Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship

Dr. Bill Goetter
2025-12-14 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
A Brief History of Vaccination

Dr. Goetter will talk about the trials and tribulations of vaccines.

Dr. Goetter is a retired physician, Board certified in internal medicine and pulmonary disease. He has served on the Alabama State Board of Health for 9 years.

Bah Humbug!
2025-12-21 11:00 - 12:00
See the true story of the origin of our American celebration of Christmas with a cast of Fellowship members. Irene Wegner will direct this 5th Annual event. Contact Irene if you are interested in being in the cast!

Hopes and Resolutions for the New Year
2025-12-28 11:00 - 12:00
We’ll meet in an oval seating arrangement so everyone can see and engage with one another. As the microphone is passed around, each person will have the opportunity to share a brief reflection, hope, or resolution for the year ahead. Participation is welcome but never required.

FUF Programs Over the Ages
2026-01-04 11:00 - 12:00
Sharing their history, a panelist of FUF members will talk about what has proved successful and challenging for Sunday Service Programs over the years. Having no minister, FUF as a lay-led congregation creates the opportunity to engage a variety of speakers on a variety of subjects. Rather than centering on individual tastes and preferences, collective gathering is an act of generosity and hospitality. Not every program may be to the liking of everyone, but just our presence that hour may be what our fellow congregant needed. The next program may be the very one that speaks directly to YOU. Your input on Program Planning will be welcome.

Sonny Brewer
2026-01-11 11:00 - 12:00
In His Name, She Said

Sonny Brewer will discuss his latest book, one which addresses a Gospel mystery.

Sonny Brewer is a writer and storyteller. He is the author of four novels, including The Poet of Tolstoy Park. His latest book is an illustrated storybook, In His Name, She Said.

Claire Helton
2026-01-18 11:00 - 12:00
Good Grief Without God: A Spiritually Inclusive Approach to Loss

Religious folks often balk at the idea that anyone could make it through a loss without a faith to support them, and yet people of all persuasions – spiritual, secular, and everywhere in between – cope successfully with loss every day. In this talk, Claire will share her learnings as a hospice bereavement coordinator offering spiritually inclusive grief support in the Pensacola area, with particular attention to the gap in community bereavement resources for non-religious or spiritually wounded grievers.

Claire Helton is a hospice bereavement coordinator with a background in chaplaincy & congregational ministry, and is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Pensacola. She finds life in creating spaces for deep reflection, community-building, and personal transformation, and puts that passion to use as a Mentor with OutoftheBox (www.outofthebox.org), a group dialogue tool she currently uses to facilitate her own spiritually inclusive grief support group called Mindful Grief, which meets in Pensacola.

Chad Bedwell
2026-01-25 11:00 - 12:00
From a Hacker’s Perspective explores cybersecurity and how we can stay more secure as our daily lives become increasingly connected in a digital world. Using real-world examples and attacker tactics, the talk helps attendees better understand the risks we face and how those risks translate into everyday decisions.

Chad Bedwell is the Operational Technology (OT) Cybersecurity Lead for Mott MacDonald, a global engineering firm, specializing in securing critical infrastructure through ethical hacking and attacker-focused defense. He is passionate about helping people understand digital risk by explaining how real-world attackers think and how that knowledge helps protect the systems that keep the world running.

Nick Coulson
2026-02-01 11:00 - 12:00
“Inequality: Bad for the Poor…. and the Rich”

Research shows that societies experience more social, environmental and health problems as the gap between the wealthy and the poor increases. In this talk, Nick will present research and insights from the work of the Equality Trust, exploring how inequality affects everyone—from the bottom to the top.

Nick Coulson is a retired English Architect. He moved to Fairhope some 30 odd years ago and is still adjusting. He loves the Unitarian Fellowship for its values and friendships.

Deann Servos - Prodisee Pantry
2026-02-08 11:00 - 12:00
“Filling Plates & Filling Hearts”

This talk explores the importance of sharing healthy food with members of our community who are hungry—while protecting their dignity and building meaningful connections that help address other needs. Deann will also share updates on the Prodisee Pantry, along with exciting plans for future expansion.

Deann Servos is the Executive Director of Prodisee Pantry, Baldwin County’s largest emergency food pantry, providing thousands of families with groceries and hope! She is a graduate of Penn State and was an accomplished broadcast journalist before answering the call to start Prodisee Pantry.

