan, which was ... read more.

“What I know For Sure: My Spiritual Journey,” Janette Young

Midlife is traditionally a time of great transition. Many changes occur naturally at this time of life. Your children grow up and move away from home. Your aging parents may become more in need of care. ... read more.

On this first-Sunday-of –summer-schedule, we have a briefer-than-usual service, starring Flower Communion: everyone brings a flower to put in the community vases, then, at a certain point in the service, we each take a flower back. If you forget your flower, Providence always steps in— ... read more.

We all have complaints in life. We don’t like this about one person, or don’t like that about another. Why do we complain? Does it cost us anything to complain? Does it accomplish anything? In this service we will examine ways we can approach life ... read more.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Pacific Northwest District of the Unitarian Universalist Association. As a UUA National Trustee, Elizabeth is performing her duties at the District Assembly in Anchorage this weekend. In her stead, Board President Debra Smith will ... read more.

“Our Unitarian Universalist Stories,” Children and Youth of Religious Exploration (Two recordings: 9:30 service and 11:15 service)

Come celebrate our children on this second annual Religious Exploration Celebration Sunday! Find ... read more.

What is the song of your soul? What music, your own and others, inspires you to follow your passion? Elizabeth and church musicians explore music’s power.

Do you need an infusion of hope for the future and to know that the world will be in good hands after we’re gone? Our senior high youth who are taking that monumental next step forward into their future will share their journeys and visions. ... read more.

Organic Growth – Change, Passion, Action. Some thoughts on becoming a thriving community.

In a revisiting of one of those “wounded words” we UUs can find problematical, Elizabeth reflects on the larger meaning of the word “prayer.”

On Easter, diverse faith traditions celebrate the way that life arises from literal and metaphorical death. This Easter, we rejoice at how all creation can bloom, even in the face of despair.

The mytho-poetic implications of the Fool are legion, as are the philosophical and religious undercurrents of why we laugh. Or maybe Elizabeth just likes to tell jokes from the pulpit?

Pema Chodron is a well-known Buddhist nun. She writes with compassion about facing our fears, becoming greater-hearted people. Elizabeth will reflect on how we approach this.

Today, we bring our smiles, vision and commitment, as we are inspired by one of our favorite preachers. The lively Rev. Montagnes serves as associate minister to the Eastshore UU congregation, in Bellevue WA.

How often do we recognize the light in others? Does it reflect (or not reflect) what we are putting forth? What community results shine forth (or don’t), when our lights mingle?

There is much work to do in this world. When we work together towards a common goal, the hard work becomes a thing of joy and a blessed act of community. Come explore the joy of heart work with Emmie Schlobohm, our Director of Religious ... read more.

A frog in a well does not know the great ocean and cannot imagine the vastness of the sky. (Japanese proverb) What keeps our vision small? What limits our aspirations? Should we seek to change the world? Should we seek to truly make a difference ... read more.

Spiritual seekers leave the religions of their childhoods for complex reasons, but one reason some of us left the Christian tradition was the severe attitudes of St. Paul which seem focused on sin, are harsh in respect to women, and have no sense of joy. ... read more.

The Christian tradition is full of references to love: for friends (philia), for God (caritas and agape), with not a lot about eros, or body-and-soul, lover-ly love. What does it all mean, anyhow?

Life is just one darned change after another, some more “successful” than others, each similar to others and also unique. How do we roll with the taps and punches of seemingly-continual transition?

This June, the Unitarian Universalist Association is holding a Justice General Assembly (GA) in Phoenix, Arizona, hotbed of immigration abuses. Elizabeth will reflect on “the immigration issue,” and will have information available on this potentially life-changing GA.

Last summer Tom von Alten and Jeanette Ross participated in a choir that sang through Transylvania and Hungary. Peace pilgrim advised “A pilgrim is a wanderer with purpose.” Jeanette and Tom will share stories and insights from their purposeful wanderings.

On this Martin Luther King Sunday, we welcome Emerson Hunger Fellows. John Pevy will be talking about giving individuals power and control over their lives and livelihood and Aleta Sprague will talk about how public discourse about recipients of government assistance tends to focus on ... read more.

What does it mean to be a pioneer? Do we appreciate those “whose shoulders we stand on”? In what ways are we pioneers: historically, spiritually, socially?

Many Christians eagerly await the second coming of Christ. A much more interesting (and more probable) event is the impending arrival of God. In the relatively near future we will create an intelligence that has the capability of recursive self-enhancement. This event is called the ... read more.

What gifts do we bring to the Divine Child, inside us and in others? How hard a journey are we willing to undertake to see that our gifts are given well?

Three of our very long time church members (Bob and Alan date back to the ’70s, Emmie since the early ’90s) are Jews, and will share their memories of family Channukah celebrations.

