The Democracy of Beloved Community

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The Democracy of Beloved Community

The Rev. Mark Y.A. Davies, leading 

The world deeply needs religious visions that model inclusion, community, and democracy rather than patriarchy, hierarchy, and autocracy – visions that call us to look around and join with others in beloved, just, and participatory communities rather than looking up and bowing down.

DOWNLOAD THE MORNING PROGRAM HERE or read it below without downloading

Rev. Dr. Mark Y. A. Davies is the Wimberly Professor of Social and Ecological Ethics, Director of the World House Institute for Social and Ecological Responsibility, and Executive Director of the Leadership. Education, and Development (LEaD) Hub North United States for the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) at Oklahoma City University where he has worked in both teaching and administration for 25 years. He is an ordained elder in the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church where he has served as Chair of the Board of Church and Society from 2015 to 2018.

Mark’s Ph.D. is from Boston University in the area of Social Ethics, and he has served Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) as a member of its Dean’s Advisory Board and as the alumnus representative on BUSTH’s Green Team as part of the Green Seminary Initiative.

Mark has led and implemented a number of initiatives in coordination with the Division of Higher Education of the United Methodist Church including a Methodist Higher Education Global Ethics Initiative from 2008 to 2012, a United Methodist Higher Education Interfaith Initiative from 2015 to present, and a Global Methodist Higher Education Social and Ecological Responsibility Initiative from December 2016 to the present. Mark has published in the areas of Boston personalism, process philosophy and ethics, and ecological ethics.

In 2017, the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church selected Dr. Davies to serve as the convener of the writing team tasked with revising “The Natural World” section of the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church. This is the first time the Social Principles have undergone a thorough revision since their adoption by the denomination in 1972.

Mark is one of the inaugural members of the New Room Books Editorial Board. New Room Books is a reviewed academic monograph series that offers scholars from the Methodist tradition and their students a way to share their work.

Since 2015, Mark has served on the United Methodist University Senate, which is “an elected body of professionals in higher education created by the General Conference to determine which schools, colleges, universities, and theological schools meet the criteria for listing as institutions affiliated with The United Methodist Church.”

Mark engages in advocacy and activism in the areas of peace, social justice, and ecological sustainability. Locally this is expressed through his work with the Human Community Network, which works to create non-violent systemic change for a just and flourishing human and ecological community through collaboration, education, innovation, and action. See www.humancommunitynetwork.org.

He and his wife Kristin live in Edmond, OK in the United States, and they have two daughters who attend Oklahoma City University.

TMP 08-07 - v.4

Peace Sunday #1 – Choosing Nonviolence

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Peace Sunday #1 – Choosing Nonviolence

Marla Loturco, leading

Download the morning program here or read it below without downloading.

This morning we kick off a special series based on the book Great Peacemakers: True Stories from Around the World by Ken Beller and Heather Chase. This Sunday, we take a look at Henry David Thoreau and Mahatma Gandhi, to see what we might learn from their wisdom.

Following the Morning Assembly today:

5th Sunday Potluck Lunch

The Entire Congregation

Our last 5th All-Church Sunday potluck feels like to was centuries ago, but at long last it returns this month.

Everyone one is invited – friends, visitors, lapse worshippers, faithful followers and first-time guests, who get to eat without having to bring a dish to share. There is no food ‘theme’ for this summer event.  You get to bring whatever food dish (to serve 6-8) you wish to bring.

TMP 07-31 - v.1

” Radical”s Rise Up -NOW Is A Moment (video message)

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Pastor Jacqueline K. Duhart delivered this sermon at last month’s UU General Assembly’ Service of the Living Tradition.

Download The Morning Program HERE – or read it below without downloading it

About our guest minister:

Pastor Jacqueline K. Duhart (pronouns – she, her, they, them) serves as the Director of Spiritual Care Services. She holds a M.Div. from Starr King School for the Ministry alongside a Certificate of Spiritual Direction from the Interfaith Chaplaincy Institute (Berkeley, CA) and a Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) form the University of Texas – Arlington, Texas. She also serves our shared world as a Spiritual Director. June 2019, Pastor Jacqueline retired from parish ministry. For ten years she served in various ministry positions at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland; the last three years as their called full-time parish/interim minister. This call proved to be one of the most rewarding and meaningful ministries positions she has ever held.

