I am delighted to serve as minister for the Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma.  I invite you to visit any Sunday and discover the warmth and joy we share.

We gather at 10 a.m. for informal visiting.  Worship begins at 10:30.  Children and youth are welcome to participate in the service or to try out our classes as guests. We offer child care for the very young during the service.

Our mission is simple: Live your sacred – Transform through love – Act with courage. My ministry is devoted to encouraging spiritual depth, growing through genuine relationships and joining with others to create more love and justice in the world.

We gather every week to explore and celebrate our values and remind ourselves to live them every day.  As members of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations we strive to practice the following principles:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

We are a non-creedal religion that draws wisdom from the world’s religions and spiritual traditions, as well as from human experiences of transcending mystery, the teachings of reason and science and the insistent call to confront injustice. Learn more about Unitarian Universalism here.

I look forward to meeting you.

Rev. Mary Foran

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We, the Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma (“UUP”), are a community of religiously liberal people who gather on a weekly basis to share our values in a Sunday service setting, and who work (and play!) together to establish an atmosphere of principled seeking and ethical living on a day-to-day basis.

We meet at 10:30am on Sundays at the Woman’s Club at 518 B St in Petaluma, CA. Click here for directions. Please read through the upcoming services below or read through our past services to get an idea of what to expect if you visit us on a Sunday. Also please explore our photo gallery to see what we’re doing in the community and beyond.

UUP welcomes all to join in our Mission:
Live your sacred •  Transform through love  •  Act with courage

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

10:30 a.m.

This I Believe
Speakers: Cindy Wood and Jules Pelican
Worship leader: Berkeley Sturgeon
“This I Believe” is one of UUP’s most cherished series of services. We learn wondrous things from members of our congregation as they share their theological roots, the paths that brought them to UUP and the milestones they’ve encountered along the way. Cindy Wood and Jules Pelican will share some of what they have learned.

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Acceptance and Encouragement: Probing the UU Principles
Worship Leader: Joyce Tischler
Principle # 3 of our seven Unitarian Universalist Principles reads as follows:

“Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations”

Is this so general as to be meaningless? Hardly. The Unitarian Universalist Principles are signposts pointing us toward a profound appreciation of what it means to be UU. The Principles demand much of us. Our inherent differences require us to practice acceptance of each other and to open our congregation to greater diversity. Yet, what do we mean by “acceptance” and “encouragement to spiritual growth?” Come. Delve deeply. Help each other to understand how this Principle plays out in our lives. (This is a participatory service)

Let’s Fall in Love
Minister: Rev. Mary Foran
Worship Associate: Jodi Boyle
What is this great big thing called Love?  We yearn for it and scorn it, celebrate it and are sadly disappointed by it.  We say it has the power to transform.  Are we ready for Love to be in charge?

Dance Church
Please note: this month’s Dance Church has been moved to the second Sunday–it’s normally on the third Sunday of each month.
Our monthly dance- and movement-centered service, featuring a clear and open wood floor, music, and mostly free-form dance, for those who seek to find the spirit in dance, and want to experience that in community with others. We’ll begin with some warm-ups, a basic ritual dance, and then just play music and invite all to dance.

Monthly Meditative Circle
Join UUP meditators and Worship Leader Elisabeth Hathaway in a 45 minute service of simple ritual, chanting and readings, with a 25 minute non-guided meditation. Sitting together, we center ourselves, sitting together we center our world. UUP’s Monthly Meditative Services are the second Sunday of each month, 9:30 to 10:15. They are held upstairs in the Woman’s Club before the regular service; dress in layers for comfort!

Environmental Consciousness as a Spiritual Practice
Speaker: George Beeler
Worship Leader: Stacey Meinzen
Recent research in behavior and the workings of the brain has reinforced George’s “theory” (from the school of disappointments) that people will not be effectively motivated to live in an environmentally conscious way through guilt or obligation.  They will, however, be motivated by love for the earth’s glorious diversity of life forms. George’s love of the earth has grown though experiencing the wonders of nature. Early in life, his epiphanies occurred by lucky accident, and later, through mind-altering techniques. However, the most reliable and long-lasting results come through a practice of mindfulness and meditation.