August 2026 Calendar
8/2/2026 Leading, Following and Our journey Together Greg Sheehan
This service in the round will explore our relationship with leadership. Why are we so ready to follow? Why are some so drawn to lead? How can we find a way to be both leaders and followers when we need to? How can we lead without separating ourselves from those that are choosing to follow? Join us on a shared journey shaped by our beliefs of interdependence, equity, and pluralism.
8/9/2026 Falling Awake: A Deeper Dive. Rev. Dr. Gayl Lavinder
We all know what it means to be mindful, be present, be in the moment in each situation or experience. It doesn’t involve doing anything, its non-doing, something very hard for most of us to do. We will be taking moments to explore our sensory world and how doing so allows us to fall awake. The invitation will be to stop for a moment and drop into wakefulness. Stop and drop. Appreciating the gifts of our five senses one by one in the moment, and the world they open to us inwardly and outwardly is the essence of a deeper awareness. We can use this practice in daily life to deepen our own awareness and/or as a reprieve when we are fearful, overwhelmed, and stressed either personally or from the chaos happening in our world as moments for self-care.
8/16/2026 In the Presence of Fear Kris Ferraro
Being in the presence of fear is not a spiritual failure—it’s part of the path. We don’t run from fear but stand in it with open hearts, seeking the truth. Fear can sharpen our awareness, awaken our compassion, and ultimately redirect us toward our divine nature. We reclaim power not by avoiding fear, but by choosing love and Truth in the middle of it.
8/23/2026 Socialism and Christianity Des Shaw
"Socialism’s guiding principle can be summed up in the well-known phrase: “From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs”. This phrase was popularized by Karl Marx in 1875, but in fact it dates back in fact all the way to the Bible in the Acts of the Apostles. Capitalism’s version of the phrase replaces the word “needs” by the word “abilities”. In his Sermon on the Mount Jesus clearly calls for a society that is distinctly socialist. So it’s interesting that capitalist societies have been far more successful than socialist ones.
8/30/2026 Rockland Coalition to End the New Jim Crow Justin Hong
The Rockland Coalition to End The New Jim Crow is a coalition of people who have a vision for social and economic justice. Justin Hong is a community organizer with Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) and Rockland Coalition to End The New Jim Crow (RCENJC). Justin will discuss what inspired him to become involved with RCENJC and the work he has done since he joined.