Pastor Jacqueline is retired from the United States Air Force in 2000. During her 21 years of honorable service as a clinical social worker, she and her family managed many difficult separations to include her deployment in Oman during the Gulf War. Other career highlights include eight years of chaplaincy at the Federal Corrections Institute, Dublin CA, 5 years at the American Friends Service Committee advocating to end the death penalty, and a private practice in Anchorage, AK. As a licensed clinical social worker, she supervised masters level interns and conducted Critical Stress Debriefings with the Anchorage Fire Department. These experiences honed her capacity to be with the sorrows, joys and mysteries of life while living with bright hope. To read more about Pastor Jacqueline’s philosophies on spiritual direction/spiritual care, please click here.

Pastor Duhart and her partner of 30 years live in El Cerrito, CA. She gardens every day, delights in soulfully moving to gospel beats, enjoys cooking, revels in hiking and reading autobiographies. Her commitment to deepening her personal relationship with all that feeds life and the common good is fierce. Daily she communes with: ancestors/angels, gurus/guides, sacred stories/diverse theologies, sages/spirits, nature, science, Goddess/Gods and that which is un-namable and yet to be named in her relentless efforts to usher in radical inclusive love and genuine respect. Ashay and Blessed be.

TMP 07-24 - v.1

“The Power of Humility”

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You may download the morning program here or read it below without downloading

Of his discourse, Mark writes:

We have so much to learn from other cultures and political systems in the world, but the myth of American exceptionalism keeps us from recognizing our faults and shortcomings and looking to others for ideas to make our society more just, peaceful, participatory, and sustainable. A good dose of humility is needed as we seek the path of wisdom together.

.

About our visiting minister:

Rev. Dr. Mark Y. A. Davies is the Wimberly Professor of Social and Ecological Ethics, Director of the World House Institute for Social and Ecological Responsibility, and Executive Director of the Leadership. Education, and Development (LEaD) Hub North United States for the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) at Oklahoma City University where he has worked in both teaching and administration for 25 years. He is an ordained elder in the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church where he has served as Chair of the Board of Church and Society from 2015 to 2018.

Mark’s Ph.D. is from Boston University in the area of Social Ethics, and he has served Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) as a member of its Dean’s Advisory Board and as the alumnus representative on BUSTH’s Green Team as part of the Green Seminary Initiative.

Mark has led and implemented a number of initiatives in coordination with the Division of Higher Education of the United Methodist Church including a Methodist Higher Education Global Ethics Initiative from 2008 to 2012, a United Methodist Higher Education Interfaith Initiative from 2015 to present, and a Global Methodist Higher Education Social and Ecological Responsibility Initiative from December 2016 to the present. Mark has published in the areas of Boston personalism, process philosophy and ethics, and ecological ethics.

In 2017, the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church selected Dr. Davies to serve as the convener of the writing team tasked with revising “The Natural World” section of the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church. This is the first time the Social Principles have undergone a thorough revision since their adoption by the denomination in 1972.

Mark is one of the inaugural members of the New Room Books Editorial Board. New Room Books is a reviewed academic monograph series that offers scholars from the Methodist tradition and their students a way to share their work.

Since 2015, Mark has served on the United Methodist University Senate, which is “an elected body of professionals in higher education created by the General Conference to determine which schools, colleges, universities, and theological schools meet the criteria for listing as institutions affiliated with The United Methodist Church.”

Mark engages in advocacy and activism in the areas of peace, social justice, and ecological sustainability. Locally this is expressed through his work with the Human Community Network, which works to create non-violent systemic change for a just and flourishing human and ecological community through collaboration, education, innovation, and action. See www.humancommunitynetwork.org.

He and his wife Kristin live in Edmond, OK in the United States, and they have two daughters who attend Oklahoma City University.

TMP 07-17 - v.1

“Adaptive Ministry”

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“Adaptive Ministry” – Cameron Young, guest speaker (pronouns they/them)

Download the Morning Program here or read it below without downloading

Of their discourse, Cameron writes:

This year has been unprecedented for Unitarian Universalist Congregations, as many have sought ministers only to come up empty-handed. This shortage in ministers is not unique to UU or even religious organizations, but universal to all helping professions in the country. Why the shift? What does our shared theology say about how we, as beacons of liberal faith, must adapt to an era where change is constant?

