First Existentialist Congregation
An independent member of the Unitarian Universalist Association
Shelby Smith is an existentialist pagan who likes reading fiction, being in gardens (and occasionally gardening), riding her bike and hanging out with her family. In non-pandemic times, she’s been known to frequent thrift shops and enjoy a beer at the local watering hole. For now, she’s working at home in her daytime job at Emory University and her all-the-other-times job as a mom.
Pandemic isolation has had a deep impact on mental health and community dynamics. How can we show up with authenticity – virtually and in person — as we continue to exercise caution due to COVID-19. Rev. Erin Walter will reflect on spiritual resources for mental health and our calling to community care, drawing inspiration from music, Mr. Rogers, and more.
Rev. Erin J. Walter (she/her/hers) is a minister, activist, and musician based in Austin and winner of the 2017 Sermon Award from the UU Women’s Federation. A former YMCA director, Rev. Erin is the singer/songwriter for band Parker Woodland, whose music you’ll hear in this service. She serves as a board member for the Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry and the Affiliated Community Minister of Wildflower (Unitarian Universalist) Church in Austin. You can find more about her music and ministry at ErinWalter.com.
Watch Rev. Walter’s presentation at: https://fb.watch/5JunEXj6UG/
As a young Syrian Kurdish refugee washing dishes in a restaurant to support his family, Heval Kelli could not know that many years later he would be a distinguished fellow in cardiology at a university less than one mile from where his journey in the United States began. Facing a steep language learning curve, a monthly rent payment, and mountains of dirty dishes, Heval knew things could be much worse. He and his family fled persecution in Syria where his father was beaten and imprisoned by the police.
As members of the Kurdish minority, the family had few choices and paid a smuggler to get them out. His family arrived in Germany in 1996 and lived in refugee camps until 2001. A circuitous route of migration finally brought them to the United States two weeks after 9/11 where they were assisted by members of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in their adjustment and resettlement in Clarkston, Georgia. Through a network of caring community members, Heval was introduced to Dr. Omar Lattouf, an Emory cardiothoracic surgeon who took an interest in mentoring him through his undergraduate pre-med work at Georgia State University and his admission to Morehouse School of Medicine where he graduated cum laude and was selected by his classmates to receive the “Most Inspiring Person” award. He finished his internal medicine residency training at Emory University, earning recognition as resident of the year as well as honorable distinctions in social and in-patient medicine. Dr. Kelli was awarded the Katz Foundation Fellowship in Preventive Cardiology at Emory University where he completed his cardiology fellowship in 2020. Dr. Kelli and his wife Dr. Abdullah are among the first Kurdish American cardiologists in the United States.
Dr. Kelli’s presentation may be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/FirstExistentialist/videos/390653028578596
Please view Rep Nguyen’s presentation at: https://www.facebook.com/FirstExistentialist/videos/774608973202306
“I’m thinking through a new book on kidnapping and slavery, and I’ve found some interesting stories, some of which rather defy our expectations about the nineteenth century.”
H. Robert Baker is Associate Professor of History at Georgia State University and is the author of Prigg v. Pennsylvania: Slavery, the Supreme Court, and the Ambivalent Constitution (2012) and The Rescue of Joshua Glover: A Fugitive Slave, the Constitution,and the Coming of the Civil War (2006). His scholarly articles have appeared in the Law and History Review, Common-Place, and the Journal of Supreme Court History. He holds a Ph.D. in History from UCLA, where he studied with Joyce Appleby. He has received a Fulbright Fellowship and has also been a fellow at the Institute for Constitutional Studies. He also writes about wine, law, and contemporary culture for the blog Tropics of Meta.
Dr. Baker’s presentation may be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/FirstExistentialist/videos/916607052507231
In the past several years many UU congregations have begun honoring the Jewish High Holy Days each autumn with the responsive reading “We forgive ourselves and each other and begin again in love,” from A Litany of Atonement, written by UU minister Rev. Rob Eller-Isaacs. These holy days occur near the fall equinox, which is the time when the dark hours of the day begin to surpass the light hours here in the Northern Hemisphere. As we join together on this Easter Day, it feels fitting that we honor spring’s longer day-light hours with a reminder to renew our commitment to love and healing, to begin the resurrection of the growing season with reconnecting to the Earth and the web of life that surrounds us. We are not separate from the Earth, and we are called to connect with all life in service, love, and a commitment to mutual well-being.
