Sunday Worship Services
Join us every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in our classic New England sanctuary for worship services. Our services engage the mind, body, heart and spirit with beautiful music, spiritual themes, stories for all ages, and time for contemplation and prayer. Children begin in the sanctuary with their families and then are excused for faith development programs which run concurrently. Nursery care is available for the youngest, and babies and children are always welcome to remain in the service with their caregivers.
You can also join us live online, or view any of our past services on our YouTube channel.
Worship Online
During our service, we share prayers from our community. If you have a prayer you wish to share during our service, you can fill out the form below, or complete a prayer card in the sanctuary.
Worship theme: Choosing Hope
In the Christian season of Advent, we wait and hope for a better world to come, knowing all along that we are the ones who will help get us there. We also celebrate the Jewish holiday of Chanukah, honoring resistance to oppression, even in the face of our own fear. A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it.
Sunday mornings 10:30AM
View past services, music, and children's stories on our YouTube channel
Sunday, December 7, 2025 YouTube Livestream: https://youtube.com/live/Wg-d2Qk6uBY?feature=share
Listening With the Heart
In Unitarian Universalism, we practice the spirituality of congregational life: worshiping together, acts of service and justice in our community, and building sustaining connections with one another. One way to do this is through deep and disciplined listening, including through new small groups which will begin in February. The Rev. Sarah Stewart preaching.
Service Music: Our Adult Choir will be sharing anthems on the theme of listening, including Ysaye Barnwell's "Breaths," and also sharing a preview of one of our Christmas Eve anthems, "O Magnum Mysterium" by Lauridsen. James Haupt will be on piano and organ.
Faith Development: Today our class will be having their second pageant rehearsal! Come join in on the fun! Our Christmas Pageant will be on December 14th.
Sunday, December 14, 2025 YouTube Livestream: https://youtube.com/live/GpAIJHFAXbg?feature=share
Herod the Terrible
In all the decades of the Christmas Pageant at First Unitarian Church, one thing has remained constant: someone wants to play Herod. The brooding villain in the balcony with the dramatic death scene is one of the best parts. The story shows us a clear choice: the leadership of brutality or the leadership of peace, a choice we still face today. The Rev. Sarah Stewart preaching.
Service Music: We have three choirs singing in today's service! Our Jingle Bells choir, featuring singers aged preschool up through grade 3, will be performing two songs. Our Children's Choir will be performing "Christmas Time is Here" by Vince Guaraldi, from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (and featuring Sten Gustavson on piano.) And our adult choir will be accompanying the pageant with a beloved array of Christmas carols and anthems. James Haupt will be on piano and organ, and be doing our special annual Dial-a-Carol prelude. Be sure to arrive early so you can call out your favorite carol and everyone will sing a verse!
Sunday, December 21, 2025
On God
Is God all-powerful, all-loving, or all-just? God can't possible be all three at once. God might not really exist, anyway; we have no proof either way. Unitarian Universalism makes room for many beliefs (and non-beliefs) about God. The word "God" is a metaphor for a power beyond our individual selves that serves to give our lives meaning. The Rev. Sarah Stewart preaching.
Wednesday, December 24, 2025 YouTube Livestream: https://youtube.com/live/YIgqf2wM5ag?feature=share
5:30 p.m.: Fear Not
Many of us participated in No Kings rallies in 2025. Yet Christmas celebrates the birth of a different kind of king: Jesus of Nazareth, who claimed no power over others, healed people in body and spirit, and preached the kingdom of God. In following Jesus' spirit, we are asked to find courage in the face of our fear, in order to do what is right. The Rev. Sarah Stewart preaching.
Service Music: Join us for a breathtaking celebration of Christmas. Bob Gordon on timpani, Madeline Browning on flute, and singers Maria Ferrante and Christon Carney will join Allegra Martin and the First Unitarian Choir, with James Haupt on organ and piano for a beautiful music celebration. Many traditional carols will be shared as well as works by John Rutter, Alice Parker, Nancy Galbraith, and Matthew Culloton.
Sunday, December 28, 2025
Pancakes and Communion
Join Rev. Sarah in the Bancroft Room for a short communion service following a pancake breakfast. Thank you to Susan and Jesse Anderson for taking the lead on pancakes! This service is for all ages and will be in-person only.