Unitarian Universalist Programs
(short descriptions)
by Connie Barlow and Michael Dowd


   
  • Connie Barlow's Program List

  • Michael Dowd's Program List

  • Michael's Thank God for Evolution! 2-hour special presentation

  • Stories for All Ages & R.E. for Kids

  • Special Programs for Multi-Day UU Events

  • Order of Service & Hymn recommendations

  • their simple requirements for Home Hospitality

  • BIOGRAPHIES to introduce us at UU events


  • Connie Barlow's Program Titles

          1. "A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE: Your Brain's Creation Story"

    ♦ 15 to 25 minute Sunday sermon for adults and youth

    ♦ accompanied by 5-minute children's story, "Animals in Your Brain" (with puppets)

    ♦ Connie's NEW PROGRAM! (enthusiastically received when introduced Feb 08 at Chalice UU near San Diego)

    In spring of 2007, Connie began including this material as one facet of her "Awakening to the Universe Story" sermon. Congregational response was so appreciative that she is now offering it as a complete sermon in itself. She has found that while the "We Are Made of Stardust" theme is well received by all ages (especially children!), and that while her "Death Through Deep-Time Eyes" sermon is hugely appreciated by people in their middle and elder years, the lessons drawn from Evolutionary Brain Science and Evolutionary Psychology can be transformative for YOUTH and adults — especially those struggling with relationship problems or substance abuse in their own lives or in the lives of family members. Note: For the 5-minute children's story, Connie uses hand puppets. (Click HERE for stories of what makes this program so powerfully received.)
        The core of the message is that the human brain is exquisite evidence against "intelligent design". Our brain is not freshly designed to serve the human condition: rather, it is an amalgam of the brain components that served our ancient ancestors, what scientists call "The Quadrune Brain". Connie and her husband, Michael Dowd, developed playful names for the four components: The Reptilian Brain(brain stem and cerebellum) handles basic survival and reproductive instincts. It is "OUR LIZARD LEGACY". The Paleo Mammalian Brain (amygdala, hippocampus) is the locus of our emotional response and the source of our drive to bond with others and nurture our offspring. It is "OUR FURRY LI'L MAMMAL". The New Mammalian Brain (neocortex) is the rational, calculating part of our brain that evolved to help the drives in our Paleo Mammalian Brain and our Reptilian Brain more successfully get what they want. It is, what the Buddhist tradition calls, "OUR MONKEY MIND". Finally, the most Advanced part of our brain (prefrontal cortex) plays the executive function, sorting among competing drives. Because of it, humans are capable of freely choosing entirely new paths of living purposeful lives in service to our world and the future. This we call "OUR HIGHER PORPOISE".

    Suggested description for publicity for SUNDAY SERMON:

    Unitarian Universalists, as freethinkers, have long appreciated the scientific endeavor for what it can tell us about the vast Universe and the depths of prehistory. The young sciences of Evolutionary Psychology and Evolutionary Brain Science are now beginning to offer practical tools that can assist us in leading fulfilled, on-purpose lives. Indeed, these sciences teach that "inherited proclivities," which served our pre-human ancestors, are at the root of our most challenging personal issues today: relationship troubles and our tendencies to use food and other substances in unhealthy ways. Connie Barlow and her husband, Rev. Michael Dowd, have presented programs at more than 250 UU churches and fellowships. Their "evolutionary evangelism" is a featured article in the spring 2006 issue of UU World. Their website: www.TheGreatStory.org

      

    2. "CELEBRATING EVOLUTION"

    ♦ 15 to 25 minute sermon

    ♦ Listen to AUDIO of Connie's 2006 sermon at Second Unitarian of Omaha

    (You may choose an alternative title for the same program: "Awakening to the Universe Story".)

    This is a flexible sermon title that allows Connie to speak about whatever components of the 14 billion year Story of the Universe, told as sacred story, that she is most excited about in the moment. The title also matches that of Connie's 2-disk DVD set.

