UUShoals Programs

Please scroll down to see earlier programs or see archived programs pages.

April 5, 2015 - Folk Singer, Ken Sizemore from Panama City, Florida will present, "Songs of Hope for a New and Better World".

April 12, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "What are Your Rituals?"

April 19, 2015 - Benjamin Newbern, Secretary of the Board of Directors of Equality Alabama and head of its Shoals Regional Steering Committee, will present, "Past, Present & Future: A Story of LGBT Equality". Mr. Newbern will discuss how we got to where we are now, especially in a place like conservative Alabama. He will speak to the history of the movement, specific to the United States, and will add stories from his own personal experience of living both in Alabama and in working in Washington, D.C. as well as his work with Equality Alabama.

Benjamin Newbern serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors of Equality Alabama, as well as the head of its Shoals Regional Steering Committee. Formed in 2002, EA is the only statewide education and advocacy organization dedicated to the advancement of equality for all LGBTQ Alabamians, where they live, work, learn and play. A ninth-generation Alabamian, Newbern is a graduate of Auburn University. He previously served as a press aide to the Alabama Unified Judicial System and the Alabama Governor's Office, as a field organizer for the American Civil Liberties Union's Washington National Office, and as national field director of the interfaith Alliance. He resides in Florence.

April 26, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "Viola Liuzzo and Rev. James Reeb." These two Unitarian Universalists were murdered in Selma in 1965. Their deaths changed the course of history by creating a political groundswell that President Lyndon Johnson needed to introduce new voting rights legislation.

March 1, 2015 - The Blue Navigators will present a musical program filled with selections of blues, folk, rock and more. Shake off the cold
and bad weather with some good music and fun fellowship!

March 8, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "Islam: Moderate and Extremist ( Continuing the Conversation)". This is a continuation of
the discussion began in January from the talk entitled, "Islam and Christianity".

March 15, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "Church and State in Same-sex Marriage and Civil Rights".

March 22, 2015 - Dr. Cynthia Alby will present, "How to Make a Wish". Well, it is March; have you stuck to your New Year's resolutions? Me
neither. Maybe resolutions just aren't the way to go. But what about wishes? What makes a good wish? Are there concrete steps to making
wishes come true? Dr. Alby is a Professor of Secondary Education at Georgia College and State University, Milledgevill, GA

March 29, 2015 - Doug Parkhurst from Vermont will lead an RE class at the UU this Sunday. It will begin at 9:30 and will last an hour.
We appreciate Doug sharing his knowledge with us. Discussion topic... "Is change in the wind regarding the Unitarian-Universalist Association's relationship with member congregations? What about the reason for the UUA's existence? Should local UU churches and fellowships be the means or the end in pursuing denominational goals? Do UUs need a "polity conversation?" We will consider these questions in the context of the Liberty Clause and its meaning for early American Universalists and contemporary Unitarian Universalism.

Daphne Simpkins will present, "The Etcetera Prayers". We have much discussion and mumbling about praying and the power of intentional thought, but this presentation isn't about that discussion. Instead, it is about the stuff in our lives that we try to ignore and sweep under the rug of our conscious attention. If we believed in naming what's under there-- that radar of awareness -- those nouns might sound more like indistinguishable mumbles; but, if we decided to pray about them they might fit under the category "etcetera". What we ignore may be more important than how we may treat it as afterthought or try to ignore it altogether, however, and today we will be brave and look at Etcetera prayers, Family Tree Prayers, and Letting Go prayers (hands open but not necessarily raised because in this posture, we're not reaching for a thing).

February 1, 2015 - Local musicians, Amber Murray and Nathan Pitts, better known as The Bear, will perform original songs and music. Nathan and Amber tour the US with their Americana sound and often collaborate with local musicians in the studio. Their music is contemporary, fresh, and exciting. Come hear a great Muscle Shoals band, making their mark on the music industry.

February 8, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "Islam and Christianity".

February 15, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "What Do We Do With Illegal Aliens?"

February 22, 2015 - Daphne Simpkins will present, "Accepting Our Limitations and the Shortcomings of Others with Humor, Grace and
Consistency".

January 4, 2015 - Daphne Simpkins will present, "Grow old with me. The best is yet to be". Using the familiar Robert Browning poem as a
catalyst, this presentation will focus on the ways that we say good-bye to what was, hello to what our heart hopes will be a part of our future,
and how we can best embrace and enjoy what we want together as a community in this present moment.

January 11, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "Sex Offenders: Church Mission in a Difficult Age". This will be the first part of a presentation derived from an article in the UU World Magazine.

January 18, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "Leader Misconduct and Church Image". This presentation continues the thought and discussion taken from an article in UU World Magazine.

January 25, 2015 - Chuck Morgret, will present, "Patchwork Religion: What's wrong with borrowing from various traditions to create something
new?". Mr. Morgret will share some thoughts on the rewards and challenges of choosing what we consider to be the best or most universal
views, concepts and practices and incorporating them into something new and hopefully something greater than the sum of the parts.