UUShoals Programs

Please scroll down to see earlier 2015 programs or see earlier archived programs pages.

November 1, 2015 - Daphne Simpkins will present, " Those Falling Leaves". When J.R.R. Tolkien was frustrated over the long years of writing his famous Lord of the Rings series, he wrote for himself a new vision for defining personal fulfillment in a lesser known story "Leaf by Niggle". That story puts work--especially artistic endeavors -- in a fresh perspective. Whether it is an artistic goal of painting a leaf or the annual task of raking leaves, we will look at the concept of our individual labor(s) and how we can have a new vision for working alone and together in community with greater peace and more fulfillment. Additional referenced work: Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller.

November 8, 2015 - Dolores Hydock, writer, speaker, and storyteller will present, "Soldiers in Greasepaint: USO Camp Show Performers of World War II". From Utah Beach to the Philippines, from wrestlers and tap dancers to the biggest names in show business, from 16,000 servicemen in an amphitheatre in southern France to 20 GIs in Jeeps in a lonely stateside outpost, USO Camp Shows during WWII were part of a diverse, hilarious, moving, and inspiring story of voluntarism and service. This program shares a small slice of this big-hearted story from a remarkable time in U.S. history. This program is presented through the Alabama Humanities Foundation's Road Scholar Speakers Bureau.

November 15, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "Humanism, The Art of Using Your Brain". We will discuss where this approach to life came from and what it looks like today.

November 22, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "Living the Hope of a Grateful Heart". Gratitude has the power to control our lives. It may also have health benefits.

November 29, 2015 - Mitch Mann, singer, songwriter and accomplished guitarist will perform. Mitch lives in Muscle Shoals and is a integral part of the local music scene. He is a member of the band The Fiddleworms and has played with many other performers throughout his career.

October 4, 2015 - Bill Parkhurst will present, "New Thoughts on the Bible"

October 11, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "Basic Marriage Values" What are the most important values for a successful long-term relationship?

October 18, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "What Do You Call a Group of Children?" Does a group of children increase your energy or strike fear in your heart?

October 25, 2015 - Rev. Doug Traversa, UU minister from Tullahoma UU will present, "The Importance of Being Uncertain"

September 6, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "Myths and Values". The stories we tell proclaim our values. Even when the stories are fanciful, the lessons they teach are very real. What stories were you told as a child that helped shape your values about good and bad, right and wrong?

September 13, 2015 - Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Cheryl Llewellyn will perform. Cheryl Llewellyn is from Athens, Alabama. Her style is an eclectic mix of blues, rock, alternative, and much more. With a voice that will send chills down your spine and an extensive song list that has something for everyone, she is an act you don't want to miss.

September 20, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "Marketing Doubt". In a vicious political year, in the middle of yet another vicious political decade, what is the role of made-up doubt in controlling people's minds and votes? Is something good to be gained? What does artificial doubt do to the education process?

September 27, 2015 - Mitch Mann, local singer/songwriter will present a musical program of original songs and music of some of our favorite performers. Mitch is a member of the band the Fiddleworms and is an integral part of the Muscle Shoals music scene. One of the finest guitar players to ever pick up a guitar.

August 2, 2015 - Daphne Simpkins will present, "The Southern Way of Life". Southerners talk amongst themselves about the nature of the region's hospitality, the way we like our vegetables fried or stewed, our preferences for sports, such as alligator hunting, and our love of the outdoors and especially magnolia trees. But the "southern way of life" has also produced some unexpected alliances that resulted in the Ku Klux Klan and other criminal activities. This presentation will reference Wayne Greenshaw's Fighting the Devil in Dixie and Forrest Carter's The Education of Little Tree.

August 9, 2015 - Eva Walton Kendrick, Alabama Faith Organizer for the Human Rights Campaign, will present, "Faith in the Movement". She serves as the Alabama Faith Organizer with the Human Rights Campaign. This organization (HRC) is the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi, where she was a William Winter Scholar in the Center for the Study of Southern Culture.

