Foothills Unitarian Church

Revs. Gretchen and Sean answer your questions about God and Ultimate Meaning.

Through open conversation, Revs. Sean and Gretchen introduce process theology which explores God as evolving and unfolding.

We delve into the heart of queer theology, exploring how the metaphor and experiences of trans and nonbinary people provide profound insights into understanding the Divine's very nature.

We explore the universal presence of the concept of God across human civilizations and why the category of God is crucial for living a full life, even for humanists and atheists.

Get people talking about the biggest challenges we face, and eventually, the conversation turns to mental health. So why does one of our community's leading neuropsychologists and family therapists believe this is exactly the wrong place to focus our conversation, instead advocating that we turn our attention to belonging?   In this episode of The Foothills Deeper Pod, we welcome Dr. Janina Fariñas, Founder and CEO of the award-winning La Cocina. La Cocina is a nonprofit practice-based Latine training institute that has offered no-cost, culturally affirming mental health services to Latine adults, youths, children & infants since March 2017.   Rev. Gretchen and Dr. Fariñas will share in a live dialogue considering the ways lack of true belonging and mental illness are tied up together and the real meaning and source of mental health.

Rev. Gretchen Haley explores the practices and pitfalls of Intercultural Belonging together.

In this episode, Rev. Sean confesses a teenage indiscretion and the lessons it taught him about what it means to belong, to have true relationships, and to be forgivable. He also teaches us five questions to help us build meaningful relationships. Your feedback matters to us! Take The Foothills Deeper Pod survey at https://foothillsuu.org/podcastsurvey

This episode kicks off a new series called Sit By Me: Belonging is an inside job all about how true belonging starts from within.    Learn more about our Sit By Me series at https://foothillsuu.org/sitbyme

This special 20-minute episode features an interview with Foothills Unitarian member and creative Steve Sedam all about embracing play and creativity and how inspiration finds us.   View Steve's Flower Ceremony illustration: https://youtu.be/Mz8ad_9vbhQ

In this special episode of The Foothills Deeper Pod, we bring you an important update on the state of trans, queer, and non-binary rights, both nationally and within our local community. Reverends Sean Neil-Barron and Gretchen Haley, two influential voices advocating for equality and social justice, discuss what's happening at the policy and the personal level and why it should matter to us all. From the potential reverberating effects on our public education system to government institutions to far-reaching social programs, Rev. Sean and Gretchen dive into why we all need to pay attention to what's happening with LGBT+ rights now, regardless of where we live.

Rev. Elaine guides us in meditation for spring, moving towards light, and hope.

Welcome to our new series Time Well Wasted. Together, we're exploring those things that help you feel alive, connected, and filled with joy – and yet have no real purpose other than that! Together, let’s lean into those things that take us entirely out of the producing mode and into fun mode. Let’s remember that our worth has nothing to do with our work.   In this episode, Rev. Gretchen will help us dive into those things that bring us so much joy but also make us feel shame when we share them with others. What's that about? And how can we release our guilt and shame and lean into our joy? 

Where does powerful and healing change begin? With a ten-point plan? Or in the sheer force of our individual will? The changes that rock our world the most often begin in a perhaps surprising realm: the imagination. Though it may be tempting to write off dreaming as naive or superfluous, our willingness to dream is critical if we are going to shape our world and our lives for the better. In this episode, we explore techniques for catching an inspiring vision. 

We welcome special guest Kathleen Rude, author and senior facilitator of the Work That Reconnects (a group process that fosters resilience). Kathleen guides us in accessing our resilience and inner strength, shifting our overwhelm, fear, outrage, and grief in these challenging times into compassionate presence and inspired action. Even though we may feel that we don’t have enough or aren’t capable enough to make a difference in our troubled world, our “not enoughness” can be just enough to bring about change.

For week two of our Active Hope series, Rev. Sean takes us to our starting place. In the face of challenges and dreams that seem impossible, where do we begin?

This is the first episode of our active hope series, where we're exploring the work of environmental activist, author, and Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy. To kick things off, we're drawing on the story of Easter, Trans Day of Remembrance, and the recent expulsion of Tennesee state legislators to examine how we might move our society towards a pivotal moment of transformation by truly recognizing all our fellow humans as kin.

We are called to serve, help, and work for justice. We dedicate time, energy, and resources to making our church, community, and world a better place. And, yet, our time is limited. Someone else will need to pick up the work someday. Someone will come next... won't they?   In this episode, Rev. Gretchen explores our responsibility for mentoring another generation who will take our place in the great work.

Rev. Elaine continues our exploration of how we serve one another, sharing how even when we might feel we have nothing to offer, there is a role for us to play. When our lives feel too busy, joining the team and serving may actually be the antidote.

We're kicking off our new series, Terms of Service: The fine print of community. In this episode, Rev. Sean shares how mutual aid is a powerful tool for care and an essential component of spiritual life. Then, Rev. Dr. Sheryl Johnson joins Rev. Sean for a conversation about how the finance and stewardship practices of many congregations espouse neoliberal values and entrench white privilege and what we can do to change that. 2:13: Rev. Sean's sermon "No Masters, No Flakes" 27:04 Conversation with Rev. Dr. Sheryl Johnson Find Sheryl Johnson's Book here: https://www.fortresspress.com/store/product/9781506482965/Serving-Money-Serving-God  

Rev. Sean Neil-Barron, Rev. Gretchen Haley, and religious educators Lauren Farley and Eleanor VanDeusen answer questions about gender submitted by community members. Some questions we answer are: How can we center all the different needs in the fight for gender equity? Will we be targeted for taking a pro-trans and nonbinary stance? How are cis-gender kids affected by movements focusing on gender-expansive kids?