Claire Helton
2026-01-18 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | AL
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.