She received the distinguished Aubrey D. Green Humanitarian Award in 2025 and the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce’s Community Leader Award in 2016. Deann serves on the Local Emergency Planning Committee of Baldwin County’s Emergency Management Agency, is Chair of Baldwin County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, and sits on the boards of the North Baldwin Infirmary Foundation and the North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce. With over 20 years of nonprofit experience, she is also a mentor and active volunteer in numerous nonprofits.

Deann lives in Stapleton with her husband and three children.

Harold W. Beu
2026-02-15 11:00 - 12:00
“Begin with Hope”

One of most iconic phrases from scripture comes from 1 Corinthians 13: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Love is often seen as the ultimate goal—caring for people and affirming the worth and dignity of all, as expressed in our first UU principle. Faith can be understood as a system of belief that helps shape our lives and sustain us through life’s challenges. This talk suggests, however, that hope must come first, because without hope, faith and love cannot endure.

In a time when many people are losing hope, this talk explores the important distinction between realistic and unrealistic hope, and invites reflection on what hope means in today’s world.

Harold W. Beu is a retired Unitarian Universalist minister who served congregations for over 30 years in California, Idaho, New Hampshire and Michigan. He has also worked as a high school teacher, teaching history, civics, psychology, and math.

For the past decade, Harold has taught the history of Israel/Palestine for organizations including the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, as well as churches, senior centers, and libraries. He has long been active in the peace movement, working to quell the corrupting effect of militarism in America and to advocate for human rights for all oppressed people.

Harold lives in Kalamazoo with his wife, journalist Julie Mack, and has three grown children.

Giving in Gratitude FUF Festival
2026-02-22 11:00 - 12:00
The Member Support Committee is sponsoring a fun celebration to:

Recognize our volunteers,

Describe connection opportunities through committee volunteering and participation in Fellowship community offerings,

Encourage regular financial giving.

We give in gratitude of our time, talents and treasures, and in doing so, we also receive.

Irene Wegner
2026-03-01 11:00 - 12:00
Ed Harris: UU Minister and Civil Rights Activist

UU minister Ed Harris was one of the white liberal activists involved in the Birmingham civil rights unrest. He founded the ACLU there and worked for equal rights. For his troubles he was attacked repeatedly. Narrowly missing more attacks, he and his family fled the city to safer locations in the north where members of FUF knew him. He was an engaging storyteller, principled leader, and author.

Irene has been an active UU for the past 50+ years, including serving as President and Board Chair of the Fellowship. A former teacher, Director of Religious Education, and a state Community Organizer for AARP, she has enjoyed using storytelling to connect with others. Irene, husband Pete, and various dogs have enjoyed biking the Gulf area for the past 13 years.

Ken Hudson
2026-03-08 11:00 - 12:00
Religion, Morality, and Science in the 21st Century

More information coming soon.

Diane Thomas
2026-03-15 11:00 - 12:00
Ticking Time Bomb at Plant Barry

Overview of the threat of 21 million tons of toxic coal ash next to the Mobile River in the Tensaw Delta and possible permanent pollution unless action is taken now.

Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Diane received her PhD in Clinical Psychology in 1973 and practiced for 20 years. Some of her volunteer activities include Chairman of the City of Fairhope Personnel Board, Read Aloud Baldwin, and Coal Ash Action Group for the last three years. One of Diane’s most notable accomplishments was hiking on the Appalachian trail when she was 58.

Tom Czekanski
2026-03-22 11:00 - 12:00
The Civil War in Baldwin Co. Alabama, a Brief Overview

Mr. Czekanski will provide a brief overview of historic events in Baldwin County Alabama during the Civil War from the occupation of Fort Morgan to the Battle of Mobile Bay and the Surrender of Ft. Blakely, the last major battle of the war.

A retired museum curator, Tom has been employed by Beauvoir, The Last Home of Jefferson Davis, The Louisiana State Museum and The National WWII Museum. He participated in Civil War reenactments for over 15 years as both a Confederate and Federal Soldier recreating battles at historic sites across the country including many locations in Baldwin County. He is currently enjoying retirement in Silverhill with his spouse Annette Chioma.

Jacqueline Allen Trimble
2026-03-29 11:00 - 12:00
Why Poetry Matters in an Unjust World

Even though empathy has been said to be detrimental, it is in fact what makes us human, bends the arc of the universe toward justice, champions equity, and encourages our compassion for each other. Poetry has long been a reflection of that empathy. It is often our earliest interaction with language and teaches us what is required, while challenging and calling out our baser impulses. Poetry matters in an unjust world.

