service conducted by The Reverend Gregory Stewart

The Jewish holy day of Yom Kipper presents twin themes of forgiveness and atonement. Sunday we will focus on the latter by examining the theology of the Universalist Hosea Ballou (b. 1771).

Ballou's radical and controversial contributions to the theory of Atonement realigned liberal religion with historical Judaism by emphasizing oneness with God.

Let's consider the relevance of atonement in contemporary liberal faith wherein God is optional.

Joining Reverend Stewart on the Chancel will be Ministerial Intern Jeremy Nickel and Worship Associate Alison Rittger. Along with our choir, Bill Klingelhoffer and Maria Solis will provide special music.

The Unitarian Universalist Association released last week a short film on our liberal religious faith. The documentary will be distributed to congregations nationwide on DVD -- and it features many shots of this Society's Mother's Day public witness for peace and words from Rev. Stewart.

from Betty Skwarek, Acting Director of Religious Education

Children's art, children's choir, and the parents discussion group will welcome you at their regular time this week, 10. Childcare for children under 5 also begins at 10.

At 11 am, elementary school age children will gather in the Sanctuary with their parents, and will leave during the sung affirmation to go to the Chapel and their classes.

Junior and senior youth will also meet in their classrooms at 11 for lessons based on the small group ministry model.

New students are welcome throughout the year, and parents are invited to phone Acting Director of Religious Education Betty Skwarek at 776-4580 for more information.

Rev. Greg Stewart will lead participants in a Speak Out for Peace on the steps of our church tomorrow, Friday, (September 21) at 10:am. This public witness will honor the United Nations-established "International Peace Day" which calls on nations and people to give "positive evidence of their commitment to peace in all viable ways..."

The event will kick-off the new Iraq Moratorium Campaign which is currently mobilizing citizens to speak out to end the war in Iraq, to bring our troops home, and to work for peace. The Iraq Moratorium is sponsoring over thirty events taking place in the SF Bay Area this weekend.

Speakers will include a physician and mother, Nooshin Razani, whose brother Omead Razani, was killed in Iraq in 2004 while serving as a medic in the US Army. Omead was the first Iranian-American to die in this war.

"When my brother died, life as I knew it was shattered, so I have already been in moratorium since 2004," says Nooshin. "Now I am asking others to join me. As long as we go about our daily lives as business as usual, we are complicit in this war."

All are invited to attend and participate this event. Come and join together for peace.

International cabaret artist Wesla Whitfield will perform at a benefit concert for Up On Top this Saturday (September 22) at 8 pm at the Empire Plush Room.

Proceeds from the concert will support the ongoing programs of Up On Top, the free afterschool program for children from low-income families in the neighborhoods around the church. Up On Top was started by this Society, and Up On Top's original campus is located in the Religious Education area of the Unitarian Universalist center.

Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, a supporter of Up On Top and neighborhood after school programs, is honorary chair of the event. Tickets are $100 for general admission and they may be purchased online or from Up On Top volunteers.

For more information and to buy tickets, please contact Luanne Schulte at 645-2969.

from Liz Breger

You are invited to meet the artists in the Congregation whose work is exhibited on the walls of the Kings Gallery at a reception Sunday after the worship service.

Enjoy light refreshments and conversation as you talk with many of the artists showing their work in "The Unitarian Universalists Annual Members & Friends Group Show".

For those that knew Alice Wallace, there is a special small memorial display of her sensitive watercolors in the Martin Luther King room.

The show runs through Sunday, October 7.

from Amy Moses

The Young Adult Group will meet after the church service to have a social lunch together.

If you are between the ages of 18 and 35, please join in!

The group will gather in the Starr King room by the coffee urns at 12:30, and then make its way to a local restaurant.

Look for the friendly people -- see photos for examples -- with the blue mugs!

The Young Adult Group will be meeting on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month for lunch throughout the year. So, they'll see you Sunday and then again next on October 14.

Julia P. Wald, certified by the State Bar for specializations in Probate, Estate Planning and Trust Law and an active and generous member of this Society, will explain common legal mysteries during a seminar Tuesday (September 25) at 7 pm.

During the session you will be invited to complete a Power of Attorney for Health Care and to understand changes in the law that may make a new one advisable.

The seminar will also help you:

• Understand why a living trust may be a good idea for you, especially if you want to avoid the high costs of conservatorship and probate proceeding.
• Learn some techniques for saving taxes while benefiting this Society.
• Get answers for questions that are of a general nature (Julia will not plan your Aunt Sarah's will)

Class registration is available for $5. For more information or to sign up, call the church office at 776-4580, or email Joan Rost or phone her at 563-0623.

Over 200 supporters viewed marketing materials and heard the details of the local effort and of the upcoming denominational plan for a national Unitarian Universalist awareness campaign. Walking under a advertising banner to enter the celebration, participants learned how Bay Area congregations will be telling others about liberal religion and welcoming visitors to services. (The picture at the left is of the four oldest sons of Stillman and Rev. Greg Stewart at the entrance of the celebration.)

The range of the ads include radio, TV, newspaper, billboards, yard signs, video displays, and the Internet. (See PowerPoint Slides with Ad Plans)

The television commercial was played for the group (see it online). The next scheduled cable broadcast for the spot is tonight (September 20) at 11:17 Pacific time.

If you would like to tackle these questions with others who are interested in exploring issues of ultimacy, the class "Building Your Own Theology" is for you. Moreover, the friends you make in class may last a lifetime.

Advanced registration is required and space is limited. A materials fee of $25 is due at registration. The six-session course begins Thursday, October 4, 2007. Register at the front desk at church or call the office at 776-4580 to request a registration form.

Clergy and other supporters of equal treatment for all loving couples will speak in support of the legal effort to overturn California's restrictive definition of marriage at a press conference in the Sanctuary 9:30 Wednesday (September 26th) morning.

The public event will include remarks by Rev. Greg Stewart and other religious leaders. The San Francisco witnessing will be one of many scheduled throughout the state which will coincide with the filing of an amicus curiae brief with the State Supreme Court.

More than 300 religious leaders and faith organizations, including many Unitarian Universalists and the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry - California (UULMCA), plan to file the "friend of the court" brief in support of the six marriage cases Wednesday morning.