    Suggested description for publicity for SUNDAY SERMON:

    Science writer Connie Barlow, a popular UU speaker, is a leader in the growing movement that celebrates mainstream science as our shared "cosmic creation story." Building upon Carl Sagan's legacy, Connie shares how artful presentations of our evolutionary heritage can breathe new life into UU religious education programs for adults, youth, and children. Connie Barlow and her husband, Rev. Michael Dowd, have presented programs at more than 250 UU churches and fellowships. Their "evolutionary evangelism" is a featured article in the spring 2006 issue of UU World. Connie's website: www.TheGreatStory.org


       3. "DEATH THROUGH DEEP-TIME EYES: An Evolutionary Celebration"

    ♦ 20 to 25 minute Sunday sermon or 2-hr evening workshop

    ♦ Listen to AUDIO of Connie's 2006 sermon at Unitarian Society of Hartford, CT

    ♦ Click here for "Even the Heavens are Not Immortal: An Alluring Vision of Death", which is an interview of Connie on this theme, published in the Sept 2005 issue of What Is Enlightenment? magazine.

    (You may choose an alternative title for this program: "Death in the Heavens for Life on Earth".)

    This is one of Connie's current favorite programs, as it celebrates how understandings drawn from a range of sciences (astrophysics, evolutionary biology, embryology, cell biology, ecology, geology) can transform our view of death. Setting aside our UU differences in beliefs about what happens to spirit/soul/consciousness after death, Connie offers a celebration of the material fact of death that we all can share — a sense that death is natural and generative at all levels of reality. Both the 25-minute sermon and the 2-hour workshop on this theme employ a traditional hymn, with words rewritten by Connie, as the structure for presenting the science. The program concludes with the congregation/audience joining Connie in singing the verses. Recommended hymns from the UU hymnal to accompany this sermon are #6 and #301. If your Sunday service includes a 5-minute children's story, Connie loves to tell the "We Are Stardust" story to kids, with an emphasis on how all the atoms in our bodies are recycled stardust, made available to us by ancestral stars who gave their atoms back to the universe when those stars died. Click here to view an illustrated description of the core content of the long version of this program.

    If you select this topic, please select as a congregational HYMN somewhere in the program the hymn Connie adapted, "Praise Birth and Death Amid the Stars". You can print-out a PDF of the full songsheet for the pianist and a short version with just the melody and lyrics to insert in the order of service. This hymn is ideal as the closing hymn.

    Because Connie uses another simple SONG during her sermon/talk, you may wish to print as an insert for the Order of Service, just the lyrics of the song "Death Has Lifted Us" (or, if the sanctuary is small, posters that Connie has of the verses will be sufficient). Click here for an AUDIO CLIP of the first verse.

    Click here for a 3 MINUTE VIDEO CLIP of this program.

    Suggested description for publicity for SUNDAY SERMON:

    Coming to terms with death, of loved ones and ultimately of ourselves, has long been regarded as a core impetus for the religious impulse. Science writer Connie Barlow, a popular UU speaker, assembles modern understandings drawn from sciences spanning biology, geology, and astrophysics to weave a cosmological celebration of death that is both realistic and comforting. No matter what our individual beliefs about what happens to spirit/soul/consciousness after death, we can join in celebrating the material fact of death — that so much of what we cherish in life is possible only because death has prepared the way. Because she uses song as the structure for this sermon, this program is highly recommended for children age 10 and up. Connie Barlow and her husband, Rev. Michael Dowd, have presented programs at more than 250 UU churches and fellowships. Their "evolutionary evangelism" is a featured article in the spring 2006 issue of UU World. Connie's website: www.TheGreatStory.org

    Suggested description for publicity if Connie presents this title as a 2-hour workshop:

    Western civilization is grounded in a creation story that explains death as the consequence of humanity's original sin of disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Whether or not we are consciously aware of this story, the notion that death is un-natural, bad, and something to be avoided at all costs pervades our existence and shows up in increasingly dysfunctional ways. In this 2-hour program Connie Barlow provides, first, a celebratory awareness of how the biological, geological, and astronomical sciences reveal that death is "natural and generative" at all levels of Reality, and, second, an opportunity to reflect inwardly and as a group on new possibilities for death awareness — especially as a vital facet of the emerging evolutionary form of eco-spirituality. The science part of this presentation is not only rich, but is conveyed through the art of song. Connie Barlow and her husband, Rev. Michael Dowd, have presented programs at more than 250 UU churches and fellowships. Their "evolutionary evangelism" is a featured article in the spring 2006 issue of UU World. The Fall 2005 issue of "What Is Enlightenment?" magazine features an interview with Connie on her evolutionary view of death. Website: www.TheGreatStory.org

