One service only at 11:00 AM in Hobbs Hall led by Director of Religious Education Colleen Thoele with Sandy Eaglen.
It’s pageant Sunday! Our children and youth will share with you the story of the lonely tree who is longing for a place to fit in. Join all the woodland creatures in weaving together the holidays of light through music and spirit to help our little tree find belonging. This Sunday is sure to lift your spirits and remind you of the joy surrounding all of us.
Join us for our Christmas Eve worship service. In the darkness, let deep peace envelop your soul and adorn it with stars. In the quiet, let hope enter into your heart, and warm it with love.
6:00 PM Family Friendly Service (in person only)
Led by Rev. Kristina Church, DRE Colleen Thoele, and Dir. of Music Emily Hall
CLICK HERE to view or print the 6:00 PM Order of Service.
8:30 PM Candle Light Service (in-person and Zoom)
Led by Rev. Kristina Church and Worship Associate Becky Cline with Director of Music Ministries Emily Hall
CLICK HERE to view or print the 8:30 PM Order of Service.
7:00 PM in the historic Sanctuary led by Rev. Kristina Church with Director of Music Ministries Emily Hall.
From the earliest times, humans have gathered to mark the solstice. Let’s enjoy the cozy calm of the season, and share some contemplative time together on this longest of winter nights.
Sometimes the holiday season feels less than “wonderful”. How can we be gentle with ourselves when our hearts feel out of tune with the season? And how can we celebrate when so much seems wrong with the world? How can our community bring comfort and connection to one another in every season?
9:15 AM All Ages Service (in person only)
Led by Rev. Kristina Church, DRE Colleen Thoele, and Dir. of Music Emily Hall
Rev. Howard Thurman writes that “he will be lighting candles of joy despite all sadness”. What brings you joy in the holiday season, even amidst life’s sadness, struggles, and heartaches?
Who carries hope for you when the weariness of the world wears you down? Who might need you to carry hope for them this year?
11:00 AM A Multi-platform, Traditional Service (in-person and Zoom)
Led by Rev. Kristina Church and Worship Associate Heidi Sumser.
The flaming chalice is the symbol of our Unitarian Universalist faith. Each Sunday all over the U.S. and even in many other countries, we light the chalice at the beginning of our time of worship. Join us this Sunday as we share the story of our flaming chalice and what it means to individual UU’s. In addition, at the 11 AM service, we’ll be welcoming new members of our congregation into the community — who bring their own unique sparks of light to our midst!
Please bring your own chalice with you to church if you would like it to be a part of a community ‘blessing of the chalices’. If you don’t have a personal chalice, we’ll have some available, so that you can choose one and then take it home with you!
9:15 AM All Ages Service (in person only)
Led by Rev. Kristina Church, DRE Colleen Thoele, and Dir. of Music Emily Hall
What is the meaning of the flaming chalice for you personally? If you have not reflected on this before, think about what the cup or bowl might mean, what the flame might mean, and what they could mean together. (There aren’t any right or wrong answers!)
Do you have a version of our UU chalice that’s important to you, such as jewelry or a tattoo, or a chalice you use at home? What makes it special to you? What memories and values do you associate with it?
11:00 AM A Multi-platform, Traditional Service (in-person and Zoom)
Led by Rev. Kristina Church and Worship Associate CLM Kathy Kerns.
What if the world ended here, around a table, sharing a meal? Let’s celebrate the bonds of love and community and the way our shared human experiences create the whole world.
9:15 AM All Ages Service (in person only)
Led by Rev. Kristina Church, Director of Music Ministries Emily Hall, and Director of Religious Education Colleen Thoele.
According to poet Joy Harjo, it’s at the family dinner table that “children are given instructions on what it means to be human”. What did you learn about being human around your family’s table?
What are the Thanksgiving traditions that you grew up with? Is there a particular Thanksgiving practice that holds great meaning for you in the life you’re living now
11:00 AM A Multi-platform, Traditional Service (in-person and Zoom)
Led by Rev. Kristina Church, Director of Music Ministries Emily Hall, and Director of Religious Education Colleen Thoele, with special guests Elaine Bowen and Patricia McLoughlin, musical guest Alicia Patrice, and the KentUU Peace Choir.
Join us as we mourn the people we have lost in the last year to anti-trans violence, as we reflect on our gratitude for the trans people in our lives through whom we are made more whole, and as we reaffirm our fierce, unshakable love for trans people.
9:15 AM All Ages Service (in person only)
Led by Rev. Kristina Church and DRE Colleen Thoele.
Do you have an identity or quality that makes you “not fit in” to the world? How might that be a gift to the world?
What is one thing you can do to protect and take care of that part of yourself?
Today we are centering our trans community members. What is a gift that you (if you are trans or non-binary), or a trans person in your life gives to the world that you are grateful for? What can you do to protect and take care of yourself or the trans people in your life?
11:00 AM A Multi-platform, Traditional Service (in-person and Zoom)
Led by Rev. Kristina Church and Worship Associate Kevyn Breedon.
