NARROWSBURG - Pat Sanders will lead the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in a Flower Communion, which is a uniquely Unitarian Universalist ritual that celebrates beauty, diversity, and shared community. 

Each person is asked to bring a flower to a service. These are placed together in a common vase or display. Later in the service, each participant takes a different flower home. The symbolism is simple but powerful. Every flower is unique, like every person. Together they create something more beautiful than any single flower. When you leave, you carry a piece of the community with you.

The ritual was created in 1923 by Norbert Čapek. At the time, he wanted a ceremony that:

• Was inclusive and not tied to traditional Christian sacraments
• Could be shared by people of different beliefs
• Emphasized human connection rather than doctrine

After Čapek was later killed during World War II, the ritual spread internationally and became a cherished UU tradition. 

In Unitarian Universalism, there is no required creed. The Flower Communion expresses core UU values without words:

• Radical inclusion
• Interdependence
• Respect for individual differences

If you’ve ever attended one, you may have noticed how quietly moving it can be. Even without formal theology, it tends to land emotionally -- especially in smaller fellowships like Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

Sunday morning services of the UDUUF are held in person at 10:15 AM in the Narrowsburg Union, 7 Erie Ave., Room 102, Narrowsburg, NY 12764, and live-streamed on Zoom (see link below). For more information about this or upcoming weekly programs, see upperdelawareuu.org, email uduuf2022@gmail.com, or call 845-252-6783.

Come in person if you can, or bookmark this link for this and future UDUUF services: https://zoom.us/j/9376301223. 

Sharon Paige Lisenbee, a longtime member of the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, will speak on April 19th. With remarks entitled, "You're Not Laughing Enough and That's No Joke", Sharon asks those who attend to bring a funny story or joke to share during the service.

Tom Rue, vice-president of the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, spoke extemporaneously about the history of the UDUUF which has been meeting continously since 1987 -- first at Innisfree in Milanville, Pennsylvania, then in Berlin Township Community Center in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania, and most recently (for the last several years) at the Narrowsburg Union. Another speaker was planned for today who was unable to attend. Tom filled in on short notice.

NARROWSBURG - Lucia Santoro of Transgender+ Support Initiative of Sullivan and Wayne Counties (TSI) spoke at the Sunday, March 29th, meeting of the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. TSI is composed of people from all walks of life who are committed to address the need in Sullivan and Wayne Counties for gender-affirming safe spaces and support services for Trans+ community members, family, and friends. Its mission is to fulfill this commitment by providing services, education, and advocacy. See this page for three relevant videos, including one entitled "Why Does Visibility Matter?" shared during this morning's program.

NARROWSBURG - John Martin II of Honesdale, president of Habitat for Humanity of Wayne County, spoke at the Sunday, March 22nd, meeting of the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Since 1993, the chapter has been one of four beneficiaries to benefit from the annual Bud Rue Memorial Fund for Social Justice. 

NARROWSBURG - Friends and loved ones of UDUUF member Carol Rocklyn celebrated Carol's life at the Sunday, March 15th, meeting of the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. This special service was conducted by Rev. Laurie Stuart in-person in Delaware Hall at the Narrowsburg Union, 7 Erie Avenue, Narrowsburg, New York, starting at 10:15 am.

NARROWSBURG - Deborah Worden, executive director of Action Toward Independence, Inc., spoke at the Sunday, March 8th, meeting of the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

ATI is an Independent Living Center that serves Orange and Sullivan Counties. This organization’s mission is to promote independence, inclusion, participation, and personal choice of individuals with disabilities. ATI advances the independent living philosophy and advocates for the legal and civil rights of individuals with disabilities.

NARROWSBURG -  Krista Haley Rue, a student at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and recovering lawyer seeking new avenues for social justice, will reflect on the moral contradictions shaping public life at the Sunday, March 1st meeting of the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. The service will be conducted in-person in Room 102 of the Narrowsburg Union, 7 Erie Avenue, Narrowsburg, New York.

Drawing on voices such as contemporary authors and theologians, and engaging ideas both within and beyond the Presbyterian tradition, she explores how injustice becomes normalized and how spiritual resistance begins with refusing dehumanization, practicing proximity, and managing fear. Grounded in a deep commitment to human dignity, the sermon invites listeners to reclaim moral sanity through everyday courage, building beloved community through practical resistance, stubborn compassion, and consistent justice.