Bells are a prominent Christmas symbol: silver bells, sleigh bells, steeple bells. They call out, but to what are they calling us? Come explore this question on this mostly music Sunday while the choir and BUUF musicians share the joy and music of Christmas.

“Deck the Halls” (11:15) Emmie Schlobohm and Congregational Youth

“Deck the Halls” (9:30) Emmie Schlobohm and Congregational Youth

It’s time again for our annual tradition of Deck the Halls Sunday! Our ... read more.

Ax Axmaker, Besse LaBudde, Sheila Dengler Shaw, Joe Wechselberger

For many of us Chaucer’s account of a group pilgrimage to Canterbury was our first knowledge of this practice. Most of us have never been on a physical pilgrimage, but while the custom has waned in the ... read more.

This day is dedicated nationwide to memorializing the transgendered person who have died because of their gender. Emilie is a local trans* person and friend of BUUF. She and Elizabeth will reflect in an appropriately memorial way, and Emilie will share hopeful parts of her ... read more.

We Unitarian Universalists pride ourselves on our diversity. Is this entirely justified? Are there any “categories” that we do not feel compelled to embrace? How do we deal respectfully with genuine difference?

The fathers of our Board vice president Judy Holcombe and our minister Elizabeth Greene were career US Navy men, and close friends. Their daughters will reflect on their lives, in honor of Veterans’ Day.

The lively and colorful Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead, fascinates us Norteamericanos, who tend to be pretty “Protestant” in our attitude toward death. Come join in a more unfettered celebration of our beloved dead than we are accustomed to.

Twenty back-and-forth trips to Zimbabwe over the past two decades have led Richard to reflect about his place, and that of other privileged people, in the larger world. He’ll use an example from his experience with Zimbabwe Artists Project to help ground some of the ... read more.

Our Junior High youth once again journeyed to Boston this past summer on their bi-annual pilgrimage. Come hear from this crop of Boston Bounders about their adventures in Beantown and beyond. Child Dedication.

In this incarnation (official incorporation in 1961), the Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship has been in our Valley for 50 years! Join Elizabeth and several of her inter-faith colleagues, as she shares our history, and they share blessings.

How many of us actually pay attention to the act of listening? Do we listen to nature? Each other? Ourselves? There will be good listening, as Elizabeth and the choir explore the subject.

Walt Whitman is called “The Bard of Democracy,” for giving voice to the (once upon a time?) egalitarian aspirations of our country. He came from a family of progressives and embraced the causes of social justice, and yet in his poetry he often takes a ... read more.

Elizabeth will preach her annual “humor sermon,” in which she delves profoundly into the religio-intellectual-social implications of humor. Or—well—maybe it’s her excuse for telling jokes from the pulpit?

On this Homecoming Sunday, celebrating the beginning of our “regular” program year, we rejoice in community, even as we pause to remember 9/11/2001. Don’t forget to bring water from your summer places.

A look at the other side of Christianity. The First 400 years the religion of Christianity was not what we know today. A look at how Christianity got to where it is today.

Most people will talk about almost anything before they talk about money. Sharon gets down and gets comfortable speaking about one of our culture’s well know conversational taboos.

Who knew? At least 6 elementary schools in Boise are named after famous UUs. What were they all about? What were some of the virtues that our children might learn from them? Who wants to bet no one knew they were UU’s when they named ... read more.

Dan Hotchkiss, in his book, Governance and Ministry states, “Religion transforms people; no one touches holy ground and stays the same.” Bill and Gwyn will use this statement to launch an exploration of the tension between the need for stability in a religious organization’s governance ... read more.

The heart is a muscular pump little larger than a fist that moves one million barrels of blood in the average lifetime—enough to fill three oil supertankers. All that and it has its own brain. What does it mean to live with a whole heart?

Our values guide our beliefs, actions, and behaviors. They are the lenses through which we see the world and measure our understanding. Beauty is a value that is more than just “skin deep”. Join me in celebration of beauty.

Lance will explore Pioneer Day celebrating the perseverance and dedication of the early settlers. On July 24th many in the west celebrate and honor our pioneer heritage, those who crossed the plains and created many of the cities and towns where we live today.

Service and Advocacy are the two feet of social Justice. When we fill backpacks for the Idaho Foodbank or help people at the Capital City Market use their food stamps at the market, we are doing service. Advocacy allows us to address the root causes ... read more.

Memories can accumulate importance over the years. Members of the 2010/2011 BUUF memoir group will share stories from their childhoods and youth. Music will range through camp and scout songs to rousing renditions of Sunday School favorites in order to share the joy and further ... read more.