Introducing our guest speaker:

Cameron Young is a native Texan and lifelong Unitarian Universalist. Having grown up in those programs, they developed a particular affinity for youth and young adult ministry. Prior to joining the UUA, Cameron served as a lifespan religious educator in Fort Worth, Texas for five years, having helped to implement their congregation’s first ever Coming of Age, Spirit Play, and Young Adults programs. Cameron also served a two-year elected position as Young Adult Co-Facilitator at General Assembly. Cameron has a Bachelor of Music from Louisiana State University and is currently a seminarian at Fort Worth’s Brite Divinity School. A professional musician and classically trained singer, Cameron has performed in numerous operas, musicals, is a member and co-founder of DFW’s Uptown Carolers, a professional Christmas caroling company, and also recorded with Grammy award winner Leon Bridges on his debut album. In their spare time, Cameron is an avid traveler, diehard fan of Dallas sports teams, and devoted coffee drinker.

TMP 07-10 v.2

Two Trillion and Counting

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Two Trillion and Counting

The Rev. Dr. Mark Y.A. Davies, leading

DOWNLOAD THE MORNING PROGRAM HERE or read it below without downloading

What impact does the knowledge that there are likely more than 2 trillion galaxies in the universe have on our self-understanding and on our religious vision of ourselves within the cosmos?

About our visiting minister:

Rev. Dr. Mark Y. A. Davies is the Wimberly Professor of Social and Ecological Ethics, Director of the World House Institute for Social and Ecological Responsibility, and Executive Director of the Leadership. Education, and Development (LEaD) Hub North United States for the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) at Oklahoma City University where he has worked in both teaching and administration for 25 years. He is an ordained elder in the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church where he has served as Chair of the Board of Church and Society from 2015 to 2018.

Mark’s Ph.D. is from Boston University in the area of Social Ethics, and he has served Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) as a member of its Dean’s Advisory Board and as the alumnus representative on BUSTH’s Green Team as part of the Green Seminary Initiative.

Mark has led and implemented a number of initiatives in coordination with the Division of Higher Education of the United Methodist Church including a Methodist Higher Education Global Ethics Initiative from 2008 to 2012, a United Methodist Higher Education Interfaith Initiative from 2015 to present, and a Global Methodist Higher Education Social and Ecological Responsibility Initiative from December 2016 to the present. Mark has published in the areas of Boston personalism, process philosophy and ethics, and ecological ethics.

In 2017, the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church selected Dr. Davies to serve as the convener of the writing team tasked with revising “The Natural World” section of the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church. This is the first time the Social Principles have undergone a thorough revision since their adoption by the denomination in 1972.

Mark is one of the inaugural members of the New Room Books Editorial Board. New Room Books is a reviewed academic monograph series that offers scholars from the Methodist tradition and their students a way to share their work.

Since 2015, Mark has served on the United Methodist University Senate, which is “an elected body of professionals in higher education created by the General Conference to determine which schools, colleges, universities, and theological schools meet the criteria for listing as institutions affiliated with The United Methodist Church.”

Mark engages in advocacy and activism in the areas of peace, social justice, and ecological sustainability. Locally this is expressed through his work with the Human Community Network, which works to create non-violent systemic change for a just and flourishing human and ecological community through collaboration, education, innovation, and action. See www.humancommunitynetwork.org.

He and his wife Kristin live in Edmond, OK in the United States, and they have two daughters who attend Oklahoma City University.

“Justice Interconnected” –

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Download The Morning Program here (or read it below w/o downloading)

Justice Interconnected – the Rev. Dr. Mark Y. A. Davies, leading

Of his discourse, Mark writes:

Martin Luther King wisely noted that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Social Justice concerns within our society are intimately connected with one another, and it is critical for advocates and activists for a just society to recognize these connections for a holistic approach to social change. 

About our visiting minister:

Rev. Dr. Mark Y. A. Davies is the Wimberly Professor of Social and Ecological Ethics, Director of the World House Institute for Social and Ecological Responsibility, and Executive Director of the Leadership. Education, and Development (LEaD) Hub North United States for the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) at Oklahoma City University where he has worked in both teaching and administration for 25 years. He is an ordained elder in the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church where he has served as Chair of the Board of Church and Society from 2015 to 2018.

