Alan Samry
2025-07-13 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
The Writers Around Me

For the past year, Alan has been researching and writing about Fairhope’s rich literary culture, including writers, editors, publishers, librarians, and bookstores. He will tell true stories of Fairhope’s literary beginnings with Marie Howland and Upton Sinclair through today’s local writers, including Sonny Brewer, Fannie Flagg and so many more.

Alan Samry is a writer, librarian, public historian and author of Fairhope Past and Present, Mapping Fairhope, and Stump the Librarian, a memoir, and history of leg amputees, was published in 2018. Alan and his wife Susan have called Fairhope home since 2005.

Kevin Mohler
2025-07-20 11:00 - 12:00 | Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
Impacting Special Needs in Our Community

The American Autism & Rehabilitation Center in Daphne provides a full spectrum of therapies for people with special needs–speech, occupational, physical, and applied behavior analysis–all under one roof. The foundation offers additional resources, community connections, practical assistance, and so providing holistic support.

Kevin Mohler is an entrepreneur and President of the American Autism & Rehabilitation Foundation, leading the American Autism & Rehabilitation Center and the digital finance agency, DeFiancy. He is passionate about health, fitness, ministry, and personal development. David lives on a homestead farm in Bay Minette, Alabama, with his family and five dogs.

Michael Cook & Robin Snyder
2025-07-27 11:00 - 12:00 | Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
Today’s Vaping and Narcan Issues

Michael Cook and Robin Snider will discuss current issues facing our youth and young adults including vaping, Narcan, and good & bad choices.

Mike Cook is director of Baldwin Services at the Drug Education Council (DEC) in Robertsdale, AL.

Robin Snider is a retired Daphne Police Officer (30 years) and college grad from Concordia University Nebraska. He currently works with Baldwin County Community Alliance (BCCA).

Luke Kiszla
2025-08-03 11:00 - 12:00 | Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
Environmental Stewardship: A Foundation of Faith

Luke will offer an overview of his personal motivations for environmental stewardship and a review of the current work of Mobile Baykeeper.

Luke is Current Affairs Director for Mobile Baykeeper, working in policy and regulations. An Attorney by training, Luke arrived at Baykeeper in 2024 following a decade of work as a political staffer in various roles. He enjoys applying his experience toward the mission of providing cleaner water.

Bruce Larsen
2025-08-10 11:00 - 12:00 | Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
Contemporary Recycled Artwork

Bruce Larsen is a sculptor and special-effects artist known internationally. He repurposes discarded and found objects into sculptures that typically depict animals in action poses and humans playing sports. He uses his artwork to bring new meaning to the objects while still allowing them to show their history. Larsen has won several awards for his artwork and is also known for his work in movies. He was inducted into the Alabama Hall of Fame in 2016. He lives and works in Fairhope.

You can see his work locally at the U.S. Sports Academy in Daphne, Arts Alley in Fairhope, and many other locations.

Bill Meck
2025-08-17 11:00 - 12:00 | Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
Everyday Law

Do you really need a Last Will and Testament? This program will answer several legal questions like that one–questions that people ask frequently. It will be a potpourri of business-related legal concerns people encounter in everyday life.

Bill Meck is a business lawyer. He graduated from The Citadel with a degree in English and he holds a law degree from Wake Forest University. His office is in Fairhope. He is a sole practitioner whose clients are individuals and businesses who are planning and implementing transactions involving Probate, Commercial, Real Estate, and Corporate Law.

John Sledge
2025-08-24 11:00 - 12:00 | Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
Mobile and Havana: Two Sisters Across the Gulf

John Sledge is one of the authors of the recent book, “Mobile and Havana: Sisters Across the Gulf.” He will provided an overview of the long linkage between two most exotic cities. They share stories of European conquest, trade, high-society connections, knowledge, and culture. It should be a rich visual, immersive experience into both the history and the architectural heritage of these two places.

