AE Lunchitarians

This is a recurring virtual meeting every Wednesday from noon - 1:30 PM.

Thoreau Lunchitarians discuss books, or other matters arising

Check your email for topic details and the Zoom link!

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

Book: Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks.

A bestselling tale of passion and belief, magic and adventure from the author of The Secret Chord and of March, winner of the Pulitzer Prize.

Bethia Mayfield is a restless and curious young woman growing up in Martha's vineyard in the 1660s amid a small band of pioneering English Puritans. At age twelve, she meets Caleb, the young son of a chieftain, and the two forge a secret bond that draws each into the alien world of the other. Bethia's father is a Calvinist minister who seeks to convert the native Wampanoag, and Caleb becomes a prize in the contest between old ways and new, eventually becoming the first Native American graduate of Harvard College. Inspired by a true story and narrated by the irresistible Bethia, Caleb’s Crossing brilliantly captures the triumphs and turmoil of two brave, openhearted spirits who risk everything in a search for knowledge at a time of superstition and ignorance.

Books are selected by the members of the Women’s Book Club

Reoccurring monthly on the First Monday, starting at 1:00 PM; we meet in members’ homes.

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

May 4   “Inherently worthy identity or ‘ghost in a machine’:  Who are UU?”  

Some psychologists & philosophers connect consciousness & conscience as products of effective integration of personality and experience through selective activation of memories.  In this service our Minister Emeritus Rev Dan King shares reflections in his partial response to elements of Noel Zinn's recent presentations.

Join us in-person for our weekly gathering.

During in-person worship service, Religious Education is offered for children 5 and over, and a nursery is available. You are invited to join us for hospitality after the service.

Interested in joining this service in person? Get in Touch!

May 4    The Truth about Human Population Decline

The Truth About Human Population Decline. Join us for a TED Talk by Jennifer D. Sciubba, an internationally recognized expert in political demography. Yes, demography may be destiny, but what paths can be taken for different outcomes as the global population radically shrinks by the end of this century? After her illuminating talk, we’ll all have a chance to weigh in and discuss. Doug Kohn will lead the discussion.

Adult Discussion Group will be meeting in person @ 9:45 AM in Thoreau’s Clark Cabin except on the third Sunday of each month when we will meet in the Sanctuary @ 11 AM.

The AC and HEPA filter will be running to keep Clark Cabin & the Sanctuary as safe as possible.

For those that prefer: We will provide ZOOM via the OWL system when we meet in the cabin & our Moderator Tamara will recognize your hand up and add you to the queue.

Thoreauvians and friends will be notified each week (tuucannounce@groups.io) of our ADG topic, time and zoom login.
Please keep an eye out for our notices.

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

AE Lunchitarians

This is a recurring virtual meeting every Wednesday from noon - 1:30 PM.

Thoreau Lunchitarians discuss books, or other matters arising

Check your email for topic details and the Zoom link!

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

April 27  Earth Day Drumming Circle

Listen to the earth! Bring your drums or other percussion instruments and join our celebration of Earth Day, led by James Westfall. This is an intergenerational service for all ages.

Join us in-person for our weekly gathering.

You are invited to join us for hospitality after the service.

Interested in joining this service in person? Get in Touch!

April 27   “ChatGPT”

How Chat GPT can change your life! In "10 ChatGPT Life Hacks” - Some super cool tips and tricks to help you improve your health, writing, learning and basically make your life easier. Jim Sheridan presenting.

Adult Discussion Group will be meeting in person @ 9:45 AM in Thoreau’s Clark Cabin except on the third Sunday of each month when we will meet in the Sanctuary @ 11 AM.

The AC and HEPA filter will be running to keep Clark Cabin & the Sanctuary as safe as possible.

For those that prefer: We will provide ZOOM via the OWL system when we meet in the cabin & our Moderator Tamara will recognize your hand up and add you to the queue.

Thoreauvians and friends will be notified each week (tuucannounce@groups.io) of our ADG topic, time and zoom login.
Please keep an eye out for our notices.

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

AE Lunchitarians

This is a recurring virtual meeting every Wednesday from noon - 1:30 PM.

Thoreau Lunchitarians discuss books, or other matters arising

Check your email for topic details and the Zoom link!

