{"id":61,"date":"2019-02-05T03:01:43","date_gmt":"2019-02-05T03:01:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wptest.scuu.org\/wpsite\/?page_id=61"},"modified":"2019-09-13T19:29:21","modified_gmt":"2019-09-13T23:29:21","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wptest.scuu.org\/wpsite\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Take an hour to take a deep breath.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our five beautiful acres bordering Seneca Creek State Park allow you the opportunity to refresh emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Whatever you believe about God, or don’t, you will be welcomed here\u2014and challenged to become your best self.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sugarloaf Congregation of \nUnitarian Universalists has been in existence since 1996. At our \nservices you’ll hear inspiring sermons and lively community music. There\n is a coffee hour after the service. All ages are welcome. We have \nreligious exploration classes for children between the ages of 3 and 15,\n and a nursery for babies and toddlers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Services are held in our charming yurt with views of our natural setting<\/strong>.  Coffee hour and religious exploration classes are held in a mountain-style frame house with a large gathering space, several smaller rooms, and a half kitchen. Both buildings are wheelchair accessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reverend Henry Simoni-Wastila<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rev. Simoni-Wastila has been SCUU\u2019s contract minister since the Fall of 2015. He holds a PhD from Boston University, a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School, and a BA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Rev. Henry served for 11 years at Cedarhurst in Carroll County, MD. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Services are also led by visiting theological students and others. We make room for fresh voices in the pulpit with guest pastors and lay speakers from the congregation and local community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rev. Henry notes: “Religion has almost always been of great value for me, even though it has taken different forms: from Roman Catholicism to Anglicanism and finally to Unitarian Universalism. I was brought up in a somewhat stern form of Roman Catholicism. I remember being in seventh grade and reading most of the Bible in order to get a “plenary indulgence” which would insure my soul’s entrance into heaven! However, the religion in which I was raised also contained positive elements. Like most things in life, it was a mixture of good and bad. As I share in ministry with others, I try to draw inspiration from all religions, each one having its strengths and weaknesses.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I planned to go to seminary and become an Episcopalian. Harvard Divinity School seemed to be the most interesting place to pursue these goals. There, I found a more inclusive and liberal approach to theology. Since I was no longer convinced that Jesus was the “Son of God.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I became a Unitarian Universalist where my liberal spirituality could find a home at last. ” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“My preaching runs the range from theistic to humanist to Buddhist to philosophical ideas. I like to add some literary allusions, and try to convey, in the beauty of language, just how beautiful and meaningful life can be. –Sometimes we all struggle to find the meaning we know could be there.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Take an hour to take a deep breath. Our five beautiful acres bordering Seneca Creek State Park allow you the opportunity to refresh emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Whatever you believe about God, or don’t, you will be welcomed here\u2014and challenged to become your best self. The Sugarloaf Congregation of Unitarian Universalists has been in existence … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “About Us”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wptest.scuu.org\/wpsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/61"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wptest.scuu.org\/wpsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wptest.scuu.org\/wpsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wptest.scuu.org\/wpsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wptest.scuu.org\/wpsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/wptest.scuu.org\/wpsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/61\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":758,"href":"https:\/\/wptest.scuu.org\/wpsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/61\/revisions\/758"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wptest.scuu.org\/wpsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wptest.scuu.org\/wpsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}