Photo by Juanita Geldenhuys on Unsplash
Greetings, CTU Members and Friends –
As we continue this year focusing on various religions and spiritual philosophy per month, in July we will focus on spiritual intuition. How might we cultivate a deeper sense of knowing?
Please diarise Sunday, 26 July, 12-3 pm at the church (online and in person) for a CTU-wide meeting for strategic planning and exploration of the future of the ministry position.
Lastly, PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING TO GUR’S GoFundMe for his and his family’s lawsuit to gain permanent residency! We just need R20,000 to go forward. Your gift will make a positive life changing difference in the lives of Gur, Lungi, Alpha and Roselyn. Details below.
With love and light,
WhatsApp 076 024 9120
In this issue of the newsletter
Check out our events page to view our church calendar. This includes events posted in the building and outside of the building. If you would like your event added, please contact us via email at: community@capetownunitarians.org
Sunday Services
Upcoming Activities
Fundraising
Council Updates
Sunday Services
All services will start at 10:30 am SA time
Contact Community@CapeTownUnitarians.org for the link
5 July, Listening to the Inner Voice. Many spiritual traditions speak of an inner wisdom that guides us when reason alone cannot provide all the answers. This reflection explores how we can learn to recognize, trust, and discern the quiet voice of intuition amid the noise of daily life.
12 July, Intuition, Insight, and Human Experience. What is intuition, and where does it come from? Drawing on psychology, philosophy, and spiritual practice, we consider how sudden insights, deep feelings, and moments of clarity can help us navigate life's uncertainties.
19 July, The Wisdom of Silence. In a world filled with constant distraction, silence can become a doorway to deeper understanding. This service explores how practices such as meditation, contemplation, and mindful attention can strengthen our connection to spiritual intuition.
26 July, Intuition and Ethical Living. How do we know what is right when rules and traditions offer no clear answer? How do we think together, in a way that supports the wisdom of each other? We examine the role of intuition in moral decision-making and consider how inner guidance, balanced by reflection and compassion, can help us live with greater integrity and purpose.
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
CTU-wide meeting for strategic planning and exploration of the future of the ministry position
Somerset West Fellowship
SATURDAY, 4 July 2026 @ 10h00
Vonke Meeting Room, Vonke House, 121 Lourensford Road, Somerset West
THE ORIGIN OF RELIGION
From Early Human Meaning-Making to Psychology, Mysticism and Myth
Where does religion come from, and why has it appeared in every known human civilisation?
This talk explores the origin of religion through five major interpretive lenses: anthropology, psychology, personal experience, mysticism and the study of symbols. It considers influential thinkers such as James Frazer, Sigmund Freud, William James, Rudolf Otto and Carl Jung, each of whom offers a different explanation for why human beings develop religious beliefs and practices.
Is religion primarily an early attempt to explain and control nature? A psychological response to fear and uncertainty? A deep encounter with the sacred? Or an expression of universal symbols within the human mind?
The discussion will engage both scientifically minded perspectives and more experiential or mystical interpretations, inviting reflection on whether religion is best understood as illusion, adaptation, experience—or something more fundamental to human consciousness itself.
Rev. Roux Malan is a minister, speaker and facilitator with a strong interest in comparative religion, philosophy and the intersection between science and spirituality. He has long been engaged in public dialogue exploring how belief systems shape human identity, ethics and meaning.
Vonke Meeting Room, Vonke House, 121 Lourensford Rd, Somerset West
📞 **Contact:** Rev. Roux Malan – 084 679 5466
🌐 **Website:** https://swunitarians.carrd.co
This is a free event—all are welcome!
A FREE online course for the CTU Community!
Telling you Spiritual Autobiography/Personal Myth
Facilitated by Carl Lindemann
Come join me in the Winter weeks ahead to tell stories about our lives, where we’re from and what we’re for. We will be collecting the stories we know my heart about ourselves and working to craft something to share with the community to test a new way we might conduct services. Instead of a traditional sermon, we share who we are by what’s in our hearts.
I am adapting a course I have taught at the Centre for Applied Jungian Studies along similar lines – albeit adapted for CTU. The idea is to develop something to serve as an introduction to CTU’s beliefs and practices, while helping new members get to know themselves, each other and us.
The weekly course will take place over 6 evenings, two hours each session. We will be talking about love, work, interests – all the things that define our lives. Readings, movies and songs from various sources serve as prompts to get us telling our own stories.
After, those who feel inspired will have an opportunity to tell their story as part of a Sunday CTU service.
It would be great to do this in person, but likely we’ll get greater participation online in the Winter cold and dark. I’ve taught versions of this both in person and online – and what’s great is that it translates nicely online.
I’m also open to suggestion as to Unitarian-themed readings, movies, songs that get us thinking, feeling and telling our stories. No day/time is set yet, but want to get started sometime in June. Let’s find a time to gather that worked for everyone! Contact Carl on WhatsApp at +27 79 021 5079
Website link: https://capetownswing.co.za/
Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/capetownswing
WhatsApp Group Link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/D18f5nNmtSRHI4dI3lXNLV
Fundraising
GUR NEEDS YOUR HELP: WE ONLY NEED R20,000 MORE TO SUE HOME AFFAIRS ON GUR AND HIS FAMILY’S BEHALF. Gur’s GoFundMe link is here: https://gofund.me/150067d08
It will change their lives dramatically for the better by getting their permanent residency approved. Most have donated via EFT to CTU. If you’d like to give in that way, here are the details: Unitarian Church, Standard Bank, account # 070440719, Swift Code SBZAZAJJ.
Council Updates
Next Council meeting is scheduled for Sunday 26 July 12-3 pm. Contact Nima@Nimajanettaylor@gmail.com if you would like to attend.
Have questions or comments for Council? Please email us at community@capetownunitarians.org.