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

April 20  “The Resurrection of Consciousness”

Does consciousness survive the death of the physical body?  Noel Zinn believes that it may.  Your memories?  Your ego?  Don’t know, but neuroscientist Donald Hoffman is working that issue and idealist philosopher Bernado Kastrup suggests that they do!  This was shocking news for a materialist atheist who thought death was the end of the road.  Maybe not. We’ll provide some quotations from scientists responsible for cosmology and quantum theory, summarize their insights, provide a useful definition, then watch a short video of an Kastrup providing his evidence (5 minutes) and, of course, discuss.

Join us in-person in Thoreau’s Sanctuary or via Zoom for our discussion service.

On one Sunday a month, our Adult Discussion Group coordinates the speaker for our weekly gathering.

During ADG Sunday Service, Religious Education is offered for children 5 and over, and a nursery is available.

You are invited to join us for light snacks after ADG.

Interested in joining this service in person? Get in Touch!

Please join us for the Men's monthly dinner group.

Location: Beck’s Prime 1822 Hwy 6 Sugar Land, TX 77478

Let us know to look out for you! Get in Touch.

AE Lunchitarians

This is a recurring virtual meeting every Wednesday from noon - 1:30 PM.

Thoreau Lunchitarians discuss books, or other matters arising

Check your email for topic details and the Zoom link!

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

April 13   "Ordinary Mysticism"

“Welcome to the temple of your regular life. The sometimes chaotic, frequently fraught, unexpectedly beautiful domain of the everyday. This is the terrain where you wake up and transform…Your life is holy ground.” Join us as Julie Wilson takes up spiritual teacher and author, Mirabai Starr’s invitation to find the sacred in our own lives, especially in this time of “extraordinary” ordinary times.

Join us in-person for our weekly gathering.

During in-person worship service, Religious Education is offered for children 5 and over, and a nursery is available. You are invited to join us for hospitality after the service.

Interested in joining this service in person? Get in Touch!

April 13  “Surviving the Disinformation Age”

From blind groupthink to misplaced confidence, we analyze how misinformation spreads, why it thrived in positions of power, and what we can do about it. If you ever wondered why smart people make bad decisions – or why the loudest voices may be the least informed—this is for you. Let’s talk about it. Lead by Ron Masters.

Adult Discussion Group will be meeting in person @ 9:45 AM in Thoreau’s Clark Cabin except on the third Sunday of each month when we will meet in the Sanctuary @ 11 AM.

The AC and HEPA filter will be running to keep Clark Cabin & the Sanctuary as safe as possible.

For those that prefer: We will provide ZOOM via the OWL system when we meet in the cabin & our Moderator Tamara will recognize your hand up and add you to the queue.

Thoreauvians and friends will be notified each week (tuucannounce@groups.io) of our ADG topic, time and zoom login.
Please keep an eye out for our notices.

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

2nd Friday Discussion Group will meet on April 11th at Becks Prime:
1822 SH-6 S, Sugar Land, TX  77478.  
Near the Sugar Land Whole Foods.  
Here’s the menu: https://www.becksprime.com/menu/menu.pdf  

TOPIC:  TBD

Reoccurring monthly on the Second Friday.

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

AE Lunchitarians

This is a recurring virtual meeting every Wednesday from noon - 1:30 PM.

Thoreau Lunchitarians discuss books, or other matters arising

Check your email for topic details and the Zoom link!

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

Book: Lady Clementine: A Novel by Marie Benedict.

From Marie Benedict, the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Woman in the Room! An incredible novel that focuses on one of the people with the most influence during World War I and World War II: Clementine Churchill.

In 1909, Clementine steps off a train with her new husband, Winston. An angry woman emerges from the crowd to attack, shoving him in the direction of an oncoming train. Just before he stumbles, Clementine grabs him by his suit jacket. This will not be the last time Clementine Churchill will save her husband.

Lady Clementine is the ferocious story of the ambitious woman beside Winston Churchill, the story of a partner who did not flinch through the sweeping darkness of war, and who would not surrender to expectations or to enemies.

Books are selected by the members of the Women’s Book Club

Reoccurring monthly on the First Monday, starting at 1:00 PM; we meet in members’ homes.

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

April 6   "Generational generativity & generosity?"

