​Jamestown, N.Y. –  Retired Jamestown Community College sociology professor Dr. Jeffrey Victor will share his belief that “It is Darkest Before the Dawn” at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown’s (UUCJ) 10:30 a.m. hybrid service on Sunday, October 9.

Many religious liberals are a little depressed today by the increasing influence of dark forces threatening our democracy. However, there is a lot of evidence that this is a time of darkness before the dawn. 

Victor will offer some insight into why the culture of white Christian nationalism and racism has become so powerful and such a threat to our democracy. Yet, there is a lot of evidence for hope that the situation is only temporary. It may be the last gasp of a disappearing culture in parts of American society.

The message most closely relates to the fifth of the seven Principles that Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.

A member of the UUCJ since 1966, Victor taught at Jamestown Community College for 52 years. In 1988, he received the New York State University’s Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence. He has been an invited speaker at conferences in Canada, France, Scotland, and the Netherlands. He has appeared on national television programs including Larry King Live, The Maury Povich Show, and The View. His many publications include the book Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend, a sociological research study of rumors and claims about secret criminal satanic cults and false accusations of such crimes.

A social time follows the service. 

Participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar. 

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community.

Jamestown, N.Y. – Carmelo Hernandez will be in person to address the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ) at their 10:30 a.m. hybrid service on Sunday, October 2.

The Director of Chautauqua County Community Mental Hygiene Services will speak on “Team Building.” Hernandez will stress the importance of a team and recognize that “it takes a village” to accomplish any task, any goal. He will entertain questions after his presentation.

The message relates to the first two of the seven Principles that Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote: The inherent worth and dignity of every person, and justice, equity and compassion in human relations.

Carmelo Hernandez began his position with the Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene last September. Previously he served as a lead therapist at Alssaro Counseling Services in New Rochelle, N.Y., and a mental health consultant at WestCOP in Westchester, N.Y. Earlier he was a program manager for Wediko Children’s Services and a combat stress recovery specialist for the Wounded Warrior Project.

Hernandez earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. He holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from New York University in New York, N.Y. A certified Licensed Master Social Worker, he lives in Westfield, N.Y.

A social time follows the service. 

Participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar. 

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community.

Jamestown, N.Y. – The message at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ) 10:30 a.m. service on Sunday, September 25, 2022, will be presented by church board member and area teacher Kate Sommer.

Sommer’s subject is: “A Message of Hope:  How Public Schools Are Addressing Economic and Social Inequities.”

As she describes, “My experience includes 29 years of teaching in public education.  Many positive changes have occurred during that time in public education to address social and economic inequities among students, inequities which became exacerbated and also more obvious during the Covid Pandemic shutdown of in-person learning.”

Sommer’s background includes a BA in English with a minor in Education from the University of Buffalo and an MA in English from the Ohio State University.  Experience that informs her talk includes serving as a literacy volunteer and as a volunteer at a house for women and children hiding from their abusers, all in Syracuse. 

The topic is related to two of the seven Principles Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote: Justice, equity and compassion in human relations, and the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.

A social time follows the service.

Participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community.

Jamestown, N.Y. – Angus Watkins is returning to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ) to deliver the message at the 10:30 a.m. hybrid service on September 18, 2022.

Watkins will be in person to address the congregation on “Coming Back: Resetting Our Course.”

Of his sermon, the retired Presbyterian minister says, “After recent years of personal, social, institutional, national tumult, health crises and other upheaval, this is an important moment to regain our footing and re-set our course, proceeding with shared resolve and connectedness.”

His sermon most closely relates to the third of the seven Principles that Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote: Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.

A graduate of Ohio’s Bowling Green State University with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, Watkins received his master’s of divinity degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He lived outside Ashville, N.Y., in North Harmony Township for over 25 years with his wife, Anne, a member of the UUCJ. They recently moved back to their native Buffalo area. Both will be at the service. 

A potluck luncheon follows.

Participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community.

Jamestown, N.Y. – For the first time in three years, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ) will resume its fall services in person, as well as virtually.

