Unitarian Universalists of Basel

On May 13, the Sermon was given by Cornelie Eichrodt: Hold up the Skies so the Waters can Flow

Cornelie explored the universal symbol of water in Christian and Indian spirituality, and its relevance to our own lives and families.

Cornelie is a a retired teacher, artist, musician, and active in her community. She is married with three children. Raised a Methodist, she is now a member of the French Reform Church in Riedisheim, as well as an active participant of UUB. She encountered Indian spirituality on her recent journey to India, especially though the art of the sacred sculptures in the deeply spiritual State of Tamil Nadu in South East India.

Following the refreshments, from 13:00 - 14:30, John Eichrodt lead our Adult Religious Education session with a workshop on "Our UU Faith and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights".

Easter Sunday, April 8

"The Good Samaritan for Unitarian Universalists"

by the Rev. Tony Larson, adapted.

Our Easter service was led by Lara Fuchs, and the children had an Easter Egg Hunt.

Instead of our usual adult religious education meeting after the service, there was a group and family activity with refreshments.

On March 18 (Note that this is is the 3rd Sunday instead of our usual 2nd) we will have the Rev Mark Morrison-Reed as our special guest again.  He will be giving a sermon entitled "Never the Water, Only a Wave". Its description is: Like rolling waves heading toward a distant shore our lives are ever moving, changing and unique and yet they are with one with life as a wave is to the ocean. This is a personal story of loss, and how grief led me to a deeper understanding of life and eternity.

There will also be workshop afterwards for all to attend, as well as joining in a special leadership meeting, to which all who are part of or interesting in being part of leading UUB are invited.  We do not yet have a set date for the meeting, but we will keep you posted.

On January 8, Rev. Kelli Clement gave the service. - Rev. Kelli Clement has been delighted to make connections with UUBasel and the EUU during her 5 month stay in the Netherlands. At home, Kelli is the board co-chair of the Minnesota Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, and in her work on justice, pastoral care, and rites of passage, as well as in her family life she lives by the maxim that "it's all relationships all the time." Kelli & her family returns to Minnesota at the end of January.

The Sermon title was: Heretic in Love: A UU Path to Belonging

In an assciated workshop: Hymn Sing? we also explored the rich collection of songs & scripture in our hymnal, Singing the Living Tradition.

Our service on February 12 was led by Mathew Gilsenan.

"What Does it Mean to be Spiritual in a Secular Culture?"

More and more people are describing themselves today as "Spiritual and but not Religious".

This sermon explored what it means to be spiritual in a secular culture and in a liberal religion.

Does the Unitarian principle of a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning" have to be a spiritual one?

The service was followed by an Adult Religious Education workshop, exploring our individual beliefs about spirituality and how our beliefs drive our actions.

On Sunday, December 11 the Unitarian Universalists of Basel opened up their Membership for signing for the first time. This new beginning was shared with The Rev. Steve Dick who give his sermon on "Abandoning Perfection". He also lead the charter membership ceremony, "celebration of commitment and renewal of trust".

Rev. Steve Dick also lead an Adult RE Discussion on the membership/ charter theme to be titled "What It Means to Be An Individual in A Community." following the coffee break. The Rev Steve Dick is Executive Secretary of the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists. His previous employment was as Chief Executive of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches – Unitarian congregations in Great Britain. Steve is American by birth and a British Unitarian minister by training. The majority of his life has been lived in Europe married to Jenneke, a Dutch woman whose grandfather was a liberal religious minister. In addition to serving as a congregational minister and District Executive in England, Steve was a founder of European Unitarian Universalists and he was employed part-time by IARF. His broad perspective and spirituality benefits from his cross-cultural experience. He works from the ICUU Secretariat in Croydon, UK and he also currently serves (part-time) as minister to the Unitarian congregation in Horsham, England.