Thoreau events are open to all - visitors, friends, and members
Summer Interest Groups
June 22: Summer Interest Groups
“The Haunting Church” led by Cassey Crouch in the upstairs classroom
Explore your religious/philosophical past, how you got to UU and any trauma or epiphanies along the way. We will be talking, journaling and doing a time-line while keeping confidentiality within the group. In order to work, we need a minimum of 5 participants. Our goal is to explore the positives and negatives on our personal journeys. We will celebrate the good that we have brought along with us to the present and let go of the negative. Please check your schedules and if you are interested, get in touch with Cassey Crouch so the necessary materials can be available.
“Foodies” led by Alliey Roche in the Fellowship area
Foodies Unite! Come ready to share your favorite recipes, local restaurant recommendations, and specialty grocery spots as we engage in a free-wheeling discussion of all things food.
“A Discussion of Current Events” led by Jim Sheridan in the Cabin
What is of concern this week? Let’s discuss!
“Practical Mindfulness” led by Manuel Quintana in the Sanctuary
The unpredictable and chaotic actions of the federal government are creating ripples of insecurity, uncertainty and anxiety, with damaging effects on our emotional well-being and personal relationships. In recent conversations with several participants in Thoreau services, I have seen an interest in being able to slow down thoughts and emotion that sometimes seem to pile up in our minds, particularly during stressful times. I believe that doing simple exercises and brief mindfulness practices can be very helpful.
“Let’s Make a Zine” Kids and Youth: Summer Art Series in the Conference Room
Join the fun as we turn the conference room into a publishing house! This summer the kids will be making their very own Zines! We will explore what it is to be UU through print media and personal expression!
Interested in joining this service in person? Get in Touch!
Adult Enrichment
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!
Men's Dinner Group
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.
Adult Enrichment
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!
Sunday Celebration / Adult Discussion
June 15: Zozobra (Anxiety in Spanish)
Speaker: Michael Crouch
"Zozobra" (Spanish for anxiety) is the soul-sickness that comes from cracks in the frameworks of meaning that we rely on to make sense of our world — the shared understanding of what is real and who is trustworthy, what risks we face and how to meet them, what basic decency requires of us and what ideals our nation aspires to.
Each August, every year since 1924, Santa Fe, New Mexico holds a Burning of Zozobra ritual, in which a giant effigy of Zozobra is burned. This discussion will focus on the value of letting go of pent-up feelings, concerns, and worries. It could be that effigy burning might have some utility in the current political situation.
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
2nd Friday Discussion Group will meet on May 9th 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: Choosing a Topic
ALL are welcome!
Reoccurring monthly on the Second Friday.
Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!
Adult Enrichment
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!
Sunday Celebration
June 8 “Return to the Unborn Mind to Bring Unity in These Chaotic Times”
Using the clear water demonstration, Awakened Zen Master Thich Dieu Thien, will awaken the unborn potential within each person and give a wisdom mind opening Dharma talk for each person to realize and experience themselves.
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!
Adult Discussion Group
June 8: After Watching This, Your Brain Will Not Be the Same by Lara Boyd.
Speaker: Jim Sheridan
In a classic research-based TEDx Talk, Dr. Lara Boyd describes how neuroplasticity gives you the power to shape the brain you want.
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!
Adult Enrichment
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!
Women's Book Club
Book: The Curiosities by Susan Gloss
Our next book is Curiosities by Susan Gloss.
The follow-up to Susan Gloss's successful debut, Vintage, is a charming mid-western story of artists, inspiration, and how to reinvent your life with purpose and flair.
Nell Parker has a PhD in Art History, a loving husband named Josh, and a Craftsman bungalow in the charming university town of Madison, Wisconsin. But in secret, Nell's heart is still reeling from the tragic way in which they lost the one baby they managed to conceive. Rather than pausing to grieve, she pushes harder for testing and fertility treatments, hiding the high cost from her husband. Although he's in the dark about their mounting debt, Josh urges Nell to apply for jobs, believing his wife needs something else to focus on other than a baby that may never be.
Finding a job turns out to be difficult for an art historian. . . until Nell sees the ad seeking a director for a new nonprofit called the Mansion Hill Artists' Colony. The colony is the brainchild of the late, unconventional society dame Betsy Barrett, who left behind her vast fortune and a killer collection of modern art to establish an artist-in-residency program to be run out of her lakeside mansion. The executor of Betsy's estate simply hands Nell a set of house keys and wishes her luck, leaving her to manage the mansion and the eccentric personalities of the artists who live there on her own.
