What to Expect

Our Sunday mornings begin as folks gather before the first service, which is at 9:15am during the school year. Volunteers are making coffee, setting up chairs, greeting each other and awaiting the start of service. Most folks are gathered in the Fireside Room.

As you arrive in the building you will mostly likely be greeted by a member near the door. Don't worry, they don't bite! If you are new to us, the greeter can direct you to our visitor's table where you can make a name tag and sign up to receive information, if you want. Most members wear permanent name tags, making it easer for all of us to learn names. UUs tend to be friendly folks, so don't be surprised if somebody you don't know says "Hi".

A few minutes before service starts, someone will move through the Fireside Room ringing a bell to let people know it is time to move into Fellowship Hall for the service. There are no assigned or reserved seats, so take a seat wherever you are comfortable. On each seat you will find a program for the morning's service with a calendar of events and announcements on the back. The program varies from one week to the next, but usually includes a mixture of readings, meditation, songs sung by the congregation, special music performed by members, and a presentation or sermon. Children begin their mornings in the main service and leave part way through to attend their Religious Education classes. Nursery care is provided for children 3 and under.

Usually there will be one or two hymnals (song books) on the chairs. The hymns that are to be sung by the congregation will be listed in the program by name and number. The hymns in both hymnals are organized by number, so it is easy to find the right one. We normally stand to sing because it gives us a chance to stretch our legs, and we sound better that way, but if you don't feel like standing or you have trouble standing, please remain comfortably seated. About half way through the service we will pass a basket for our offering while there is some special music played. Please don't feel obliged to contribute anything as a visitor. We're just glad you're here!

Once the service is over, most members gather in the Fireside Room to socialize while drinking fair-trade coffee or tea and partaking of wonderful treats. This is a great time to get to know some of our members. Feel free to ask questions about our Fellowship and Unitarian Universalism in general. You might not get the same answers from everybody, but that's part of our charm.

If you come for the second service, which starts at 11:00 am, the bell will be rung to announce it's time to come into Fellowship Hall for the start of that service. Our two services have the same format.