Descriptions of past Unitarian Universalist services at UUCC are below. Recordings of elements of our worship, including Sermons and Messages for All Ages are available on our YouTube channel.

January 2025 — Love

January 28, 2024 — Is Love Really All You Need?

Rev. Sara: We all know the song, but is it true? Is love the solution to everything?

January 21, 2024 — Labrador Love, Being The Person My Dog Thinks I Am Our animal companions are a constant source of unconditional love. How does our interaction with them bring out the best in us?

January 14, 2024 — Our Bodies, Ourselves

Rev. Sara: We all live in a body. It may work how we want it to, or more likely, we are challenged by how our bodies function. One thing I know for sure: all bodies are sacred and deserve love!

2023 UUCC Services

December 2023 — Mystery

December 31, 2023 — New Year’s Eve Online Service

What seeds are you planting for the new year? How are you weaving your magic into your relationships with others? How can we center beauty and goodness and love in all that’s ahead? These questions are at the heart of the homily, story, and other worship materials offered by WorshipWeb and Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

December 24, 2023 –Candlelight Christmas Eve Service at 5 pm

4 pm holiday concert featuring UUCC singers and musicians.

December 17, 2023 — Children & Youth Holiday Program

An annual highlight of the Holiday Season, the “Children & Youth Holiday Program”! This year was a look at the traditional manger story with a fun and musical angle. It was interactive, multi-generational, and provided a good dose of “Holiday Spirit”.

December 10, 2023 — Rev. Sara: Whodunnit a Rev. Sara Mystery

Sleuths helped solve the mystery of which literary mystery tropes Rev. Sara included in the service this week.

December 3, 2023 — Rev. Sara: Willing Suspension of Disbelief

A film term, coined by William Taylor Coleridge, inspired this question, what disbelief do we need to suspend to embrace mystery and wonder in our lives? Third in the series about the Values and Covenant statements.

November 2023 — Generosity

November 26, 2023 — Rev. Sara: We Give Thanks

The other side of generosity is gratitude. In this season of thanksgiving, to whom do we owe our thanks?

November 19, 2023 — Jennifer Springsteen, Chaplain: The Worms are Free: Divine Generosity

Let’s lift our hearts and recognize the holy unfolding around us: the next wave breaking on the sand, a stranger’s smile, and even the surprise of a worm hidden in our ear of corn. Whether under the silks or in the wink of an agate, Divine generosity abounds.

November 12, 2023 — Rev. Sara: IOU: Debt, Generosity, and Sacrifice
As we embarked on a theme of generosity for November, we explored how we give our time, talent, treasure, and trust to UUCC. Second in the series about the Values and Covenant statements.

November 5, 2023 — Time, Treasure, Talents, Trust — Daylight Savings Ends

Rev. Sara tells a story about surprises a woman experiences as she prepares for a visit from a very amazing guest.

October 2023— Heritage

October 22, 2023 — Healing from History

After we make a new way – breaking away from our history – how do we heal the injuries of our past while embracing that the past will be with us and has shaped us even as we have let it go?

October 15, 2023 — Folklore — “Defining” in our title is meant two ways—what’s the definition of folklore, and how does folklore define us? This week we celebrate the Richmond Folklore Festival, consider why we mark Indigenous People Day, and reflect, along with our UUA President, in response to the events in the Middle East, how to “nuance two very real histories of oppression and violence.”

October 8, 2023 — Making A Way out of No Way

We come out of rich and complex heritage, as individuals and as Unitarian Universalists. We honored National Coming Out Day as we discovered the many ways we have in the past, and continued to break away from pasts that no longer serve us.

October 1, 2023 — Love is at the Center

Love is the message of this church, and Love is at the center of our proposed values and covenant statements from the UUA. This year congregations are encouraged to explore the new statements and values together to prepare for a final vote to accept them at UUA General Assembly in June 2024. This will be the first in a series of sermons on this topic, as the themes for the year are based on the values statements.

September 2023 — Welcome

September 24, 2023 — Outdoor Service!

Join us for our annual outdoor service (service canceled due to weather/storm issues).