Mark’s Ph.D. is from Boston University in the area of Social Ethics, and he has served Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) as a member of its Dean’s Advisory Board and as the alumnus representative on BUSTH’s Green Team as part of the Green Seminary Initiative.

Mark has led and implemented a number of initiatives in coordination with the Division of Higher Education of the United Methodist Church including a Methodist Higher Education Global Ethics Initiative from 2008 to 2012, a United Methodist Higher Education Interfaith Initiative from 2015 to present, and a Global Methodist Higher Education Social and Ecological Responsibility Initiative from December 2016 to the present. Mark has published in the areas of Boston personalism, process philosophy and ethics, and ecological ethics.

In 2017, the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church selected Dr. Davies to serve as the convener of the writing team tasked with revising “The Natural World” section of the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church. This is the first time the Social Principles have undergone a thorough revision since their adoption by the denomination in 1972.

Mark is one of the inaugural members of the New Room Books Editorial Board. New Room Books is a reviewed academic monograph series that offers scholars from the Methodist tradition and their students a way to share their work.

Since 2015, Mark has served on the United Methodist University Senate, which is “an elected body of professionals in higher education created by the General Conference to determine which schools, colleges, universities, and theological schools meet the criteria for listing as institutions affiliated with The United Methodist Church.”

Mark engages in advocacy and activism in the areas of peace, social justice, and ecological sustainability. Locally this is expressed through his work with the Human Community Network, which works to create non-violent systemic change for a just and flourishing human and ecological community through collaboration, education, innovation, and action. See www.humancommunitynetwork.org.

He and his wife Kristin live in Edmond, OK in the United States, and they have two daughters who attend Oklahoma City University.

TMP 07-03 v.1

 

“Fighting the Merchants of Death”

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Download the Morning Program here or read it online below without having to download it.

Of his upcoming discourse, Dr. Davies writes:

When there is money to be made, human health and safety often come second and the environment usually comes third to profits. In many cases government agencies and corporations work closely together to keep it that way. What can be done to break this collusion between government and corporations that continues to put profits over people and the planet?

About our visiting minister:

Rev. Dr. Mark Y. A. Davies is the Wimberly Professor of Social and Ecological Ethics, Director of the World House Institute for Social and Ecological Responsibility, and Executive Director of the Leadership. Education, and Development (LEaD) Hub North United States for the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) at Oklahoma City University where he has worked in both teaching and administration for 25 years. He is an ordained elder in the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church where he has served as Chair of the Board of Church and Society from 2015 to 2018.

Mark’s Ph.D. is from Boston University in the area of Social Ethics, and he has served Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) as a member of its Dean’s Advisory Board and as the alumnus representative on BUSTH’s Green Team as part of the Green Seminary Initiative.

Mark has led and implemented a number of initiatives in coordination with the Division of Higher Education of the United Methodist Church including a Methodist Higher Education Global Ethics Initiative from 2008 to 2012, a United Methodist Higher Education Interfaith Initiative from 2015 to present, and a Global Methodist Higher Education Social and Ecological Responsibility Initiative from December 2016 to the present. Mark has published in the areas of Boston personalism, process philosophy and ethics, and ecological ethics.

In 2017, the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church selected Dr. Davies to serve as the convener of the writing team tasked with revising “The Natural World” section of the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church. This is the first time the Social Principles have undergone a thorough revision since their adoption by the denomination in 1972.

Mark is one of the inaugural members of the New Room Books Editorial Board. New Room Books is a reviewed academic monograph series that offers scholars from the Methodist tradition and their students a way to share their work.

Since 2015, Mark has served on the United Methodist University Senate, which is “an elected body of professionals in higher education created by the General Conference to determine which schools, colleges, universities, and theological schools meet the criteria for listing as institutions affiliated with The United Methodist Church.”

Mark engages in advocacy and activism in the areas of peace, social justice, and ecological sustainability. Locally this is expressed through his work with the Human Community Network, which works to create non-violent systemic change for a just and flourishing human and ecological community through collaboration, education, innovation, and action. See www.humancommunitynetwork.org.

He and his wife Kristin live in Edmond, OK in the United States, and they have two daughters who attend Oklahoma City University.

TMP 06-26 - v.2

“Love Calls Us On”

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Download the Morning Program here or scroll below and read the morning program without having to download it.

