Water Communion Service (September)
Each September, when we gather for the first time in our sanctuary after the summer season and the Ferry Beach retreat, we are invited to bring water from a place of meaning to us, often representing a particularly meaningful experience from our summer. The water we bring and offer for the Water Communion service is representative of the value we place on water as a life force, used not only to nourish and sustain our bodies, but also in our rituals as welcome new lives into our church community, with our baby and child dedication ceremonies. Water from home faucets is just as significant as that from the Galapagos Islands, as the intent is to bring a personal meaning to this life force that sustains us. As we pour our water into the common bowl, we share our name, the place the water came from and what we will bring to the common bowl of our beloved community in the year to come.
All Souls (November)
During our candlelight All Soul’s Service, we reflect on death, bereavement and other losses. We also remember loved ones we have lost by lighting candles and writing their names in our All Souls books.
Please bring photographs and mementos of your loved one for the tables at the back of the sanctuary.
Candlelight Christmas Eve Service (December 24)
We’ll welcome Christmas with candles, music, and readings, celebrating the hope found in an ancient story. This is a service for all ages.
Blessing of the Animals (May)
The animals in our lives can often transform our anxiety to calm, give us new perspectives, and bring sheer, in-the-moment joy. We learn so much from them. Come and celebrate our furry, hairy, winged, and scaled friends at our Blessing of the Animals service. Animals of all shapes and sizes are welcome. (Those that bite, sting or scratch should be constrained.) If you can’t bring your animal, bring a photo! We will also light candles for those animals who’ve died since our last Animal Blessing service. This worship will be held downstairs in Barnum Hall.
Flower Ceremony and Bridging (June)
We’ll celebrate the UUCM family in this last ‘regular’ church service of the year. Seniors graduating from high school will be honored. Also please bring a blossom to share in our annual flower ceremony, which began in Czechoslovakia after WWI, when Rev. Norbert Capek created this service to bring uplift into the lives of his parishioners who had suffered through the dark time of war.
Child Dedication
At the beginning of our service, we will dedicate babies and young children. In our Unitarian Universalist tradition, we dedicate children to the highest ideals of life. The congregation dedicates itself to supporting the parents/guardians and the children as they grow. And we rededicate ourselves to creating a more sane and just world, a world in which all children are welcomed and may thrive.