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

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  • Connie Barlow's Sermon Topics

  • Michael Dowd's Sermon Topics

  • Michael's 2-hour -media 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 Sermon Topics

    NOTE: Most churches select which sermon they would prefer and then inform Connie or her assistant.


          1. "YOUR BRAIN'S CREATION STORY"

    Alternative title: "Ancestors Within: Your Brain's Creation Story"

    ♦ 15 to 25 minute Sunday sermon for adults and youth

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

    ♦ you can listen to an an AUDIO of this sermon, delivered August 2009 at the UU Congregation of Whidbey Island, WA

    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 loved ones. 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 our ancient ancestors who evolved in settings strikingly different from what we face today. Through science and story, Connie shows how an understanding of our evolved brain can provide guidance for improving our lives and relationships, while opening the door for authentic compassion when we and others do go astray. She presents the stunning new discoveries of neurobiology and evolutionary psychology in memorable and playful ways. The "ancestors within" our brains thus include our Lizard Legacy — the brain stem and cerebellum that scientists refer to as the "reptilian" components of our brain. Our early mammalian ancestors then bequeathed to us our emotional brain, which Connie delights in calling our Furry Li'l Mammal. Next came our rational brain, the neocortex, or Monkey Mind. Most recently our ancestors acquired an ability to (sometimes) resist the demands of our lower instincts. Situated in our prefrontal cortex, this locus of purpose and commitment, which is absolutely vital for modern life, is 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 — and that can call forth compassion when we and others fail to live up to our commitments and ideals. 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 300 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

    ♦ preceded by Connie's 5-minute children's story, "We Are Made of Stardust!"

    ♦ 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 common "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 300 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

    ♦ preceded by Connie's 5-minute children's story, "We Are Made of Stardust!"

    ♦ Listen to AUDIO of Connie's 2006 sermon at Unitarian Society of Hartford, CT, or read "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 #331. 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.

    SUGGESTED HYMNS/SONGS: These from the UU hymnal work well: #6 "Just As Long As I have Breath"; #331 "Life Is the Greatest Gift of All" #163 "For the Earth forever Turning". I also would like to use one or both of the two sets of song lyrics I wrote to standard hymn melodies. You can view the lyrics, listen to audio, and learn about musical arrangement at the websites for each song:

  • "Praise Birth and Death Amid the Stars"

  • "Death Has Lifted Us" For these two original songs, the lyrics can be printed in the Order of Service for congregational singing, or Connie may sing parts a capella during the sermon itself.

    STORY FOR ALL AGES: If the children will attend the first part of the service, I will be happy to do a Story for All Ages for them. Title it "We are made of stardust!", and it gently brings in the notion that death is a vital element of the universe: without the death of ancestor stars, there would have been no atoms for planets and life to come into existence.

    If you select this sermon title, please CONSULT WITH CONNIE ON THE ORDER OF SERVICE. Click here to view a sample Order of Service for the DEATH theme.

    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 300 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 300 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"

    ♦ Click here for ORDER OF SERVICE SUGGESTIONS for an intergenerational service.

    ♦ If you select this sermon title, please CONSULT WITH CONNIE ON THE ORDER OF SERVICE:

       

    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: For a "Stardust" sermon or intergen, you might want 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. (Contact her directly). Especially for a "Stardust" program, the song "Cosmic Stew" by Stan Slaughter can be fun. (The choir, plus on-stage drum and piano, sang it to a real rockin' beat at Live Oak UU in Austin.)

    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 — through storytelling, pictures, song, and ceremony — our scientific understanding that all the complex atoms in our bodies, and in everything around us, were forged inside the cores of ancient stars that lived and died before our own star, the Sun, was born. As Carl Sagan exulted, "We are recycled star stuff!" Connie Barlow and her husband, Rev. Michael Dowd, have presented programs at more than 300 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 300 UU churches. Their "evolutionary evangelism" is a featured article in the spring 2006 issue of UU World. Connie's website: www.TheGreatStory.org

        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.

