June 16 “Mindfulness and Compassion: The Foundations of a Better Life for All” with Ginny Sassaman, M.S., C.I.P.P.
Ginny Sassaman left the D.C. fast track in 2001 with her husband Bob and moved to Vermont. In 2006, Ginny returned to school, earning a Master’s in Mediation and Applied Conflict Studies at Woodbury College in Vermont. Since then, she created the position of staff mediator for Home Share Now, co-founded Gross National Happiness USA and created The Happiness Paradigm Store and Experience in Maple Corner. Today she works as a mediation coach, artist, workshop facilitator and writer/advocate for happiness at Happinessparadigm.wordpress.com. She also logs many happy hours as a grandmother. Ginny is a member of the Montpelier, VT Unitarian Church.
June 23 “Is Peace Possible?” with Richard Czaplinski
Richard Czaplinski is president of the Will Miller Green Mountain Veterans For Peace, Chapter 57. He is a Vietnam era veteran, serving in the US Navy from 1964 to 1969. In 1959 he attended the University of Wisconsin, graduated in 1964 with a BS degree in Electrical Engineering and was commissioned as an Ensign in the US Navy. After military service, he returned to the University of Wisconsin obtaining a secondary school teaching certificate in math and physics, and two masters degrees, one in Water Resources Management and a second in Urban and Regional Planning.
After working for the Vermont Water Resources Department for 15 years, Richard left state service and has been working part time as an environmental protection consultant working for conservation organizations. In his spare time, Richard grows some of his food, makes firewood, spends time woodworking, organizes a weekly meditation session, and when requested, gives workshops on composting, root cellaring and simple, sustainable living. He lives with his wife in Warren, Vermont.
June 30 “Cultivating Intention” with Charlotte Root
Charlotte earned a B. Arch. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and has pursued her love of the outdoors through gardening, farming and the ski industry. She is a dynamic, thoughtful, energetic person who likes to spend her time helping others and making the world a more holistically supportive place. She continues to study nutrition and wellness and can usually be found in the dirt, on a mountain trail with her pup or out enjoying the beauty of Vermont and its people. We welcomed Charlotte to the pulpit last summer and are delighted to have her back!
July 7 “The Mystery of Freedom” with Charlotte Root
July 14 “Tolerating Intolerance” with Maggie Fox
Maggie is an uncredentialed and imperfect lover of Truth. Working with clients in Vermont and across the country, she is honored to serve as a psychotherapist, counselor and business coach with a practice under the moniker Vibrance. We look forward to welcoming Maggie to our congregation.
July 21 “Aha! The New Science of Psychedelics” with Rev. Dr. Mellen Kennedy
What better summer reading than Michael Pollan’s new book, “How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression and Transcendence.” Psychedelics or entheogens have been used in religious contexts by shamans, healers and religious leaders from time immemorial. What can we glean from the practices of the ancient sages and from current and cutting-edge research? Join us for an exploration of these challenging questions.
Rev. Dr. Mellen Kennedy is a Sufi minister as well as as Unitarian Universalist minister. For 11 years she served as consulting minister to the Washington UU Congregation. She has the honor of serving the Springfield UU Meetinghouse in Vermont. Mellen is also cofounder of the Small Group Ministry Network and does work nationally on countering Islamophobia.
July 28 “Thoughts about Gods and Goods…(Religion and Economics)” with Harris Webster
Past member and long-time friend of Washington UU, Harris Webster, returns to our pulpit. Harris and his late wife Ellie were active members for many years.
Related to the sermon topic, Harris was exposed to religion all his life, (as the son of a UCC minister) and never rebelled, but often rebutted the religious establishment. He was an admirer of religious rebels such as Jesus and the prophets and believes in the core principles of most world religions. He “evolved” into a UU when he retired to Montpelier in 1996. Harris taught secondary Social Studies for 40 years and believed universal religious truths should play an important part in society as well as in personal development and relationships. Welcome back, Harris!
August 4 “The History of Washington’s UU Church” with Sue Stukey
This Sunday we welcome Board President Sue Stukey to the pulpit. Sue is a native of Massachusetts, but spent many summers in Vermont visiting grandparents in Post Mills, in the eastern part of Orange County. She and her husband Art lived in many places around the country (and overseas) but always came back to Vermont and family. We look forward to learning about the history of our beautiful church!
August 11 “Questions for the Soul” with Rev. Liz Benjamin
As you ponder the big questions of meaning, hope, purpose and challenge in your life, how does your Unitarian Universalist faith help and support you? Could it do better?
The Rev. Liz Benjamin served as the Minister of Religious Education at the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa for 15 years. She nurtures her spirit through singing and dancing with children and adults, writing poetry and music and absorbing Vermont’s beauty and caring culture. She has lived in Vermont for five years and is very happy here.
August 18 “Art Will Save Us!” with Rev. Dr. Mellen Kennedy
As we look around, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, anxious, even hopeless about the apparent state of the world. Yet there is great solace, power and hope in our potential for creative response. Creating a beautiful, just, kind, sustainable world is the necessity of our time. Creating! Creativity! Spirituality and art are intricately intertwined. We exercise our creative capacity when we make and enjoy art and express ourselves artistically. Join us for an uplifting, hopeful, creative take on the dilemmas of our time. A small group discussion on the topic will follow the lunch.
August 25 “A Love Made Real” with Rev. Joan Javier-Duval
A regular speaker at our congregation, we are delighted to welcome the Rev. Joan Javier-Duval back to our pulpit. Rev. Joan was born and raised in Chicago, IL, the daughter of immigrants from the Philippines. She is a 2003 graduate of Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA and earned her Master of Divinity degree in 2012 from Yale Divinity School in New Haven, CT. In 2016 Rev. Joan was installed as the settled minister at The Unitarian Church of Montpelier, VT. She lives in Montpelier with her husband Jared and their son Liam. Together, they enjoy hiking the area’s beautiful trails, eating delicious local food and finding adventures in day-to-day life. Joan also enjoys yoga, running, photography and playing her ukulele. In her sermon this coming Sunday she will be exploring the legacy and relevance of Universalism for addressing the challenges of our times.
