Connie Simon

Connie, a Black woman with short hair, smiles with a library of books behind her.

Rev. Connie Simon (she/her) serves as Interim Minister of the UU Church of Davis in Davis, California. Committed to supporting each of us find our inner divine, she describes her ministry as "helping people heal from the inside-out so they can do the outside-in work our world so desperately needs."

From Connie Simon

Displaying 1 - 8 of 8

Black and white photo of only the arms of dark-skinned people, raised as if praying in a church pew

When someone lists Unitarians or Universalists, they usually name white men. Never anyone Black like me.

Reflection | By Connie Simon | February 28, 2024 | From Braver/Wiser
Tagged as: #8thPrinciple, #BlackHistoryMonth, #BlackLivesMatter, 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Generations, History, Identity, Race/Ethnicity, Self-Respect, Truth, Unitarian Universalism, Unitarianism, Universalism, Worship
A purple and pink sky, at twilight, with a burning sun setting behind dry, wintry stalks of grain.

And still, we are grateful.

Prayer | By Connie Simon | November 22, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
Tagged as: #COVID19, Gratitude, Thanksgiving, WorshipWeb, Worship
In a black and white photo, a young Black girl dances on a busy city street while listening to music on headphones

Music is my solace and my comfort, the one thing that’s always with me. I feel its vibration deep in my soul; it’s my spiritual practice. Music tells the story of my life.

Reflection | By Connie Simon | May 23, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Arts & Music, Body, Creativity, Direct Experience, Music Sunday, Secular, Spiritual Practice
A large box of crayons in the foreground; in the background, a child bent over a drawing

What if we encouraged and celebrated each other for who we are? What if, instead of criticizing, we challenged with love, affirming the good we see in one another?

Reflection | By Connie Simon | March 21, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Acceptance, Compassion, Connections, Direct Experience, Humanism, Secular, Self-Respect, Unitarian Universalism, Worth
A person's hands and lower arms: the hands touch at the fingertips, palms separated, pointed upwards as if in prayer.

This is the hour. The time has come. Mindful of our responsibilities as leaders of this faith and guardians of the living tradition, we call upon that great cloud of witnesses—those who came before, those who are here now and those who have yet to come. We seek their presence, love and support in...

Chalice Lighting | By Connie Simon | December 13, 2017 | From WorshipWeb
Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 6th Principle (World Community), Business Meetings, Calling, Generations, Governance, Leadership, Ordinations, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Responsibility, Secular, Teamwork, Tradition, Unitarian Universalism, Wisdom
A woman's face, half-covered by her hand, with a solemn expression.

My pager went off at 2:30 a.m. The nurse on the phone said they didn’t know what to do with this patient and thought maybe I could talk to her.

Reflection | By Connie Simon | November 8, 2017 | From Braver/Wiser

When I started attending a UU church, I was excited by the promise of worship that would draw from the arts, science, nature, literature and a multitude of voices. Indeed, some of the voices that Unitarian Universalists hear in worship each week belong to Thoreau, Emerson, Ballou, and others....

Reading | By Connie Simon | October 15, 2017 | From WorshipWeb
Tagged as: Community, Direct Experience, Identity, Inclusion, Listening, Multiculturalism, Pain, Personal Stories, Race/Ethnicity, Reconciliation, Unitarian Universalism

Spirit of Life and Love, God of Many Names, we gather in awareness of the opportunity before us as Unitarian Universalists. We have been given many chances before today to heal the wounds of the racism and oppression that have beset our denomination for many years, and held us back from realizing...

Prayer | By Connie Simon | October 15, 2017 | From WorshipWeb
Tagged as: Anti-Oppression, Commitment, Community, Direct Experience, Healing, Integrity, Living Our Faith, Multiculturalism, Race/Ethnicity, Reconciliation, Unitarian Universalism

For more information contact .