“May Your Pillow Catch Fire!” with Rev. Scott Alexander

SYNOPSIS
Rev. Scott Alexander, our UUFF minister, will be presenting on “May Your Pillow Catch Fire!” We invite you to come and hear about the values Unitarian Universalists share when it comes to empathy and liberation. Join us after the service for coffee and dialogue.

Our service leader will be Alicia McKeehan.

SERMON DESCRIPTION
Rev. Scott writes:

“Over recent months, many on the ‘religious and cultural right’ have vociferously criticized something they have labeled as ‘Toxic Empathy.’  But empathy toward others has been perhaps the most animating value and virtue of Unitarian Universalism for its more than 5 centuries of  institutional existence. Do be with me as I explore the central role I believe empathy must play in our day-to-day lives — both in the personal and political spheres of our existence as caring human beings.”

PRESENTER BIO
A third-generation Wisconsin Unitarian Universalist, Rev. Scott Alexander (he/him) has an undergraduate degree in Urban Studies from Lawrence University and a Master of Divinity degree from Starr King School for the Ministry. He was ordained as a minister in 1974 at the First Church of Houlton in Maine. He has served a total of eight congregations throughout the nation. While he was in Boston, he was an adjunct faculty member teaching Homiletics at Andover Newton Theological School and has also taught at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago.

He is a well-respected author with the Unitarian Universalist Association and has written or edited several books including The Welcoming Congregation: Resources for Affirming Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Unitarian Universalists (1990); AIDS and Your Religious Community: A Hands-On Guide for Local Programs (1991); and Everyday Spiritual Practice: Simple Pathways for Enriching Your Life (1999).

Rev. Alexander lives in Milwaukee (and Sheboygan) with his partner of 43 years, H. Collins Mikesell, who has recently retired form his long career as a Senior Analyst for the Association of American Medical Colleges located in Washington DC.

Blessed be.