We live in troubled times. Things are grave, indeed, but lest we start to take ourselves too seriously—as individuals, as a community, as a religion—I think I’ll try defying gravity!

So a Jew, a Muslim, a Christian, and a UU walk into a bar. Well we have the chance to hear what they have to say this Sunday on tolerance. The panel of speakers will be Gene Badesheim, Said Ahmed-Zaid, and Gwyn Reid.

Do you proudly count yourself among those who are productive and get things done—those who are so conscientious, busy and driven to do good work that you put off allowing yourself to slow down, and disengage? Do you ponder the irony that you don’t have ... read more.

Kirtan is the ancient Hindu practice of call and response chanting. While I will talk briefly, the service will be more concerned with being surrounded by the voices of the people around us, and then experiencing the silence that follows.

On this first-Sunday-of-summer-schedule, we have a briefer-than-usual service, starring Flower Communion: everyone brings a flower to put in the community vases, then, at a certain point in the service, we each take a flower back. If you forget your flower, well, Providence always steps in, ... read more.

Aging is really a new experience and something of a surprise for anyone who reaches retirement age so it’s is no wonder that so much foolishness is written about its “prevention.” There are physical and mental manifestations we could all do without, but a sense ... read more.

Come celebrate our children on this first annual Religious Exploration Celebration ! Find out what our children & youth have explored this year in their classes. Love, home, and family have been the over-arching themes this year, so join us for discoveries galore for all ... read more.

Each year, on the of the Annual Meeting, Elizabeth muses on the “state of the Fellowship.” How have we been with each other? Have we nurtured souls? Helped heal the world? Practiced generosity?

“Coming of Age” (9:30 service and 11:15 service), BUUF Junior High Youth and Mentors

Our Coming of Age youth will share their statements of faith that they have developed over ... read more.

Do you need an infusion of hope for the future and to know that the world will be in good hands after we’re gone? Our graduating seniors will share their journeys and visions for their futures and ours. Come celebrate their bridging from youth to ... read more.

It’s Easter, when our hearts stray toward the miracles of new life, rebirth—even resurrection! This year, e.e. cummings provides our text.

The worship service will feature readings and personal reflections by Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and musical accompaniment by the Common Ground Community Chorus.

Rev. Keith Kron is the UUA’s Transitions Director. Keith was Director of the UUA’s Office for Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Concerns for over 14 years, and is a valued friend of our minister. We are delighted to welcome him this morning, as he speaks ... read more.

Several members of Jeanette Ross’ BUUF Memoir class will share selections from writings out of their own lives.

Treasures hiding in plain sight are easy to miss. The profound dynamic threaded through our seven UU principles is one of them. It’s a truth too rarely perceived, though it’s vital to life itself.

What does it mean to be loyal? Is there truth in that old statement “loyal to a fault”? This is an old-fashioned virtue—do we value it?

Hinduism is the oldest living religion in the world, and it embraces many paths to the holy from polytheism to monotheism to atheism. This presentation will explore various aspects of the religion that make this diversity possible. UUs will detect strong resonances with some of ... read more.

If we are socially aware, wishing to respect other cultures and worldviews, is there ever a time when our respect runs into conflict with our sense of justice? If that happens, what do we do?

Today, we kick off our Annual Stewardship Drive, focusing for a bit on the material that underlies our vision of love and justice. What song echoes in our hearts, uniting us in joy and connection?

As a UU minister, Jackie Kelly serves as the Clinical Pastoral Education Supervisor at St. Luke’s. Join Jackie as she reflects on how talking with hospital patients, family, staff and CPE students about their relationships with God has influenced her thinking about how Unitarian Universalists ... read more.

What sorts of secrets do we keep? What effect do secrets have on our lives and relationships? There is still time to type your secret, seal it and get it to Elizabeth!

With Valentine’s Day coming, remember what Clint Black said, “Love isn’t something that you feel, it’s something that you do.”

Creativity consists of looking at the familiar with new eyes. This sermon reflects on what might happen if we were to look at our principles in a new way and read them starting with the seventh and ending with the first. Rev. Marriner graduated from ... read more.

Each time BUUF members visit with our partners in Mészkõ, our relationship is discovered in a new way. Alan and Mary Schwartzman, and Ed and Irene Rush traveled to Mészkõ last summer. For Mary, it was her fourth trip. Alan, Irene, and Ed were there ... read more.

Janine Larsen, our Pacific Northwest District Executive, will speak with us about our vision, as we move into the final years of Elizabeth’s ministry.

Margaret Fuller was an amazing 19th-century woman, whose life and thought can inspire us. Elizabeth & Elton will present her words & some reflection.

Nancy will explore why we believe whatever it is we believe. And what does it mean to be Unitarian. She will talk about the metamorphosis of her own beliefs.