    4. "WE ARE STARDUST!" - adult or intergenerational

    Science can now offer us a renewed intimacy with the night sky: stars become our ancestors — truly! — as we learn how the atoms that now compose our bodies were created inside the bellies of giant stars that lived and died before our sun was born. As Carl Sagan exulted, "We are recycled star stuff!" (For a brief introduction to the meaning that can be drawn from the stardust story, see a one-page Stardust Flier in PDF, which we often hand out after presentations.) For INTERGENERATIONAL SERVICES, we recommend that this service be concluded with a "Cosmic Communion" Ritual. For adult services, you may wish to include Robert Weston's "Out of The Stars" Responsive Reading #530 from the UU Hymnal and invite Connie to present a fun 5-minute "Story for All Ages" for the kids on the Stardust theme. R.E. teachers may wish to supplement this service with kid's UU curriculum materials on the stardust theme, to be used on a subsequent Sunday or more in the classroom, as these materials are available free for downloading from Connie's website.

    Note: If you have a choir, you may wish to have them sing the choral arrangement to the Weston reading: "Out of the Stars," set to music by Betsy Jo Angebraandt, Minister of Music at the Annapolis, MD, UU Church. This music is available through the UUA Bookstore in Boston (phone 617-742-2100). Another lovely choral version was set to music by David Beaubien and adapted by Jason Shelton, and is freely available for use at www.JasonSheltonMusic.com. (It also appears in Rev. Shelton's 2nd edition song-book: This Little Light.

    Click here for ORDER OF SERVICE SUGGESTIONS for an intergenerational service, with Cosmic Communion Ritual.

    Reading (to precede sermon or printed in O of S): "We are the local embodiment of a cosmos grown to self-awareness. We have begun to contemplate our origins: star stuff pondering the stars!" — Carl Sagan, 1980

    Suggested publicity paragraph for a Stardust Intergenerational Service:

    This intergenerational service celebrates our scientific understanding that all the complex atoms in our bodies were forged inside the cores of ancient stars that lived and died before our own star, the Sun, was born. Science thus offers a wondrous intimacy with the night sky, as we notice red giants that are now making carbon and blue stars that are destined to make calcium and iron. As Carl Sagan has exulted, "We are recycled star stuff!" Connie Barlow and her husband, Rev. Michael Dowd, have presented programs at more than 250 UU churches. Their "evolutionary evangelism" is a featured article in the spring 2006 issue of UU World. Connie's website: www.TheGreatStory.org

    Suggested publicity paragraph for adult Stardust Service:

    As Carl Sagan exulted 25 years ago, "We are star stuff!" In this guest sermon, science writer and evolutionary humanist Connie Barlow takes us on a spiritual tour of the science underpinning Sagan's statement, along the way revealing why the "cosmic creation story" offered by mainstream science can delight our kids, guide our youth, and give all of us a renewed and embodied relationship with our "kin" in the night sky. Connie Barlow and her husband, Rev. Michael Dowd, have presented programs at more than 250 UU churches. Their "evolutionary evangelism" is a featured article in the spring 2006 issue of UU World. Connie's website: www.TheGreatStory.org

    5. "THE EPIC OF EVOLUTION: The Story of the Changing Story" - adult or intergen.