       
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    Rev. Michael Dowd's Sermon Topics

    ♦ "A STORY BIG ENOUGH TO INCLUDE US ALL"

    For the first time, says Dowd, an understanding of reality is emerging that draws on the talents and insights of individuals of all ethnicities, all religious traditions, and all regions of the globe. Thanks to the discoveries of modern science, we now have a story big enough to include us all. This sermon is based on Dowd's contributed chapter (by this title) in the 2010 edited volume, The Whole World Kin: Darwin and the Spirit of Liberal Religion (Skinner House Books, F. Muir, ed.).

    ♦ "THANK GOD FOR THE NEW ATHEISTS!"

    Alternative title: "The New Atheists As God's Prophets?"

    AUDIO of 2010 sermon by this titie, delivered by Dowd at People's Church (Unitarian Universalist), Ludington MI

    Rev. Dowd, whose work has been celebrated by Nobel prize-winning scientists and religious leaders alike, will share with us perhaps his most challenging prescription for how religions must evolve to best serve the needs of individuals, groups, and the planet in the 21st century. Dowd will reframe the proclamations of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the other so-called New Atheists not as anti-religious rants, but as prophetic urgings. "Prophets historically were those who saw what was real, sensed what was emerging, and issued a word of warning to their people," asserts Dowd. That warning was "come into right relationship with Reality or else." Right relationship with reality today, Dowd says, requires our species "to mature from belief-based to evidence-based inspiration and guidance." For a preview of what Dowd will speak about, visit his blog or learn about his book at http://ThankGodforEvolution.com and his podcasts at http://TheGreatStory.org/podcast.html

    ♦ "GRATITUDE: AN EVOLUTIONARY CELEBRATION"

    Alternative title: "Deep-Time Guidance, Real-Time Gratitude"

    AUDIO of 2009 sermon by this title, delivered by Dowd at Unity of Bellevue, WA

    Scientific discoveries are fascinating for revealing the magnificence of Earth and Cosmos, but can they also help us cultivate our spirituality? In this dynamic and soul-filled presentation, Rev. Dowd draws upon sciences as diverse as paleontology, astrophysics, geology, and evolutionary brain science to help us nurture a grateful heart.

    ♦ "EVOLUTIONIZE YOUR LIFE: The Joy of Coming Home to Reality"

    AUDIO of 2010 sermon by this title, delivered by Dowd at Unity of Woodinville, WA

    Michael Dowd demonstrates how a science-based, deep-time understanding of human nature, death, and the flow of Big History can transform lives, while offering a realistically inspiring vision of the future. Dowd's 2008 book, Thank God for evolution, has been endorsed by 6 Nobel laureates and other science lumininaries, including noted skeptics, and by religious leaders across the spectrum.

  • "THE GIFTS OF EVOLUTIONARY SPIRITUALITY"

    Michael Dowd shares the spiritual gifts of a mainstream evolutionary worldview, as presented in his 2008 book, Thank God for Evolution, which has been endorsed by 6 Nobel laureates and other science lumininaries, including noted skeptics, and by religious leaders across the spectrum.

  • "THANK GOD FOR EVOLUTION"
    alt title: "The Epic of Evolution: Bridging Differences, Providing Guidance, Inspiring Hope"
    AUDIO of 2008 sermon by this title, delivered by Dowd at First Unitarian Church of Dallas, TX

    Michael Dowd shares the "good news" of a mainstream evolutionary worldview, as presented in his book, Thank God for Evolution, which has been endorsed by 6 Nobel laureates and other science lumininaries, including noted skeptics, and by religious leaders across the spectrum. Until evolution is preached from the pulpit and taught in religious education classes, Dowd claims, we will never see an end to the science and religion war in America — nor will religion reach its potential to serve humanity and the interdependent web of life in the 21st century.