September 17, 2023 — What the Welcoming Words Mean to Me
Our Welcoming Words are part of our Worship Service each Sunday and set the tone for how we invite visitors to experience our community. But what do they mean to those of us to whom they are long familiar? Please join us on Sunday as Worship Leaders Lisa Furr and Shellie Smith talk about what our Welcoming Words mean to them.

September 10, 2023 — Peace Like a River

Join us for our annual water communion ceremony, where we honor the water that refreshes us and sustains life on earth. Bring water that is important to you to mingle with waters that are important to others. Bring water from your garden hose, your journeys, your sink at home, or the tap here at church.

September 3, 2023 — We Labor Together

What does the rise of unions in the last few years have to say about our social and political moment? Come find out together.

August 2023

August 27, 2023 — Rattle the World – Why Poetry Shapes Us
Poetry speaks to the heart of us, stirring people up or offering a soothing balm. It can also make sense of a broken world, and keep us in the game when times get hard. Love it or hate it, come hear some poetry that can rattle the world.

4th Sunday Charity
This Sunday will be the 4th Sunday Charity for August. All plate donations not designated otherwise will be donated to The Arc of Hanover. The Arc of Hanover is the leading advocacy, service, and awareness organization for citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities In Hanover County. Pam Bishop will join us Sunday to tell the congregation about their important work.

August 20, 2023 — The First Day of School – Again
A new school year is upon us, and with it a whole slew of new beginnings! The first day of school (and of a new job), always comes with nerves about the unknown: “Will they like me? Will I like them? What will it be like?” How do you choose to face these questions, with anxiety or curiosity? This will be the first Sunday that Rev. Sara joins in the pulpit.

August 13, 2023 — Mistakes & Miracles: A Reflection on UUCCs Journey to Beloved Community
This past spring, UUCC had two groups of people join in the UUA Common Read Book Group, “Mistakes & Miracles: Congregations on the Road to Multiculturalism”. The book was a compilation of reflections on various UU Congregations and their efforts toward building multicultural communities that both went well and did not over time. This Sunday, members of those groups will reflect on their experiences with the book, their own personal journeys, and UUCC’s path on the way toward building the world we dream about… both the Mistakes and the Miracles along our way.

August 6, 2023 – Scripture, Plagiarism, Cryptomnesia, and the Fine Art of the Cover Song
Ah, the Internet – where TikTok dance videos number in the millions, dogs and babies become superstars and, “the thing that hath been, it is that which shall be, and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes) Is originality nonexistent or omnipresent? Is how we answer that question dependent on or predictive of our understanding of the world and what it means to be human? Rev. Alane Cameron Ford will be our guest minister.

July 2023

July 30, 2023 – Why Can’t We Be Satisfied?
We are taught that to stand still is to fall back. We must keep striving for more and never be satisfied in order to grow. And isn’t growth the holy grail? But what if the secret to satisfaction is not to increase what we have? What if it is to manage our wants, even if that means wanting less? Getting off the treadmill of constant desire can lead to a happier, more satisfied life. Rev. Doug McCusker will be our guest minister. He is the settled minister of the UU Fellowship of Fredericksburg, Virginia.

July 23, 2023 – Shopping for Redemption
Sunday, we will examine the Myth of Redemptive Violence through the lens of popular entertainment and the gun culture in the United States. Guest Minister – Rev. Janet Onnie.

July 16, 2023 – A Culture of Accommodation
Our service this Sunday, titled “A Culture of Accommodation”, will feature guest speakers Nathan and Ramon Selove, who will share their life-long perspectives on neurodiversity. To learn more about, Nathan and Ramon, please see this article where they were featured in UU World Magazine in March 2019. Please join us in person or online!

July 9, 2023 — Words Create Worlds
How can we relearn communication in this era of grandstanding, trolling, and rewarding of a style of discourse that gets fifth graders detention? When the rules are out the window and emotions are high, what gifts does humanity have to build a better world? Rev. Alane Cameron Ford will share some teachings from the diverse global communities who combine humanism, religion, philosophy, poetry, and ethics to work for hopeful change.

July 2, 2023 – For All Intentions, Principles, and Purposes Worship Leader: Kendall Nordin

Join us this week to think about how we might live into our hopes for our best selves on a day-to-day basis and the current shift away from “principles and purposes” to a more inclusive way to define our faith. Kendall Nordin will bring us a brief update from the General Assembly of Unitarian Universalists and offer up a daily spiritual practice to help us align our actions with our UU values.