John is currently Maritime historian-in-residence at the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf. He retired as a senior architectural historian with the Mobile Historic Development Commission in 2024. He was a newspaper Book Page editor for the Mobile Press-Register and is a National Book Critics Circle member. He has published many books about the Gulf Coast region and its history.

Kelsey Lovett
2025-08-31 11:00 - 12:00 | Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
Impact 100 and Baldwin County

Kelsey will discuss how Impact 100 works in the Baldwin County Community. Kelsey will share the process for application and award of grants and also discuss support that the organization gives throughout the county. She will highlight the most recent grants, how to join and how to support in other ways.

Kelsey Lovett is a Certified Financial Planner and Investment Wealth Manager with Ameriprise Financial. Her passion is helping people learn how to invest and save their money so that they can be more generous with their wealth. She has 17 years of experience working with and serving clients.

Kate Carver & Sarah Laurio
2025-09-07 11:00 - 12:00 | Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
Baldwin Family Village: Transitional Housing for Homeless Women & Children

Dumas Wesley Community Center approaches poverty, homelessness and inequity by offering long term transformation. By using a connected web of services: transitional housing, youth enrichment, senior wellness, emergency aid and workforce training as well as food, clothing and transportation- the Center addresses a wide spectrum of human need. Dumas Wesley recently expanded its mission with the launch of the County’s first housing program for homeless women and children in Fairhope.

Kate Carver has served in a number of key positions with the Salvation Army, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and Volunteer Mobile. She is currently the Executive Director of the Dumas Wesley Community Center and has been leading the Center for 15 years. Sarah Laurio is Associate Executive Director of Dumas Wesley Community Center overseeing the Sybil Smith Family Village & Baldwin Family Village.

Frank Barragan
2025-09-14 11:00 - 12:00 | Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
The Work of the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice

Frank in conversation with Nick Coulson will talk about the history and role of the Hispanic immigrant community in this country. He will discuss the effect of the current administration’s policies, and their impact on Hispanic communities. Email questions you would like to have asked to njcoulson@gmail.com

Frank Barragan is the Community Engagement Coordinator for the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice and a mainstay of the local Hispanic community.

Stand-Up Comedy Jam
2025-09-20 19:30 - 21:30 | Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
Join us for a night full of laughter! We’ll have five fabulous comedians under one roof!

Mike Turner
2025-09-21 11:00 - 12:00 | Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
Celebrating the International Day of Peace in Poetry and Song

Mike Turner celebrates the UN International Day of Peace (Sunday, September 21, 2025) with a selection of his original songs and poems to advocate peace and oppose war and violence.

Mike Turner is a songwriter/poet living in Fairhope. He was named 2025 Poet of the Year by the Alabama State Poetry Society. Mike has more than 450 poems published in over 100 literary journals and anthologies, and numerous original songs receiving radio and streaming play. His poetry collection, Visions and Memories, is available on Amazon.

Frye Gaillard
2025-09-28 11:00 - 12:00 | Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
Heroes and Other Mortals

Frye Gaillard will select stories from his most recent book, Heroes and Other Mortals. This is a collection of inspiring profiles Gaillard has written throughout his career, telling the stories of activists, artists, musicians and others who worked to make the world a better place.

Frye lives in Mobile, Alabama, and is the writer-in-residence in the English and History departments at the University of South Alabama. He is the author of thirty books, the winner of the Lillian Smith Book Award and the Gustavus Myers Award.

Dr. Suzanne Tormoen
2025-10-05 11:00 - 12:00 | Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
The Chalice

The flaming chalice is the official logo of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). It is enshrined in stained glass at the head of our fellowship hall, and our most significant symbol. But what is its meaning and significance ? Suzanne will unpack its history & relevance to the Unitarianism.

