We love to celebrate major holidays and traditions in regular worship services and special events. You can get more details about upcoming celebrations in our newsletter and Facebook page. Here are some of the ways we celebrate throughout the church year:

Summer

Although the church’s fiscal year begins on July 1, our summers are pretty relaxed. Many of us, including the minister, take vacations, so the church has many guest speakers and lay led services. Sometimes we celebrate the summer solstice, and there may be hikes and picnics.

In early September we often have a church barbecue to kick off a new church year. We also celebrate the Unitarian Universalist tradition of Gathering the Waters, in which we mix together small amounts of water we’ve brought back from our summer adventures and places we love.

Fall

In October we celebrate Dia de los Muertos by decorating the Sanctuary and encouraging everyone to bring photos of loved ones who are no longer with us.

In some years we also have a service auction, one of our biggest fundraisers, where we bid on services contributed by other congregants. It’s a lot of fun. In late November many of us enjoy a potluck Thanksgiving dinner in the Fellowship Hall.

Winter

We celebrate a lot in December! It’s time for Chanukah, winter solstice, Advent, and Christmas! We also participate in the Latin American tradition of Las Posadas by caroling in our neighborhood and inviting everyone back to the church for food and games. There’s usually a potluck gathering for Christmas and sometimes New Year’s.

Spring

Springtime brings many traditions. In the church calendar it is time to pledge our financial support at a canvass lunch or dinner. We also have an annual congregational meeting to conduct church business.

And on the fun side, we celebrate Easter with an egg hunt and Passover with a seder dinner. Flower communion is a springtime Unitarian Universalist tradition in which we all bring a flower to a communal bouquet and then take home a different flower. We also welcome Beltane / May Day with a maypole dance. And of course we celebrate Earth Day in a BIG way!