June — Delight

June 25, 2023 — Worship Leader: Alane Ford Collaboration as Spiritual Discipline

Cooperation and shared input are critical to everything from choirs to sports teams, and yet the American rebel spirit and independent streak often undermines this very process. Perhaps the cause is lack of practice. Collaboration requires repetition and practice. How can organized religion empower collaborative relationships rather than undermine them. How is Unitarian Universalism uniquely poised to make a spiritual discipline of collaboration?

June 18, 2023 – Different Voices

This Sunday, we will hear from different voices as they read essays from NPR’s “This I Believe”

June 11, 2023 – Come Beloveds, History Speak
Join us next Sunday for a powerful sermon titled “Come Beloveds, History Speak.” by roddy bell-shelton biggs (they/them). Delve into the rich tapestry of history, exploring the significance of banned books, LGBTQ+ Pride, and the vital topics of sexuality and sex education. Discover how the voices of the past and present guide us toward a more inclusive and compassionate future. Don’t miss this enlightening opportunity to celebrate our diverse humanity and embrace the wisdom of those who came before us. The Annual Meeting will be held after the Service.

roddy bell-shelton biggs (they/them; lowercase preferred) is a Queer, BIPOC, non-binary seminarian and aspiring Public Theologian. They claim a progressive anti-oppressive Christian faith grounded in the Unitarian Universalist faith. roddy is serving as intern minister for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fredericksburg, VA, while they continue their studies and seminary education at Meadville Lombard Theological School. They will graduate with an M. Div. in the Spring of 2024 and seek fellowship and ordination into ministry. roddy is called to lead Radical Love, Care, and Sanctuary Movements, simultaneously disrupting patriarchy and all systems of oppression plaguing our world. They are healing, growing, and learning to love themselves, trying to find their place on this topsy-turvy journey that we call life. Prior to answering the call to ministry, roddy earned degrees in Media Production and Religious Studies from Pellissippi State Community College and Middle Tennessee State University. When Roddy is not working or studying, they love being out in nature, traveling, eating good vegan/vegetarian food, and all things theater

June 4, 2023 – Narrative Care – Small Stories
Join us as we examine the “small” stories we co-author with others in our everyday encounters, our moments of human togetherness. Spirituality is a “storied” experience, a narrative endeavor. Some of our stories are “small,” yes, but they are hardly unimportant, for they are intimate and vital to our growth as individuals. They are a form of self-care which, as we minister to others and ourselves, may lead to self-renewal and community. Small stories reflect our search for meaning. They are the essence of “applied” spirituality. Worship Leader – John Countryman.

May 2023 — Creativity

May 28, 2023 – Narrative Care – Big Stories
Join us as we consider “big” stories (cultural, societal, organizational, and personal) that shape who we are. We’ll examine some of these stories and the impact they may have on our church community and on each of us individually. We’ll explore how “narrative care” can help us to develop stronger, more resilient stories, stories that stay open, and protect us from “narrative foreclosure.” Worship Leader – John Countryman.

May 21, 2023 – Music & Arts Service
Theme – using creativity in music and arts to strengthen the beloved community. It’s also the Third Sunday, and that means the 3rd Sunday Bake Sale.

May 14, 2023 — Always Our Home

May 14 we will honor the beauty and wonder of Earth as well as our Mothers. Peter deFur will lead this service that considers the beautiful places, special places and spiritual places all around us.

May 7, 2023 — Thank You and Farewell, Rev. Kayla Parker

Join us on this Sunday, May 7th, after Service, for a celebration to thank Rev. Kayla for her service to our congregation and to wish her well in her new role. We will also be welcoming new members and honoring children that are bridging their lives with the church. If you would like to contribute a savory snack to share, please review the available slots and sign up here. A cake will be provided for dessert. See you Sunday!

April 2023— Resistance

April 23, 2023 — Magic and Mime: The Call to Resistance

Join us as we explore intriguing examples (from current events and from the chronicles of the French Resistance during World War Two) of creative strategies for standing up to white supremacist violence. We’ll share the stories of how mime artist Marcel Marceau and magician Jasper Maskelyne helped the allies win the war and how they serve as models of bravery and resistance for us today.

