Music is one of the most hotly contested parts of any congregation’s life–just think of all the churches with a “traditional” service and a “contemporary” service…so no one has to sing a hymn they don’t like! At WES, we sometimes say that if you liked *every* piece of music on a given Sunday, then we … Continue reading Beauty Is in the Ear of the Beholder
What are the stories we tell about ourselves? What if they were reimagined into vintage films, with a liberal dose of imagination? Join us this Founder’s Day to find out the answers to BOTH these questions…and to celebrate, with a little fun and a lot of love, our 75 years of history. Music from the … Continue reading WES’ History: A Work of Fiction
Life offers us the opportunity to be in relationship with all kinds of people–beginning with those who raise us. How do we approach our family relationships with curiosity, seeking to learn about people even when they challenge us? And what does the practice of curiosity offer us as we interact with the wider world, particularly … Continue reading Cultivating Curiosity
As the saying goes, “I love you, you’re perfect, now change!” Many of us struggle with experiences of self-doubt, and our tradition counters this with an assertion of our inherent worth. At the same time, we are committed to our continual growth…suggesting that we may not be, in fact, perfect. How do we hold these … Continue reading Perfect, Imperfect, Broken, Whole
For centuries, philosophers and theologians have debated whether we are dual beings: mind and body separate, or whole beings. And then you add in the idea of spirit! Amanda will explore the debates–as well as the scientific perspective–and consider what each idea might have to offer us as Ethical Culturists. Music from the WES Chorus.
So often we imagine that life is like a straight line. But in reality our lives are much more like a spiral, including those lessons that repeat over and over again when we think we should get a break from them already! Using the image of a labyrinth as a starting place, Amanda will explore … Continue reading Life is a Labyrinth
Join Amanda as she reflects on the values that have guided WES since its founding, and how she sees those values serving WES now and in its future. What is next for us as a community? What skills do we need to learn as we become increasingly multicultural and multigenerational? Amanda will share the view … Continue reading WES’ Journey Through Time
You may be thinking the answer to this question is–at least right now–a definite no. And you may be right! Amanda will explore what trust looks like in society as a whole, from the social safety net to traffic laws, and how we can respond when we feel that trust has been broken. Music from … Continue reading Is America Trustworthy?
In our annual celebration of love, Amanda will be joined by Ethical Culture colleagues and artists to explore the way many different kinds of relationships ask us to invest in each other in remarkably similar ways. How can deep listening and even tension help to build trust? What does it take to stick with a … Continue reading Different Loves, Same Trust: Pay Attention to Love Day
“Ethical Culture defines itself as non-theistic–that is, we have “no official position” on whether God exists. Instead, we focus on how to live our lives and build a better world. But does that mean we don’t have faith, trust, in anything? Join Amanda for an exploration of what we believe in as humanists, and where … Continue reading In Skepticism We Trust