Soon one of the artists, a young metal sculptor named Odin, is keeping the other residents awake with his late-night welding projects. Nell is pretty sure that Annie, a dreadlocked granny known for her avant garde performance pieces, is dealing drugs out of the basement "studio." Meanwhile Paige, an art student from the university, takes up residence in the third-floor turret, experimenting with new printing and design techniques, as well as leading a string of bad boyfriends upstairs when she stumbles home late at night.
Despite all the drama, Nell finds something akin to a family among the members of the creative community that she's brought together. And when her attraction to Odin begins to heat up, Nell is forced to decide what will bring her greater joy--the creative, inspired world she's created, or the familiar but increasingly fragile one of her marriage.
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!
Sunday Celebration
June 1 “Oneness, Unity, and Mushrooms"
The mycelial network connects everything in the ecosystem, it is part of the Great Mystery of Creation and the universe. Come hear Cantor Renee Waghalter, the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth El, talk about our connectedness.
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!
Adult Discussion Group
June 1st: The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements by Eric Hoffer.
Speakers: Noel Zinn and Tony 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!
Adult Enrichment
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!
Sunday Celebration
May 25 “My Spiritual Journey”
Thoreau members Deidre Hammons, Zoeb Mogri and Ron Masters will talk about their journey to their own personal beliefs
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!
Adult Discussion Group
May 25 “Using Catharsis to Cope with Stress”
Catharsis is from the Ancient Greek word catharsis, meaning “purification” or “cleansing”. Coping mechanisms are strategies or behaviors that individuals use to manage stressful or challenging situations and to help reduce stress, regulate emotions, and adapt to adversity. Dr. Michael Crouch will discuss ways to use catharsis as an adaptive coping mechanism. He will demonstrate how he writes and plays songs to “vent” feelings of anger, sadness, and fear. As examples, he’ll include two of his sing-along songs and also show some cathartic photographs by Ron Masters. All participants will be encouraged to share how they use catharsis and/or other coping strategies to deal with disturbing current events.
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!
Adult Enrichment
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!
Sunday Celebration / Adult Discussion
May 18 “Disaster Preparedness”
With Hurricane Season just around the corner, this Sunday we will have speakers from Americorp working with SEWA International. They will give a presentation on being prepared for natural disasters. SEWA is an international organization that offers services and support for rescue operation and during disasters. This is a TalkBack Service, sponsored by Thoreau’s Adult Discussion Group. The congregation will have the opportunity to ask questions, respond, and comment on the presentation.
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!
Men's Dinner Group
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.
Adult Enrichment
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!
Sunday Celebration
May 11 Thoreau’s Annual Flower Communion and Mother’s Day Celebration
Each year on Mother’s Day we gather to celebrate the diverse and varied people who make up our beloved community at Thoreau. Please bring a flower to share with the group. This is a multigenerational service for all ages.
Join us in-person for our weekly gathering.
Some of the Thoreau Men will be hosting a Pancake Breakfast after the service to help celebrate Mother’s Day.
Interested in joining this service in person? Get in Touch!
Adult Discussion Group
May 11 “Hello tariff, my old friend: A Beautiful Liberating History”
Prof. Garna Christian will be talking about tariffs. Then President Washington signed the Tariff of 1789 as his first major enactment, Americans had already experienced almost two hundred years of customs duties. The tariff remained a constant presence, fueling the Industrial Revolution and far flung crises. What has it wrought and what does it promise, or threaten, for the future?
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
2nd Friday Discussion Group will meet on May 9th 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: Our World — or Distractions from it?
Shall we discuss the current chaos or enjoy some distractions from it? I have quite a few distraction suggestions — some light, some thoughty, and all intriguing, no-prep, positive, and easily discussable. Or maybe you’ll suggest some other Trump-free, stress-free topics?
Our Second Friday discussion group will decide and enjoy our usual convivial lunch at 11am Friday, May 9, on the patio at Beck’s Prime, 1822 Hwy 6, Sugar Land, TX 77478.
ALL are welcome!
Reoccurring monthly on the Second Friday.
Interested in joining this discussion? Get in Touch!
Adult Enrichment
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!
Women's Book Club
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!
Sunday Celebration
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!
Adult Discussion Group
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!
Adult Enrichment
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!
Sunday Celebration
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!
Adult Discussion Group
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!
Adult Enrichment
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!
Sunday Celebration / Adult Discussion
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!