The ancient chant O magnum mysterium (“Oh great mystery”) invites us to contemplate Divine mystery in the birth of a child. Join with the choir and BUUF musicians as we sing and celebrate the mysteries of the holiday season.

This is a dark, reflective time of the year, with the shortest day approaching very soon. What does it mean to be in the wintry darkness, and what does the light bring?

It’s time again for our annual tradition of Deck the Halls Sunday! Our children and youth will share their discoveries of the wonders of our “Blue Boat Home.” Join us for a celebration of traditions from around the world and right under our feet. Plays, ... read more.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, how can we remember to live in a state of gratefulness and learn to remain grateful not only for what we perceive as the blessings in our lives, but also for the difficult times?

A special Sunday, featuring woodblock slides and words from a wonderful book about our ancestors, the Puritans. Elizabeth will reflect on this heritage, and we will all enjoy the book (with permission from Annie Bissett, author and artist).

Stories have been central to humanity for as long as people have been speaking to each other. How else do we really learn what other people’s lives are like, feel what they feel, and belong together in community?

Elizabeth and Mark are self-confessed “mystic” and “naturalist,” respectively. They both practice devotional disciplines. Are they more alike or different?

On this day, when the veil between this world and the next is said to be thinnest, Elizabeth will reflect on witch hunts and generosity of spirit.

Our Seventh Principle states that we affirm & support the interdependent web of all existence. Is that mysticism, science, or something else?

Despite the best efforts of many dedicated people, humanity continues to damage the planet and use up non-renewable resources at an ever accelerating rate. What are the chances of creating enough political will to turn things around? If the chances aren’t good, what does that ... read more.

Sustainability Didn’t Catch On, Now What? Loren Bergeson (Oct. 17, 2010)

The Congregational Care Committee brings love & care to the congregation. Our denomination is also involved in Standing on the Side of Love. How do they mesh?

UUs have a long history of promoting free, non-sectarian public schools. In the 19th century, one of our country’s most eloquent advocates was the Unitarian, Horace Mann. Today, public schools are buffeted by reform advocates of all kinds. It seems that everyone who has ever ... read more.

A Brief History of the Future of School, Debra Smith (Oct. 3, 2010)

If you look deep inside, looking at your heart honestly, what do you find motivates you? Elizabeth will reflect (honestly!) on this big question.

Our Fellowship is dynamic, changing-but-solid. In the best of all possible worlds, what do we long to create?

Official start of the program year! Bring water from your summer travels, come check in with everyone.

What does it mean to be Pagan and how is it different or the same as other belief systems. Let’s explore these questions. Let’s see if we can find how Pagans are alike and how they are different. You may find Unitarian Universalists have a ... read more.

The Chalice Circle by the same name will present an experience which shows what makes the “Cool Group” Concept so cool. Special music with flutes, drumming, and didgeridoos!

Dr. Cutler will share Lakota/Dakota traditional culture, its values, beliefs, and rituals as he learned and experienced them. Specifically, he will provide a brief overview of the Inipi ceremony including some specifics on materials, meanings of the fire/altar/lodge, how an individual comes to be qualified ... read more.

Though I have attended church forever, it has been in my work life that I have found meaningful experience of the “religious” concepts I heard while sitting in the pew. I’ll be sharing that journey with you. Brace yourself: I may mention the word “sin.”

BUUF’s music director and her husband will discuss ways in which travel can be a soul expanding experience. They will share some of their travel experiences, both humorous and meaningful, and talk about ways to access the benefits of travel, even when you think you ... read more.

Sooner or later everyone rides THE BUS. Hello, is anyone really in charge here?

Social Justice and Religious Freedom thrive only in the crucible of a society of involved people who are effectively engaged in the direction and actions of the institutions of government. An infectious greed now grips much of our business community. America is beset by the ... read more.

12:00 AM

Our UU principles and especially our second principle, lead us to work for justice. But what is the path to justice, equity and compassion? Anthony and Roger, both raised UU in different times, will talk about the paths they’ve traveled as they have worked for ... read more.

Airman 1st Class Bonnie Harper Bonnie Harper, daughter of our music director Carrie Bastian, will speak on her recent experience in basic military training and on the core values of the United States Air Force: integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we ... read more.

Problem drinking has plagued mankind from the beginning of recorded history. It has affected peasant to king, followers to great leaders. From the “Pledge” to Prohibition, no program or movement made any inroads toward recovery until the founding of AA in 1935 and its 12 ... read more.

The Summer Solstice is Jun 21, 2010 at 5:28am MDT. Come take a tour of earthworks, ancient and contemporary, that help us to understand, appreciate, and marvel at our position in relationship to the rest of our solar system.