Jacqueline Allen Trimble is the Poet Laureate of Alabama, a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellow (Poetry), a Cave Canem Fellow, and a two-time Alabama State Council on the Arts Literary Fellow. Her poetry has appeared in numerous journals including POETRY, The Louisville Review, The Offing, Salvation South and Poet Lore. Her work has been widely anthologized, most notably in Kwame Alexander’s This is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poetry, and has been featured by the Poetry Foundation’s Poem of the Day, American Academy of Poets’ Poem-a Day, and Poetry Daily.

Also an essayist, Trimble’s work has appeared in numerous collections. She also wrote for the South African television series Die Testament for two seasons. Published by NewSouth Books, American Happiness, her debut collection, won the 2016 Balcones Poetry Prize, and was recently re-released in paperback. Her newest collection, How to Survive the Apocalypse, was named one of the ten best poetry books of 2022 by the New York Public Library. Trimble is Professor of English and chairs the Department of Languages and Literatures at Alabama State University.

Easter Circle
2026-04-05 11:00 - 12:00
New Beginnings

On Easter Sunday, April 5, we will have a circle to share our experiences with “new beginnings.”

Easter is one of the highlights of the Christian traditions. Celebrating Easter in the spring denotes new awakenings of nature. The Easter Bunny is a folkloric symbol of Easter that brings eggs. Easter eggs symbolize new life, rebirth, and even resurrection, with traditions dating back to ancient fertility rites and early Christian practices. To use “resurrection” in a non-secular sense means “the revitalization or revival of something.” Most of us have at one time or another time been “revitalized” or felt “renewed.” We hope to recall and share how it happened and what it meant to us.

Dr. Harvey Joanning
2026-04-12 11:00 - 12:00
“The Story of Love”

3rd UU Principle: Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations

Human love is necessary for the survival of our species. Our brains and bodies push us to find others to love and to mate with because we are “pack animals” and “primates”. Harvey will trace the biological evolutionary history of love and explain how love has driven human relationships through the rise of agriculture, civilizations, religions, and recent history. The emergence of “marriage for love” during the last century will be explored. No program about love would be complete without love songs, so the presenter and his musical colleagues will entertain the Fellowship with love songs before the service and during the presentation.

Dr. Harvey Joanning is an Emeritus Professor at Iowa State University and an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of South Alabama where he is the Co-Director of the Neurobiology of Relationships Study. He is dual licensed as a psychologist and as a Marriage and Family Therapist.

Divia Avrill
2026-04-19 08:00 - 17:00
“Growing Up in an Era of Gun Violence: Understanding the Impact on Gen Z”

6th UU Principle: The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all

This talk reflects on how the increase in mass shootings has affected Generation Z, highlighting the mental and physical toll of ongoing stress and its influence on social connection and daily life.

Drawing from lived experience as an older Gen Z, Divia will share insights into growing up during a period marked by rising gun violence and school shootings, and how it has shaped their generation.

Debby Hackbarth
2026-04-26 11:00 - 12:00
Overcoming Obstacles Together as A Loving Community

2nd UU Principle: Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations

Debby’s mission is to inspire others to soar and to recognize their ability to succeed and overcome obstacles, even in the face of life’s challenges. She emphasizes that we can change the world around us by demonstrating justice, equity, and compassion through peaceful means.

Drawing from her own life experiences—overcoming prematurity, vision challenges, and lifelong bullying, and ultimately earning a black belt in martial arts in her seventies—she offers a powerful reminder that anything is possible with determination.

Debby holds a master’s degree in Literacy and has is the author of four children’s books, a collection of poetry, and a memoir that received an International Impact Book Award in 2025. She has also written lyrics for Live in Unity, published by Music for World Peace.Her work is also featured in anthologies by Clarendon House Publications and Four Feathers Press, as well as in various online publications including The Writers Club, Christian Magazine, World Spoken Word & Poetry, and Spillwords Press. She has lived in lovely Fairhope since 2019 and is active in several local writing groups that include Pensters Writing Group, Alabama State Poetry Society, and the Alabama Writers Cooperative. She also serves as editor and contributing author for the Fairhopers Newsletter produced by the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation.