    The Epic of Evolution is the 14 billion year story of origins, grounded in mainstream science and told in inspiring, sacred ways. It is our shared creation story, born of the collective efforts of scientists of all ethnicities and faiths. In addition to being humanity's only "planet-wide" creation story, it is also the first such story that evolves as the science itself evolves. It is thus "the story of the changing story." Connie will use as the key example one of the dozen evolutionary parables posted on her www.TheGreatStory website. "Pluto's Identity Crisis" was written by Connie in 2003, but it had to be revised after the 2006 proclamation that Pluto was to be classified as a "dwarf planet". A homeschool student provided the storyline for the update. NOTE: If the service is INTERGENERATIONAL, Connie will limit her remarks to allow for the acting out of the 15-minute script of "Pluto's Identity Crisis." Because she will ask for 4 volunteers during (not before!) her sermon, this approach will only work for congregations that are small to mid-size and that enjoy informality and surprise in its services. REQUEST A PHONE CONVERSATION with Connie to discuss possibilities.

        Connie Barlow presenting "Celebrating Evolution" sermon at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Grass Valley, AZ (February 2006).


    Click to view Connie's retired titles for Sunday services, and where these talks were delivered.

    Click for a recommended UU Order of Service.

    Click for BIOGRAPHIES to introduce us at UU events.

    On Selecting a Speaker: We each usually speak in different churches on the same Sunday. We prefer to determine which of us is where based on (1) driving considerations (only Michael drives our large van, so Connie has to be dropped off first), and (2) Connie prefers small to mid-size congregations, whereas Michael is happy to present in large venues. Note: Only Connie does intergenerational services.


      
    Rev. Michael Dowd's
    Programs


    1. "THANK GOD FOR EVOLUTION!"

    This is Michael's NEW PROGRAM, beginning AUTUMN 2007, corresponding to the November 2007 publication of his book, Thank God for Evolution! (Council Oak Books). "Facts are God's native tongue," Michael suggests, after he examines how notions of God have changed from that of an outside creator/intervenor to a sacred name for the Whole. A crucial distinction he makes is the transition from religious insights gained by "private revelation" (rarely, and through individuals) to today's form of "public revelation" (ongoingly, through the community of scientists as a whole). This sermon is a taste of Michael's 2-hour-long workshop, "Thank God for Evolution!"

       


    2. "THE GREAT STORY: Bridging Diversity, Inspiring Celebration, Empowering Great Work"
    (alternative SERMON titles: "The Epic of Evolution: Bridge for UU Spiritual Diversity" or "Humanists and Spiritual Seekers Discover Common Ground")

    Prior to the publication of his book, this was Michael's most requested sermon. In an engaging presentation, he introduces this vibrant young movement and shows how the cosmic creation story born of mainstream science builds on the very foundations of our UU tradition. He identifies ways that this all-inclusive story bridges the rich diversity that exists within our UU communities today — from secular humanists to theists and pagans. He closes by offering a view of our congregations as spiritual microcrosms of the larger world, and as sanctuaries where religious differences are not merely accepted but celebrated.
       AUDIO SAMPLE SERMON (delivered at UU Hendersonville, NC in 2006)


    3. "THE MARRIAGE OF SCIENCE AND RELIGION"
    (alternative SERMON title: "Darwin's Great Gift to Religion")

    The most significant scientific breakthrough of the last century may turn out not to be the decoding of the human genome, nor our detection of the remnant energy of the Big Bang. Rather, we may come to see the pivotal contribution of 20th century science as the gradual uncovering of that creative Reality which many cultures have traditionally called God. Paradoxically, this same science also supports the atheistic claim that the Universe is best understood as genuinely and profoundly creative – that the creativity resides within the process. As this "Universe as nested creativity" awareness spreads throughout the world and its implications become manifest, there is a real likelihood that it will transform the social, political, and economic landscape much as the "Universe as machine" metaphor transformed western culture and values during the 18th and 19th centuries.

       


    4. "CAN THE UNIVERSE BE TRUSTED?"

    William James, the great philosopher and father of American pragmatism, believed that how we regard the Universe makes a huge difference in the way we live. He wrote, "From a pragmatic point of view, the difference between living against a background of foreignness [an indifferent cosmos] and one of intimacy [a benign cosmos] means the difference between a general habit of wariness and one of trust." In this presentation, Michael offers that perhaps the most important philosophical stance we take — knowingly or unknowingly — is the degree to which we trust Reality. Drawing from the Great Story of cosmos, Earth, life, and humanity, Michael suggests ways in which the Universe can be trusted, discusses the practical difference it makes whether we choose to do so or not, and closes with a suggested tool for personal empowerment in the face of challenge.