NARROWSBURG - UDUUF board of directors member Sheila V. spoke at the Sunday, February 22nd meeting of the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. With remarks entitled "Trekking Across the Globe: Visiting Novel Destinations," the service was conducted in-person in Room 102 of the Narrowsburg Union, 7 Erie Avenue, Narrowsburg, New York.

A panoply of nations and images off the beaten path, with a focus on religious concepts and ideas in various cultures. Spend a few minutes with us and widen your world with Sheila's photos and commentary from India, Japan, Mongolia, Cambodia, the Amazon, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, etc.

NARROWSBURG and ONLINE -- Award-winning journalist, author, and human rights specialist Jan Goodwin will be speaking on Stolen Childhoods on January 18th at the Narrowsburg Union and online. How America treats its foster children and how the majority of American states still legally permit child marriage, even with children as young as 10, which is worse than what the Taliban does in Afghanistan.  

NARROWSBURG and ONLINE -- On January 11th, Sullivan Allies Leading Together (SALT) will speak to members and friends of the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on the subject of hope.

NARROWSBURG and ONLINE -- On the first Sunday of 2026, members and friends of the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship were invited to bring readings of their choosing to share with the congregation. On the topic of "Looking Forward, Looking Back," this included reflections, poetry, or prose. Tom Rue conducted the morning's service with group participation.

The Opportunity and Imperative to Reflect and Remember: Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on December 28th

Solstice, Winter, and Wintering at the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Narrowsburg, on December 21st

NARROWSBURG and ONLINE - Leading a one-hour service, fellowship board member Pat Sanders, presented to members and friends of the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on the theme of "solstice, winter, and wintering." Sunday morning services of the UDUUF are held in person at 10:15 AM in the Narrowsburg Union, 7 Erie Ave., Room 102, Narrowsburg, NY 12764.

"One Way Or The Other", Rev. Laurie Stuart will speak on December 14th (Zoom only)

NARROWSBURG and ONLINE - In a one-hour service, starting at 10:30 AM on December 14th, Rev. Laurie Stuart will speak to members and friends of the UU Congregation of Wyoming Valley and the Upper Delaware UU Fellowship. 

Stuart will speak this Sunday as a consulting minister at the UU congregation in Wyoming, Pennsylvania. She was ordained into the Unitarian Universalist ministry in 2012 at the South Nassau UU Congregation in Freeport, NY. The ordination was conferred on Stuart by the UDUUF, then meeting in Beach Lake, PA, where she served as a consulting minister from 2007 to 2013. Currently, she serves as President of the UDUUF, and consults with other UU congregations in the tri-state area, in addition to publishing The River Reporter.

With remarks entitled "One Way Or The Other", Stuart will explore whether looking at the world as a battle of good and evil fuels our spiritual and community divide, and where such dualism meets our pluralism.

NARROWSBURG and ONLINE - In a one-hour service, fellowship member Nina Regevik, M.D. will speak on December 5th to members and friends of the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on the subject of non-pharmacologic (as in the sense of "Big Pharma") medical systems readily available today. 

Sunday morning services of the UDUUF are held in person at 10:15 AM in the Narrowsburg Union, 7 Erie Ave., Room 102, Narrowsburg, NY 12764, and livestreamed on Zoom (see link below). For more information about this or upcoming weekly programs, see upperdelawareuu.org or email info@upperdelawareuu.org.

Come in person if you can, or bookmark this link for this and future UDUUF services: https://zoom.us/j/9376301223

NARROWSBURG and ONLINE - In this one-hour service, members and friends of the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will share samples of favorite or meaningful poetry. This is a participatory service. All are invited to bring a poem.

Andy Laties of Book & Puppet Co. in Easton, Pennsylvania,spoke on November 23 at 10:15 AM at the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Andy is the co-founder and director of Easton Book Festival, and also co-owner of Book & Puppet Company, an indie book and gift shop with a puppet theater. He recently spent five years managing Manhattan's 45-year-old Bank Street Book Store. Andy has created seven book-selling companies in the past 40 years and is the author of "Rebel Bookseller: Why Indie Businesses Represent Everything You Want to Fight For, From Free Speech, To Buying Local, To Building Communities," published by Seven Stories Press.

NARROWSBURG and ONLINE - In this one-hour service, members and friends of the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship heard remarks the Rev. Laurie Stuart.