From time to time people ask me why a certain tragedy occurred on either a personal or global scale. They wonder what we can or should be doing to resolve the world’s problems. It is the nature of life that people we care for get ill or go through times of great difficulty. And it is natural that we feel empathy and are compelled to help in whatever way we can. But do we actually know what people truly need? With this in mind, the question becomes, do we really live in a cruel world? Let’s explore.
Rev. Michael JS Carter, guest speaker
Rev. Michael J. Carter is originally from Baltimore, Maryland. He moved to New York City in 1980 and lived there for 25 years, working as a professional actor before moving to Asheville with his family. Michael is an ordained Inter-faith minister and received his BA Degree in Letters from the College of New Rochelle where he graduated cum laude. He received his Masters In Divinity Degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City (class of 2000).While serving various Unitarian Universalist Congregations in New York, Michael was trained as an anti-racism trainer by the Unitarian Universalist Association and has been recognized by President Clinton for his efforts. Michael has served at Mission Health System as a chaplain and diversity officer. He now serves as the minister for Unitarian Universalist Congregation of The Swannanoa Valley, in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina.
Guest -Mountain True Outreach
Nancy Aguillón Díaz is the Southern Regional Director for MountainTrue, an environmental advocacy non-profit in Western North Carolina and Northern Georgia, which champions clean water, resilient forests, and healthy communities in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. There she supports programs in 5 WNC counties – Transylvania, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford, and Cleveland counties. Nancy was born and raised in WNC, her parents immigrated from Queretaro, Mexico in the late 80s, and have called Henderson County home since. She graduated from Wake Forest University and has a graduate degree from the University of Notre Dame. Among Nancy’s accomplishments are completing a Fulbright in Mexico where she taught English to college students, serving on 2 local government advisory committees (diversity and inclusion, and environmental advisory), a local nonprofit board (Latino Advocacy Coalition) and most recently, being a foster parent through the county Department of Social Services. Nancy’s greater community experience has been working at Pisgah Legal Services and Blue Ridge Community Health, she’s worked at 2 universities where she’s supported first generation college students, and assisted a US-Mexico border immersion program. Environmental Justice drives Nancy’s personal mission, she has a record of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion goals at organization’s she’s been a part of, and taking initiative to bring a different perspective in spaces marginalized communities are under- or not represented.
Musician:
Michael Jefry Stevens, piano
Mr. Stevens is a accomplished pianist, composer and “Steinway Artist,”. He has released over 80 CDs and composed over 340 works for both large and small ensembles. An active band-leader for over 40 years, his music spans jazz and modern musical styles. Michael lives in Black Mountain and is a frequent performer and popular jazz piano teacher in the WNC area. We, once again, welcome Michael to UUFH as our guest pianist
We gather for worship and fellowship each Sunday with a service at 10:30 followed by coffee hour. Dress is casual. Parking is plentiful. And our building is accessible.
Family Ministry / Sunday School: All Ages meet in Sanctuary at 10:30 AM Children go to classrooms at 10:45 after the “Story for All Ages.” On the lower level, we have a nursery for infants and toddlers, and we have classes where children and youth learn about and explore faith, religion, justice, and community.
We welcome you: your whole self, with all your truths and your doubts, your worries and your hopes. Join us on this extraordinary adventure of faith!
Topics: Care, Communication, community, Empathy, Life