      

    "Thank God for Evolution!"
    2-hour illustrated talk by Rev. MICHAEL DOWD
    based on his 2007 book

    Michael's book is endorsed by 5 NOBEL LAUREATES, other scientists, and religious leaders across the spectrum

    Visit the Thank God for Evolution! website for

  • samples of audio and video clips from Rev. Dowd's media interviews and live presentations

  • the entire 432-page book downloadable for free in PDF

  • Rev. Dowd's BLOG: "The Evolutionary Evangelist"

  • fliers and other downloadables to use for event publicity

  • Suggested DESCRIPTION FOR PUBLICITY for this 2-hour special presentation:

      

    The Rev. Michael Dowd will offer a free, 2-hour presentation [when / where]. In this richly illustrated talk, Rev. Dowd will cover the major themes of his 2007 book, Thank God for Evolution!, which has received endorsements from five Nobel laureates, as well as leaders across the religious spectrum. Come learn how our modern understanding of this 14 billion year old Universe, as given by mainstream science, builds bridges, provides guidance, and restores realistic hope for individuals and families, for humanity, and for the body of life as a whole.

    ♦ Rev. Dowd and his wife, science writer Connie Barlow, have been called "America's evolutionary evangelists." For five years they have lived entirely on the road, visiting churches, schools, and spiritual centers across the USA.

      
    templates for
    PUBLICITY FLIERS
      

    PUBLICITY PHOTOS      ♦ TEMPLATES FOR PUBLICITY FLIERS

    "When I first corresponded with Michael over a year ago, I felt certain our congregation would not support a follow-up workshop. Was I ever wrong! People were so inspired and energized on Sunday morning that the workshop on Monday evening was packed. Michael was incredible! I don't recall ever having such a positive response from such a wide diversity of church members." — Barbara Clark, Chair of Religious Education Committee, UU Congregation of Green Valley, AZ

      

    "Thank God for Evolution!" includes a powerpoint presentation so it requires a room that can be darkened. Michael brings his own high-lumen, digital projector with him, and he also brings our own large screen, so the only equipment requests are (1) a small, high table for setting the projector on, and (2) an extension cord.

      




      

    Click for a recommended UU Order of Service.


    Click for BIOGRAPHIES to introduce us at UU events.




    STORIES FOR ALL AGES (at Sunday services)

    Many UU churches and fellowships include short children's programs, or "STORIES FOR ALL AGES" near the beginning of Sunday services. Both Connie and Michael enjoy offering the following programs for this 6-12 minute segment, prior to a main presentation or sermon they are scheduled to deliver.

    1. WE ARE MADE OF STARDUST! (Connie or Michael)

    presented as a 5-8 minute Story for All Ages

    This program delightfully teaches how the very atoms of our bodies (and everything around us) were created in the bellies of giant stars that burned brightly and exploded before our own star, the Sun, was born. (Very well received in many UU contexts.) Connie's 12-session STARDUST CURRICULUM for UU kids can be downloaded for free from this website

    2. CELEBRATING YOUR COSMIC AGE. (Michael)

    presented as a 5-8 minute Story for All Ages

    Children are led through an understanding that our bodies are mostly made of water, and that water is mostly made of hydrogen. Hydrogen is the one element that came into being virtually in the beginning: it is as old as the universe. In a way, we too are as old as the universe: we are the universe now in the form of humans. So in addition to our various human ages, we show ways to honor our "cosmic age." Who among us is "14 billion and 7 years old?", "14 billion and 8 years old?" and so on. A chime or gong is used to recognize each age group, then turning to recognize the elders of the congregation as a whole.


    LONGER R.E. PROGRAMS FOR KIDS or FAMILIES

    IF BOTH OF US ARE AVAILABLE TO COME TO YOUR CHURCH SUNDAY MORNING, we suggest that Michael do the guest sermon and Connie be invited to serve as guest teacher in an R.E. class. Upper elementary is her favorite, but lower elementary or middle school are also possible. Please check our ITINERARY to see if we are double-booked on Sunday morning at another church, or whether both of us will be coming to your Sunday service. For any classroom R.E. program, please know that Connie needs to talk with the teacher or R.E. Director in advance of its being scheduled.

