Have you ever had that feeling of déjà vu all over again? The 1918 “Spanish” Flu epidemic, a decline in the GDP that rivals the Great Depression, and protests that are compared to those in the 1960s. Memes and tweets claim, “If you’ve ever wondered what you’d have done in 1930s Germany or during the Civil Rights Movement, you’re doing it.” Is that true? How can we be sure we’re living our values during very difficult times?

Our worship for the Fourth of July weekend is built around a performance by our Sanctuary Choir of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” In his sermon, Dr. Bossen uses several versions of the anthem as a musical framework and surveys the power of the abolitionist tradition from the nineteenth-century to the present. Special music by Traveler, Charlie Burrus, and members of the congregation rounds out the service.

From the Hebrew Bible to Stonewall Inn, to Houston and this church’s support, Dr. Bossen surveys LGBTQ rights through history as a springboard to examine the concept of Collective Liberation. Tying in today’s crises of pandemic and police brutality, we see why ‘we can only get free together’ and that ‘Collective Liberation is disrupting the white story as the right story.

Rev. D. Scott Cooper, Assistant Minister of Congregational Life, talks with Family Therapist Conrad Hamric about how parents can help their children cope with their anxiety during the pandemic. Mr. Hamric offers some good and timely advise.

Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen speaks with Rev. Jason Lydon about Unitarian Universalism, defunding the police, and abolitionism. Rev. Jason Lydon became an abolitionist after his own incarceration in 2003. Rev. Jason has been doing abolitionist organizing within Unitarian Universalist and LGBTQ/HIV+ communities since then.

Rev. Colin speaks with documentary photographer and filmmaker, Sara Terry about creating art in the aftermath of conflicts. They also speak about "The Aftermath Project" that provides opportunities to photographers that want to cover post-conflict topics.