Welcome to the Fourth Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Westchester in Mohegan Lake, New York.
We are a liberal religious community where members and friends gather to support each other in spiritual journeys
and to give service to the wider world of which we are a part.
We are a liberal religious community where members and friends gather to support each other in spiritual journeys
and to give service to the wider world of which we are a part.
Enter, Rejoice, and Come In!
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Our Mission: We are a caring and inclusive spiritual community of children, youth, and adults who honor differences and support open-minded spiritual exploration and ethical development. We celebrate life, nurture each other, and provide support in loving and open-hearted acceptance. We commit ourselves to social justice through action in our local community and the larger world. |
New to 4th UU? Click HERE!
Online Worship
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Message from the Minister
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Sunday, November 29, 10:30am
Sunday Service + Coffee Hour “What My Daughter Taught Me” - Rev. Kevin DeBeck, Minister November is Transgender Awareness Month. Rev. Kevin DeBeck will discuss what you can do to support any trans people that might be in your life or become part of our congregation. Rev. Kevin DeBeck is the minister for 4th UU. ======= Our online services and coffee hour may be joined by phone or computer. To join by computer, click HERE. Or join by phone (audio only): 646-558-8656, Meeting ID 922 824 2044, Password 529167 EventsOnline Journey Group
Thursday, December 3, 7:00 - 8:30pm To join by computer/device, click HERE To join by phone (audio only), call: 646-558-8656, Meeting ID 933 0515 9526, Password 371728 Our Journey Group meets to discuss various topics on life's journey, using small group ministry materials and resources developed by Westchester county UU ministers and others. Virginia Fair will be facilitating. Join us for fellowship and discussion of our current topic “Hope.” New participants welcome! Contact Judy Schavrien (schavrien@optonline.net). 4th UU Monthly Meditation Online Friday, December 11, 7:00 - 8:00pm To join by computer/device, click HERE To join by phone (audio only): 646-558-8656, Meeting ID 922 824 2044, Password 529167 Join us monthly for 20 minutes of silent meditation with discussion following. Contact hosts Susan Schefflein (susanschefflein@yahoo.com) or Bob Schavrien (schavrien@optonline.net) for more information. |
Greetings to you all.
I’m looking forward to serving with you this 2020-2021 church year in circumstances that none of us ever thought we’d find ourselves in. First, some information about me. I grew up in eastern Maine and lived there until 2004 when I moved with my UU minister wife Amy and our two kids, Henry and Eliza, to live in Virginia where she was completing her ministerial internship and I was working as a 7th grade history teacher. We were there for 4 years when she was called to serve the UU Fellowship of Elkhart, Indiana, and that’s where we’ve lived ever since. The first UU church I joined was in Ellsworth, Maine, in 1996 and I finally heard the call to the ministry myself in 2014. I did my internship at the Unitarian Church of Evanston, IL and from 2018-2019 I served the Tree of Life UU Congregation in McHenry, IL. I was serving as a hospital chaplain in South Bend, Indiana when Covid hit. I do look forward to meeting you all in person someday, but with Covid on the rise, meeting in person is looking like it will be at least next spring before that happens. In thinking about what to talk with you all about, I looked up the Soul Matters theme for November, and it’s Healing. We as a society have much to heal from, be it racial upheaval, economic disruption, and environmental degradation. There are many who are suffering from the effects of Covid, and we wish for all those who have contracted it will heal from that as well. Depending on the results of the national election, we as a country will either start healing from the fascism that has been unleashed on us, or we’ll be finding a way to heal and fight back for another four years. How does one find healing in a time of pandemic? Or societal upheaval? I believe that it starts with the individual which can then radiate outward. It can be as simple as taking a drive to see nature’s beauty as the colors of autumn are on display, or, like Thoreau, go for a walk in the woods. One thing that’s helped me heal recently is the release of the new Bruce Springsteen album. (I’ve been a fan since I was 12.) Being a Unitarian Universalist, we are a covenantal religion, which means that we set the rules for how we can be with each other, and being in groups, even when those groups are on line, we can also help heal each other. We as a country have a long way to go to heal the divisions that have not made it possible for everyone to be fully human. As fall goes into winter, may we all find ways to heal from the strife that affects us to bring a new world into being. So may it be. Rev. Kevin DeBeck |
Can't make it to a service? Don't miss a thing! Listen to our podcasts on your computer or phone.
Visit http://daviesjo.podbean.com or search for Fourth Unitarian Society of Westchester under Podcasts on your smart phone.
Visit http://daviesjo.podbean.com or search for Fourth Unitarian Society of Westchester under Podcasts on your smart phone.
