The First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa
Welcome to FirstU
Welcome to the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa, a liberal, spiritual congregation located
on the shores of the Ottawa River. We're a diverse, multigenerational community built on a variety of philosophical and faith traditions, and we're committed to turning compassion into action.
We're inclusive and caring, offer small group ministry, several choirs, social and personal growth events, Religious Exploration for children and youth, and much more. Our social justice action groups are committed to climate action, mental health, affordable housing, food security, Indigenous reconciliation, and supporting our 2SLGBTQ+ community.​​​
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The Ottawa Unitarian Association was formed in February, 1898, and we've been worshipping together ever since!
​Our first church was built at the corner of Elgin and Lewis Street, and the congregation moved to our current location on Cleary Avenue in 1967. Throughout the decades our commitment to our faith, our community at large, and each other has remained constant.
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Our Community - Your Community
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FirstU is a lively, multi-generational congregation of passionate people who care about their world and the overlapping communities they're part of. You'll find us marching at Capital Pride, conducting shoreline clean-ups along the edge of the Ottawa River where our Campus is located, feeding our friends and neighbours through our food cupboard, sponsoring refugees, hosting tree give-aways, and sharing our campus with seniors' housing, childcare, Or Haneshamah, and the Ajashki Project.
Use the buttons below to find out what's happening at FirstU and how you can take part!
Sundays and Beyond - Spirituality at FirstU
At FirstU, we share our vibrant, living Unitarian Universalist culture in ways that are relevant to current and future generations. Understanding that we choose to walk diverse spiritual paths demands of each of us to seek and foster our own and others' spiritual growth. We encourage and support each other in striving towards social and environmental justice by respecting the interdependence of all existence.
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Use the buttons below to find out what to expect
on a Sunday, and more about ministry and spiritual exploration at FirstU!
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Congregational Focus
Our 2024-2026 Congregational Focus:
​Cultivating compassionate community​
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We focus on Cultivating Compassionate Community by putting our values of inclusivity, justice, diversity, and the inherent worth and dignity of all, into real action to support the holistic wellbeing of marginalized people.
Congregational Focus History
2020-2023 - Environmental Action
Focusing on Environmental Action included developing the Ajashki project, making significant mitigation and resilience upgrades to our church building, and following through on our action plan of activities and projects including our affordable housing development and our Earth Speaks lecture series, to meet the requirements for Green Sanctuary accreditation.
In 2024, after four years of work, FirstU and our Environmental Action Group were notified by the UUA that we had met all the criteria to receive Green Sanctuary 2030 accreditation!