This Sunday, we’re part of something bigger—the first-ever UU Climate Justice Revival. The Earth needs us, now more than ever. In cities, on streets, in homes, we’re feeling the effects: air pollution, extreme weather, water crises. What’s our response?

We’ll gather to talk about how our everyday choices—whether we organize, create, or simply care—can help turn the tide. No more waiting. No more business as usual.

The question isn’t whether we can make a difference. It’s how much we’re willing to do. Will you show up?

What happens when fascism creeps into the spaces between us? When disconnection takes hold—relationships fray, truth slips away, and isolation deepens—what then? Gathering more facts won’t close the gap. We need to meet face-to-face, to get in formation, to resist together. Beyoncé’s call to "get in formation" is a matter of survival, a reclamation of our power from the forces pulling us apart. The question isn’t whether we know enough. It's this: Will the future know us by our fear and frenzy in the face of the fascism of our days? Or shall we get our faith in formation and slay?

We come together from one body, each of us bringing what we can to create the Beloved Community—a place free of hate, poverty, and oppression, where all can thrive. As we push back against fascism, we practice love in action, standing strong in shared ministry. It’s not enough to put a hand or a foot in—we’re called to put our whole selves into this work, because building a world where everyone belongs demands nothing less. Together, we lean into our shared power, holding fast to what’s good and just. In the end, that’s what it’s all about: reshaping how we show up for each other, creating spaces where justice quietly but relentlessly weaves us together, making the Beloved Community not just possible, but inevitable.

This Sunday, August 25, is our 10 a.m. Summer Camp Sunday and Backpack Blessing worship service! At this special service, our campers will be leading us in song, story, play, and art created during our week together. We will also celebrate our annual Backpack Blessing. At this service, as we do every year, we will bless our students, teachers, staff, and all who are headed back to school and will share a small token with them to remember the love of the congregation. Please bring your backpack or book bag and plan to join us for this special Sunday!

Our annual Water Communion service is a ritual tradition we share with UUs around the world. The Water Ritual was created by leaders in the UU feminist movement more than four decades ago. Lucile Schuck Longview and Carolyn McDade (also the composer of our beloved song Spirit of Life) made this practice with water (an inclusive symbol of women’s spirituality), to help us all remember how deeply we are each connected to one another, and to all life. 

Water Communion is a very special tradition we celebrate each year at First Universalist. All are welcome, whether it’s your first or fortieth time! Come and be a part of this joyous time whether the waters mingle and set a new year of community on its way. 

We invite you to bring a small bit of water to the sanctuary with you. Some bring a bottle, others a few drops, some bring water they gathered from a special summer memory, others from the kitchen tap. It doesn’t matter how much or where from–all water is beautiful. 

If you can’t collect your own water to bring (or if you forget yours on the counter at home), not to worry. We’ll have pitchers waiting here. We want you to be a part of this important time in our community, where wisdom and joy rush to greet us and show us the way to deeper love. See you there!

Imagination is an essential part of our spiritual lives, and it doesn’t necessarily involve losing ourselves in an otherworldly work of art, though I highly recommend that, too. Sometimes practicing imagination means letting in ideas that on their surface make no sense to us. Sometimes it’s about play or wonder or beauty. Sometimes it’s about imagining the worst possible scenario as preparation. Sometimes practicing imagination is as simple as paying attention to what already is and believing that more of it is possible. More love, more hope, more acts of care and kindness for not only each other, but the animals and plants and earth all around us. This Sunday, we’ll explore the role of imagination in our spiritual lives, and strengthen it together, too.

Worship Leaders: Aimee K. Bryant, Rev. Jen Crow, Rev. Ashley Harness, Barb Brooks

What does it mean to need each other? Not just in our heads and our theories, but in ways we can feel and perceive, even awkwardly and resentfully?

The Disability Justice movement teaches us the wisdom of interdependence, or, in other words, the truth that we need each other. Disabled folks live out interdependence every day. Interdependence doesn’t have to be scary or complicated: it’s as simple as driving each other home, or cooking each other comfort food. It’s as straightforward as soaking in each others’ bathtubs to ease our chronic pain, or playing with each other’s children so their parents can go to therapy. 

This Sunday, we’ll explore interdependence in one all-ages worship service at 10 a.m. Join us to sing, share, and wonder, bringing what we need and sharing what we have. Because the truth is we do need each other – even and especially when we don’t want to. Come, help us tell that truth together. 