We are experiencing a disintegration of many of the ecological systems and landscapes, along with the destruction of social norms and safety nets. How can we practice resilience as we weather these many storms?
9:15 AM All Ages Service (in person only)
Led by Rev. Kristina Church and Affiliated Community Minister Rev. Renee Ruchotzke.
One service only at 11 AM in Hobbs Hall led by Emily Hall and Worship Associate Dani Beale.
Everyone carries a light of wisdom. Some of the wisdom we gain over time and some are gifts given to us by other light bearers. Join us as we consider all the sources of light and wisdom in our community.
How can congregations meet this moment – the national political context, the hunger for meaning, the epidemic of loneliness, the crisis for parents, – with bravery, curiosity, and creativity? This moment is fraught with danger and potential. So much is at stake. Yet, our history, present, and collective covenant can guide us as we answer this summons.
9:15 AM All Ages Service (in person only)
Led by Rev. Kristina Church and DRE Colleen Thoele.
As Unitarian Universalists, we are called to be protectors and keepers of all that helps life on our planet to thrive. How can ancient and modern Indigenous ways of knowing teach all of us how to safeguard the world’s most precious resource?
9:15 AM All Ages Service (in person only)
Led by Rev. Kristina Church and DRE Colleen Thoele
Human imperfection is a given. Our response to this is our choice. How can we respond to ourselves and others with compassion and grace and love? And embrace our full selves? And be a blessing to one another on life’s journey?
9:15 AM All Ages Service (in person only)
Led by DRE Colleen Thoele and Director of Music Ministries Emily Hall. Reflection by Mike Hovancsek.
What do you believe about failure? What did you learn about failure growing up? How can we help create a community where failure is understood more deeply, accepted, and celebrated?
Reflect on a time when failure led to something beautiful or helpful.
11:00 AM A Multi-platform, Traditional Service (in-person and Zoom)
Led by Commissioned Lay Minister Kathy Kerns and Worship Associate Affiliated Minister Rev. Christie Anderson along with Dir. of Religious Edication Colleen Thoele and Dir. of Music Ministries Emily Hall.
Throughout our long history UU congregations have been charged with choosing their own ministers. Based on the congregation knowing and owning its own course of ministry to the church and the community, the congregation searches for that minister who can partner with them: challenging, comforting, supporting, working alongside them. Calling a minister is one of our greatest responsibilities and joys.
9:15 AM All Ages Service (in person only)
Led by DRE Colleen Thoele and Director of Music Ministries Emily Hall.
Our new articulation of Unitarian Universalist values is much more than a vision of the ideal world we long to see. It’s also instructions for how to move closer to bringing that vision about. Its interlocking covenants remind us how we are called to act, everywhere we go. Let’s explore those covenants, visions, and values, together.
9:15 AM All Ages Service (in person only)
Led by Rev. Kristina Church, DRE Colleen Thoele and Director of Music Ministries Emily Hall.
This is an opportunity for members, friends, and visitors to reflect and share on wondering questions based on the day’s sermon topic. Everyone (including first-time visitors) is welcome to drop in and join us in Hobbs Hall for this small group connection time.
In Unitarian Universalism, we use the core values of Justice, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Interdependence, and Generosity– with LOVE at the center– to help us determine what our actions in the world should be.
If you were ever in a complicated situation where it wasn’t clear what you should do, how did you decide? (If not, can you imagine such a scenario and how you might resolve it?) Are there important values/principles that you’d call upon (such as honesty, respect, compassion, etc., or any of the ones mentioned above) to help you figure it out?
Looking at your own life, what values would you say are at the center of who you are? (They may be the same as or different from the UU ones.) How do these personal core values guide your choices in life?
11:00 AM A Multi-platform, Traditional Service (in-person and Zoom)
Led by Rev. Kristina Church and Worship Associate Dani Beale with Director of Music Ministries Emily Hall.
Experience the transformative power of collective music making with Gabriel Odhiambo Oduor, our friend and musician from the group Kenge Kenge. Kenge Kenge is a group of Kenyan musicians who travel the globe bringing the joy of African music and story telling with them wherever they go. Come join us for a spiritual musical experience of drums, singing, and connection!
9:15 AM All Ages Service (in person only)
Led by Gabriel Odhiambo Oduor of Kenge Kenge, DRE Colleen Thoele and Director of Music Ministries Emily Hall.
This is an opportunity for members, friends, and visitors to reflect and share on wondering questions based on the day’s sermon topic. Everyone (including first-time visitors) is welcome to drop in and join us in Hobbs Hall for this small group connection time.
What do you need to feel belonging? Where do you find belonging?
Share about a time when music or rhythm helped make you feel more connected to those around you. How did your experience make you feel? What else creates similar feelings in you?
Describe a time that you risked sharing your authentic self that led to a deeper feeling of belonging.
11:00 AM A Multi-platform, Traditional Service (in-person and Zoom)
Led by Gabriel Odhiambo Oduor of Kenge Kenge with Director of Music Ministries Emily Hall and Worship Associate Kathy Kerns.
