February 2 – “Flourishing in the Clearing”  Toni Morrison’s  Beloved offers a womanist perspective on caring for those often excluded and marginalized in society.  As we begin Black History Month, let us celebrate the literary genius of Toni Morrison and explore how her characters exemplify the resilient spiritual care of Black women, providing a model of care for us all. Rev. Jessica Chapman Lape is our guest speaker with worship associate Cheryl Parsons.

      About Rev. Chapman: Rev. Dr. Jessica Chapman Lape recently joined the staff at Dickinson College as director of the Center for Spirituality & Social Justice. Before accepting the position at Dickinson, she was assistant professor of interreligious chaplaincy and director of the interreligious chaplaincy program at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in St. Paul, Minn. In these dual roles, Chapman Lape provided extensive curricular oversight to the interreligious chaplaincy program, taught courses related to qualitative research and spiritual care for both doctoral and master’s level students, and provided programming related to spiritual care for students and the broader Twin Cities community.

Rev. Chapman Lape is ordained in the United Church of Christ and has been a chaplain for over 10 years. Her chaplaincy experience spans across sectors to include care within nonprofit organizations, hospice, outpatient clinics and hospital systems. She is also a community birth doula trained through the Riverside County Health Foundation and Sankofa Birthworkers Collective. Her doula and chaplaincy practices are rooted in her womanism, her commitment to reproductive justice, as well as spiritual and reproductive care practices within her African American heritage. Rev. Chapman Lape continues to advocate for the intersection of spiritual care and social justice with a focus on addressing systemic inequities. A native of Los Angelos, California, Rev. Chapman Lape currently resides in Carlisle with her husband and two-year-old son.

February 9 – “From Ashes to Excess”  We are constantly surrounded by excess. Stuff, information, you name it. When we are surrounded by unlimted choice, how do we ‘right size’ our consumption….of anything?  Rev. Chris Kapp leads the service.

February 16 – “Buddhism: With or Without?” Is Buddhism atheistic? Agnostic? Does it even matter? We will explore these questions and see whether Buddhism is compatible with other religions and/or no religion.  Guest speaker Jonathan Murray leads the service with worship associate Rick Sollman.

About Jonathan Murray: Jonathan grew up in Camp Hill, PA. He is a graduate of Gettysburg College and in his second year of seminary at Starr King School for the Ministry. He currently lives in the Pittsburgh area with his wife, Sarah, his two girls, Piper and Jane, and their three dogs: Frank, Abby, and Steve. They are members of the UU Church of the North Hills in Pittsburgh.

February 23 – “Casting Starfish into the Sea”  The challenges of the world can feel absolutely overwhelming, and the vastness of it all can make us feel small and insignificant. Do our efforts to make a difference really, actually matter? Rev. Chris Kapp leads the servcie with worship associate Susan Rimby.

Join us for in-person worship in our Sanctuary every Sunday at 10:30 am or on ZOOM. or “listen in” (without video) by telephone, by calling 646-876-9923 and entering Meeting ID 550 751 6685