Parishioner Anne Kenefic will lead the water communion/ingathering, the traditional first fall service, on Sunday, September 11, 2022, 10:30 a.m., at their 1255 Prendergast Avenue location. 

Kenefic says, “The theme for this year’s Ritual is Returning.  We have been unable to be together for the Ritual for the past two years, and so this year we will be celebrating our coming together again.”

This annual celebration springs from a ceremony created in the 1980s. Many Unitarian Universalist congregations now hold a Water Communion once a year, often at the beginning of the new church year in September. 

Members bring to the service a small amount of water from a place that is meaningful to them. During the appointed time in the service, people one by one pour their water together into a large bowl. As the water is added, the person who brought it tells why this water is special to them. The combined water is symbolic of a shared faith coming from many different sources. 

The Water Ceremony/ Communion Service is an opportunity for Unitarian Universalist congregations to express their commitment to their sixth of the seven Principles they affirm and promote: the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all.

Kenefic was a Sister of Social Service for more than a decade. A graduate of California State University, Hayward, with a BA in Political Science, Religious Studies and Women’s Studies, she received her Doctor of the Law from the University of West Los Angeles. She practiced various types of law in California and taught various subjects at the Paralegal Studies Program at California State University, San Bernardino. 

After moving to Jamestown in 2008, Kenefic worked as a paralegal for the law offices of Arthur N. Bailey & Associates, Legal Aid of Chautauqua County, and Fessenden, Laumer & DeAngelo, PLLC, until her retirement. She has been a UUCJ member since 2008 and was a board member for three years.

A social time follows the service.

Participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community.

​Jamestown, N.Y. – The final service of the church year for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ) will be led by recent Board of Trustees President Emily Garrick. 

The message for the Sunday, June 19, 10:30 a.m. hybrid service is “The Upcoming Schism in Unitarian Universalism (And What We Can Do To Prevent It).”

Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote seven Principles, which they hold as strong values and moral guides. 

Garrick explains that there are two visions for the future of Unitarian Universalism being circulated right now: The Gadfly Papers and the 8th Principle. She will talk about both and how they each envision the UU faith tradition going forward.

Garrick says, “Many religious traditions have had to go through the painful process of splitting their denominations in two over theological differences. Unitarian Universalism is still relatively young, but we may already have a schism of our own on the horizon. In this sermon we'll take a deep dive into The Gadfly Papers and the 8th Principle and examine their competing visions for the future of Unitarian Universalism.

“The Gadfly Papers are an expose written by a now disfellowshipped UU minister detailing his critiques of the movement. The 8th Principle is a proposed addition to the living tradition which would focus us more in the direction of dismantling racism and other systems of oppression. Each represents a growing movement of people within Unitarian Universalism who wish to take our faith tradition a different direction.” 

A graduate of Jamestown High School and Wells College, Garrick received her MS in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the University of Rochester. She teaches English as  a new language at Jamestown’s Washington Middle School.

A social time follows the service. 

Participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar. While not mandated, vaccines, masks, and appropriate distancing are encouraged for those who participate in the service in person. 

This will be the last UUCJ service until the Sunday after Labor Day, September 11. Members and others are encouraged to participate in the Sunday, 9:30 a.m.,  summer services of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Chautauqua at the outdoor Hall of Philosophy at Chautauqua Institution. 

The UUCJ is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community.

Jamestown, N.Y. – SUNY Fredonia Professor of Russian and Soviet History Dr. John Staples will return in person to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ) on Sunday, June 12.

Staples’s message at the 10:30 a.m. hybrid service is “Religion and the Russo-Ukrainian War.” His presentation will focus on the Russian Orthodox Church’s ties to Vladimir Putin and its support for the war in Ukraine. He will also address the split between the Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches and the growing anti-semitism in Russia.