This Sunday we will celebrate the many gifts of growing old, the inevitable resetting and resettling of our hearts and bodies as we experience the physical and mental transitions of aging. Elders in our church will share experiences, insights, challenges, and the joy, sometimes with humor (an essential ingredient in the aging process) of this journey we all are on. There is not only one story–we are as different from each other at 80 as we were at 18, and our effort is to look forward even as we look back. As one wise woman said, “The goal is to get old,” so let’s all learn to celebrate it as we strive to age with acceptance, courage, and, yes, joy.

What hidden stories do photographs reveal? This Sunday, I invite you to join me, and John Steitz as we explore “See and Say” in the final week of our annual Art and Soul series. John, our talented sound engineer and celebrated photographer, will share his journey and the profound moments he’s captured through his lens. Together, we’ll ask: How does photography reveal hidden truths and balance power? What unseen details become visible through the lens? How do images evoke deeper connections and understanding? How can those without sight experience the essence of photography?

We’ll delve into how photography can deepen our understanding of social justice, environmental stewardship, and personal connection. Through John’s lens, we are invited to see the unnoticed, to feel the unspoken, and to connect with the world in new ways. This service promises to be a visual and reflective journey, inspiring us to look closer and appreciate the art in everyday life.

I also encourage you to visit the Social Hall after the service to view an exhibit of John’s work. This exhibit features powerful excerpts from his documentary collection of George Floyd Square. It captures moments of resistance and relationship in the wake of tragedy.

Come ready to be inspired and to see the world through a new lens. Together, let’s explore how photography can help us give, receive, and grow the beloved community.

- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Director of Worship Arts Ministries

Worship Leaders: Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Aimee K. Bryant

Breathing together (1:27)

Singing, Breathing In, Breathing Out (2:50)

Singing, Meditation on Breathing (8:18)

Words of Welcome and Call to Worship (11:54)

Making Art Together (19:36)

Singing - There Is A Love (30:56)

Prayer (33:00)

Art and Soul Presentation (45:20)

Closing Hymn (1:22:09)

Imagine life as a giant, ever-changing canvas, where colors shift and blend, sometimes beyond our control. This Sunday, as part of our “Art and Soul” series, we will explore this theme in our service titled “The Rest is Still Unwritten.” We’ll learn how to take life’s unexpected twists and turns and turn them into something beautiful. Our guest artist, Adam Podd, a talented pianist and music director from Brooklyn, will join us to share his experiences of making music a shared, communal joy, even during challenging times. We’ll also hear from Caren Stelson, an award-winning children’s book author, and Selina Alko, a gifted illustrator. They will share their insights on telling important historical stories to young ones with sensitivity and care, despite having completed their work independently. Through music, storytelling, and reflection, we’ll discover how to embrace the unexpected and create harmony from life’s dissonance. Join us for a family-friendly service filled with creativity, inspiration, and the promise that our story is still being written.

Worship Leaders: Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Rev. Ashley Harness

Singing to Gather (:23)

Words of Welcome and Call to Worship (9:15)

Singing Together- This Little Light of Mine (10:53)

Story - Aimee K Bryant (21:08)

Prayer (32:15)

Art and Soul Presentation (45:00)

Offering (1:10:23)

Offertory (1:11:58)

Collaborative Musical Excercise (1:16:13)

Closing Hymn (1:30:20)

Benediction (1:32:03)

Father’s Day gives us a chance to reflect on the wisdom that often comes wrapped in humor from those who fill the roles of mentors, guides, or fathers. As we explore the lighter side of life, we’re reminded of the broader roles these figures play. Their playful approach teaches us resilience and reveals the human spirit in everyday moments. It shows us how, sometimes, the deepest wisdom is shared in moments of lift and levity, that joy is the vehicle for the strength we need to make change for good!

Worship Leaders: Paolo Debuque and Choir, Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Rev. Arif Mamdani, Rev. Ashley Harness

Singing to Gather (:31)

Opening Hymn- Though I May Speak With Bravest Fire (3:33)

Words of Welcome and Call to Worship (6:04)

Singing Together- Guide My Feet (19:01)

Prayer (21:49)

Offering (33:35)

Offertory (36:09)

Message (40:13)

Closing Hymn (1:05:00)

Benediction (1:08:42)