Suzanne has been a Unitarian since Junior high school and loves the Fellowship, which is an important part of her life She is a physician in internal medicine in Fairhope after working in Mobile and has a Masters in nutrition. She studied martial arts with Yosekan Budo for 5 years. She likes to garden, walk, do yoga, cook and be civically minded. She has 2 sons, 3 grandchildren, & 3 siblings.

Members' Summer Stories
2025-10-12 11:00 - 12:00 | Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
Some of us have been running away from the heat and humidity and most of us are back. We’re even beginning to welcome back snowbirds. Some have remained steadfast in Baldwin County weathering what the climate threw at us.

We will sit in a circle and tell stories of our summers; of foreign parts, of travel disasters, of beautiful moments and dreams of vacations to come. No pressure; come even if you want to stay mum.

Pop-Up Art Sale
2025-10-18 11:00 - 15:00 | Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
On Saturday October 18, 2025, FUF will host an Arts Fundraiser. There will be paintings, sculptures, and art works of various media, as well as art supplies. To donate any items, please contact Pinky Bass. moosepinky@earthlink.net

Rachel Wright
2025-10-19 11:00 - 12:00 | Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
Art, Wonder, and the Wheel of Life

In this presentation, artist Rachel Wright will discuss a brief history of her art making culminating in the Cryptic Underwing exhibition, on now at the Mobile Museum of Art. She will explore the themes of mortality and beauty, and how they compelled her to explore the Mobile-Tensaw Delta as part of her creative process. https://www.mobilemuseumofart.com/exhibitions/cryptic-under-wing-rachel-wright/

Rachel Wright is a self-professed biophiliac: she has a deep love of the natural world. She received her BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago and her MFA from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Rachel has exhibited nationally, had her work included in the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum, and has received two Artist Fellowships from the Alabama State Council for the Arts. Rachel loves to share her passion with students in workshops and teaching at University of South Alabama.

Dr. Harvey Joanning
2025-10-26 11:00 - 12:00
How Politicians Manipulate Our Brains

For millennia leaders have used rhetoric to persuade others to follow them. Neuroscience has revealed why this is possible. Politicians now employ neuroscience to assist them in manipulating us to support them. This talk will explain how this is done, and what we can do to avoid being manipulated.

Dr Harvey Joanning is Emeritus Professor at Iowa State University and an Adjunct Professor at USA in the Department of Psychology and College of Education. He is licensed as a Psychologist and Marriage & Family Therapist. He been a consultant for NASA & the U.S. Department of Defense.

Carl Couret
2025-11-02 11:00 - 12:00
“Survival of the Fittest”This phrase was not coined by Darwin. It was from an English polymath, Herbert Spencer, who used it after reading Origin of the Species. He was well known in his time and has been credited for the basis of social Darwinism.

Carl Couret is a retired fish and wildlife field biologist, ukulele enthusiast, military veteran, and Past President of FUF. Born and raised in New Orleans, he has lived in Denver, Yokota AFB in Japan, Albuquerque, Vero Beach FL and Mobile Bay’s Eastern Shore.

Miranda Estes & Christina Okarmus
2025-11-09 11:00 - 12:00
Healthy Youth Education

Miranda and Christina will discuss the state of adolescent education in our region. They will look at measures to empower young people to make good decisions and at the ways in which this is being undercut by legislative action, misleading advertising and reduced funding.

BIOS: Miranda Estes (she/her) is the State Policy Action Manager at SIECUS where she has connected advocates across 30 states, helping more than 90 members strengthen their skills in advocacy, coalition-building, and strategy. Originally from Mississippi, she earned her bachelors and master’s in Social Work from the University of Southern Mississippi and began her career in community organizing.

Christina Clark Okarmus (she/her) led ACASH as its Executive Director. With over 13 years working in adolescent health, she started their first Youth Advisory Council program, developed an online foundation course, and successfully stopped repressive legislation from passing in 2024 and 2025. Christina is a member of AASECT. She has her Masters of Public Policy from the University of Northern Iowa.

