Rev. Carmen Emerson
BBUUC’s Affiliated Community Minister
Presents
“Second Sunday Spirit in Practice”
Elizabeth DeCoux, Worship Leader
Eileen Morrison, Accompanist
Étoiles Binaires, Flute Duo, Guest Musicians

In her daily prayers, our affiliated community minister, Rev. Carmen Emerson, prays that her mind remains open by curiosity, her heart remains open by wonder, and that neither be closed by belief. In the spirit of such curiosity and wonder, Rev. Carmen begins a monthly sermon series on the spiritual practices that inform our experiences as Unitarian Universalists sharing a free and responsible search for truth and meaning as we engage in lifelong learning and faith formation. She introduces the series with an interactive consideration of the eight practices of spiritual growth: personal, communal, spiritual, mind, body, soul, life, and justice. 

Rev. Emerson and the Worship Committee offer our gratitude to The Rev. Erik Walker Wikstrom, who informs our work on this sermon series and who was himself inspired by the “Eight Gates” model of the Zen Mountain Monastery in Mouth Tremper, New York. This series will run for nine consecutive second Sundays beginning in July 2023 and concluding in March 2024.

About Our Speaker:

Rev. Carmen Emerson is the Affiliated Community Minister in covenant with BBUUC. Her work as an ordained UU minister in full fellowship happens within the wider Jacksonville community as the Lead Chaplain for Baptist Medical Center Nassau. She is a BCCI/APC Board-Certified chaplain, and her experience as a parish minister includes ten years of full-time service to our UU congregations in Albuquerque, NM (contract); Meadville, PA (called); and Nashville, TN (called).

About Our Guest Musicians: 

Étoiles Binaires is a flute duo in the North Florida region made up of Angela Muller and Heather Davidson. The two have made music together since 2016 and formed the ensemble in 2023. The versatile duo focuses on music ranging from Classical to Pop.