    Please visit the webpage description of Connie's R.E. programs for KIDS.


    ORDER OF SERVICE COMPONENTS

    Suggested Hymns and Chalice Lighting

    UU hymns we love:

  • #1064 in new hymnal supplement: Blue Boat Home
  • #021 For the Beauty of the Earth
  • #331 Life Is the Greatest Gift of All
  • #360 Here We Have Gathered
  • #309 Earth Is Our Homeland
  • #301 Touch the Earth, Reach the Sky (especially for "Death" program)
  • #163 For Earth Forever Turning
  • #123 Spirit of Life (our preferred way to end a service)
  • #203 All Creatures of the Earth & Sky
  • #343 A Firemist and a Planet
  • #298 Wake Now My Senses
  • #175 We Celebrate the Web of Life
  • #6  Just As Long As I Have Breath (to accompany the "Death" sermon)
  •   
         Click here for a list of
    UU BEST PRACTICES
    that Connie & Michael have
    come upon during their
    visits to UU congregations.

      

    Hymns NOT to choose: Other hymns are perfectly serviceable with our programs, so if none of these work with your congregation, feel free to choose others. However, please do NOT choose Hymn #207, "Earth Was Given As a Garden", as it is very earthy but jars with an evolutionary framework. Also, do not select Hymn #174, "O Earth, You Are Surpassing Fair," as it is a very pessimistic dirge.

    CHOIR: You may wish to plan ahead (especially for a "Stardust" sermon) to have your choir sing a version of Robert Weston's #530 "Out of the Stars", set to music by Betsy Jo Angebraandt, Minister of Music at the Annapolis, MD, UU Church. This music is available through the UUA Bookstore in Boston (phone 617-742-2100). For any of Michael Dowd's sermons, we highly recommend the choir or a soloist sing "Disguised as Poetry" by Dana Clark, which appears in The Earth and Spirit Songbook (1), compiled by Jim Scott.

    Here is a Chalice Lighting to print in the order of service, to be read in unison. It was written by worship chair Sarah Skovlund, of Redwood City UU Fellowship (CA), in collaboration with her friend Cindy Johnson. They wrote it for our service (as none of the hymnal chalice readings particularly engage our work), and we loved it so much that now we recommend it everywhere we go!

    We light this chalice as a symbol
    of our connection to the stars in the sky,
    to the warmth and light of the Sun
    and of our own bright place in the Universe.
      — by Sarah Skovlund and Cindy Johnson, Redwood City CA UU Fellowship

    Here is a chalice lighting Connie wrote (no need to mention her name if you use it):

    May the fire that has illumined the Universe since the beginning, and lit up the stars, ignite a flame of possibility in our hearts and minds today.

  • Click here for a combined OPENING WORDS and CHALICE LIGHTING, created by the UU Fellowship of San Mateo (CA), and which we highly recommend for our programs.

  • Click here for Order of Service suggestions for a STARDUST intergenerational service, with Cosmic Communion Ritual.


    Other Elements of the Order of Service

  • Because we prefer to be formally introduced before appearing at the podium or pulpit, we suggest the service leader read the Opening Words. On this website, you can access a fabulous list of classic quotations pertaining to this Great Story of Evolution, from which you can select opening words. We highly recommend using a poem by UU Joyce Keller, which movingly presents her experience of the Hubble space photos. It is a terrific lead-in for any of our sermons/talks on Stardust, Celebrating Evolution, and Bridging UU Diversity. We also highly recommend a lovely invocation by deep-ecologist John Seed. And, here are the Opening Words that the UU Fellowship of New Bern (NC) prepared for our guest sermon, adapting #445 in the UU hymnal:
    "We are of the stars, the dust of stellar explosions cast across space. We are of the earth: we breathe, and we live in the breath of ancient plants and beasts. We are part of the great circle of humanity gathered around the fire, the hearth, the altar. We gather anew this day to celebrate our common heritage that spans the galaxy. May we recall in gratitude all that has given us birth, as we join singing Hymn number [ ]."