Of his remarks, Dr. Sinkford writes:

Love Calls Us On: Our national narrative and our faith’s story present us as both innocent and wise. The facts on the ground tell a more complicated story. What does faithfulness require when the wisdom of the past seems to be failing? What is love calling us to do in these divisive times when innocence is no longer an option?

About our guest minister

Mr. Sinkford, spent his childhood in Cincinnati and became a Unitarian-Universalist when he was 14 years old. He wrote, I claimed the church when as a young black man, I walked into First Unitarian, Cincinnati, and found a religious community where I could be fully myself. Though he left in the 1970s believing that the Universalists had retreated from engagement with racial justice. He returned to find a religious home for his two children. He was ordained in 1995.

In 2001 he became the seventh president of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.[3] In 2003, Sinkford said the “main goal of his presidency of the Unitarian Universalist Association was to reclaim a “vocabulary of reverence” within the association; he had been struck by the fact that the association’s Purposes and Principles “contain not one piece of traditional religious language, not one word”; it includes generalizations about human dignity, justice and “the interdependent web of all existence,” but does not do much “to capture our individual searches for truth and meaning.” Sinkford has previously considered himself a “card-carrying atheist” who in 1997, after his comatose son had recovered, began to develop a “prayer life centered on thankfulness and gratefulness to God.” William F. Schulz who had served as UUA president from 1985 to 1993, supported Sinkford’s efforts to use a “wide lexicon” of religious language, and had “long been critical of the position of some humanists that would sanctify secular language and lock us into a calcified rationalism.”

Since 2010, he has served as the senior minister for the First Unitarian Church in Portland, Oregon.

TMP 06-19 v.4 FINAL

“Fighting Theocracy”

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You may download the morning program here or read it online below without downloading.

With reproductive justice under attack, “don’t say gay” laws gaining traction, and a warped view of religious freedom threatening civil rights; the real possibility of theocracy is at our doorstep, and the Supreme Court of the United States can no longer be counted on to stop it. What can be done to stop the increasing influence of theocratic visions and practices within our society? 

 

About our returning guest minister:

Rev. Dr. Mark Y. A. Davies is the Wimberly Professor of Social and Ecological Ethics, Director of the World House Institute for Social and Ecological Responsibility, and Executive Director of the Leadership. Education, and Development (LEaD) Hub North United States for the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) at Oklahoma City University where he has worked in both teaching and administration for 25 years. He is an ordained elder in the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church where he has served as Chair of the Board of Church and Society from 2015 to 2018.

Mark’s Ph.D. is from Boston University in the area of Social Ethics, and he has served Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) as a member of its Dean’s Advisory Board and as the alumnus representative on BUSTH’s Green Team as part of the Green Seminary Initiative.

Mark has led and implemented a number of initiatives in coordination with the Division of Higher Education of the United Methodist Church including a Methodist Higher Education Global Ethics Initiative from 2008 to 2012, a United Methodist Higher Education Interfaith Initiative from 2015 to present, and a Global Methodist Higher Education Social and Ecological Responsibility Initiative from December 2016 to the present. Mark has published in the areas of Boston personalism, process philosophy and ethics, and ecological ethics.

In 2017, the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church selected Dr. Davies to serve as the convener of the writing team tasked with revising “The Natural World” section of the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church. This is the first time the Social Principles have undergone a thorough revision since their adoption by the denomination in 1972.

Mark is one of the inaugural members of the New Room Books Editorial Board. New Room Books is a reviewed academic monograph series that offers scholars from the Methodist tradition and their students a way to share their work.

Since 2015, Mark has served on the United Methodist University Senate, which is “an elected body of professionals in higher education created by the General Conference to determine which schools, colleges, universities, and theological schools meet the criteria for listing as institutions affiliated with The United Methodist Church.”

Mark engages in advocacy and activism in the areas of peace, social justice, and ecological sustainability. Locally this is expressed through his work with the Human Community Network, which works to create non-violent systemic change for a just and flourishing human and ecological community through collaboration, education, innovation, and action. See www.humancommunitynetwork.org.

He and his wife Kristin live in Edmond, OK in the United States, and they have two daughters who attend Oklahoma City University.

THE MORNING PROGRAM [tap/click the bottom of the page to see the next page]

TMP-06-12-v.3