David Dean presents a sermon written by
Rev. Douglas Taylor
Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Binghamton (NY)
Grandma’s Hands
Alyssa Halliday, Worship leader
Dr. Gary Smart, Pianist
Mike Bernos, Special Music

Later in our lives, the defense mechanisms we’ve had that helped us at first begin to get in the way. The grandmother’s hands were covered in thick calluses and scar tissue that had protected her in her youth, but caused her pain in her later years. The image of having ‘built a wall’ is common. We build an emotional wall or some other type of boundary to protect ourselves. In time, however, we often find the wall then impedes our ability to connect.

About our Speaker:

David Dean, a BBUUC member and an integral part of our Worship Team, is an Emmy-nominated editor who works as Senior Editor/Post-Producer for the PBS series “Samantha Brown’s Places to Love.” David is also a presenter, writer, and storyteller who volunteers his time as the editor of our worship videos and contributes his other talents in the worship arts to our ministry.

About the Sermon Author:

Rev. Douglas Taylor has been the Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Binghamton (NY) since the fall of 2003. He is a fourth-generation Unitarian Universalist and the son of an ordained UU minister. His mother, Rev. Elizabeth M. Strong, was ordained as the Minister of Religious Education at the First Unitarian Church of Rochester, NY, when he was thirteen. As perhaps one would assume, the church was an enormous part of his life during my formative years. It was through the church that he discovered his first love: music. Singing led him to perform in church and high school musicals.  It led him to his first real job as the music and drama counselor at Camp Unirondack (a UU summer camp in the Adirondacks) in the summer of ’88. After several years working with
developmentally disabled adults, he entered seminary. He graduated from Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, one of our two Unitarian Universalist seminaries, and was ordained in 1999.

About our Member-Musician

Mike Bernos is an accomplished businessman, musician, producer, and writer. A singer/songwriter of many genres, he is the founder and plays with Spice & the Po Boys and AmpleAngst. Mike is a member of BBUUC, the husband of Annabelle Gallois-Bernos, and the father of Joachin.

Next Sunday, February 8, 2026:

Dr. Mark Yount presents
Spiritual Finding, Revisited
Mary Avery, Worship Leader
Gary Smart, Pianist
Bill and Paula Prince, Special Music

Former UUA president Bill Sinkford once observed that while we do a good job of addressing spiritual seeking, people want spiritual finding too. Most of uus (pun, not typo) are rightly skeptical of “answers” that would conclude the search. We also celebrate diverse paths, so we “share” individual beliefs that would be logically incompatible. I agree that it’s important to embrace “finding” as part of our unceasing search, so I will venture a spiritual perspective to honor the truth each of us finds along the way.

(See our “Next Week” publication for more information, as well as BBUUC.org)