April 16, 2023 – Earth Day Celebration
Join us for our outdoor Earth Day Sunday, where we will sing songs to mother earth, enjoy the sounds of our drumming circle, and move to the spiral dance. Bring your own chairs if you can, and if you have accessibility needs, feel free to pull down to the back of the church (path on the right of the church when facing it). If raining, service will be held indoors.

April 9, 2023 – Easter – Flowers of Hope – Flower Communion
This year marks the 100-year anniversary of the first flower communion ritual, which began at a Unitarian Church in Czechoslovakia. Today, we honor this anniversary by celebrating this ritual ourselves in a multigenerational service. Whether you bring a flower or not, you’ll be invited to take one with you, as we honor the hope that is always sprouting. Just as our faith ancestors in the Judeo-Christian tradition were called at this time of Passover and Easter to have hope and fight for our values, so are we today. May the beauty and joy of the flowers ground and guide our way.

April 2, 2023 — Goodbyes & Hellos
The time has come to start saying goodbye to Rev. Kayla. After an energizing, hard-working and joyous two years, it is time to begin the hard task of leaving. We do this so we can say hello to another Minister, and warmly welcome them in all the ways that are important to who we are as a community. Join us for this service of goodbye, necessary in our movement to open our hearts to a new Minister.

March 2023 — Vulnerability

March 26, 2023 — Welcoming Ourselves & The Stranger
This church community prides itself in its warmth and welcoming spirit – as it should! Let’s continue to grow on this identity, as we refresh our welcoming game and reflect on how being radically welcoming is in fact a part of our church’s very theology!

March 19, 2023 — Showing our Soft Underbellies: Moving into Vulnerability

Is there anything more precious than a pet sharing with us their soft underbellies to get rubbed? Vulnerability is necessary in all healthy relationships. Relationships with other humans, relationships with ourselves, and relationships with whatever is most ultimate or intimate to us, whether divine or not. How can we move into showing our soft underbellies and into vulnerability, in order to tend to and strengthen our selves and our relationships? Join us as we explore how we can safely and supportively move into this vulnerability more fully in our own personal and spiritual lives.

March 12, 2023 — Community Vulnerability: And Paths to Resilience

We often discuss vulnerability as a positive emotional or spiritual state. But what about when people, communities, systems and cities are left vulnerable because of systemic oppression? Today, we talk about how systemic and community vulnerability does the opposite of creating strong relationships that help people flourish. Instead, it creates spaces of resource vacuums that are disconnected from the resources we all need and deserve. Sharing research he did with an interdisciplinary team on this very topic, building on events in New Orleans, Peter deFur shares what this team learned – and how it can shape our own engagement with our community to build strength and resilience

March 5, 2023 — The Mish-Mash Heart: Stewardship Finale and Celebration after Church

Join us in this multigenerational service for a story on the power of our hearts, and all they’ve been through. Today, we celebrate that there are communities where we can bring our full selves, and all the journeys of our hearts. Today, we celebrate that UUCC is one of those places where our joys and sorrows are welcome. All are welcome to stay after the service for a potluck lunch and stewardship celebration, as we finish our month of our stewardship campaign!

February 2023 — Love

Feb 5 , 2023 — Why We Give: Launching Our Success

Join us for our Stewardship Kick-Off service! We’ll start the month gearing up to our stewardship drive by reflecting on giving as a spiritual discipline. Featuring a beautiful anthem from the choir and some funky synth music to launch us into our success in good space-age fun. Rev. Kayla preaching.

Feb 12, 2023 — Amplifying Love: with ReEstablish Richmond

Join beloved Richmond-area leader and good friend to UUCC, Kate Eyers, Executive Director of ReEstablish Richmond. ReEstablish Richmond is a non-profit that welcomes and supports immigrants and refugees to the area. In this service, we’ll focus on how our love is amplified through our work with community partners. Hear from Kate about the heart of this work for her, and from UUCC members about their pull to this welcoming ministry, and all they receive from it. Also enjoy listening to guest musician, Glorious Tshitende on Violin, a friend of UUCC’s through our refugee welcome ministry.

