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Unitarian Universalist Ocean County Congregation |
Services are held on Sundays starting at 2:00 pm, through about 3:15 pm, at the United Church of Christ of Toms River, 1681 Ridgeway Rd (County Route 571), in Manchester Township (directions).
Dress is generally business casual to casual.
Available are handicap parking with a handicap ramp to the front door; restrooms are not yet handicap accessible.
Child care and a Children's Religious Education program are available each Sunday.
Because our services offer a variety of opinions and practices that reflect our tradition of a free pulpit, you may want to attend a few of them; our forthcoming services programs appears below, as are overviews of some recent services. You may also want to listen to some recent services audios to get a sense of the range of approaches.
Please join us after the service for a hospitality time with beverages and light refreshments, so that we may get to know one another, and support you on your faith journey!
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"What It Means to be a Feminist" will be presented and discussed by Lynda Fote, an educator and President of Ocean County’s National Organization for Women (NOW). Lynda will share personal experiences, the history of equality for women in the US. We expect Lynda’s presentation to spark very lively discussion.
In presentation segments, congregant members and friends will portray and bring to life UU women, of the past and the present, who have made and make serious contributions to US and local history, UU and elsewise.
Presenting will be Shirley Giles, Russell Hill, Bonney Parker and Pat Robison.
UUOCC’s own Catherine ‘Kat’ Comer of Whiting brings her enthusiasm for environmental issues in “Eco-Feminism,” a discussion of feminine-lead efforts and initiatives to preserve, go green, and help assure a healthy future for Planet Earth.
A doula provides labor support to women through childbirth. Amy Glenn is a certified doula, yoga instructor, and active UU leader, speaker, and educator. Amy ties together cutting edge psychological research on the role of oxytocin in labor, the power of women as they move through childbirth and the profound importance of mother-baby attachment in setting up templates for future relationships. Whether one is a parent or not, we all "give birth" to our dreams, projects, and hopes for the future. Celebrate women's history month in this moving service honoring the power of birth.
Amy Glenn teaches Religion and Philosophy at The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. She completed her MA degree from Teachers College at Columbia University in Religion and Education and loves the study of comparative religion. Amy Glenn is a long time UU and is a gifted public speaker. From September 2007 to May 2008, Amy Glenn served the New Brunswick community by training as a hospital chaplain. She was the only UU in the program.
On this Easter morning, we will celebrate a rebirth of a congregation to its new home. Come explore what this move really means to our faith, our congregation and the community we serve.
In observance of the U. U. Service Committee’s annual “Justice Sunday”, Nancy Lang, Bette Chosak and Kat Komer will present a multi-faceted program dealing with this critical topic. In our country and in developing nations there’s an urgent need for a living wage and protection of workers’ rights. Our first two UU Principles - “The inherent worth and dignity of every person” and “Justice, equity and compassion in human relations” both speak to the essence of Economic Justice. Featured will be innovative programs such as Microfinance and Village Banking, which help support individuals and small groups seeking self-employment, plus personal stories of “informal workers” who are offered no benefits or rights from their employers.
Society mores say women are here to have children, and yet there are a growing number of women couples who are not having children. Many know people who fit this situation, yet unsure as to how to approach the situation. How do we learn more about this group without offending or hurting? We'll explore some of the prejudices encountered, issues, choices, situations and how to support those who are child-free.
'Uu4ia' is a women's singing quartet, whose mission is to support the Principles and Purposes of Unitarian Universalism through song. Their music is shared as a form of service to bring healing, joy and peace to audiences. Founded in 2008, they are known for their tight harmonies and unique interpretation of melodies. Uu4ia has performed at Metro NY District events, numerous fundraisers, memorial services, coffee houses and Murray Grove's "Homecoming". They've most recently begun to perform at social outreach events on college campuses. Uu4ia's home congregation is the UU Church at Washington Crossing, Titusville, NJ. Each of the members of this quartet has a varied background in music and one is a published songwriter. Members are: Marianne Alt, Sarah Burke, Holly Bussey and Kathy Frey.
Joe is from the Unitarian Universalist Society in Stamford, CT, and he will lead a discussion aimed at dispelling some of the myths behind paganism. We’ll explore how paganism came to be viewed in such a negative light and why discrimination against paganism still exists, even in UU congregations. Joe will explain some of the tools and rituals used by modern pagans, and discuss what we can do to bring a positive connotation back to the word “pagan”.
Joe Gonzalez is a computer programmer by trade. He has been married to his lovely wife Tara Fleck for almost 12 years. They have a son Ethan, a daughter Evelyn, and a third on the way! He has been a Unitarian Universalist for the last four years. Roman Catholic by upbringing, he left the church in 1998, and after several years of study and soul searching, converted to paganism. Joe is currently a Wiccan High Priest, and his wife a High Priestess. They are co-leaders of the Sacred Circle Pagan Group at the Unitarian Universalist Society in Stamford, CT. Their main goal for the group is to bring a positive connotation back to the word "pagan", and help dispel myths about paganism so that it can once again become accepted as a legitimate religion by society at large. Joe also currently serves on the Board of Trustees as President at UUSIS.