Sociologists have noted how the Baby Boomer cohort benefited from the economic and social conjunction of educational opportunity and narrowing class distinctions in mid-20th century postwar America.   In this service, our Emeritus Minister, Rev. Dan King shares reflections on his own experiences and offers options on how we might choose to serve our posterity.  Our Yellow Dog Howlers offer their own musical take on such questions

Join us in-person for our weekly gathering.

During in-person worship service, Religious Education is offered for children 5 and over, and a nursery is available. You are invited to join us for hospitality after the service.

Interested in joining this service in person? Get in Touch!

April 6    "Prostate Problems: BPH, Prostatitis, and Cancer "

Thoreau's Dr. Michael Crouch will lead a discussion of men's prostate problems, including benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), prostatitis, and cancer. We will discuss preventive measures, PSA testing, early diagnosis, and treatment options.

Adult Discussion Group will be meeting in person @ 9:45 AM in Thoreau’s Clark Cabin except on the third Sunday of each month when we will meet in the Sanctuary @ 11 AM.

The AC and HEPA filter will be running to keep Clark Cabin & the Sanctuary as safe as possible.

For those that prefer: We will provide ZOOM via the OWL system when we meet in the cabin & our Moderator Tamara will recognize your hand up and add you to the queue.

Thoreauvians and friends will be notified each week (tuucannounce@groups.io) of our ADG topic, time and zoom login.
Please keep an eye out for our notices.

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

AE Lunchitarians

This is a recurring virtual meeting every Wednesday from noon - 1:30 PM.

Thoreau Lunchitarians discuss books, or other matters arising

Check your email for topic details and the Zoom link!

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

March 30 “A Hindu Walks Into a UU Church”

Hinduism and Unitarianism met two hundred years ago when Ralph Waldo Emerson, a pillar of our religion, was introduced to a beloved scripture of the Hindus called the “Bhagwat Gita.”

Emerson’s writings reflect his regard for the Gita. He introduced the book to his protégé, Henry David Thoreau.  Thoreau took to heart the Gita’s message of doing one’s duty and went on to write his famous essay on “Civil Disobedience.” This essay was one of the inspirations for Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent campaign that freed India from British rule. Reverend Martin Luther King then brought Gandhi’s methods back to the USA in his struggle for civil rights. For two hundred years, the message of the Gita has bounced back and forth between the two countries as a peaceful means of attaining freedom. In this talk, Dr. Kalia traces the 5000-year history of Hinduism and reflects on how some of its precepts might be food for thought for modern-day Unitarian Universalists.

Join us in-person for our weekly gathering.

During in-person worship service, Religious Education is offered for children 5 and over, and a nursery is available. You are invited to join us for hospitality after the service.

Interested in joining this service in person? Get in Touch!

March 30 “Private Equity Friend or Foe”

Private Equity owned companies in the U.S. employ over 20% of all working adults. You may think that they're our friends for providing so many jobs, but the reality is much more complex and darker and deeply destabilizing to our fragile democratic republic of the United States. They are shielded from providing financial transparency, corporate governance transparency, and all reporting requirements by the SEC. They have special tax breaks that other more mundane corporations don't have. They buy up the competition, driving out innovation, driving down wages, and reducing American competitiveness.  They have long time horizons and can embrace technological risk better than publicly traded corporations and make wealthy individuals even wealthier. They are known for spectacular failures such as Toys R Us, Sears, Radio Shack, and TGI Fridays. They are known for their success in buying businesses and then, after steering them through a transition of rapid performance improvement, selling them for a heady profit.  Friend or Foe?  Our guest Speaker is John Veneruso.

Adult Discussion Group will be meeting in person @ 9:45 AM in Thoreau’s Clark Cabin except on the third Sunday of each month when we will meet in the Sanctuary @ 11 AM.

The AC and HEPA filter will be running to keep Clark Cabin & the Sanctuary as safe as possible.

For those that prefer: We will provide ZOOM via the OWL system when we meet in the cabin & our Moderator Tamara will recognize your hand up and add you to the queue.

Thoreauvians and friends will be notified each week (tuucannounce@groups.io) of our ADG topic, time and zoom login.
Please keep an eye out for our notices.

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

AE Lunchitarians

This is a recurring virtual meeting every Wednesday from noon - 1:30 PM.

Thoreau Lunchitarians discuss books, or other matters arising

Check your email for topic details and the Zoom link!

