WORSHIP AT UUCCH.
(For current Sunday Service listings, click here.)

If there is any unifying heart to our Unitarian faith it is worship – and the Sunday morning worship service is its primary vehicle. It is the one time in the week in which we gather as a single community to meditate, be inspired, feel inside us the emotions the activities of the week have suppressed, listen openly, sing, sometimes speak - do several or all of these things.

So why is worship so important a part of our church life?
Unitarian Universalists do have fundamental principles, beliefs and practices. We may sometimes find them hard to put into concrete, non-dogmatic language (Although we try. See the “About Unitarian Universalism” page), but they are there, and they contain elements that must be shared communally in an attitude of reverence. For this reason we assemble and worship together each Sunday morning.

Chalice lighting by our S. family

Ruth K. lighting candles of Joys and Concerns.

 

 What happens during our Sunday Services?
Unitarian Universalist church services tend to be less liturgical and ritual- based than in many traditional churches but there are frequently common elements. These include:

• A lighting of the flaming chalice, the most widely used Unitarian Universalist symbol;

• Readings on the day's topics from poetry, literature, science, philosophy or the scriptures pf the world's religions;
• Meditation;

• A story for the attending children (except for the first Sunday of each month when they have their own Children's Worship);

• Music from the choir or some other music ensemble;
• The singing of hymns;

• The physical, ritual sharing of our goods via an offering (All that our congregation is and all that it has, we bring to it. This is our opportunity to turn ideals into action.) and

• A sermon, usually the intellectual centerpiece of the service, and sometimes the emotional one as well. Our sermons are most frequently delivered from a thoughtfully prepared text although not always.
Our children join us for the first portion of the service, hear a story chosen just for them and then leave for their activities in the Religious Education classes. Pat telling story.

Sofar.

Thanksgiving bread.

Kwanzaa 2002. 		Having outlined the general nature of many services, we, as does any family, have many special rituals.

The following are special Sunday Worship services we hold during each church year:
• Water communion (In the fall, in which we bring water from summer’s special places).
• Yom Kippur (We honor the tradition of looking inward, considering 0ur year and starting afresh.).
• Apple Communion (Honoring all that grows and ripens, be it via stalk or personality.)
• Thanksgiving (We share bread and the bounty from within.)
• Winter Holiday Series (Honoring many celebrations from cultures and faiths across time.)
• Kwanzaa.
• Easter Services.
• Valentine's Service (An always joyous celebration of the many shapes, sizes and connections love binds us in.)
• Youth Sunday (Out teens rule! We get to hear their joy, hopes, angst and music as they share what faith and UUism means to them.)
• Flower Communion (One of our faith's oldest traditions. We share flowers from our homes and hear the history and hope from our past.)
• Coming of Age Service (As our early teens cross the threshold into pre-adult status, they create their own ritual as we formally welcome them as individuals into our community.)
• Religious Education Sunday ( A time to honor all our volunteers, recognize all the growth that has magically occurred over the past year and celebrate our young one's adventures.)

Also, we have these more private ritual services:
• Naming Ceremonies (Welcoming the newest arrivals to our family.)
• Memorial Services (In which we share stories, photos, memories and tears as we honor the lives of friends we have lost.)
• Services of Commitment for couples.
Our entire facility provides accessibility for persons with disabilities from from the special parking areas to your seat in our Sanctuary. We have assisted listening devices for those who need them.

John greeting newcomers.
Mark and Clyde enjoying COFFEE!		 As a practical matter, our Sunday Services start at 10:15 A.M., winter and summer, and last about an hour. You will be greeted at the door, given an order of service and may either look around our “Commons” area which you have entered or go directly to our silent Sanctuary for a moment of meditation before the service starts. We have no dress code but business-casual might describe the average. Following the service we have a Coffee, Conversation and Comestibles period in either the Commons or our Fellowship Hall directly beneath. For how to get to UUCCH, go to our Map and Directions page.
 
   
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