PCD - UUA: Officiants and Worship Speakers Jan Ogren

Jan Ogren, MFT Lifelong Unitarian Universalist Writer, Speaker, Workshop Leader and Licensed Psychotherapist (707) 544-7756 JanOgrenMFT@gmail.com www.JanOgren.net

I am a storyteller, writer, speaker and psychotherapist. I am a lifelong Unitarian Universalist and have been giving Sunday services at numerous Unitarian Universalist Congregations for fifteen years. Two of my sermons, Liberally Religious and Proud of it and Money: a Spiritual Economy have won awards from the Pacific Central District in their annual sermon writing contests.

Here's a list of possible sermons: - Most of the sermons include an original UU fable appropriate for the story for all ages and suggestions for hymns and opening and closing words from Singing the Living Tradition.

Being Decidedly Uncertain:
How do we balance knowing who we are with being open to change? How can we hold passionately onto our beliefs and values and be accepting of other views?>

Creativity: a Nice Concept or a Vital Necessity?:
Is creativity just for kids and "artists" or is it an essential element for our spiritual well-being?

How to be in balance within our selves and with the larger world:

Discovering Ourselves:
part 1 - exploring ourselves and our potential through poetry.

Discovering Each Other:
part 2 - exploring our relationships with others through the wisdom of dogs and cats.

Easter: Remembering a Religious Liberal:
It's time to set the record straight and "save" Jesus. In this time of oppression, civil rights challenges and war we need to remember the story of an original religious liberal.

Guess who is Knocking on Your Door?:
What would it look like if UUs went door to door? What is our message for the 21st century? Take a journey to our past, explore the present and then travel into a UU future.

Liberally Religious - and Proud of it:
(Winner of the Pacific Central District Sermon Contest 2006.)
This service inspires a healthy dose of pride and enthusiasm for liberal religion, with a tribute to our Universalist evangelistic ancestors

Love is not a Task:
Many UU congregations proclaim that "Love is the doctrine of this church," but what does it mean for a creedless denomination to have love as its doctrine and how can we practice it?

Money: a Spiritual Economy:
(Winner of the Pacific Central District Sermon Contest 2007.)
Warning: this sermon could change your attitudes and beliefs about money.

Mothering Ourselves:
A Mother's Day service that invites everyone to "play Goddess" and envision a healthy world, starting with themselves.

Got Mystery?:
What do you do when the Universe drops a bit of Mystery right at your feet?>

A Time to Rest:
Is Time the friend that sets the natural rhythms of your days, or is it the foe to be fought because there is never enough time to get everything done?

Writing the Stories to Right the World:
We'll look at the writers and editors of the #1 bestselling book of history: the Bible; and explore how the world might be different today if the writings of our UU ancestors had been the ones chosen as orthodoxy.

UU Diner:
UU story for an intergenerational service - How our principles were developed and how being accepting of all people doesn't mean tolerating unacceptable behavior.

Unwrapping the Gifts of Christmas:
(Can be either a Sunday service or a Christmas Eve Service.)
Intergenerational service with the children helping to literally unwrap the gifts of Christmas so that everyone can come back to the original meaning of honoring every birth and every person.

I also offer afternoon workshops related to the services themes for many of the services.

References from numerous UU congregations available on request - to read sermons, go to www.UUPetaluma.org. Click under sermons to read examples (some of them have since been revised).

Weddings:

I am a life long UU – emphasizing especially the Universalist side and design unique wedding ceremonies for each individual couple (straight and gay). I have apprenticed with a Mescalero Apache Medicine Man since 1982 and the weddings I have performed center on nature and help you connect to the spiritual that is all around you. For legal purposes I have been a Universal Life Minister since 1990.  I am willing to travel to a place in nature that calls to you as the right place for your ceremony.