A large part of what makes BUUF “BUUF” are the Grounds, the Grove, Jeremiah’s Adventure Garden and A Walk Through Time. Learn how this magical place came to be from Barb Alexander. Jolene Schow will share how JAG was created and John Jacobsen will tell ... read more.

This is the first Sunday of summer schedule, and our chance to say farewell to this program year. Bring a flower for the communion, and a dish for the potluck. After the service, we will process to Little Bridge to celebrate (with plum brandy and ... read more.

When we reflect upon the people and events that have shaped our lives, we invest them with meaning and value. We name them good and bad, blessings and disasters. Are these value judgments useful products of our imaginations? As I approach my 60th birthday, I ... read more.

On a Sunday packed with many things (new member joining, celebration of our stewardship campaign, the second annual Rock Communion), Elizabeth will reflect on an agreement that makes sense.

It’s often too easy to give a glib reply to the tossed off statement “how are you doing?” Let’s hear a thoughtful, nuanced answer (what else?) to the question of how we’ve done, spiritually speaking, in 2009-2010

Enlightenment seems a noble and high-falutin’ concept. But there’s a school of thought that says it’s not much use if the laundry doesn’t get done, too.

We hear words of wisdom from our high school seniors, about to “go out into the big world.” Experience our next crop of community leaders. Come help our graduating youth bridge to young adulthood and celebrate!

Our church is a Unitarian-Universalist-Association-recognized Green Sanctuary, a designation of which we may be proud. What does it mean? How do we continue, as a congregation, to make our step light on the earth?

Somewhere at the interface of religion, psychology, philosophy and self help is the Medicine Wheel of the American Indians. It is a guide to self actualization and the understanding of self and others. It requires no shaman, priest, feathers or drums. It is a guide ... read more.

Truth is a pretty tricky concept, often put forth as the result solely of scientific observation, or at least processes to which we all apply our brains. What, though, of our “night selves,” the parts of us that learn truths through myth, intuition, dream and ... read more.

It’s Easter! Many religious stories tell of the deaths that lead to new life, to redemption and resurrection. Today, we celebrate life and light’s emergence from sorrow and dark.

In this Passover season, Elizabeth will retell the central Jewish story related to this holiday, and will lift up the gratitude that characterizes this celebration.

Elizabeth reminds us that UUs have historically been a lot more comfortable with thought than passion, which sounds like we live from our heads rather than our hearts. Can we live more from our hearts, or is there at least a middle ground? As Joseph ... read more.

Rev. Forrest Church died on September 24, 2009, at the age of 62, leaving what may be the late 20th century’s most significant Unitarian Universalist theological and human legacy. Elizabeth will share some of his life and thoughts.

Unitarian Universalists do not spend undue time, as a rule, reflecting on their theological foundations. But, can we really act responsibly in the world if we do not know what our assumptions are, behind our work to bring justice and charity in the world? Louise ... read more.

Know those “Student Driver” signs on cars? Would we treat each other differently if we all wore “Student Human” signs? Elizabeth and our fabulous house band will explore this question.

Most of this country has accepted, as de facto social law, the notion that life itself is essential precious, and more important than pain and suffering. But the times might be changing, toward acceptance of the right to die with dignity, on one’s own terms.

Elizabeth reflects on the impossible subject of love, that consumerist-mangled, advertising-perverted human feeling, springing from the depths of our souls.

David presents a sermon written by the President of the First UU Church of Wichita, Anne Welsbacher, concerning our lives in the Age of Gadgetry.

Last spring, about 120 of us participated in a survey conducted by the respected Lilly Foundation, and they have sent us our results. How do we compare with others? With our own aspirations?

Loren shares how 2009 was a year of spiritual insight for him, gleaned from Michael Dowd’s book, Thank God For Evolution, among other sources. TGFE offers a powerful way to reconcile science with the best of religion, in a way that has the potential to ... read more.

The Rise of Evolutionary Spirituality, Loren Bergeson (Jan. 24, 2010)

Our faith has blazed a trail to a more caring, more just society, in part living up to Dr. King’s “Dream.” We will look at the contributions and life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and what we can do to fulfill his prophetic words. From ... read more.

In the practice of yoga, doing poses is only the beginning of the work. More importantly, yoga focuses on the breath and its effect on our bodies, minds and spirits. Mark Zimmerer will discuss the act of breathing with stories from Thich Nhat Hanh, BKS ... read more.

Once a year or so, Elizabeth does a “humor sermon,” delving deeply into the profound theological significance of laughing. Or, well, does she actually mostly enjoy an opportunity to tell jokes from the pulpit?

