Bonnie Hurd Smith's UU Services

Welcome!

It has been my great honor to lead services
at UU churches throughout New England as
a guest lay leader.

I have been invited to lead entire services, or deliver the sermon. The two sermons I’ve been giving most recently are:

Judith Sargent Murray:
“Forming a New Era in Female History”

Margaret Fuller:
“What were We Born to Do and
How Shall We Do it?”

In both cases, these women – one Universalist (Murray) the other Unitarian (Fuller) – offer life stories filled with courage, hope, and vision. Their faith, and their devotion to women’s equality, was unshakable – Murray’s in the 18^th century, Fuller’s in the 19^th century. They are examples of people who determined their life purpose, and did it – something we all aspire to!

I tell their stories with passion and insight, and I consider it a gift to be able to share the gifts of Judith Sargent Murray and Margaret Fuller with others. In fact, that’s usually what people tell me after the service:
“You have given us a real gift!”

The sermon I have just developed is titled Faith in Action: Stories from women's history, inspiration for you. As the title suggests, I look at how faith inspired six women in UU history to overcome obstacles and live their life purpose in ways we can apply to our lives today.

March — National Women's History Month — offers a wonderful opportunity for me to share these stories with your congregation, but people fall in love with them any time of the year. Please contact me!

I would also be happy to give a talk on Judith for your Adult Education class or some other church activity.

Resumé of services I've done
Annisquam Village Church, Gloucester, MA
Church of the Unity, Winchendon, MA
First Church in Salem, MA
First Religious Society of Newburyport, MA
First Parish Church of Wayland, MA
First Parish Church, Unitarian Universalist, Fitchburg, MA
First Unitarian Universalist Church of Milford, MA
First Universalist Church of Essex, MA
First Universalist Church, South Parish, ME
First Universalist Society, Salem, MA
Murray Unitarian Universalist Church, Attleboro, MA
Northshore UU Church, Danvers, MA
Theodore Parker Unitarian Church, West Roxbury, MA
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Eastern Slopes,
Conway, NH
Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst, MA

Talks on Judith Sargent Murray
at UU Churches or UU Organizations
Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, NY
Ferry Beach, ME
First Church in Boston, MA
First Parish Church of Concord, MA
First Parish in Weymouth, MA
New Massachusetts Universalist Convention,
Stoughton, MA
Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lynn, MA
Unitarian Universalist General Assembly,
Nashville, TN (2000)

Non-UU talk venues where I've given talks on Judith Sargent Murray

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"Bonnie delivered a thought-provoking, emotional, and penetrating view of Margaret Fuller. She was a hit, and we look forward to having her return."
--Peter Van DeBogert, Northshore UU Church, Danvers, MA

"Your service today at our church was wonderful, Bonnie. You brought great passion
to the topic and told an exceedingly interesting story about our Universalist history. I hope
you get to do this a lot. We are so grateful."
--Rev. Arthur McDonald,
First Universalist Church of Essex

“One of our parishioners said he was surprised by his own ‘depth of feeling’ at the end and realized it was generated by your depth of feeling. Another woman was so impressed and moved at ‘how attached’ you were to this historical personage she came up afterward and hugged you. Your passion for Margaret Fuller's life and work really came through, and that was moving to all of us.”
--Diana Digges, Theodore Parker Unitarian Church, West Roxbury, MA