Our guest speaker, Reverend Nathan C. Walker says, "We, as one strong body, are required to lead by being. When we feel the impulse to be the interrogator we must choose to be the generator of visions larger than ourselves. When we feel the impulse to be enraged we must accept the invitation to be empathetic and no longer make people the object of our aggression. When we feel the impulse to be furious we must be curious. When we feel the impulse to be righteous we must transform our soapbox into a music box. Let us dare to be powerfully playful.”

Our guest speaker, Reverend Nathan C. Walker, is honored to serve as the minister of the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, where since his arrival in 2007 has welcomed over 168 new members. Reverend Nate delivered the John Murray Distinguished Lecture and joined with former UUA President John Buehrens to participate in the Minns Lectures. The UU World magazine featured his proposal to create a code of ethics for Monsanto, the world’s largest producer of genetically modified seeds. As a scholar in church/state relations, he is currently completing an interdisciplinary doctorate in Law, Education and Religion at Columbia University. Nate explores similar themes as co-editor “Whose God Rules?” (Palgrave Macmillan 2011) with the foreword by former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair. Additional contributors include Alan Dershowitz, Martha Nussbaum, William F. Schulz, and endorsements by Cornel West and the late Forrest Church (www.WhoseGodRules.com).

Previous speakers for this annual Renewal Service include Rev. Peter Morales, Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed, Rev. Rob Eller-Isaac, Rev. Kendyl Gibbons, Rev. Bill Sinkford, Rev. Michael Schuler, and Rev. Forrest Church.