In April, Staples addressed “Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Pretexts and Context,” examining several common explanations for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and suggesting that the main cause is the survival of Russian imperialist attitudes and policies. As then, while in some ways his new presentation relates to all of the seven Principles Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote, it most relates to:

• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations
• 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

Born and raised in British Columbia, Canadian Staples received his MA and BA from the University of Alberta and his PhD in Russian and Soviet history from the University of Toronto. He has taught at SUNY Fredonia since 2001. His work focuses on the history of Mennonites in tsarist Russia and what their story tells us about Russian imperialism. To conduct his research he has spent time in the cities, towns, and villages of southern Ukraine, often in places that are now either occupied or besieged by Russian troops.

A social time follows the service.

While not mandated, vaccines, masks, and appropriate distancing are encouraged for those who participate in the service in person. 

Participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community.

​Jamestown, N.Y. – Delayed because of COVID restrictions, a memorial recognition for Susan Spillane will be part of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ) hybrid service on Sunday, May 29, 2022, 10:30 a.m. 

Susan’s husband, Maury Spillane, and several members of their family will attend. Anyone present in person or virtually will be welcome to share their memories of Susan. 

The remembrance will be at the beginning of the Flower Ceremony. The inscription will be read from a plaque with her picture that will be hung near the office where she worked as congregational secretary for 20 years. 

Congregant Anne Kenefic will lead the uniquely Unitarian Universalist Flower Ceremony that follows. Initiated in Prague in1923 to honor each person’s individuality while also celebrating community, the ritual was brought to the United States in 1940. 

A Sister of Social Service for more than a decade, Kenefic is a graduate of California State University, Hayward and received her Doctor of the Law from the University of West Los Angeles. After practicing various types of law in California, she moved to Jamestown in 2008, where she worked as a paralegal until her retirement. She has been a UUCJ member since that move and served as a board member for three years.

The Flower Communion, as the Flower Ceremony is also called, is an opportunity for UU congregations to express their commitment to the Sixth Principle they affirm and promote: The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all.

A social time follows the service.

While not required, vaccines, masks, and appropriate distancing are encouraged for those who take part in the service in person. 

Participation can be at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community.

Jamestown, N.Y. – Grief is something that impacts all of us, but not all of us know what it is or how to work through it. 

Jamie Probst, the director of bereavement for Chautauqua Hospice & Palliative Care, addresses loss and the process of grieving at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ) hybrid service on Sunday, May 22, 10:30 a.m. 

So often we feel alone in our grief journey and lack the tools to navigate the confusion that it creates. Probst has experience leading a practical conversation about what steps we can take to better understand the process and how we can feel more in control of our experience.

Probst grew up and still lives in Westfield, New York. He graduated from SUNY Fredonia and received his Master of Social Work degree from the University at Buffalo. An avid outdoorsman and photographer, he has donated his nature photography to adorn the walls of the soon-to-open Star Hospice House and then be sold as a fundraiser for Hospice. His work can be seen at his Bliss Hill Photography Facebook page.

Probst’s presentation relates most closely to the third of the seven Principles that Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote: Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.

The Story for All Ages will be Tracy Lambert’s Why Do I Feel So Sad? A Grief Book For Children on YouTube.

A social time follows the service.

While not required, vaccines, masks, and appropriate distancing are encouraged for those who participate in the service in person. 

Participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community.

Jamestown, N.Y. – The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ) is looking forward to seminarian Verdis LeVar Robinson’s third virtual visit with their congregation on Sunday, May 15, 2022.

At the 10:30 a.m. hybrid service, Robinson will share a message titled “The Wrinkle in Our Time.”  He says, “Instead of lying dormant waiting for time to pass, let us wake up to the idea of acknowledging it and embracing the possibilities of what is to come.”

Robinson is the Lenora Montgomery Scholar of Excellence at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, where he is in his final year as a Master of Divinity student. A former Holiness-Pentecostal minister, he is an Aspirant for the Unitarian Universalist ministry.  He holds a BM in voice performance from Boston University, a BS cum laude and an MA in history from SUNY College at Brockport, and an MA in African American studies from SUNY University at Buffalo.

Robinson’s presentation relates most closely to the sixth of the seven Principles that Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote: The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all.

A social time follows the service.

While not required, vaccines, masks, and appropriate distancing are encouraged for those who participate in the service in person. 

Participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community.