  • We like to do a "Reading" (a very short quotation) of our choice just before the sermon (or sometime after opening words). Just list "Reading" in the order of service, and we will decide on one to match whichever sermon topic is used.

  • We enjoy doing the Closing Words.

  • Especially if our biography is not included in the Bulletin handed out with the Order of Service, then please draw from Connie's or Michael's short biographies to ensure that she or he is introduced during the Announcements or Welcoming part of the service.

  • Generally, whoever in your congregation is in charge of that day's service handles the announcements, "Joys and Concerns" candle lighting ritual, and Offertory — rather than us. Here is a possible way to lead into the Offertory:
    "Unitarian Universalists know that the story of evolution/creation is not yet over. Evolutionary change at all levels — cosmos, planetary, life, culture — will continue into the future, and we humans bear a responsibility for how the story will continue on Earth. In support of our own evolving [fellowship/church/congregation], the offering will now be given and received."

  • Click here for brief BIOGRAPHIES in PDF that can be used to introduce Connie Barlow and/or Michael Dowd at UU events.

  • Click to RETURN TO UU Programs Main Page.



    Home Hospitality Request

  • Click here for a handy list of information on our home hospitality needs. We intend this list to supply prospective hosts with all the information they need to feel comfortable in extending us an invitation.



    PUBLICITY PHOTOS


         Click here for a list of
    UU BEST PRACTICES
    that Connie & Michael have come upon
    during their visits to
    UU churches and fellowships.

      



  • Click here to see a 2004 article on Michael and Connie's itinerant Great Story teaching and preaching ministry: "Preachers of a New Pentecost", written by Carter Phipps and published in What is Enlightenment? magazine.

  • Click here to see a 2005 interview with Michael Dowd: "Evolution's Evangelists", conducted by Paul Harrison, and which appeared in the Winter 2005 issue of Pan Magazine. (Pan is the quarterly magazine of World Pantheism, the largest membership organization in the world for pantheists of a naturalistic orientation, and is available to supporting members for subscriptions starting at $12 per year; http://www.pantheism.net)

    Click here to see an interview of Michael Dowd, published in the 25 April 2005 issue of the San Francisco Chronicle.

    Click here to see an article on Michael and Connie's continent-wide work that was published in the October 2002 issue of Research News and Opportunities in Science and Theology.

      

    Praise for Michael's 2007 book from UU ministers      full list of endorsements

  • "This is a book I would gladly (and securely) recommend, not only to members of my own humanist-inclined congregation but to my evangelical relatives as well!" — REV. MICHAEL SCHULER, SENIOR MINISTER, FIRST UNITARIAN SOCIETY OF MADISON

  • "Michael Dowd's marvelous use of scientific information, religious metaphor, humor, and sheer delight in his subject(s) carries us to new places where evolution and the deep stories of religion converge. His book is a gift for our time." — REV. LAUREL HALLMAN, SENIOR MINISTER, FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF DALLAS

  • "Dowd has given us a bridge across one of the major chasms of our times: religion and evolution. His passion for both science and religion is contagious. Reading his book, one can see that the discourse itself has just evolved to a whole new level!" — REV. MARLIN LAVAHNAR, SENIOR MINISTER, ALL SOULS UNITARIAN CHURCH, TULSA
  •    Rev. MICHAEL DOWD, a former pastor and author of Thank God for Evolution!, and CONNIE BARLOW, an author of popular science books, embody the marriage of religion and science as husband and wife. They view themselves as emissaries of a worldwide ecumenical movement that draws from the contemporary wisdom of those on the growing edge of science and meaning.

  • brief UU BIOGRAPHIES for introducing Michael or Connie at UU events

  • Michael Dowd's biography and publications list.

  • Connie Barlow's biography and publications list.

  • PUBLICITY PHOTOS.
  •     

    New Dimensions Radio interview
    with Michael / Connie

      



    WWW www.TheGreatStory.org