The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia

Rev. Amy Williams Clark leads us in this year’s water ceremony. We invite all to bring a small amount of water from a sacred source, your summer travels, or your kitchen sink for the water ceremony. And bring your backpack and work bags to be blessed for our annual Blessing of the Backpacks!  Speakers: Alex Cauthen-Zach, Kelli Danaker, Michael Adcock, Regina Verow and Affiliated Minister Rev. Amy Williams Clark Alex Cauthen-Zach, Kelli Danaker, Michael Adcock, Regina Verow, Rev. Amy Williams Clark, Affiliated Minister

It is common for human beings to seek out safety – safe places can be essential to our development and healing. At the same time, not all spaces can or should be designated as safe. We’ll consider the differences between safe and brave spaces as well as tools and strategies for inhabiting them. Religious education will be available for children ages 4-12 during worship as usual following our Time for All Ages. Speakers: Kelli Danaker, Linda Adcox-Kimmel, Lorien Haavick, Michael Adcock, Interim Minister Rev. Lisa Bove Kemper, Tom Benjamin and the UUCC Chalice Choir Kelli Danaker, Linda Adcox-Kimmel, Lorien Haavik, Michael Adcock, Interim Minister Rev. Lisa Bovee Kemper , Tom Benjamin, UUCC Chalice Choir

Join in welcoming guest preacher Ryan McCray Ely, who will speak about using spiritual practice and Internal Family Systems theory to create greater spiritual alignment. For the past year, Ryan has been the Intern Minister at the UU Congregation in Annapolis. He is a native of Southeast Michigan and current resident of Northeast Washington, DC. Ryan served in several positions within the federal government before leaving government service to attend seminary at the Iliff School of Theology, Denver, full time. Ryan is a newly minted US Naval officer and chaplain candidate. Ryan and his wife Barbara, share their home with a no-nonsense cat. Speakers ~ Alex Cauthen-Zach, Kelli Danaker, Lorien Haavik, Michael Adcock and Ryan McCray Ely  

Smashing Gender, Staying Queer Don’t Miss the Message OR the Irony! It’s a Binary Sermon Series All About Destroying the Binary! As attacks on basic rights and protections for queer and trans folks continue unabated, now more than ever we must understand the essential roles that gender expansiveness and queer culture play in making spaces for EVERYONE to get free. Gender shapes the spaces – social, conversational, professional, as well as literal – that we are given to occupy. Come into a place of curiosity and consider your own experience of self expression as we celebrate pride month. On Sunday, June 8:  Feminine, But Not Like That Misogyny and gender stereotyping are not just hetero things. Everyone deserves bodily autonomy and the ability to be who they are, but it is complicated and challenging to break out of the binary options we’ve been given. Femme erasure steals power and authenticity from women and softness and nurturing from men – while it leaves no space at all for folks who are genderqueer and nonbinary.   Speakers ~ Ariel Vitali, Kelly Danaker, Laurie Coltri, Lisa Marini, Rev. Lisa Bove Kemper and Tom Monroe.

This Sunday, please bring a flower – from your garden, one you found growing wild, or store-bought 🌺 – to share as part of our communal bouquet. The Flower Communion was originally created by Rev. Norbert Čapek. On June 4, 1923, Rev. Čapek created this ritual and shared it with his burgeoning Unitarian congregation in what was then the brand-new country of Czechoslovakia as a reminder of the hope found in community after the devastation of war. We will also honor the service of UUCC’s many dedicated volunteers. Speakers ~ Amy Williams Clark, Jaxon O'Mara, Jim Stivers, Kelli Danaker, Meagan Lopes, Rev Lisa Bove Kemper, Roxana Segovia-Beltran and Stacy Huh  

Wisdom is more than just a cute quote to print on a t-shirt. If you listen carefully, you can benefit from the wisdom of your ancestors. Let us explore the wisdom of our UU spiritual ancestors and how their words and deeds can be a guiding force. Speakers ~ Betsy Osterman, Kelli Danaker, Lorien Haavik, Michael Adcock and Rev. JeKaren Bell  

Science has long been a source of inspiration and understanding for Unitarian Universalists, who hold that science and religion are not in opposition to one another, but compatible and complementary. What does it mean to “believe” in science in a time when propaganda and misinformation are a powerful force. This Sunday’s sermon is inspired by Alan Coltri, who won the sermon topic raffle at the 2024 auction. Speakers: Alex Cauthen-Zach, Cynthia Marshall, Kelli Danaker, Rev. Lisa Bovee Kemper and Steve Parr Alex Cauthen-Zach, Cynthia Marshall, Kelli Danaker, Rev. Lisa Bovee Kemper, Steve Parr

When we reach the end of our lives, deep emotions and physical suffering can combine to create a difficult time for both individuals and families. We tend to prefer to avoid talking about our potential end, and yet, no matter what our age, talking about it and making plans can be an important process in our spiritual lives. Join us for a joint service with Christ United Methodist Church (CUMC). Speakers ~ Rev. Angela Wells, Rev. Lisa Bove Kemper and Steve Parr  