Feb 19, 2023 — Reclaiming Family Values

At UUCC, we know that the definition of family is broad and encompasses many types of living and loving. Our families consist of single, coupled and polyamorous folks of a variety of sexualities, gender identities, races and ethnicities. Our families are small and large, blended, multiracial and multi-generational. Our families consist of individuals who all have differing ways of defining ourselves within and outside our relationships. Our families consist of friends and chosen family, neighbors, and for some of us, others right here at UUCC. Here, we know it takes a village to support any individual, just as it does to raise a child. Let’s reclaim “family values”, and proudly proclaim that our expansive understanding of family is the gift of both connection and independence that our society deeply needs today.

Feb 26 , 2023 — Our UU Future: A Very Sci-Fi Service

The continuing endemic has given rise to increased interest in science fiction and futurism. From apocalyptic to utopic, envisioning our future has helped us to both escape from our current reality, and given us the conviction to look clearly at it. What are we to become if we keep on keeping on? And – most importantly – what is our world to look like if love wins? If we bravely and boldly live our values out loud, how might our world be transformed? Join Rev. Kayla for this sci-fi and futuristic look into a possible UU future, where Love wins.

January 2023 — Finding Our Center

Jan 1, 2022 — 7 Virtues for a New Year
This morning we will be talking about making a commitment to “our better angels” and how that can help us and our community as we begin a new year. This concept comes from the book “Our Better Angels: Seven Simple Virtues That Will Change Your Life and the World” by Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity. We will introduce these 7 virtues and consider them in our own words for our own purposes, reflecting on how committing to one or more of these virtues for the New Year is in alignment with our UU faith.

Jan 8, 2022 — When Compassion Runs Dry
What do we do when compassion runs dry? And how can we help prevent this from happening? Today, we look to our own personal reflections, and the work of VCU professor and Gerontologist E. Ayn Welleford for insight. Ayn suggests that by connecting to passion and purpose, we can prevent compassion fatigue. What can we learn from these and other strategies, about how to live? For those of us who are caregivers, how might this shift our daily rhythms and approach?

Jan 15, 2022 — 8 Principles… and Beyond
Just learned about the 8 principles of UUism and love them? Proud that UUCC just adopted the 8th principle? Don’t worry – and – know that as a denomination the UUA is reassessing our principles and looking at new ways to talk about the values that guide us, and all that is at the center of UUism. Join us to wade into this thoughtful and reflective process of what is at the center of our faith. 

Jan 22, 2022 –The Contemplative Path
“Sister Joan Chittister says, “Contemplation, you see, is a very dangerous activity.” Contemplation is nothing more than engaging in at least one spiritual practice over an extended period of time with intention, regularity, and depth in order to meet reality as it is. So, how can that be dangerous? Join us on January 22nd to find out! Guest Preacher, Rev. Rob Moore.

Rob recently moved to Richmond from the Dallas, TX area. He has served Interim Ministries in Grand Junction, CO and Port Townsend, WA. He went to Texas to be one of 3 ministers on staff of a large church plant called Pathways Church. In addition to these ministries, he has taught Jr and Sr High OWL, led a few Wellsprings and Soul Matters groups, and participated in various choirs along the way (the latest of which is the Richmond Men’s Chorus). He now works at Travelers Insurance where he leads Mindfulness sessions and assists in plans for an enterprise-wide Mindfulness program. He is a trained spiritual director and was recently the Affiliated Community Minister at Horizon UU Church in Carrolton, TX.”

Jan 29, 2022 — Charged from the Center
“What is at our centers, and how do we live lives that are charged by these central values and purposes? Join Rev. Kayla in this service to re-center and re-clarify what is at our core. Leave feeling turbo-charged to life a life or passion and purpose!

P.S. there just may be the opportunity to get virtually turbo-charged with an old fashioned Nintendo game after service – stay tuned!

2022 UUCC Services

December 26, 2022 – Now – A Service with the Church of the Larger Fellowship
This Sunday, we join Unitarian Universalism’s largest congregation, the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF). CLF is a church that meets virtually, and one of their largest ministries is with incarcerated Unitarian Universalists. This service invites us into connection with the over 1,450 incarcerated members of the Church of the Larger Fellowship. It features original music by incarcerated UU member of CLF, Storm Craver.