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

March 23  “Who We Are”

Students from Travis High School will be in the pulpit to talk about their perspective on some of the current political/social commentary and how it affects them. There will be time for respectful questions and comments.

Join us in-person for our weekly gathering.

During in-person worship service, Religious Education is offered for children 5 and over, and a nursery is available. You are invited to join us for hospitality after the service.

Interested in joining this service in person? Get in Touch!

March 23   “Consciousness is Fundamental: Space-Time is Doomed”

Some philosophers and scientists argue that consciousness is fundamental because it is a primary, subjective quality of existence (e.g. the taste of chocolate), meaning it cannot be explained by objective physical processes (without hopeful hand waving about emergent properties or an act of faith that science will dissolve the “hard problem”).  Panpsychism proposes that consciousness exists within everything, from atoms to humans to galaxies, and the entire reality we experience is a manifestation of consciousness. Noel Zinn will lead the discussion.

Adult Discussion Group will be meeting in person @ 9:45 AM in Thoreau’s Clark Cabin except on the third Sunday of each month when we will meet in the Sanctuary @ 11 AM.

The AC and HEPA filter will be running to keep Clark Cabin & the Sanctuary as safe as possible.

For those that prefer: We will provide ZOOM via the OWL system when we meet in the cabin & our Moderator Tamara will recognize your hand up and add you to the queue.

Thoreauvians and friends will be notified each week (tuucannounce@groups.io) of our ADG topic, time and zoom login.
Please keep an eye out for our notices.

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

Please join us for the Men's monthly dinner group.

At the March 20 meeting, we will discuss Chapter 3 of Robert Bly's book Iron John ("The Road of Ashes, Descent, and Grief") prior to having our usual round of "check-ins".

Location: Beck’s Prime 1822 Hwy 6 Sugar Land, TX 77478

Let us know to look out for you! Get in Touch.

AE Lunchitarians

This is a recurring virtual meeting every Wednesday from noon - 1:30 PM.

Thoreau Lunchitarians discuss books, or other matters arising

Check your email for topic details and the Zoom link!

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

March 16  “The Prison Entrepreneurship Program ”

The Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) is dedicated to delivering the nation’s best outcomes in the prison re-entry field. It’s work empowers men to reconstruct their identities from tax consumers to taxpayers, gang leaders to servant leaders, and felons to community role models. Speaker, Al Massey,  serves as the Executive Relations Manager for the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP), at the Oliver J. Bell Unit in Cleveland, Texas.

Join us in-person in Thoreau’s Sanctuary or via Zoom for our discussion service.

On one Sunday a month, our Adult Discussion Group coordinates the speaker for our weekly gathering.

During ADG Sunday Service, Religious Education is offered for children 5 and over, and a nursery is available.

You are invited to join us for light snacks after ADG.

Interested in joining this service in person? Get in Touch!

2nd Friday Discussion Group will meet on March 14th at Becks Prime:
1822 SH-6 S, Sugar Land, TX  77478.  
Near the Sugar Land Whole Foods.  
Here’s the menu: https://www.becksprime.com/menu/menu.pdf  

TOPIC:  Whatever you’d like to discuss

Gobsmacked by what’s going on?  Would you like to join a conversation about it with a group of highly (but genially) opinionated people more intelligent than turnips (and so currently disqualified from civil service)?  Then come join Thoreau’s Second Friday discussion group March 14 at 11:00 am at Beck’s Prime, 1822 Hwy 6, Sugar Land, TX 77478.  

Reoccurring monthly on the Second Friday.

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

AE Lunchitarians

This is a recurring virtual meeting every Wednesday from noon - 1:30 PM.

Thoreau Lunchitarians discuss books, or other matters arising

Check your email for topic details and the Zoom link!

Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!

March 9   "The Bregdan Principle: Living with Courage, Hope and Purpose"

Bregdan is a Gaelic word meaning “weaving” or “braiding”. The concept describes living with courage, hope and purpose. Lindi Kohn will be in the pulpit to discuss the key themes the Bregdan Principle encompasses.

Join us in-person for our weekly gathering.

During in-person worship service, Religious Education is offered for children 5 and over, and a nursery is available. You are invited to join us for hospitality after the service.

Interested in joining this service in person? Get in Touch!