Brian Conway & Don Penzian Concert
2025-11-15 16:00 - 18:00 | Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship, 1150 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
Live in Concert!

Tickets are only $20 in advance or $25 at the door!

Purchase tickets online

BRIAN CONWAY performs with a skill, grace and force that are steeped in tradition but distinctively his own. Well known in the Irish/Celtic community, Conway has won numerous All-Ireland fiddling competitions, and has been called one of the best fiddlers of his generation. His fiddle students, including students in the Baltimore-Washington region, have won multiple local, regional, and all-Ireland championships. He is a leading exponent of the tastefully ornamented Sligo fiddling style made famous by the late Michael Coleman. The winner of two All- Ireland junior titles and the All-Ireland senior championship of 1986, Brian’s early studies were with his father Jim of Plumbridge County Tyrone and with Limerick born fiddler/teacher Martin Mulvihill. However, it was the legendary fiddler and composer Martin Wynne who taught him the real secrets of the County Sligo style. Brian is currently promoting his latest CD titled Wallace Avenue.

DON PENZIEN has long been a top-flight performer of Irish traditional music. He frequently is on the road playing concerts and festivals with Gailfean (Brian Conway, John Whelan, Máirtín de Cógáin), The Máirtín de Cógáin Project, and Haley Richardson, and he has served as accompanist for numerous other well-known performers (e.g., Gerry O’Connor, Randal Bays, Tim Britton, Jimmy Crowley, John Williams, Pat Broaders, Gabe Donohue, Ben Jaber, Tony DeMarco, Billy McComiskey, Sean Clohessy, Bridget Fitzgerald, Kevin Doyle). Widely recognized for his reserved backing style, Don’s dexterous work on DADGAD-tuned guitar provides solid, driving rhythms to traditional tunes as well as perceptive and sensitive accompaniments to songs and airs. Don is a Michigan native with strong roots in Irish culture and an affinity for Irish traditional music. He now resides in NC where he works as Professor at the Wake Forest School of Medicine.

Skip Jones
2025-11-16 11:00 - 12:00
Golden Years: How Americans Invented & Reinvented the Golden Age

Skip will review and discuss this book by James Chappel. In it Chappel examines how we Americans have viewed and responded: individually and socially-to the fact of aging.

Skip is a native of Mobile and a resident of the Eastern Shore since 1980. He is the proud father of three and grandfather of nine. He has been building and restoring homes for the past 29 years. In his spare time, he has been building and restoring boats. He currently lives in a 1925 cottage in Fairhope with his wife, Barbara, and dog, Archie.

John Brown
2025-11-23 11:00 - 12:00
Comprehensive Estate Planning 101

John will discuss the five essential documents in a comprehensive estate plan including their primary uses and their limitations. He will also identify the most overlooked aspects of a good estate plan.

John Brown is a qualified as a certified Financial Planner Emeritus. He is the retired owner of the financial planning form he founded and managed for 27 years until he retired in 2010. John currently serves as a volunteer at Thomas Hospital and regularly conducts estate planning seminars at Fairhope Library.

FUF Board Candidate Panel
2025-11-30 11:00 - 12:00
The nominating Committee has finalized the Candidates that they are recommending for the Executive Board next year. Candidates for positions on the FUF Board will describe their plans and suitability for board positions. This will be followed by a Q & A when members can put questions to candidates.

Unitarian Universalists hold up democratic values as one of the cornerstones of our faith and we trust that folks will not be shy of undertaking that responsibility seriously. So please come prepared with good questions!

Annual Member Meeting
2025-12-07 11:00 - 12:00
This is the major opportunity for the FUF Board members to outline the developments over the past year and plans for the future to members. It is the opportunity for members to vote in a new Board and to comment on and question what they are hearing. Stay for pizza and holiday decorating after!

Dr. Bill Goetter
2025-12-14 11:00 - 12:00
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.