August 16, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "Life After Failure".

August 23, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "Belonging".

August 30, 2015 - Rev. Doug Traversa, UU minister at the UU Church of Tullahoma, Tennessee will present, "The First Principle Project- the Worth and Dignity of Every Being".

July 5, 2015 - Chuck Morgret of Sewanee, Tennessee will present, "I Think, Therefore I Am... Changing". This talk will be an exploration of the nature of "self" from perhaps a different perspective than we are used to.

July 12, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "Intruders in the Church". Although it does not happen often that an intruder enters church during worship to cause trouble, when it does happen, we should know how to handle it.

July 19, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "The Need to Sing". With the W.C. Handy Festival upon us, let's reflect on the personal and religious significance of music and song. What is it in a song that captures us every time we hear it or sing it.

July 26, 2015 - The Blue Navigators will perform as part of the W.C. Handy Festival. The Blue Navigators are a local group made up of long-time friends Tim Kelley, Ernie Fite and Toni and Kenneth Brooks. Come in out of the heat and close out the festival week with some blues, folk, rock and more!

June 7, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "The Ministry of Presence". In most situations, people will not remember anything we said or did. What they will remember is the simple fact that we were there. Being present is a powerful thing.

June 14, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "Through the Glass Darkly: The Value of Sacred Objects".

June 21, 2015 - Danny and Karen Creasy will present, "JIM&NANCY- Two Paths Merged by War". Over three years ago Danny Creasy was inspired to start a book concentrating on the stories of his preceding generation. JIM&NANCY- Two Paths Merged by War is a work of creative non-fiction. At the center, is his American father and British born mother. It is a chronological compilation of over 100 stories that transition from the American family to the British family. Mr. Creasy retired last year from a 38 year banking career to pursue his passion for writing. He holds BS and MBA degrees from UNA. His wife, Karen, is an educator in the Florence City School System. She holds BS and MA degrees from UNA's School of Education.

June 28, 2015 - Muscle Shoals musician, Mitch Mann will present a musical program on acoustic guitar. Mitch is an accomplished guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is one of the finest guitar players in the music industry today.

May 3, 2015 - Mother's Day is coming up on May 10. It is a modern celebration honoring one's own mother, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. On the Sunday before this special day, Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "I Remember Mama".

May 10, 2015 - Daphne Simpkins will present, "Loose Ends and Mixed Company". This presentation will use Anne Lamott's birthday manifesto
as a jumping off place to discuss subjects that we don't often talk about in mixed company-- people who are not axiomatically on our side in
politics, religion or perspectives that define justice. In the spirit of universalist inclusion and for the sake of curiosity itself ( a noble reason), we will look at the contrasts provided by recognizing what "mixed company" looks like and the loose ends not discussed because we fearfully expect that difference could erupt into something inflammatory. Differences don't have to divide people. They can be looked at, discussed, acknowledged and smiled about. Ultimately this presentation will end with plentiful smiles about how we navigate mixed company and the loose ends we unnecessarily keep to ourselves.

May 17, 2015 - Dolores Hydock will present, "Starch in Their Petticoats: True Stories of Strong Women Who Settled the West" This program tells the true stories of women of guts and gusto who were part of the Western Expansion in the 1800s: a wagon train pioneer, a homesteader, a mail order bride, a professional gambler, and an actress of the 1850s who makes Lady Gaga look shy. Their stories are explored through diary excerpts, newspaper clippings, historical accounts of their lives, and photographs of the women and artifacts of the time. The stories of these intrepid pioneers provide a look at some of the tough, resourceful, ambitious, and determined women whose spirit and sense of adventure helped put the shine in the golden American West.

May 24, 2015 - Dale Barrington will present, "Love is Magic". It's all about giving and receiving spiritual grace with each other!

May 31, 2015 - Dr. Carl Gebhardt will present, "Signs of a Healthy Church".

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.