Chris Baglieri has been a Unitarian Universalist since joining the First Unitarian Society of Plainfield in 2004. (Feels longer!)

In that time, he's been an RE teacher, OWL leader, and worked in church leadership with just about every committee that is possible to be on.

This includes over ten years as a member and chair of the Worship Committee, with experience in creating and leading dozens of worship services as well as leading small-group ministry.

Chris's professional public speaking experience is as a mental health professional and a teacher of special-needs children. He also has experience as a staff trainer in Non-Violent Crisis Intervention, a martial arts instructor and a (very) amateur musician.

His area of expertise in Unitarian Universalist speaking is in faith development, atheism, humanism and intergenerational worship.

Titles of programs/sermons and a brief statement of content on each:

• Circle Round —For as long as humans have gathered in groups, they have gathered in some form of worship, whether that meant gathering in prayer to a shared sense of the divine, gathering around a fire to sing of joy, or gathering in awe to watch the sunrise.
  Isn’t it ironic, then, that in this time of modern pandemic, when we are proscribed from gathering together in large groups, we are struggling not just with the question of how we gather, but also of the much deeper question of -why- we gather.
• To be a Unitarian Universalist is to Be BRAVE! —This was a recent service created as part of a shared pulpit workshop with Melanie Davis. The service speaks to courage, and the need for UU's to overcome their hesitation to "own" their UU identity and explicitly give voice to our shared values. It is based on the idea that the reason that we share certain practices - e.g. Social Justice, Environmental Justice, Anti-Racism is because we ARE Unitarian Universalists and we chose to embody our values, much in the same way that other groups embody their beliefs in fasting, or in dressing a certain way.
• Still Coming of Age —I have mentored several Coming of Age classes, and worked extensively with teens and youth in different professional frameworks. This service centers around my own adult credo, delivered at the First Unitarian Society of Plainfield, in the form of an actual "Elevator Speech." It was designed to invite other members into the process that UU young people go through in creating their Coming of Age credo statement. Whether someone takes part in formal faith formation work or not, every UU benefits from a personal examination of "What is it that I believe, and how can I share that?"

Availability: Virtual sermons anytime. In person sermons within 75 miles of the Piscataway, NJ area, anytime of the year.

Fee arrangements: Standard fee for your congregation.

Contact: Email Chris Baglieri at firstuaction@gmail.com.