Christmas Eve 5 pm, 2022 — Lessons and Carols of Joy — A Christmas Eve Celebration
Join us in our traditional Christmas Eve Service, where we’ll hear the lessons and sing the carols of the season. Joyful, beautiful and solemn; we’ll rediscover the wonders of Christmas together. The service will begin at 5 pm.

December 19, 2022 — The Longest Night, Rev. Kayla Parker
Join us for a honoring of solstice and advent, and an exploration of all we can learn from the longest night.

December 12, 2022 — The Best Way To Be An Elf…”, Adena Dannouf, Rev. Kayla Parker & many, many others
Join us virtually for our annual “Children & Youth Holiday Program”! This Zoom Meeting will be a fun story full of music and merriment will feature a virtual production with faces you may know. It will also be interactive, multi-generational, and hopefully fill you with a good dose of “Holiday Spirit”. Hope to see you there!

December 5, 2022 — Hearts Breaking Open — Lessons from the AIDS Crisis, with Rev. Kayla Parker

On December 1, World AIDS day was honored. This morning, we look at how the AIDS crisis of the 80s and 90s impacted so many here in the United States. We hear the story of UUCC member LaShon Skuta, who worked as a nurse in one of the few hospital wings treating AIDS patients during this time. We contemplate the heartbreak that can transform our lives for the better — and what all this means in the midst of our current global pandemic.

November 28, 2022 — Our Her/History: Our Stories of UUCC Through the Decades

This morning, we look at our history through our own stories. Members of UUCC throughout it’s nearly three decades tell our her/history through their own experiences.

November 21 — UUCC Legacy

In this service, Brenda Clarkson, Dorothy Fillmore, and Lisa Poe show how mourning rituals allow us (as individuals and as a collective) to grieve and celebrate the life and legacy of the deceased as well as an opportunity to think more deeply about our own lives.

November 14, 2022 — UUCC: A Reclaiming of Rural, Spiritual Universalism

The Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Glen Allen has struck Rev. Kayla as a church that is grounded in our Universalist origins. Historically, Universalists were the more spiritual to the more intellectual Unitarians. Universalists were the smaller, rural churches to the Unitarians larger, university-town churches. Today we delve into just what Universalism is, and the power of this reclaiming, however unconscious it was. How does this historic faith shape our church today, and how will it move us into the future?

Stick around, because after service we’ll be having fellowship and coffee hour by neighborhood group! This is a great chance to meet other UUCC folks in your neck of the woods and get to know one another a bit better! And – if you’re not living here, there is an “out of the area” neighborhood group, too!

November 7, 2022 — The Origins of our Faith: From Christian Heretics to Theological Pluralists Sermon

The story of two denominations of Christian heretics who linked up to become a group of theological pluralists – ones who dared to declare they were still a church! This morning, we delve into the exciting origin story of Unitarian Universalism and ponder what the heretical task of Unitarian Universalism is today.

In this Service, we will look at our history through our own stories. Members of UUCC throughout it’s nearly three decades tell our her/history through their own experiences.

October — Courage

October 30, 2022 — All Souls Service of Remembrance 

We celebrate All Souls, Samhain and All Saints by honoring those we have loved and lost. In the past years, and throughout our lives. Today, we especially honor all those we lost during COVID but could not mourn in ways we were accustomed to. We take the time to release some of the anger, sadness or fear we’ve held. All are invited to bring a picture or momento of a loved one. You’re also invited to bring a mask that will be added to our prayer tree.

October 23, 2022 — Facing the Monsters

What monsters do we face, and how do we find the courage to face them? And what is courage, anyways?! Join us for this multigenerational service where we find the courage to face our fears.

October 16, 2022 — Mistakes and Miracles: Our UU Journey to Welcome and Inclusion

Today we’ll also reflect on times in the past when Unitarian Universalists were given the opportunity to be more welcoming and inclusion, but missed the mark — and that made the mark? How might we learn from this, and act according to our values today?