What must Mary have been going through, as she “pondered all these things in her heart?” Here she is, a teenager, holding the light-filled blessing of new life—which seems to have invited a whole array of amazing visitors. She had been warned beforehand, of course, ... read more.

It is almost Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year, turning then toward more and more light. To reach the lightest day of the year, turning then toward more and more dark. How does this echo our lives?

Amidst dark Winter nights, we find the lights of the December holidays, bringing us healing, wholeness and peace. This mostly music service will feature the choir, Natalie Whiting (alto), Mark Zimmerer (baritone), Michael Stevenson (violinist) & Janelle Brown (cellist)

May the merry mayhem continue! Join the fun while our children and youth of all ages present plays, songs, poems and more exploring the power of community for the conclusion of our annual Deck the Halls celebration weekend.

On May 7, 1824, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony received its premier in Vienna, Austria. During its 185-year history the “Ode to Joy” Symphony has provided audiences throughout the world spiritual inspiration and jubilation. In Japan massed choral groups and orchestras come together in December of each ... read more.

Our congregation has been a part of the Treasure Valley community for many decades. Elizabeth will speak about some of the high (and low!) spots.

All our life, we are in change & transition. A change may happen quickly—but how do we handle the longer process of transition? Elizabeth has an important announcement.

The Minister of our partner church in Mészkõ brings blessings and greetings from Transylvania to Boise, connecting the struggle for religious freedom in central Europe with the principles and purposes of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Our shared inspiration is the love in our hearts, expressed ... read more.

If Unitarian Universalism is to be a genuine religious community, UUs need to have regular centering & transcending practices. Elizabeth will offer examples & ideas.

Our Junior High youth once again journeyed to Boston this past summer on their semi-annual pilgrimage. Come hear from this crop of Boston Bounders about their adventures in Beantown and beyond.

BUUF Music Director Carrie Bastian will relate her musical and spiritual journey, explore our human impulse to make music, examine music as spiritual practice and discuss how we can create a stronger religious community through musical experience.

Oct. 11 is National Coming Out Day, in which gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are encouraged to express their true selves. What can allies do to “come out” in support?

Elizabeth and Lisa will reflect on how we can get our own needs met by paying better attention to the communities we care about. The Committee on Ministry will be part of this, and Congregational Care Team will be encouraging you to join them in ... read more.

Our young people’s Religious Exploration program is an extraordinary place where you can find your inner whimsy, wonder and awe! People of all ages grow and learn in our RE wings during any given Sunday. Your Director of Religious Exploration, Emmie Schlobohm, invites you on ... read more.

Elizabeth will reflect on spirituality “from Emerson to Oprah,” to quote from the book Restless Souls. Starting Oct. 7, she and Elton Hall will teach a class on this book. (See Adult Education offerings for this fall.)

We are 55 to 60% water; our blood is 95% water. We depend on water for our very existence. Connie Barlow will explain how much deeper our water connection is—all the way back to the stars!

Here we are on Labor Day Weekend Sunday, the official end of summer before the start of our program year. All summer long did you realize you’ve been preaching to the world around us? We said it with our t-shirts, our actions and our lives. ... read more.

Come hear six different impressions of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s (UUA) General Assembly (GA) held in June in Salt Lake City where we stood on the side of love on several issues. We elected a new UUA president, Peter Morales; and BUUF was recognized for ... read more.

Noted pastor Rick Warren writes extensively about the importance of giving your time and energy to your loved ones. He states that the way you spell love is “T-I-M-E.” David agrees wholeheartedly, and is asking you to spend some time with him this Sunday to ... read more.

The confidence that we humans can, and must, take responsibility for ourselves and each other, is one shared by humanists both theistic and non-theistic. What sets us apart from UUs, if anything? Several members of BUUF’s humanist group will speak to our philosophy, our ethics, ... read more.

Boise Urban Garden School (BUGS) students explore the question, “Where does our food come from?” and reconnect to nature in a hands-on learning environment. Come join BUGS students and Becky Morgan, BUGS executive director, as they share their adventures in dirt, water, weeds, and wonder!

Examining the overarching theme of Battlestar Galactica, Dale Winke looks at the connections, meanings, and melodies from one individual UU’s viewpoint.

“The Calming Breath of Meditation Quenches the Fire of Suffering,” Tony DeAngelis

BUUF is hosting the Buddhist Relic Tour, though UU’s are not known for their appreciation of relics. Why do some people find relics meaningful, while others are indifferent and some even repulsed by them? Can relics cause epiphanies? We will explore these questions as well ... read more.

What is this thing called love? Maybe it’s something more than in the music. Maybe it’s something more than we’ve ever been aware.

Graduate of University of Oregon in folklore, Dan Peterson speaks on noting three historical stages of food ways. Join Dan on his international travels his stories relate. His concept of “excess” has nothing to do with calories. Like James Beard, Dan feels a day is ... read more.

