Sunday Services

Our Sunday service is held in the Sanctuary at 11:00 am from September through mid-June and at 10:00 am during the summer. The service lasts about an hour. It is usually led by our Parish Minister, the Reverend Daniel Budd, or our Minister for Religious Education, the Reverend George Buchanan, or both. For six weeks in the summer, the service is led by our Killam Fellow, a summer student intern chosen annually.

During Sunday services in June, July and August, we provide child care for those five years old and younger. During the remainder of the year, childcare and religious education is available for children of all ages.

Order of Service

The service begins with a greeting and announcements read by a member of the Board of Trustees or other church member. It continues with the lighting of the chalice, the symbol of Unitarian Universalism. Brief words of reflection are read as it is lit, signifying the beginning of the service. During the service we also light our Candles of Community to honor the specific joys and sorrows of members of the congregation.

Throughout the service, we join together in hymns from our current hymnal, Singing the Living Tradition, which contains a wide range of traditional and contemporary songs, using gender-inclusive language. Most Sundays the Chancel Choir sings an anthem. Guest musicians, often church members, provide special instrumental or vocal music as well. Our Director of Music, Ms. Fern Jennings, directs the Chancel Choir and plays the organ and our newly restored 1915 Steinway piano.

Sermons delivered by the Minister deal with universal themes of life, truth and meaning as well as matters of contemporary concern. They incorporate stories, myths and poems, and scripture from a variety of world religions. After the service, all are invited to Coffee Hour in Fellowship Hall, directly below the Sanctuary. Visitors are encouraged to stop by the Newcomers Table to meet our Membership Coordinator and learn more about the church.

Service Times