The Storms of Our Times – the Heart’s Directive

About our Service:
This is an exploration of human feelings in times of cultural disintegration and how the heart may lead the way to staying true to yourself.

About our Speaker:
Karen was born in Wisconsin and owes a debt of gratitude to her family of origin, relatives, and neighbors for their support and guidance as well as access to Wisconsin lakes and forests every summer for many years. Loving the earth comes from the earth itself, but also from people who inhabit it and share it well. School and two aunts deserve credit for guiding Karen to the field of education. Their examples and enjoyment of teaching rubbed off on her and she enjoyed teaching for 30 years.

Karen’s immediate family includes her husband Ken, two sons, and four grandchildren. It’s a growing group. After retiring, Karen applied to the Meadville-Lombard Unitarian Universalist seminary in Chicago. She studied for two years there. One highlight of that experience was being on the board of the Hyde Park Transitional housing project. It was an interfaith effort of neighborhood churches to house the homeless and mentor them for up to two years. Transitions like this take time, but prove life changing.

Another highlight was becoming a chaplain at the University of Chicago Hospitals. Working in the oncology clinic days and spending Friday nights on call for both the children’s and adult ER’s as well as any hospital calls, kept me feeling quite fulfilled.
Moving to Florida seven years ago led me to BBUUC. It was amazing to be present and see what the people here had created with this building and their hopes for it. At this church I’ve graciously been welcomed in and particularly enjoy being with small groups who listen to each other and explore issues together. Book groups, history of UU groups, environmental groups, the New Jim Crow group, Cakes for the Queen of Heaven, Faith Like a River, Building the World we Dream About, and Evensong groups. I enjoy teaching in Religious Education, being a team leader for the Interfaith Coalition for Action, Reconciliation and Empowerment called ICARE., and checking in on the Christian UU group from time to time.

I have been asked to share thoughts in the form of sermons and I thank those of you who allow me to do that. I did take a class from Bill Schultz in seminary to learn how to create a sermon. Seems it just happens, helps me learn something new each time, and I’m so grateful to have people willing to share in this process and give me this avenue to grow with. Faith is a mystery is it not?

Worship Leader: Grace Repass
Accompanist: Sydney Crisp