Simone Monique Barnes will be the Guest Pulpit Leader at Emerson UU Church in Houston, TX, Sunday, July 16, 2023, 11am Central Time

“It is often necessary to laugh in order to survive.”

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Exhaustion, a global pandemic, social and civic unrest, isolation, stress—where’s the joy in that! Cultivating joy, spiritual joy, takes practice. Our guest leader Simone Monique Barnes shares the importance of having spiritual practices and tools that cultivate joy that is sustainable, even in hard times; joy that is not reliant on circumstances or situations.

About Simone Monique Barnes

An interdisciplinary artist, writer, educator, and lay minister, Simone Monique Barnes works in community ministry, and is a regular guest worship leader and lay speaker at Wildflower UU in Austin TX. Her professional and spiritual pathways are influenced by the religious lineages, histories, and traditions of Absalom Jones and Richard Allen (The Episcopal Church, and the African Methodist Episcopal Church), along with a connection to community, the arts, and the healing practices of yoga, prayer, and meditation.

Simone is a Harvard trained educator, who is also trained in teaching the practices of Laughter Yoga and Afro Flow Yoga which help provide the fuel she needs to stay in “good trouble” doing the work to build and nurture the beloved community.

Attend in-person or on Zoom

Sunday, July 16, 2023, 11 am Central Time

• Emerson UU Church, 1900 Bering Dr, Houston, TX 77057
• YouTube Livestream