  • You may wish to build into your Order of Service an opportunity for Michael to also present a 5-minute "STORY FOR ALL AGES", in which the kids can be invited to the front of the sanctuary.
    		•     

      

    Dynamic 90-minute, multimedia talk
    by MICHAEL DOWD
    based on his 2008 book

    Michael's book is endorsed by 6 NOBEL LAUREATES and other science luminaries, including noted skeptics, and by 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

  • access to newspaper articles/editorials on Dowd's evolutionary ministry

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

  • fliers and other downloadables to use for event publicity

    "We're fortunate to have Michael Dowd on our side (the 'our' being humanity)."
      — Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine

    •    

    templates for
    PUBLICITY FLIERS

     

    		  

    Free follow-up presentation by Michael Dowd
    (90 minutes, for a weekday evening)

    Evolutionize Your Life:
    Coming Home to Reality

    ALTERNATIVE TITLE: "Deep-Time Wisdom: An Inspiring Vision of Humanity's Future"

    In this dynamic multimedia presentation, Michael Dowd covers the major themes of his 2008 book, Thank God for Evolution, which received endorsements from six Nobel Prize-winning scientists, noted skeptics/atheists, and religious leaders across the 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.

    ♦ Michael Dowd and his wife, science writer Connie Barlow, have been called "America's evolutionary evangelists". Since April 2002 they have lived entirely on the road, visiting churches, colleges, and other institutions across the USA.

    		  

      

    Michael Dowd's evening program is a dynamic oral, music, and multimedia presentation. He brings his own high-lumen, digital projector with him, as well as a large screen and extension cord. The only equipment he needs from the host facility is a handheld or clip-on microphone and one or two long tables for setting up resources for sale.

    FREE ONLINE VIEWING
    (Requires high-speed internet connection.)

    		   


    ♦ PUBLICITY PHOTOS      ♦ TEMPLATES FOR PUBLICITY FLIERS


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    "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



      

    Click for a recommended UU Order of Service.


    Click for BIOGRAPHIES to introduce us at UU events.

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    LONGER R.E. PROGRAMS FOR KIDS or FAMILIES

        LEFT: Michael Dowd in 2011 leading the 5-minute "Story for All Ages" at Sunday morning service of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Venice, Florida. The kids with the puppets are assisting with the story, "Who's Proud to Be Related to an Iguana?"

    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. Another possibility is to schedule Connie to do her hour-long "River of Life" program for families after Sunday lunch at the church. (This has worked very well in several UU churches.)

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

    ORDER OF SERVICE COMPONENTS

    Suggested Hymns and Chalice Lighting

    		      To collaborate on Order of Service specifics
    contact Connie Barlow directly:

       or    206-569-5688

    UU hymns we love:

  • #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)
  • #331 Life Is the Greatest Gift of All (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. (Contact her directly). 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. Especially for a "Stardust" program, the song "Cosmic Stew" by Stan Slaughter can be fun. (The choir, plus on-stage drum and piano, sang it to a real rockin' beat at Live Oak UU in Austin.)

    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

    Chalice lighting: These words by Australian deep ecologist John Seed come from his 1988 book, Thinking Like a Mountain:

    "We call upon the power which sustains the planets in their orbits, that wheels our Milky Way in its 200 million year spiral. We call upon this power to imbue our personalities and our relationships with harmony, endurance, and joy. Fill us with a sense of immense time so that our brief, flickering lives may truly reflect the work of vast ages past and also the millions of years of evolution whose potential lies in our trembling hands."

    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. Click here for our suggestions for Opening Words, categorized by each of our sermon titles.

  • If your congregation includes the children for the first part of the service, please know that each of us enjoys doing a 5-minute STORY FOR ALL AGES while the kids are still there.

  • 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.

    ♦ Although Connie doesn't need to be personally involved in Order of Service planning for a regular adult service, she does like to talk personally with whoever is coordinating a Stardust Intergenerational Service or "Death Through Deep-Time Eyes". Contact her by email at:

  • 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.

  • Scores of newspaper articles and radio/TV interviews have appeared on our ministry since the publication of Michael's book. You can access these via his book website: ThankGodForEvolution.com.

      

    Praise for Michael's 2008 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

    		  

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    WWW www.TheGreatStory.org