312 FILLMORE STREET, STATEN ISLAND, NY 10301 PHONE: 718-447-2204
Sunday Services at 10:50, with a virtual option via Zoom. Find news about us on the Events and Services page, on Instagram and Facebook, and the Friday newsletter to Members and Friends.
Listings are in reverse chronological order. Scroll down to the date you want.
Listings are in reverse chronological order. Scroll down to the date you want.
Sunday Services and Current Events
Sunday, February 23, 2025 • 10:50 am
From Greenland to Gaza: The New Imperialism and the 6th UU Principle With Guest Speaker Ghanim Khalil In-person service with virtual option During his first term, Donald Trump began talking about buying Greenland and everyone laughed. The NY Daily News parodied its famous 1975 headline: Fjord to Trump: Drop Dead In his second term, as he threatens our neighbors and allies, we now see something sinister. His plans to buy Greenland, to annex Canada and retake control of the Panama Canal may have sounded like pipe dreams until his latest pronouncement about Gaza: He proposes the US take over the Gaza Strip, remove 2 million Gazans to "other countries" in an action otherwise known as ethnic cleansing and develop the area into "the Riviera of the Middle East." How does this square with our Sixth UU Principle to affirm and promote the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all? Especially in view of our congregation's support for Palestinian Independence. Our speaker, historian Ghanim Khalil, will explain that to understand Gaza, you have to understand Greenland. This is not a move to acquire the resources of another country but, in fact, it intends to acquire the land by any means, in new form of 19th Century Imperialism with no moral limits. For in-person gathering: Social Distancing. People are reminded to be conscious of social distancing. For Access to Video Online: A video of the service is subsequently posted on our YouTube Channel. https://bit.ly/3xgePI3 Sunday, February 16, 2025 • 10:50 am
Definite Entrance into Spirituality: Becoming Born Again and Attaining Aryahood With Guest Speaker Thupten Phuntsok In-person service with virtual option The concepts of being "Born Again" in Christianity and attaining "Aryahood" in Buddhism both describe watershed moments of profound spiritual awakening that fundamentally transform the practitioner's relationship with reality. While emerging from different theological frameworks, both experiences represent an irreversible shift in consciousness - the Christian experiences an unshakeable faith and personal relationship with Christ, while the Buddhist Arya gains direct, unwavering insight into the true nature of reality. These transformative experiences move beyond intellectual understanding to become permanent realizations that reshape the individual's entire way of being in the world. Thupten Phuntsok is a former ordained Buddhist monk for 21 years under the Tibetan Gelug lineage. For many years now he has lived his life as a layperson in New York City while actively presenting the Buddhist teachings he learned as a monk to a broader audience. You can hear more about Phuntsok’s journey in his own words in this YouTube video: https://youtu.be/ik9OAOJHXpE For in-person gathering: Social Distancing. People are reminded to be conscious of social distancing. For Access to Video Online: A video of the service is subsequently posted on our YouTube Channel. https://bit.ly/3xgePI3 Sunday, February 9, 2025 • 10:50 am
Why Plant a Seed for Hope? With Reverend Daniel Lawlor in the Pulpit In-person service with virtual option "Teach us, therefore, to love." - Rev. E. E. Brown, founder, Harlem Unitarian Church What do our sanctuaries offer a City haunted by suspicion, loneliness and cynicism? How can we cultivate partnerships in the face of distrust? In a time of rising fears, how can we plant a seed for hope? Let's explore how Unitarian Universalist communities across New York are looking to engage with our neighbors to live our values. Join us for song, meditation for all ages, and to imagine the future! See you Sunday! For in-person gathering: Social Distancing. People are reminded to be conscious of social distancing. For Access to Video Online: A video of the service is subsequently posted on our YouTube Channel. https://bit.ly/3xgePI3 Sunday, February 2, 2025 • 10:50 am
Welcome the Stranger With Guest Speaker Reverend Antoinette Donegan In-person service with virtual option As people of faith, we have a moral responsibility to help those in need, and those in need are men, women, and children who have suffered opposition in their homelands. God never gave his people the responsibility to judge and jury who should enter into a land that he created, the land of the free; we are called, as in Matthew 25:40, to help the least of them as they seek to reestablish themselves and their families into a life and land abundance and freedom. For in-person gathering: Social Distancing. People are reminded to be conscious of social distancing. For Access to Video Online: A video of the service is subsequently posted on our YouTube Channel. https://bit.ly/3xgePI3 Meet Our Quarter-Time Minister, Reverend Daniel Lawlor
The Search Committee and the Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Church of Staten Island are pleased to announce the appointment of Reverend Daniel Lawlor to the position of quarter-time minister. He will officiate services approximately once a month at the UCSI during the church year of 2024-25. Rev. Lawlor is a minister at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Hudson Valley, in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. He says, “I am humbled and honored to be invited to serve with your historic congregation and kind community, where you commit each week to the search for truth and the spirit of love." Inspired by his family’s example of engaged, religious practice and community work growing up in Rhode Island, Rev. Lawlor is inspired by caring communities and honored to witness the joys and sorrows in our faith. The son of a teacher and grandson of a deacon, Rev. Lawlor is a former middle school teacher and has served as a fundraiser for non-profits in California and New York, including the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth. Rev. Lawlor is a proud graduate of Boston University School of Theology and Brown University. He and his dynamic spouse Yumi, and their amazing young son call New York City home. As a quarter-time minister (starting twice in November!) Rev. Lawlor shares,"I hope to see you soon, get to know you better, and connect for good, whether in a Sunday service or the wider community! I'm excited for the year ahead!" |
Upcoming Events
![]() Get/Stay Connected with the UCSI Women's Online Gatherings
Every Tuesday at 7:30pm Through weekly meetings of the Women's Group on Zoom, we enjoy catching up with each other and getting to know one another better. You can either video call or phone call in to these gatherings. Please contact Kathy Santo at [email protected] for more details. ![]() Virtual Children and Youth Programming resumes.
Children's Chapel Children's Chapel and Workshops Every Sunday with CCNY • 9:30 am Sunday Chapel starts at 9:30am. It is a sacred space for kids to share Joys & Concerns and to connect with friends old and new. We light the chalice together, sing hymns, and make way for movement or meditation as time allows. Our chapel welcomes young people ages 5-17, and we invite families with children younger than 5 to attend with their little ones too! Religious Education Workshops for grades K-8 begin right after Chapel and run until 11:00am. This year in our workshops, we’re celebrating the interdependent web of existence! Using a Circles & Cycles curriculum, kids will be making connections between our 8 UU principles and 6 UU sources of inspiration to build a network of understanding about what was, what is, and what can be. We’ll explore tenets of Judaic and Christian teachings, other world religions and cultural traditions, and examine the words and deeds of prophetic people both past and present to strengthen understanding of how we can live faith into action on matters of social and environmental justice. UU Kids Connect Every Third Thursday • 7:00 pm Starts on Thursday October 21st This fall UU Kids Connect is the place to be for kids in grades K-8 who want to meet new friends from new places, share their joys & concerns, show & tell what they’ve been up to, and have FUN! The UU Kids Connect Team creates a safer online space for social support and spiritual development as kids journey forward through their years. The UUKC GATHERINGS will happen every third Thursday of the month from 7:00 pm-8:00 pm (Eastern) beginning on Thursday, October 21st. Registration is FREE and open! |