Our society does a reasonably good (well, an okay) job marking significant losses such as the death of a parent or spouse. But what of the “smaller” losses such as the death of a pet, the end of a friendship, or a significant transition in a child’s life? These, too, can be a source of grief, but they often go unacknowledged and therefore unhealed.

The disintegration of families and the erosion of traditional values are seen by some as a threat to the very existence of society. We’ll consider our changing understanding of the nature of family, and some of the values that family engenders and requires.

Visiting minister Mark Hayes is in his eighth year as minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County in State College, Pennsylvania, where he lives with his spouse and two teenage sons.

Today is Mothers Day. In keeping with UUCV tradition, and a tradition that many of us remember from earlier worship experiences, please bring a flower that reminds you of your mother, or someone who fulfilled a mothering role in your life.

Consider the power of images to shape our memories, hopes, and world views. Duane will return from sabbatical and invite us to explore how photography and visual images influence our experience and help us create meaning. What makes an image become iconic? How does vision influence our perception of reality? We will explore focus, frame, depth-of-field, exposure, and point-of-view in the context of spiritual journey. We will induct new members. Our annual meeting will follow the service.

We will delve into the need for an international agency to care for sick and wounded soldiers from its founding by Universalist Clara Barton in the mid-nineteenth century to the present, and how the duties of the Red Cross broadened into relief from natural disasters from its start during armed conflicts.