Below is a list of past sermons given at The Fellowship. Once you find the sermon you’d like to listen to, just click on the sermon title listed, and it will open that sermon in a page with the options to listen to it via the web, to download the MP3 for listening offline, or to open the transcript of the sermon to read.

The Wisdom of Children

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Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
The Wisdom of Children
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Reflection by Scott Peeples
Sermon by Ali Peters, Assistant Minister
Our children and youth are important and valuable members of our multi-generational Fellowship community! Let’s hear from them! What wisdom can we learn from the youngest among us? Join us this Sunday as we gather to center the voices of this community within our Fellowship and perhaps even reconnect with the wisdom of our own inner children.

Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? A Stewardship-themed, Stump-the-Minister Service

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Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? A Stewardship-themed, Stump-the-Minister Service
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Reflection & Introduction to the Service – Cindy Darling
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Who Wants to Stump the Minister? – Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy
As we kick off our last* pledge campaign ever, we will enjoy a series of services to explore meaningful themes of community, connection, and life through the metaphor of game shows! Today, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Rev. Christina will be our contestant and will do her best to answer your questions about stewardship, money, and how our faith and lives intersect with these themes. Come, stump the minister! (*stewardship at the Fellowship is changing for the better!)

Holy Now – Annual Darwin Sunday

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Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
Holy Now - Annual Darwin Sunday
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Reflection by Mike Yonkers
Sermon by Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy
The song “Holy Now” by UU singer-songwriter Peter Mayer is about a change in faith perspectives, from the idea that only certain practices or things are holy to recognizing holiness in everything! Join us for our annual celebration of Charles Darwin (a 19th century British Unitarian) as we explore the ways that religious naturalism can provide a connection between science and the sacred.

Contagious Love

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Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
Contagious Love
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Reflection by Beth Belmore
Sermon by Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy
In the last two years, we’ve all become somewhat expert in public health, and we know all-to-well about how easily a virus can spread. You know what else can spread? Love! And… unfortunately, so can negativity, fear, and hate. How are we inoculating ourselves against negativity, and what can we do to spread radical love?

Spiritual Practices 3: Why Use the Word “Religion?”

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Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
Spiritual Practices 3: Why Use the Word "Religion?"
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Reflection by Alex Frantz
Sermon by Ali Peters, Assistant Minister
In a world where more and more people are identifying as “spiritual, but not religious,” does religion really have anything to offer anymore? Is Unitarian Universalism even a religion? Why bother using the word “religion,” when we’ve seen that word used in so many harmful ways? Join us this Sunday as we wrestle with religion and its relationship to spirituality.

The Ministry Inside Us

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Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
The Ministry Inside Us
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Reflection by Cindy Darling
Sermon by Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy
One of the most powerful things about the UU tradition is our commitment to congregational polity or the idea that we all have equal access to the ministry. We also say there is “freedom of the pulpit and freedom of the pew.” How can we find our own ministry inside us, “be the church,” and connect with joy even in times of pandemic isolation?

Spiritual Practices 2: In Praise of Cozy

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Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
Spiritual Practices 2: In Praise of Cozy
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Reflections by Mark Marnocha and Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy
In November we learned about “pathetic spiritual practice,” remembering that spiritual practice (like anything) is worth doing pathetically rather than striving for perfection and then not doing it at all. If you missed that service, listen to it HERE or watch it on our YouTube channel. Today we’ll learn about some spiritual practices that we might not usually consider spiritual practices! Wear your coziest pajamas, bring your favorite warm drink, and join us (only on Zoom)for a service about grounding ourselves in practices that help us feel safe and comforted. Perfect for a cold time of year as we look toward 2022!

Winter Solstice

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Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
Winter Solstice
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Reflections by Ethan Stark and Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy

Our annual winter solstice celebration will take place at 4:00 pm so that we can take part in gathering the last of the light before the longest night, and spend our time kindling and guarding the light and basking in the warm glow of each other’s company as we look forward to the joyful return of the sun.

The Cup for All: Understanding the Flaming Chalice Part 2

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Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
The Cup for All: Understanding the Flaming Chalice Part 2
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Reflection by Scott Peeples
Sermon by Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy
As we enter this season of light, we will spend two Sundays learning about, and contemplating, our Unitarian Universalist sacred symbol– the flaming chalice. This Sunday we will focus on the symbolism of the cup and the flame, hear the story of an ancient heretic who might have inspired the design, and contemplate what message the flaming chalice offers us today.

The Flame of Life: Understanding the Flaming Chalice Part 1

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Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) - Appleton, Wisconsin
The Flame of Life: Understanding the Flaming Chalice Part 1
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Reflection by Mark Marnocha
Sermon by Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy
As we enter this season of light, we will spend two Sundays learning about, and contemplating, our Unitarian Universalist sacred symbol– the flaming chalice. This Sunday we’ll focus on its history as a symbol of safety and freedom, while also considering the ancient Jewish story of Hanukkah.