In the practice of yoga, doing poses is only the beginning of the work. More importantly, yoga focuses on the breath and its effect on our bodies, minds and spirits. Mark Zimmerer will discuss the act of breathing with stories from Thich Nhat Hanh, BKS ... read more.

David spent the majority of his life conveniently ignoring the big questions. Is there a God? What happens when we die? Why are we here? It wasn’t like he was afraid to face them or anything. Certainly not! Leave it to his 4-year-old son, Michael, ... read more.

Compiled by John Harms to explore what Universalism is. Come hear this presentation, back by popular request.

Celebrating the successful end of the Annual Stewardship Drive, Elizabeth reflects on the many gifts that we are given and that we give, creating dynamic, challenging community.

This Memorial Day Sunday explore the resiliency of people during conflict. Daniel Wright has been in Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, Central America and Africa with the Army and as a contractor rebuilding the countries’ infrastructure.

Each year, our minister Elizabeth Greene delivers a “state-of-the-church” sermon on Annual Meeting day, sharing her take on the significance of the almost-finished program year.

“Coming of Age (9am),” BUUF youth, Rev. Elizabeth Greene, Emmie Schlobohm, Cathy Carmen

“Coming of Age (11am),” BUUF youth, Rev. Elizabeth Greene, Emmie Schlobohm, Cathy Carmen

This Sunday is an every-other-year ... read more.

A Sunday always awaited eagerly by our congregation, this is the Sunday we hear words of wisdom from our high school seniors, about to “go out into the big world.”

As the “church year” is moving toward its busy close (in June, but it happens fast!), Elizabeth will reflect one final time on her sabbatical experiences last week.

Earth Day is about two environments, yes it is about raising awareness on environmental issues and promoting environmental action; but it is also about the human environment, the inner life that directs us. It is what we think about the Earth as well as our ... read more.

It’s Easter, the day we celebrate emerging from the nurturing and mysterious dark. Wear your Easter bonnet, your John Harms tie, and celebrate in community.

Elizabeth holds the position that laughing is a religious activity. Or maybe she just likes to tell jokes. Come find out!

Most of us are haunted by the “ghosts” from our past. Times in our lives wrought with embarrassment or regret. David recently returned to Pocatello for a little “ghost-busting” from his college days. Armed with the healing power of love, David sought to silence his ... read more.

On this new-member-joining Sunday, Elizabeth will explore what it means to commit one’s self: to another person, an organization, a particular course of events.

So many of us are “news junkies,” a habit that can be detrimental to our health. How do we stay aware of our world, and also maintain our sense of hope, let alone optimism?

What do you suppose the world would be like if everyone spoke honestly but non-judgmentally, without “whining.” Elizabeth will share her odyssey of trying to achieve this, with the help of a book.

“How Can I Keep From Singing? The Spirituality of Social Action,” Rev. Ralph Galen and Pam Kelly

After spending exciting time together on Friday and Saturday, we will have the chance to hear our presenters share worship ... read more.

Come join Dale as he explores how the themes of science fiction can plumb the depths of humanity’s spiritual and transcended yearnings.

How might things have been different if I hadn’t felt the need to deny my own uniqueness and imitate the other “normal” kids around me as I grew up? Following his musical revue, Just Married, the Musical! on Valentine’s Day at BUUF, James Mack will ... read more.

Norbert Capek, best known as the creator of the Flower Communion, had a fascinating history, moving from a conservative religion into Unitarianism. He was a man of inspiration and integrity, and paid for his principles.

Are there any patterns in your life you don’t want and don’t seem to be able to rise above? After a Saturday-night viewing of the movie “Groundhog Day,” Elizabeth will talk about how we do and don’t change.

Sharing more of her six-month sabbatical, Elizabeth will focus on the 30 days she spent on retreat at St. Gertrude’s Monastery in Cottonwood, Idaho. Things arise, when you live with just yourself for that long.

Martin Luther King, Jr., transcended his own religious tradition, learned from Mahatma Gandhi, and set a course that led to the election of Barack Obama as president. We will explore what he knew and how it applies to our nation, our expectations and ourselves.

On the weekend of January 23rd and 24th, we will all join in asking questions like Who are we? What makes us unique? What is our purpose? Elizabeth reflects a bit, in a preliminary way.

Of course, life is always beginning anew every day. But humans take certain times to reflect on what has gone before, and what we hope will happen.

“A Spiritualist, a Skeptic, or a Child?” Nancy Harms

We will explore the spiritual, skeptic and child that exists in each of us; manifesting in one form or another depending on a particular moment in time in ... read more.

