Worship Services at Unity Church
Unity’s summer worship schedule of one service at 10:00 a.m. runs from May 26 through September 1. Summer Sundays in the Garden for children and youth will be offered during the service. The nursery is open for children age 6 months to 3 years. Lay-led worship services begin June 23.
During the church year (the Sunday after Labor Day through the Sunday before Memorial Day) worship services are held at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 4:30 p.m. Each Sunday, through the work of the Generosity Ministry Team, seventy percent of the offering is placed in the hands of the chosen community non-profit recipient. The remaining thirty percent goes to support of the Community Outreach Ministry at Unity Church. Offering recipients for each Sunday are listed below the Sunday service description. If you would like to nominate a non-profit to receive the Sunday offering, please fill out the online nomination form. May Sunday Worship Calendar
The summer worship schedule of one service at 10:00 a.m. begins on May 26.
May 5: Arthur Foote Music Sunday Come celebrate the blessings of music with our Children’s Choir, Women’s Ensemble, Unity Singers, Unity Choir, percussionists and Artaria String Quartet playing 15 minutes before each service! Offering recipient: Arthur Foote Sunday May 12: Being Blest and Blessing: A Mother's Day Service Having given us the blessing of life itself, our mothers then provide us with another, very different kind of blessing: their imperfection. Hallman Intern Mae Gibson Wall and Worship Associate Neil Bray will join Rob in this tender celebration of Mother’s Day. Offering recipient: Faith Builders Habitat for Humanity May 19: No 4:30 Service Flower Communion Family Sunday Come celebrate the affirming, uniquely Unitarian Universalist ritual of Flower Communion. Developed by Czech Unitarian minister Norbert Čapek who died a martyr at Dachau, the ritual celebrates the intrinsic beauty of each and every soul. Bring a flower for the arch. This is a celebration for the entire church family. Each service will include a dedication ceremony for older children. Offering recipient: Rebuild the Dream A Service of Rededication • 2:00 p.m. On Sunday afternoon, May 19, the entire congregation will gather at the corner of Portland and Grotto to rededicate our building and more importantly, ourselves, to the mission of our church. The sermon will be offered by visionary organizer Van Jones who will charge us to live out a ministry worthy of our investment. The ministers will be joined by Mayor Chris Coleman and other dignitaries for this singular celebration. Following the service we will join partner organization Growth & Justice for a celebration of their 10th anniversary. May 26 • One service only at 10:00 a.m. If They Came Back At All — Rev. Rob Eller-Isaacs Once again this year we offer a service of remembrance for those who have served in our armed forces. Rob will be joined by worship associate Terri Burnor. There will be an opportunity to light candles for family members and friends who lost their lives to war or suicide and those who live with moral injury. Offering recipient: Veterans for Peace June & July Worship Services
Sunday worship during June and July is at 10:00 a.m.
June 2: Ripping Off Our Busy Badges — Kerri Meyer Worship Leader Kerri Meyer will launch our exploration of Sabbath-keeping in a service that speaks to our graduating seniors and the parents of newly dedicated children about the "why" and the "how" of balancing busyness with rest. The congregation will participate in a Celebration of New Lives and in our annual Senior Bridging ceremony. Offering recipient: Chalice Camp BBQ Luncheon Celebrating Kerri Meyer Everyone is invited to a BBQ lunch, following the service on Sunday, June 2, celebrating the ministry of Kerri Meyer. Weather permitting, the luncheon will be held in -the green space on Portland Avenue. Please bring a salad or dessert to share and leave it in the walk-in cooler. Volunteers will set up the buffet during the service. Don’t forget a picnic blanket! We hope you will join us! June 9: The Privilege of Sabbath — Jim Foti What privileges help sustain a meaningful religious community? How might we be able to expand our circle? In his final sermon as a ministerial intern, Jim Foti will be joined by Worship Associate Don Lorr for an exploration of community, culture, and what we create together. Offering recipient: Ujamaa Place June 16: An Invitation to Rest — Mae Gibson Wall Please join Hallman Ministerial Intern Mae Gibson Wall and worship associate Steve Harper as we jointly say goodbye and reflect on our time as worship leaders here at Unity Church. We will explore what it means to give ourselves permission to rest in this, our final service in the Unity pulpit. Offering recipient: Think Small June 23: Plucking a Strawberry in the Midst of Despair — Laura Smidzik The classic Buddhist tale of the monk and the tiger points us toward the small but profound joy found even in times of despair. Hope is different from optimism and is held deeply in our faith. How do we turn toward the joy despite difficult circumstances? Offering recipient: Volunteer Transport Inc. June 30: Hand in Hand Unity Church members sometimes travel a long way to find a second spiritual home — one that answers a longing they may not have even known they felt. Members of Unity's Mano a Mano Outreach Ministry Team reflect on the meaning of integrity, service and joy... in Bolivia. Offering recipient: UTS Scholarship Fund July 7: Unitarian Universalism: The One True Religion (and how it will save America, and the world) — Chico Hathaway Sad to say, as a community and as a nation, we face a very long list of problems. The good news is that most of the problems are the result of a long series of decisions made by … people. So given that we worked ourselves into this situation, we should be able to work ourselves out of it. But how? Come hear how Unitarian Universalism and its churches are uniquely positioned to lead the world to a better tomorrow. Offering recipient: Scholars of Minnesota—COPE (Creating Opportunities for Post-Secondary Education) July 14: The Poetry Pledge and Other Public Promises — Laura Schlatter What does it mean to make a very public promise to engage in a long-term spiritual practice? Public commitments bind us in ways that internal resolve sometimes cannot. Blessings flow from resolve, not aimed at earning blessings, but at nurturing a heart that is open and willing to accept what comes. Laura Schlatter and Worship Associate Kate Conners explore the challenges and rewards of commitment, discipline, daily practice and an open heart and mind. Offering recipient: Nepal Social Services Fund July 21: Why We Garden — Patricia Ohmans A garden is more than just a collection of plants. It is more than its soil, water, trees, and more than its outdoor rooms and vistas. At best, a garden is where the gardener can begin to define his or her place in the world. Patricia Ohmans and Worship Associate Ray Wiedmeyer explore this idea. Offering recipient: Ujamaa July 28: What’s up with the Goddess? — Katy Taylor How does the resurgence of teachings focused on the Goddess have relevance for us today? As Sobonfu Somé clarifies, these are not "new age" teachings, but "ancient age" teachings. Katy and Worship Associates Joan and Segundo Velasquez will explore how the qualities and manifestations of the Goddess are necessary for living a balanced and whole life today. Offering recipient: Think Small |
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© Unity Church-Unitarian • 733 Portland Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55104 • 651-228-1456 • unity@unityunitarian.org • A Welcoming Congregation
