Tag Archives: Mission

A Bigger Mission, a sermon for the installation of the Rev. Ron Phares at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, Colorado Springs

Posted on April 7, 2024 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

It is my honor to be here with you on this great occasion, and for Rev. Sean Neil-Barron (who will offer the blessing) and I to bring you greetings from the northern end of the Front Range. Your new minister … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged All Souls, Ancestors, Colorado History, Faith, Feminism, Future, History, Iowa Sisterhood, Ministry, Mission, Partners, Partnership, Progressive Religion, Progressive Spirituality, Religion, Sermon, Sermons, Shared Ministry, Unitarian, Unitarian Universalism, Unitarian Universalist, Universalism, Universalist, Vision, Women, Women in Ministry, Worship | 1 Comment

Gather in Joy – a sermon for our first Sunday in our new sanctuary

Posted on December 4, 2023 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Can you believe it?! I never doubted we would get here, really, but we have been talking about needing a bigger sanctuary since I started at Foothills 11 years ago, and that conversation had been going on long before I … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged Belonging, Church, Community, Faith, Gathering, God, Intention, meaning, Mission, Power, Priya Parker, Purpose, Refuge, Ritual, Sanctuary, Sermon, Sermons, Unitarian, Unitarian Universalism, Universalism, Worship | Leave a comment

Community in Diversity

Posted on July 24, 2022 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

(This sermon is an update of a few different sermons I’ve offered in the past, including this one) Reading: The Purpose of the Church Sermon: Community in Diversity In the late 1990s, and the early 2000s, Bishop Carlton Pearson experienced … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged Belonging, Beloved Community, Community, Covenant, Covenantal, Diversity, Eccelesiology, James Luther Adams, Mission, Sermon, Sermons, Theological Diversity, Unity | Leave a comment

The Deal on Those Days, a sermon for the UUA General Assembly June 2022

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

It was March 2020, you know the week. I’m sitting in my home office. Just a few feet away, my two teenagers are in the living room “homeschooling.” A few feet from them, my partner is at the kitchen table. It is … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged Change, Church, Collaboration, Covenant, COVID, Diana Butler Bass, Ecclesiology, Mission, Partners, Partnership, Promise, Sermon, Sermons, Unitarian Universalism, Vision | Leave a comment

Say Yes – Stewardship and Celebration Sunday Feb 4 2018

Posted on February 16, 2018 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

We are here today because many people over many generations said yes. We could go back further, but I want to start with the yes that came 120 years ago, almost exactly – January 2nd, 1898. A small group of … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy of Church, Sermons | Tagged Commitment, Community, Mission, Money, Pledge, Pledging, Stewardship, Vision, Yes | Leave a comment

Waking Up – Sermon 11/13/2016

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Audio podcast of this sermon is available here. Reading – For a Time Such As This by Jake Morrill Sermon As a part of our monthly theme, this Sunday, we were supposed to explore the question: when in your life … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice, Sermons, Theology | Tagged Church, Comfort, Courageous Love, Darkness, Democracy, Election, Freedom, Heartbreak, Hope, Hopelessness, Justice, Love, Martin Luther King Jr., Mission, Privilege, Risk, Theodore Parker, Vincent Harding, Vulnerability | 2 Comments

We were made for these times

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

There’s plenty going on in the world, in our country, in our state, and in most cases, in our individual lives – that would justify feelings of overwhelm, of denial, of heightened anxiety and reactivity. And yet lately, I’ve been feeling … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog Reflections, Covenant, Justice, Philosophy of Church | Tagged Fear, Hope, James Luther Adams, Justice, Learning, Learning Communities, Listening, Mission, Olympia Brown, Transformation, Vision, Witness | 1 Comment

Three Things (or, simplicity redux)

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

I’m guessing it’ll come as no surprise to most of you that I like to pack my days as full as possible. I’ve been like this my whole life – in 4th grade my teacher started an anonymous advice box … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog Reflections, Faith Formation, Philosophy of Church | Tagged Busy-ness, Focus, Love, Mission, Mission Statement, Simple, Simplicity | 1 Comment

The Fierce Urgency of Now

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Many of you reading this will have recently heard the news that the remaining viable candidate for the Republican nominee for President is the same one who said a few months ago that he was “calling for a total and complete … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog Reflections, Faith Formation, Justice, Philosophy of Church, Theology | Tagged Beloved Community, Bigotry, Covenant, Justice, Martin Luther King Jr., Mission, Mission Statement, Political Process, Presidential Primary, Racism, Revolution, Social Change, Social Witness, Thomas Merton, Transformation | Leave a comment

Intentions for the New Year

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

While I am a little skeptical about the wisdom or efficacy of new year’s resolutions, I am a fan of what seems to be a new trend for setting new year’s intentions. Though not technically all that different than a resolution, an intention … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog Reflections, Justice, Philosophy of Church | Tagged Beloved Community, Call, Faith, Justice, Mission, Resistance, Role of the Church, Theology | 2 Comments