Summer Sundays at Gimli Unitarian Church

Gimli Unitarian Church will open for the summer season on Sunday, July 7, 2013, continuing on the first and third Sundays of the month until the final service of the season on Sunday, September 1. Services are at 11:00 a.m. in the congregation’s landmark building at 76 Second Avenue.  Dress is casual -- after all, it's cottage season! 

July 7 — Wise as Serpents, Harmless as Doves — Instead of the Flaming Chalice, the symbol of Hungarian Unitarians is the serpent and the dove, an allusion to the biblical verse, “I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” Are we? Rev. Stefan M. Jonasson

July 21 — Patience and Other Virtues — This service explores particular qualities foundational to promoting greatness, both collective and individual.  How might they be especially relevant for our faith? Rev. Millie Rochester

August 4 — Leaving Home — In May, we said goodbye to the home that Kathleen’s parents built and where she lived her entire childhood. All of our lives we take our leave of places that have meaning for us. The leaving-home experience of the Icelandic immigrants that we honor during Icelandic Festival is a big part of this weekend. How we make meaning of these leave-takings will be the focus of this sermon. Rev. Wayne Arnason and Rev. Kathleen Rolenz

August 18 — Menacing Moralizers — “When the body politic is immune to moralizers,” writes A.C. Grayling, “they merely appear comical.” But there’s nothing comical about the prudish moralizers who try to creep into others’ bedrooms and living rooms through public policy. In some places, they’ve become a menace to individual freedom! Rev. Stefan M. Jonasson

September 1 — Out Where We Belong — My family doctor recently introduced me to the notion of “nature-deficit disorder,” the hypothesis that many modern maladies can be traced to a lack of quality time outdoors. I thought we were having a philosophical discussion but it’s entirely possible I was being diagnosed. Rev. Stefan M. Jonasson

Sunday, December 16 - Christmas in the Interlake

Sunday morning, December 16, at ARBORG UNITARIAN CHURCH, 11:00 a.m. – GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS YET TO COME – In many ways, Charles Dickens was one of the primary inventors of the modern celebration of Christmas, and the celebration he helped fashion is rich in sentiment and family traditions. But the Yuletide is an evolving celebration and, just as surely as it has changed over the century, it will continue to unfold in new and surprising ways. 

Sunday evening, December 16, at GIMLI UNITARIAN CHURCH, 7:00 p.m. – AROUND THE SACRED BOUGHS – As we gather 'round the sacred boughs this year, whether real or synthetic, large or small, inside of out, decorated with ornaments or glistening only with snow—wherever we may find ourselves and whatever form our trees take—let us remember that what makes these boughs sacred is what happens around them. Join us for a celebration of candelight and carols as we enter the Yuletide. All are welcome.

Sunday, November 18 - Clearer in Absence, Deeper in Spirit

Sunday, November 18 at 11:00 a.m. — CLEARER IN ABSENCE, DEEPER IN SPIRIT — In his classic book, The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran wrote, "For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain. And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit." The ebb and flow of friendship is one of life's great mysteries and, over time, our understanding of our most precious relationships changes even as the relationships themselves do. Rev Stefan Jonasson will preach.

Arborg Unitarian Church is located at the corner of Ingolf Street and River Road. Dress is informal and all are welcome. Light refreshments are served following the service.

Sunday, September 16 - Ancestral Surprises: What's In Your Closet?

Sunday, September 16 at 11:00 a.m. — ANCESTRAL SURPRISES: WHAT'S IN YOUR CLOSET? — I've sometimes quipped that ancestor reverence is my real religion and, like many others, I've spent considerable time and effort seeking to discover what I could about my ancestors, whether genetic, social or spiritual. Genealogy is one of society's favourite pastimes and, when pursued carefully and honestly, it can reveal as much about us as it does about our forebears. Sometimes we stumble upon surprises, which, when fully considered, might lead us to look at ourselves and the world in new ways.

Arborg Unitarian Church is located at the corner of Ingolf Street and River Road. Dress is informal and all are welcome. Light refreshments are served following the service.

Sunday, September 2 - Priceless: What Money Can't Buy

Sunday, September 2 at 11:00 a.m. – PRICELESS: WHAT MONEY CAN'T BUY – It was the apostle Paul who wrote that “the love of money is the root of all evil” and, over the course of two millennia, age after age has supplied evidence to support his assertion, although I personally think it’s actually second to the love of power. But money can’t buy you love, as The Beatles sang, and notwithstanding the present idolatries of the market economy, money can’t buy us most of what we treasure in life.  Rev. Stefan Jonasson


Gimli Unitarian Church is located on Second Avenue, just north of Centre Street. Dress is "summer season casual" and light refreshments are served following the service.

Sunday, August 19 - Dwelling in Tents

Sunday, August 19 at 11:00 a.m. – DWELLING IN TENTS – Ever since God is alleged to have given the ancient Hebrews a Promised Land -- and likely long before that -- humans have been marking their territory, not unlike our four-legged friends, under the illusion that whole territories are somehow permanent and inviolate. Yet simple observation shows that we are nomads and no civilization or state has wholly stemmed to tides of migration.  Rev. Stefan Jonasson


Gimli Unitarian Church is located on Second Avenue, just north of Centre Street. Dress is "summer season casual" and light refreshments are served following the service.

Sunday, July 15 - To Whom It May Concern

Sunday, July 15 at 11:00 a.m. – TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN – It is said that prayer is at the heart of religion – some say, it is the oldest religious experience in the world. This service explores the premise that prayer is a natural, universal, even helpful impulse, whether or not we profess belief in a Deity.  Rev. Millie Rochester

Gimli Unitarian Church is located on Second Avenue, just north of Centre Street. Dress is casual — after all, it's cottage season!— and light refreshments are served following the service.