The Reverend Doctor Brent Smith was minister at UCN when we built our building, serving from November 1983-June 1990. In his 27+ years in the ministry he served 3 other congregations, including our largest congregation in Tulsa and as founding minister of All Souls UU Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 2010 he transitioned onto the faculty of Grand Valley State University there, a 20,000-student university, helping to launch their Religious Studies Program. As a tenured professor he taught for 14 years, specializing in the social scientific study of religions, religion and popular culture, and the 7,000+ year old practice of yoga. He is married to Patricia Smith, the retired General Counsel for GVSU.
9:50 – Join for informal conversation (optional)
10:00 – Service begins
11:00 – Coffee hour
Scott writes: “In obvious and crucial ways, we are each at the center of our own life narratives and attentions. But American writer and English professor Dr. David Foster Wallace points out that this is a natural self-centeredness that must be spiritually transcended if we are to be truly enlightened, admirable, useful, and fulfilled people. Be with us this Sunday as we explore this complicated topic.
9:50 – Join for informal conversation (optional)
10:00 – Service begins
11:00 – Coffee hour
Scott writes: “The trauma of Being Alive” is a Phrase coined by American Psychiatrist and author Dr. Mark Epstein, in a thought piece he wrote in the New York Times. I want to explore his thinking, because I believe it contains a perspective that can help all of us more safely navigate this complicated adventure called life.
9:50 – Join for informal conversation (optional)
10:00 – Service begins
11:00 – Coffee hour
About his sermon, Tony says: "A miracle is usually supposed to be something that 'wows' you. If it's unobtrusive, it doesn't have that wow factor. And yet sometimes aren't the best miracles the ones we don't notice at first--the ones that come in under the radar?"
Tony Larsen was our minister here at Unitarian Church North for 4 years (2019-2023), having served before that at Olympia Brown UU in Racine for 40+ years. He was raised Catholic, and studied to be a Catholic priest for 10 years before being ordained to the Unitarian Universalist ministry. He received his B.A. in philosophy from Maryknoll College in 1971, his M.A. in theology from Maryknoll School of Theology in 1973, and his D.Min from Meadville/Lombard Theological School in 1975.
9:50 – Join for informal conversation (optional)
10:00 – Service begins
11:00 – Coffee hour
The meaning of worship is
to be shaped by
what is of worth.
We gather together in spiritual community because we need constant reminders of what matters most in life. In a world of heartbreak and dehumanization, our congregations and communities call us to our better selves. We learn to live with more wisdom, more connection, and more compassion.
Our Worship Services are weekly reflections that weave together our own thoughts and experiences with music, beauty, poetry, and words that both comfort and challenge. Our programs for all ages inspire and awaken us to our capacities to make a difference in our own lives and in the world.