James Luther Adams advocated “radical laicism,” a term he coined to express the responsibility of all persons—not clerics only—for the religious community. This idea of the priesthood of all believers is central to who we are as Unitarian Universalists. Here at UUCC, we are gathered to enact and serve the mission of this community, created and voted on democratically by the congregation. Professional clergy, staff, and laypeople all have different skills and expertise to contribute. Ultimately, the mission of the congregation belongs to you. What might it look and feel like to share the work of this community in new and different ways? Speakers ~ Linda Adcox-Kimmel, Michael Adcock, Regina Verow and Rev. Lisa Bovee Kemper

Join the music ministry and Chalice Choir for their annual Spring Music Service. This service will feature a wonderful assortment of choral music from French composers, spanning 6 centuries! The Chalice Choir will celebrate and perform pieces from a variety of French choral traditions — some traditionally religious, some spiritual and Earth-based, in addition to some delightfully fun (and sometimes even bawdy!) examples of classic Madrigals from the Renaissance period. Speakers ~ Chalice Singers, Laurie Coltri, Michael Adcock, the Rev. Lisa Bovee Kemper and the UUCC Chalice Choir.   

One source of our UU faith is our direct experience with the awe and mystery of life. Join us for an exploration of stillness and its role in the experience of transcendence. UUCC’s Everyone Choir will sing this Sunday! Speakers: Betsy Osterman, Dorothy Hutchins, Ed Gaddy, Everyone Choir, Jen Hayashi, Jenny Bonilla, Kelli Danaker, Lisa Marini, Melissa Affolter, Michael Adcock, Regina Verow and Sebastian Bonilla  

As these “unprecedented times” continue and the news stories get weirder and worse, let’s consider together ways to deepen our connections and practices to keep us from burnout and despair. Speakers: Kellie Danaker, Megan Lopes, Rev. Lisa Bovee Kemper and Tom Monroe

Turning Circle, UUCC’s Pagan spirituality group, will lead us in a service celebrating and honoring the spring equinox. Speakers ~ Alex Cauthen-Zach, Christina Bird-Walker, Dylan Zach, Indigo Todd, Lorien Haavik, Melvin Zach, Michael Adcock, Mike Jadoo and Patti Kinlock.  

Our faith tradition prioritizes spiritual deepening and engagement in our personal beliefs and values, but we don’t often talk much about how to actually go about the search for meaning. Methodist John Wesley’s teachings provide an intriguing entry point for this conversation.  Speakers: Erika Chavarria, Linda Adcox-Kimmel, Michael Adcock, Michael Phillips, Regina Verow, Rev. Lisa Bove Kemper and the UUCC Chalice Choir.

We are pleased to welcome guest minister Rev. Misha Sanders to lead this Sunday’s service about collective liberation. Speakers ~ Erika Chavarria, Kelli Danaker, Linda Adcox-Kimmel, Meagan Lopes. Rev. <Misha Sanders and Tom Monroe  

They say that when the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail! We’ll consider how different kinds of problems require different tools and strategies to solve. Speakers and Music ~ Kelli Danaker, Laurie Coltri, Michael Adcock, Michael Phillips, Rev. Lisa Bovee Kemper and the UUCC Chalice Choir  

Featuring short reflections from congregants about what belonging means to them in the context of church and community, this Sunday we will explore interdependence and pluralism. How do we widen our welcome understanding that we have many different needs and perspectives and stories? Speakers: John Whelan, Kelli Danaker, Leighton Hubard, Lida Adcox-Kimmel, Lorien Haavik, Rev. Lisa Bovee and Shoaib Khan. John Whelan, Kelli Danaker, Leighton Hubard, Linda Adcox-Kimmel, Lorien Haavik, Rev. Lisa Bovee Kemper, Shoaib Khan

Let’s put our heads and hearts together and consider how we’ll show up and share the love with UUCC and its people… the ones already here and the ones yet to walk through our doors (virtual or literal). Join us as we put love into action through sharing love letters to UUCC. Speakers ~ Kelli Danaker, Lisa Marini, Michael Adcock, Rev. Lisa Bovee Kemper, Steve Parr and the UUCC Chalice Choir  

Speakers ~ Alex Cauthen-Zach, Kelli Danaker, Michael Adcock, Regina Verow, Rev. Lisa Bovee Kemper and members of the UUCC Chalice Choir  

Our recent exploration of the history and practice of covenant is only one part of the picture. The relational promises that undergird our Unitarian Universalist community are maintained and repaired when we practice accountability. But what does true accountability mean, and how does it apply to a religious community? Speakers: Betsy Osterman, Kelli Danaker, Meagan Lopes, Michael Adcock, Rev. Lisa Bovee Kemper and Valerie Hsu