October 9, 2022 — The Power of An Apology

Join Guest Rev Alane Cameron Ford as we explore how apologies can help us to live our values, while recognizing our humanness.

October 2, 2022 — Courage in Community: Whole Church Check-In

Do you feel like you haven’t been connecting enough with others here at Church? We felt this too. This Sunday, we take a moment to engage a bit differently, and engage in a whole church check-in. Together, we’ll reflect on the question: where in your life are you finding or seeking courage right now? Passing is always welcome.

September — Belonging

 September 25, 2022 — Retreat on the Land

Retreat on the Land might have been cancelled, but we’ll still be outdoors for our annual Retreat on the Land Service! All ages warmly welcome for this multigenerational, story-based and interactive service on the powerful connection we have to land

September 18, 2022 — A Promise from the Heart

Covenants are a promise from the heart. As Unitarian Universalists, we are a people of covenant as opposed to creed. What does this mean, and how does it call us to be? Explore these questions today, as we also perform a ritual of installation for our Ministerial Search Team and make with them a promise of the heart.

The Congregational Meeting on Sunday, September 18, 2022, immediately following the Service, is being held to approve certain Bylaw changes, as outlined below. The meeting will also include reports from various church leaders and committees.

September 11, 2022 — Ingathering & Water Communion

Bring water and receive water. Bring water from your home, or a special place nearby or far away as we gather together the holy water that we use in future rituals and dedications. Join us for this homecoming celebration and church year kick-off. We welcome the whole community to join us for this multigenerational service.

September 4, 2022 — The Spirit of Labor

Join John Countryman in celebrating Labor Day. John leans on the ancestry of his Father-in-Law, a labor historian and economist, as well as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, for this inspiring service on the power we have within ourselves and can wield when we band together for the collective good.

August 2022

August 7, 2022 — Wonder and Gratitude

“Join us for this contemplative and interactive service on Wonder and Gratitude. How can we live more deeply into wonder and gratitude in our lives? Join us as we not only discuss this, but practice in real time in this service where our own spiritual practices are the “”sermon”” of the service.

If you will be participating from home and would like to receive the materials for this service, please call first and then stop by the office (office hours 10-3) the week of August 1st. Alternatively, request they be mailed to you by contacting the office via email or phone by August 2nd.”

August 14, 2022 — Kentucky Climbers: Lessons from the Tree Roots of the Red River Gorge

Back from a vacation in KY, Rev. Kayla’s got hiking and trees on the brain. One of the most striking things about being in the Red River Gorge in Central KY is not the actual sandstone arches and caves, but how the roots of trees navigate the landscape. It’s not uncommon to see long roots on a cliff, curling over boulders and into soil. How have our own roots had to stretch, grow and broaden through our lives? What our spiritual and life practices that have helped us grow our own roots?

August 21, 2022 — When Spirit Calls You…to School Board Meetings

Join Rev. Kayla and community organizer Kelly Merrill for this conversational service on spirituality and activism. Kelly is an educator, activist and parent of trans youth in Hanover County. Recently, she felt a pull towards the work of defending the rights and dignity of trans students in Hanover County. Join us to hear some of her own story, and learn how we can be involved in this effort.

August 28 — Quilting our History into Comfort

We inherit the pains, joins, weaknesses and strengths of our ancestors, whether of blood or choice. And we carry all of our own experiences over the years. How do we incorporate all of these into practices that can bring us comfort, warmth and strength? Patchwork quilts have some of the answers. Join us for this service, and to marvel at the beautiful quilts that are our art display this season before they disappear.

July – Answering the Call 

July 3, 2022 — Orienting Towards Tenderness

Join guest preacher Kendall Nordin for a service on how we can turn to each other and orient ourselves towards tending and nurturing in trying times like these ones.

July 10, 2022 — Tending to the Parts: Caring, Reframing, and Connecting

In this service we will appreciate our interior parts and their relationships as guides toward harmony with ourselves, each other, and the planet. Using embodiment as a pathway, we might reframe our inner parts from “the good, the bad, and the ugly,” to “the good, no bad, and the relational”. In this service, our speaker will be drawing from the teachings of Internal Family Systems therapy, and embodied practices of yoga, meditation, dance, and physical therapy. Join guest preacher Michele Nierle for the service, “Tending to the Parts: Caring, Reframing, and Connecting”

July 17, 2022 — Heaven on my Mind

Is there life after death? Some of us at UUCC would like to think that there is an afterlife, while others of us are sure there is not. Christian theology asserts the existence of heaven and the assurance of resurrection for the believer—or does it? Let’s grapple with the possibilities. Join guest preacher Rev. Susan Fox for the service “Heaven on my Mind”. 

