Worship

Come, join us in worship.  Join us in giving thanks and in reflection.

Raise your voice with ours in song and your feet in movement.

May we find in our worshiping community the renewal for the living of our days.

SUNDAY WORSHIP TIMES

Please join us for in-person Sunday service at 10:00 a.m.  Ingathering music begins at 9:55 a.m. You can also watch our livestream service at https://boxcast.tv/channel/mtifpth0utvesjqgjyej

You can no longer connect to our service via Zoom.

SUNDAY MORNINGS AT UUCC

Worship Associates - A team of worship associates support Sunday services.  Each week an associate assists the worship leader with the liturgical elements and pragmatic aspects of service.  The worship associates meet about every 4-6 weeks to plan services with the minister. The worship associates are responsible for coordinating and assisting with filling the pulpit with quality worship when the Minister is out of the pulpit and during summer lay-led service.

Fellowship Hour

We invite you to join us for coffee and fellowship following the morning service to meet and get to know others in our church.

Religious Exploration

At 9:15 a.m. children, youth and interested adults are invited to gather in community in the Sanctuary to hear a story, have a meaningful conversation, sing, meditate and pray together. After the wisdom story, children and youth go to age-specific classes to explore the principles and sources of Unitarian Universalism. Several times during the year intergenerational worship in the Sanctuary take the place of age-specific classes.

There are no R.E. classes  or in the summer months.  We welcome all ages to join us in the Sanctuary for multi-generational worship.

Nursery Care

Loving care is provided for infants and children, age 4 and younger, by two screened caregivers in our Nursery next to Fellowship Hall.  Nursery care is available at all services, year round.

 Sunday Morning Volunteers

Creating a welcoming and inclusive Sunday morning is vital to congregational life in a mid-size congregation. It is a ministry of service and hospitality to both the newcomer and the long­standing member. This ministry is a great way to meet new people, greet old friends and help build a community of people * who care for each other. Every week four volunteers support our community by greeting members, friends, and guests, and arranging fellowship hour following Sunday service.

Hospitality volunteers help prepare and serve coffee and snacks after 10:00 a.m. service. Seasoned members are ready to help a newcomer find their way around the kitchen. The volunteer is welcome to bring snacks but it is not necessary as a cabinet is typically stocked with options.

Worship Greeters offer a UUCC welcome. A friendly hello is an important part of helping to nurture a meaningful experience for the first-time guest as well as friends and members. We all want to find a community where we are known and seen. The greeter also supports the worship service by tending to the sanctuary along with receiving, recording and depositing the offering. The worship associate is there to lend a hand or answer questions.

To volunteer as a greeter or to host a fellowship hour, please pick a specific Sunday or a regular time each month and sign up on the bulletin board in the fellowship hall. For specific questions, hospitality volunteers may contact Jill Watson, and greeters may contact Richard Fisher.

What to Expect

  •  We are a casual crowd. We encourage you to dress in Sunday morning attire that is comfortable for you.
  •  Unitarian Universalist Community Church is a welcoming congregation committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive community for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and straight people.
  •  Large print hymnals and assistive listening devices are available for all services. Ushers will obtain items upon request.
  •  Name tags help to create a friendly environment. A greeter can assist you with obtaining a temporary name tag or signing up for a permanent name tag.
  •  Worship formats vary considerably at UUCC. A worship associate assists the minister or guest leader.

 Most Sunday services include one or more of the following:

We begin the service with a welcome from the minister or worship associate, followed by an invitation to visitors to introduce themselves, as they are willing.

We invite the silence with the ringing of a bell or sounding of a drum. The sound invites us to quiet our minds and hearts as we begin our hour together.

We light the chalice to call forth the faith the binds us together and brings us together. We light the chalice to connect us to other Unitarian Universalist congregations across the country and around the world.

Opening words set the tone for service.

Embracing Meditation is a time for attendees to share a joy that is bursting from the heart or a sorrow that will be lightened through sharing. This is done through speaking the joy or sorrow, by lighting a candle, or writing a prayer in the prayer book. This time begins with silence and closes with a musical meditation.

A Wisdom Story is a regular element of both the 9:15 and 11:00 a.m. services. The story relates to the theme of Sunday service. In the 9:15 a.m. service, the congregation then sings out the children to go to the Religious Exploration classes, usually with the song “On Your Way".  In the 11:00 service, children return to their seats to stay for multi-generational worship.

The Choir sings twice a month. Special music is provided by a variety of musicians and vocalists in the congregation.

The UUCC Occasional Orchestra (UUCCOO) plays at special Sunday services and generally participates in one or two “Concerts” per year, performing a wide variety of sacred and secular music.

An Offering is collected every Sunday to support the work of the church. Once a month the offering is “shared” with a local, national or international non-profit organization. We call this share the plate, but in practice the entire offering, other than designated pledges, is given to the selected organization.

Hymns, sermons, homilies, reflections, meditations will vary according to the theme or intention of the Sunday service. These elements are chosen by the minister or by the worship leader during the minister’s absence.

Summer Sundays

Summer Services with Lay Leaders  During the summer, Sunday morning services are led each week by a different lay leader from the congregation. A worship associate supports the service leader and attends to the logistics and details of creating worship. Topics are diverse and engaging. New leaders are welcome and encouraged to talk with the Worship Committee chair.

Summer Religious Exploration & Nursery Care During the summer, there is no Religious Exploration classes.  We welcome all ages to join us in the Sanctuary for multi generational worship.  Children under the age of 4 are invited to participate in nursery care.

 

Information  for this Worship Section is found in How Our Church Works, V. Worship, and the Program Book.