Casper UU: Unitarian Universalist Community of Casper

10/13/2026

With UU Casper’s October theme of Healing Histories That Hurt, let's explore stories that shape us with these Casper community events ✨

UU Casper members and friends—join us in stepping into the histories that have shaped this place and our country. These local events offer chances to listen, learn, and reflect together:

Wednesday, October 14
Robert Sims: Celebrating America – A Tribute Through Song and Spirit (ARTCORE)
Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, 318 E. 6th St
A powerful evening of song that traces the American story through music and spirit.

Saturday, October 17
Hell’s Half Acre Guided History & Geology Tour
Hell’s Half Acre (meet at the parking area, ~40 min west of Casper)
A free guided walk exploring the deep geologic, archaeological, and human history of this striking Natrona County landmark.

Thursday, November 5
Patrick Dewane: The Accidental Hero
CitiWerks Cafe, 162 S. Wolcott
A moving one-man multimedia performance about a WWII soldier who unknowingly liberated the Czech homeland of his own ancestors.

Thursday, November 12
Buffalo Bill Boycott & Dr. Jo: The Legacy of Wyoming
Restoration Church, 411 S. Walsh Dr.
Live Western music, storytelling, and historical imagery celebrating Wyoming’s role in America’s story—from the trails and railroads to cowboy life and beyond.

Come as you are. Bring a friend. These gatherings are open to the wider Casper community, and we’d love to see familiar faces there.

What stories are you hoping to explore this season?

10/11/2026

After today's s presentation, if you'd like to learn more about the Doctrine of Discovery, here are a couple of resources.

UUA's 14 minute documentary: https://www.uua.org/multiculturalism/racial-justice/dod/what-doctrine-discovery

Stephen Newcomb's one hour documentary ($4.99 to rent on Vimeo): https://vimeo.com/ondemand/dominationcode

The Doctrine of Discovery is a principle of international law dating from the late 15th century. It has its roots in a papal decree issued by Pope...

10/11/2026

Millennia of human resilience on Alaskan Aleutian volcanoes… and healing from historical trauma
October 18 at 10 AM at 1040 W 15th St, Casper
Casper native and geologist Kirsten Nicolaysen has done field work in Alaska. During this service, she will share images and maps of the Aleutians and talk about the hazards of earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes and the evidence that people survived and thrived there in spite of these challenges. She will talk about contact with Russians and Americans, explain the beliefs of the Unangax from ethnography, and the role of Father Veniaminov, or St. Innocent of the Russian Orthodox church. Finally, Kirsten will end with a hope for healing past harms.

Image credit: Healing History That Still Hurt. Public domain. Created with OpenAI.

10/11/2026

The Doctrine of Discovery: When Might Claimed to Be Right
Sunday, October 11 at 10 AM at 1040 W 15th St, Casper
For most of human history, conflicts have been settled by conquest. The Doctrine of Discovery gave that old pattern a sacred seal. Rooted in fifteenth-century papal bulls, it held that Christian rulers could claim lands and peoples not already under Christian rule. It later entered U.S. law through Johnson v. M’Intosh (1823) and is still cited in courts today.

Both the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Vatican have repudiated the doctrine, yet its legacy shapes land title, treaty rights, and the question of how nations justify taking territory. This service looks at where the doctrine came from, why it endured even after its religious source was disowned, and what a faith committed to the inherent worth and dignity of every person might do in response.

Image credit: Healing History That Still Hurt. Public domain. Created with OpenAI.

09/17/2026

The Teachers in My Life
Sunday, Sep 20 at 10 AM
Teachers come in all shapes and sizes. Most tend to think of them as living, mainly human. I have found they can be anything…