Sunday we will honor the rich and compelling story of both our Universalist heritage and the modern liberal religious movement that "makes real" the Universalist impetus in our own time.

Early critics of this controversial and unconditional theology asked, almost dumbfounded, "What has the Universalist to fear?"

So is it really sound to posit that there is no hell and that all are loved by God just as they are? You bet it is!

Is there still a place in contemporary society for a philosophy of radical acceptance and authentic hospitality? Just pick up the newspaper or login to the bloggers for events that encourage relevant applications of these ancient tenets.

Together we'll explore what it means to be a Universalist and a Unitarian Universalist on the streets where we live.

Joining me on the Chancel will be Pastoral Care Minister Rev. Fred Rabidoux, Ministerial Intern Peter Olandt, Acting Director of Religious Education Betty Skwarek, and acolyte Antonia Porter. World musician Lisa Sangkita Moskow will minister in music.

If you know someone who is looking for a church home, please bring them to worship this Sunday!

Preschoolers will be exploring, celebrating, and giving thanks for the foods we eat, the water we drink, and some of the other amazing resources that grow from the ground as part of their October theme of "The Earth's Been Good to Me." Art projects will have a nature theme and a message about how we can show thankfulness and kindness to everything that grows. Younger children -- up to 5 -- will be welcomed as early as 9:45, and classroom activities for preschoolers begin at 11.

Older children and youth are invited to start their Sunday activities at 10 with the Youth choir in the Chapel and the First Unitarian Universalist Nonsense Society (fun and games) in the Thomas Starr King Room. The Parent Group will also start at 10 in the Religious Education Library.

Then at 11, religious education program participants will attend the beginning of the service in the Sanctuary and then go to their classes. Children will be welcomed at:

• Creating Home for Kindergartners through 2nd graders
• Rite of Passage for 3rd graders
• Toolbox of Faith for 4th and 5th graders
• Neighboring Faiths for 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th graders
• Coming of Age for already registered 8th and 9th graders
• Our Whole Lives for 10th, 11th and 12th graders.

Our Whole Lives and Rite of Passage will close to new students at the end of October. If you are interested in a particular class, please register your children for the Religious Education program and for the class as soon as possible. Phone Betty at 776-4580 for answers to your questions.

Next Wednesday (October 15) at 7 pm, you're invited to learn about "The Unitarian Church in Transylvania" with Maria Kelemen Solis. This two-hour lecture is part of the Adult Religious Education series focus on the European roots of Unitarian Universalism. The fee for this session is only $5, and no advanced registration is required.

Don Climent and Leslie Peterson of the International Rescue Committee have been working since 1979 to help resettle legally admitted refugees from around the world including this year's welcome to Bhutanese refugees who have been in exile in Nepal since the early 1990's.

At Sunday's Forum, Don and Leslie will discuss how the refugees are building new lives in the Bay Area.

The free program will start at 9:45. Come at 9:30 for conversation, coffee, and (for a slight charge) a light breakfast.

You can contribute to the security of our Sunday community, add practical skills to your spiritual tool belt, and learn simple techniques to mitigate unstable or inappropriate behavior.

All Society Members are encouraged to come to this very special workshop, sponsored by the Safety and Security Committee. Trainer Mike Arrajj, R.N., will conduct his excellent crisis intervention workshop -- allowing us to continue to be diverse, safe, and open to all.

Please reserve your lunch and class seat by calling the church office at 776-4580 or by emailing Nancy Evans.

The Congregation gathered in the Chapel last Sunday to celebrate their animal companions and to listen to author Mark Bittner in a ceremony sponsored by the Unitarian Universalists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

The members of the First Unitarian Church of Oakland ordained Rev. Laurel Liefert last Sunday in a 4 pm ceremony.

Rev. Liefert has served the San Francisco Society as a Ministerial Intern, and many of her San Francisco friends attended the celebration.

Thank you to photographer Sonnie Willis for sharing views of the day.