July 24, 2022 — Christmas “Eve”n  in July

Join us on Sunday for a fun and light-hearted “Christmas in July” webinar service! After several Christmas Eves on Zoom, it will be great to be together, with those in the Sanctuary enjoying the cool breezes from our new HVAC system and those on Zoom joining in from the (hopefully!) cool comforts of home. So, break out your best (warm weather!) holiday attire and prepare to CELEBRATE!

July 3, 2022 — Holy Questions: Continued!

Way back in March, we did a question service, and you all submitted excellent questions! So many in fact, that Rev. Kayla did not have the time to answer all of them! Come to hear the answers to more of your questions, such as: how do we grow and spread UUism? Do we really mean ALL are welcome here? How do we come to know the divine? If you’d like to ask a new one, submit it here by Monday, July 25th.

June – Celebrating Blessings

June 26 10AM, 2022 — UU Multicultural History: Celebrations and Tribulations

The first Juneteenth was declared in 1865, when union troops arrived in Galveston, TX to declare that the civil war had ended and all slaves were free. This occurred 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Now, Juneteenth is a federal holiday that celebrates African American freedom and achievement. As we look to our own Unitarian Universalist History, we celebrate our multicultural and interracial history, while looking too at our missed opportunities at building that world we dream of.

June 26 12:30PM, 2022 — General Assembly Service

Today we join with thousands of other Unitarian Universalists by worshiping together for the closing worship of our Association’s General Assembly. General Assembly is our annual gathering of workshops, worship, business meetings and community. It now takes place virtually and in person.

June 12, 2022 — Take Your Light and Your Dark

Why have we been ending our closing words with “take your light and your dark” instead of just “take your light”? And what is the history and meaning behind some of the other words we say in worship each week? And what does “worship” mean in a Unitarian Universalist context anyways? Come to understand the meaning of our words and what happens in our worship together.

June 5, 2022 — Celebration of Gratitudes and Graduations

Join us as we honor and celebrate our volunteers and our graduates!!

May – Nurturing Beauty

May 29, 2022 — Beautiful Memories ONLINE ONLY

Today we honor those we have loved and lost. 

May 22, 2022 — Flower Communion Sunday

Bring beauty, receive beauty. Bring your gifts, beliefs and passions and watch them grow through experiencing others’. Today we celebrate the power of community through our Flower Communion Sunday as we celebrate our newest members.

May 15, 2022 — Searching for Beauty

It’s time for an annual favorite – the music and arts service! This year, it’s a mulitgen and interactive, immersive experience! Join us as we explore the beauty of creativity through the arts.

May 8, 2022 — Mother’s Day — Beauty in Relationship

Join us as we celebrate Mother’s Day – and honor the complexity of this holiday for many of us. This year, we especially honor the choices we have in relationship and motherhood. Join us as we delve into the beauty that exists in relationship, and thrives in diversity.

May 1 , 2022— Beauty as a Calling 

How does an appreciation for beauty call us to live for love and justice in our world? What is beauty, truly, and how does it pull us towards a more full life and living?

April – Theme – Awakening

April 24, 2022 — Celebrating Rev. Cathie Stivers

Join us for this outdoor, multigenerational service to celebrate Rev. Cathie Stivers. We’ll honor our departing community minister, and bless her unfolding path, as we receive a blessing from her. An outdoor reception will follow, and all are invited!

April 17, 2022 — Easter & Passover – Easter Egg Hunt After Service

Join us for our Easter Sunday service! We’ll be honoring Passover, talking new life, celebrating the spring and having an Easter egg hunt after service!

April 10, 2022 — Self-Awareness and Unbecoming

Join Guest Preacher Michele Nierle for a service on self-awareness. Sometimes we have to do some unlearning to become who we truly are!