Rev. DiAnna Ritola is an Interfaith Minister and a Dianic Wiccan priestess. Her community-based ministry centers on spiritual counseling for trauma, intimate relationships, and sexuality along with rituals to honor life events and passages. DiAnna lives in NYC with her wife, Michele, two dogs (Brigid and Finnbar) and a cat (Lilith), and is doing her best to transform her small yard into a food and flower oasis. In May 2020, she published her first book Mismatched Luggage: Unpacking Your Sexual Baggage for Your Spiritual Journey. Her website is www.DiAnnaRitola.com
Rev. Ritola’s presentation may be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/FirstExistentialist/videos/167091241833574
A founding member of Alternate ROOTS, a service organization for community-based artists in the South, deNobriga served as ROOTS’ executive director and planning/development director for ten years. She continues to serve on the board, working on various committees as needed, and sharing the institutional memory of 40 years of continuous membership.
Raised in Kingsport TN, deNobriga holds an M.A. in Theatre (Directing) from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, and a B.A. with honors in Speech Communications and Theatre Arts. Her early employment included directing and managing community theatres in Smithfield and Sanford, NC and performing with The Road Company, a professional ensemble in Johnson City, TN. DeNobriga was a Visiting Artist for two years for the NC Arts Council, and a Fellow in the Rockefeller Foundation’s Next Generation Leadership program and in the Rockwood Leadership Institute.
She is now a consultant, specializing in strategic planning, building organizational capacity, designing staff/board retreats and guiding creative conflict engagement. She trained as a mediator at the Atlanta Justice Center and is a board member for Arts & Democracy and Alternate ROOTS. She served two terms as Councilmember and one as Mayor for the City of Pine Lake, where she lives with her wife Alice Teeter, published poet and bon vivant.
Kathie’s presentation may be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/FirstExistentialist/videos/2878832765693360
As we near the end of Women’s History Month, the titles and themes of two newish children’s books on brave and revolutionary women provides inspiration and fodder for a look at the status of gender justice in a non-binary world.
Rev. Marti Keller comes into 2021 with a lengthy involvement in issues impacting the human rights of women identified persons, including being the director of community and government relations for Planned Parenthood in Northern California and 20 years of leadership with the Unitarian Universalist Women’s Federation. She was given their ministry to Women Award in 2020 in recognition of “her commitment to anti-racism and intersectionality in the approach to women’s issues.” Her roles included heading the Margaret Fuller Awards Panel, presidency of the Board, co-facilitator of the New Prophetic Sisterhood of UU religious professionals, creator of the UUWF sermon award, and affiliated minister.
Rev. Keller’s presentation may be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/FirstExistentialist/videos/931565920992683
Paula Larke is a storyteller, motivational speaker, spoken word/vocal innovator, bassist and percussionist. She has used her music, passion, and humor nationally, for over 38 years, to unite, chide, inspire, and restore faith in the human potential for harmony. Her primary work is in community – schools, churches, state fairs, businessmen’s luncheons, workplace employee training – every kind of community gathering allowing her access. Most recently, Paula has been a teaching artist in Eastern Kentucky and Clarkston, GA, adapting her delivery for Appalachian and international refugee audiences. “It has been an enriching experience, seeing through eyes so different from my own” she affirms.
Paula’s CD, “UNITY IN THE COMMUNITY,” produced with activist/percussionist Kim Nimoy, is a performance libretto, designed for use in schools and colleges.
You can view Paula’s presentation here: https://www.facebook.com/FirstExistentialist/videos/1057859461370558
Lisa is a psychotherapist in private practice, a poet, writer, and activist. She is a long time member of the First Existentialist Congregation. She has been a student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh since 1999 and has studied with many other Buddhist teachers. Lisa incorporates feminism, existentialism, mindfulness and compassion in her therapy practice. She also trains therapists how to use mindfulness in their lives and professional practices. She offers her CD, Mindful Meditations for Well Being, as a free download from: www.wellbeingpsychotherapy.net.