UUABQ Voice

April 26, 2026: Youth and the Interconnected Web of Life

The amazing youth in our congregation chose the theme, music, and readings for this service,  and wrote reflections to guide the congregation. The service also includes a child dedication ceremony for seven children and youth, and a special ritual to say goodbye to our Director of Congregational Life, Laira Magnusson, and her family.

April 19, 2026: "Earth Day" The Rev. Stacey Mitchell

Music: Susan Peck with Cantabilis.

April 12, 2026: “Come to Jesus: Some Things My Mental Illness Taught Me” Christina Socorro Yovovich

How did rejecting the shame and stigma surrounding their mental illness help Christina root more fully into our beloved community? How can listening to all the parts of yourself bring you strength? Come contemplate through story and reflection. The service will include a farewell ritual for Rev. Beth Elliot, our departing Associate Minister. After the service, there will be a short reception for her with some special music led by Susan Peck.
Music: Lydia Clark, Staff Musician.
Christina Socorro Yovovich’s pronouns are she/her/they/them. She has been a member of First Unitarian since 2014. Their family roots begin in Mexico and Montenegro and the labels they claim for themself include writer, mother, artist, bipolar, autistic, fat, person with PTSD, and wisdom seeker.

April 5, 2026: "Easter: Resurrection and Reincarnation" The Rev. Stacey Mitchell

A reflection for Easter on resurrection and reincarnation, through a look at Jesus, Buddhism, and the earth.
Music: Susan Peck and Chalice Choir, with Lydia Clark, Vance Bass, Chris Paul.

March 29, 2026: “Palm Sunday: Jesus as Social Justice Advocate” The Rev. Stacey Mitchell

Rev. Stacey will reflect on how Jesus related to power, and what was historically happening that led to his death.
Music: Lydia Clark & Susan Peck

March 22, 2026: Spring Equinox

The Rev. Stacey Mitchell

Celebrating our connection to light and our interdependence with nature.

Music: Cantabilis, with Leslie Bowen, Emily Moore, Erika Nielson, Susan Peck, Michele Spiro, Celia Yapita.

March 15, 2026: “The Truth in our Stories” Scott Kasmire, Pulpit Guest

Humans are story-making animals. As Unitarian Universalists, we both share our stories and tell a shared story. How we do that impacts not only how we feel about ourselves, but also how we change the world.

First U member Scott Kasmire joined Unitarian Universalism in the mid-1990s as a twenty-something. As a fifty-something, he can be found teaching high school math at the Alamo Navajo Reservation or spending time with family at Laguna Pueblo.

Music: Lydia Clark

March 8, 2026: “Becoming Water: Courage, Radical Love and Ancestral Practices for Fire Times” Natty Averett, Pulpit Guest

How can we face our fears, do what’s right, be loving, be resilient and stay sane amidst internal and external turmoil? We’ll consider how to grow our courage, foster radical love within ourselves, and look to our ancestors to support our spiritual intuition and build our resilience.
Natalia “Natty” Averett (they/(s)he) is a gender-fluid, sapiosexual Black American and Afro-Caribbean Latiné person of African, European and indigenous North and Central American heritage. A long-time UU and Insight (Vipassana) meditator, as a young adult Natty served as president of a 1000+ member UU congregation while also serving as a trustee on both their local district UU board and the national UUA Board. 
Music: Sol Singers, under the direction of Susan Peck.

March 1, 2026: “Interfaith Mystics and Pluralism” The Rev. Stacey Mitchell

Exploring Unitarian Universalism’s value of Pluralism, and the influential spiritual traditions of Reb Zalman, Krishnamurti, and Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan.
Music: Chalice Choir, under the direction of Susan Peck.

February 22, 2026: “Lessons from My Dog” The Rev. Stacey Mitchell

Author Robert Fulghum, who wrote “All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten” in 1988, is also a UU Minister. Inspired by this book, Rev. Stacey will give a sermon about what she has learned from her dog, Copper.

Music: Lydia Clark,Erika Nielson, and Michele Spiro share some great dawg-friendly songs.