2026 Services

"Gritty Faith and Gritty Facts"

Michael Malone, Worship Committee

02/15/2026

Paradox permeates every aspect of our lives from the personal to the societal, the micro to the macro. Learning to hold the tension between two seemingly absurd opposites - that vulnerability is strength, that profit and purpose can coexist, that we can be decisive and open-minded, that it can be the best of times and the worst of times - without having to lapse into dualistic thinking offers a liberating gift and allows for novel ideas to emerge. Franciscan friar Richard Rohr suggests that embracing the power of paradox is the great development of midlife, and sociologist Brene Brown espouses that organizations that pursue both "gritty faith and gritty facts" will prosper. Embracing paradoxical thinking is an essential tool for practicing resilience.  

"Rituals and Practices for Resilience, Part 1"

Reverend Doctor Megan Visser

02/08/2026

Resilience is more than "bouncing back" from life's challenges. Unitarian Universalists draw from wisdom born of embodied experience as well as the gifts of reason and intuition. Bring your weariness, crankiness or curiosity to this service and leave with a few more tools for building resilience. This is part one of a two-part service series.

"Centering Love: Immigrants, Black Faith, and the Soul of Unitarian Universalism"

Reverend Gordon Bailey

02/01/2026

In a time of rising anti-Black and Brown sentiments, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and growing pressure to conform, this service calls Unitarian Universalists back to the heart of our faith: love made visible through justice, courage, and community. Drawing on the legacy of Jamaican-born Unitarian minister Egbert Ethelred Brown, the prophetic ministry of Rev. Dr. Hope Johnson, and the enduring contributions of Black UUs across generations, this sermon lifts up the immigrant roots of our faith and our nation. Together, we will celebrate heroes and sheroes, honor the ancestors, and recommit ourselves to a Unitarian Universalism that centers love boldly, globally, and without apology.

"Resisting Utopian Visions, Expressing Ideals as Actions"

Reverend Doctor Megan Visser

01/25/2026

Did you know Unitarians and Universalist history included the development and disappearance of so-called "utopian" communities? You are invited in to explore continuing threads of idealism in our movement today and the challenges inherent in expressing ideals as action. 

“God’s Justice Is Not Neutral: Monuments, Dr. Martin Luther King, 

and Divine Intervention” 

Reverend Joey Courtney

01/18/2026

Join us this Sunday as Rev. Joey Courtney reflects on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy, including lessons in resistance from his 1968 sermon titled, "Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution." On this day Dr. King famously preached, "We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Rev. Courtney will share his spiritual experience of the post-Civil War "Monuments" exhibit at the MOCA and draw connections to the wisdom from Dr. King's final Sunday sermon.

"Something Beyond, Calling Us"

Reverend Doctor Megan Visser

01/11/2026

“Once upon a time there were three – yes, three – very wise men who were sitting in their own countries minding their own business when a bright star lodged in the right eye of each one of them. It was so bright that none of them could tell whether it was burning in the sky or in their own imaginations” (Barbara Brown Taylor). There is something beyond, calling each of us. Join Rev. Megan in worship with an ancient story and a look toward the new year.  Also, come participate in a New Year special ritual and receive a ""power word"" for 2026!"

"Resistance is (NOT) Futile"

Lay Led - Terry Hassman Paulin

01/04/2026

In the TV series Star Trek, there is a race of beings called the Borg. The Borg’s existence comes from assimilating and taking over other species, and their most memorable saying is “Resistance is futile!” And it is sometimes easy to think that resistance to evil is indeed futile. What impact can our actions have on all the hate and pain in the world? We come together this morning to question what the Borg say, and to see if resistance is futile.