Christmas Eve service – not recorded.

“The Blessed Sound of Silence,” Rev. Elizabeth Greene

Continuing the tradition of a Quaker-style meeting on the Sunday before Christmas. After a reading, chalice lighting, simple song and brief explanation, we sit in silence for about 45 minutes, emulating the excellent practice of our sisters ... read more.

“Where Are You Christmas? Finding Meaning in the Holiday Season—A Mostly Music Sunday,” Rev. Elizabeth Greene and BUUF Choir

Celebrating the colorful tapestry of nature, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Christmas—Elizabeth, the choir and soloists will illuminate the common ... read more.

“Deck the Halls”

Come one, come all to BUUF’s Deck the Halls celebration! This is our own intergenerational welcome to the winter holidays. Our wonderful RE children and youth will share with us “A Thousand and One Ways to Love and to Care.”
(No audio ... read more.

“In the Spirit of Thanks,” Sarah Bratley

This Thanksgiving holiday, Sarah explores a thankful presence in prayers, everyday life, and social interactions.

The Lord Loves a Cheerful Receiver, Rev. Elizabeth Greene (November 29, 1998)

“Ministry: Our Partnership,” Gini Courter, Moderator of the Unitarian Universalist Association

This is a very big-deal Sunday. The witty, articulate, and grounded Gini Courter, moderator of our entire Association, will preach to us as we celebrate the ... read more.

November 16, 2008

“Moving Forward in Faith,” Rev. Elizabeth Greene

It’s “Miracle Sunday”! Today, we wrap up our fall stewardship drive and begin celebrating 20 years of ministry partnership. If you haven’t pledged yet, bring your pledge form. ... read more.

“Partners in Faith,” Rev. Elizabeth Greene, Miriam and David Woito, Will Smith

Four members of our church traveled as pilgrims to Mészkõ, Transylvania, to visit fellow Unitarians, with whom we have been partners for going on 20 ... read more.

“Día de Los Muertos,” Sharon and Charles Barlow Palm

At this “All Souls” time of year, we honor the Mexican custom of Day of the Dead, light-hearted and reverent.

Creation of Spirituality, Rev. Elizabeth Greene (November 1, 1998)

“The Flaming Chalice,” Rev. Elizabeth Greene

We UUs have fewer symbols that most religions. But we do cherish the flaming chalice, a beacon to us for many years. Elizabeth will tell the story of this symbol, and ... read more.

“Pebbles In a Pond,” Don Schutte

As children we often pitched pebbles into a pond. Maybe we still do as adults. I know I do. What lesson is there in this innocent action? David Ward, service coordinator; ... read more.

“Of Such is the Kingdom of Heaven,” Rev. Elizabeth Greene

This is National Children’s Day, and we will consider that “childlike” attitude seen in advanced teachers like the Dalai Lama. It is also Association Sunday, celebrating this ... read more.

Religiously Liberal, Rev. Elizabeth Greene (October 11, 1998)

“Let Us Cultivate Boundless Goodwill,” Rev. Elizabeth Greene

What did the Buddha mean by “boundless good will”? On this Congregational Care Team-sponsored Sunday, Elizabeth will reflect on the nature of good will—usually bounded— in community. Nancy Harms, ... read more.

Days of Awe, Rev. Elizabeth Greene (September 20, 1998)

“Who Is My Neighbor?” Rev. Elizabeth Greene

We Unitarian Universalists hold diversity as a high value. Today, Elizabeth will look at some ways about we may embody this value, and some ways where we may opt for ... read more.

“Reflections on a Sabbatical, part one: Experiencing the Holy,” Rev. Elizabeth Greene

Over this program year, Elizabeth will be sharing various aspects of her recent sabbatical. On this Sunday, she will reflect on the many and varied ... read more.

“Don’t Be Afraid of Some Change,” Rev. Elizabeth Greene

On this weekend when we will have been stimulated and inspired by a visit from UUA consultant Larry Wheeler Elizabeth will discuss the spiritual, emotional and practical implications ... read more.

September 7, 2008

“Re-Connecting in Love,” Rev. Elizabeth Greene

(Sorry, this sermon was not recorded.)

“Silencing Mr. Negativepants,” David Ward

David desperately wants to break free from his comfort zone. Throw caution to the wind and take complete advantage of this incredible gift we call life. Unfortunately, David’s subconscious is dominated by ... read more.

“Polishing the Mirror” or “You don’t like my Kung Fu?” Tony DeAngelis

Reflections on the spiritual aspects of the Martial Arts.

“Here Comes the Sun,” Debbie Espen

We are physical, material, biological beings who not only need the light and warmth of the sun to live, but also respond emotionally and spiritually to the sun. Debbie shares a ... read more.