The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Winona (UUFW)

Services Sunday 10 am  For audios of previous services, click HERE
Guild Hall of Wesley United Methodist Church
114 W. Broadway, Winona, Minnesota

 

9/13/2026   Title/topic: The Water Ceremony
Presenter: ; Coordinator: David Ruff
Sunday, September 13 marks our return to our Sunday morning services at the
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Winona with our Water Ceremony. At this 10 a.m.
service we bring water from our lives and pour the water into one bowl as an
expression of our gratitude for coming together again. The water might symbolize
where we have been during the summer, what has quenched our thirst for knowledge
and/or what brings us new growth and appreciation as we each take a moment to
greet each other and share from the heart. We will also hear a children’s story of
Oshun, the Yoruba goddess of love and fresh water.

9/20/2026   Title/topic: Cultivating Compassion
Presenter: Dr. Sarah Jane O’Shea; Coordinator: Karen Linn
A brief overview and discussion of the function of compassion in our cultural,
physical, and spiritual lives from prehistory to the present.
Dr. Sarah Jane O’Shea is a retired psychologist, political activist, and amateur athlete
who will joyfully be 80 years old next spring. She is from Missouri, Colorado, New
Mexico, and Texas, and she has chosen this beautiful and magical town on the banks
of the Mississippi as her retirement home. She has a part-time Life Coaching practice
here in Winona and also volunteers as a Spiritual Counselor at Saint Anne’s
Extended Healthcare nursing home and as a chair yoga instructor at the Benedictine
Living Community. Dr. O’Shea is a member of the Winona Friendship Center, a
Friend of the Winona Library, and a Friend of the UUFW.

9/27/2026  Title/topic: The Optimism of Lichen
Presenter: Rev. Paul Drees; Coordinator: David Ruff
What might lichen have to teach us about perseverance?
Pastor Paul Drees is a Lutheran (ELCA) pastor who served for 6 1/2 years in various
settings before pursuing public theology full time. He has over 1.1 million followers
across his social media platforms (@pastorpauldrees), and his videos have been
seen 250 million times.

The Sources of Our Living Tradition

Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder,
affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of
the spirit and an openness to the forces which
create and uphold life.

Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge
us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice,
compassion and the transforming power of love.
Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our
ethical and spiritual life.
Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to
God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves.
Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of
reason and the results ofscience, and warn us against
idolatries of the mind and spirit.
Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which
celebrate the sacred circle of life and
instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

LAKOTA PRAYER
TEACH ME how to trust my heart,
My mind, my intuition, my inner knowing,
The sense of my body and
The blessings of my spirit.
TEACH ME to trust these things
So that I may enter my sacred space
And LOVE beyond my fear
And thus WALK IN BALANCE
With the passing of each glorious sun.