What to Expect on a Sunday Morning:

Whether you've been going to religious services all your life or never imagined yourself checking out a church, you are welcome here!  Our Sunday services begin at 10:00 a.m.

We realize coming to a new religious congregation can be anxiety producing. We hope the information on this page will give you a sense of what to expect when you come to a Sunday service.

Sunday morning is our main gathering time as a community. This is our time to reconnect, share our joys and concerns, teach our children values, and hear words of challenge and inspiration to keep our feet on the journey for the week ahead. Before you enter the sanctuary you will pass by the Welcome Table and we encourage you to stop and sign the Guest Registry, so you can receive our monthly newsletter for three months. You can also make a name tag for yourself and pick up brochures that will tell you more about who we are and what we do.

A typical Sunday service begins with a musical prelude, opening words, and a chance to greet those sitting around you. We like to welcome any visitors at this time, but this is entirely optional. After the greeting time we light our chalice, a symbol of Unitarian Universalism and the light of healing we try to bring to a broken world. Every Sunday we collect food and other items for Project Understanding and have a special time with the children before they go to their classrooms for Sunday school. Typically, our services also include readings, singing, a time of quiet meditation or prayer, sharing of joys and concerns, a collection to support the church or a project in the community, and a sermon by the minister or a guest speaker. We often end our service by joining hands for a simple closing song.

The content of the service of the readings, hymns, and sermon--reflect how our liberal religious tradition, rooted in liberal Christianity, has expanded to affirm many sources of wisdom. The sermon might illuminate a Buddhist concept. There might be a reading from a contemporary writer. A member might share some original music inspired by the worship theme. To learn more about Unitarian Universalism, please see our Links & Resources section.

If you are visiting with children ages 2-18 they are welcome to join in the Religious Education classes. Children sit with their families at the start of the service and we sing them out to their classes after a children's story. For infants and toddlers we have a nursery staffed with trained aides and plenty of age-appropriate toys for them to play with. Of course, children of all ages are welcome to stay with you during the whole service if you and they prefer. Click here to read more information on our Religious Education program and infant care.

After the service, we hope you'll stay for social hour and let us get to know you better. In addition to Sunday services, there are many activities going on weekly that you might enjoy (see  UU Things to Do). Please stop by the Welcome Table or check out the calendar on the website for more information.