top of page

The First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa
Search


Practice Resurrection: A UU Easter Celebration - April 5 Sunday Service
This Sunday, we'll explore the idea of "practicing resurrection" as we celebrate Easter, and the awakening earth, in a Unitarian Universalist style. Click here to view the service in full Use the 49:21 time stamp in the description to jump to Reverend Lara's Sermon


Transforming Hearts - Trans Day of Visibility Service - Sunday, March 29
Observing Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, we celebrate and honour the contributions of the transgender community and promote trans joy, resilience, advocacy and inclusivity. Click here to view the service in full Use the time stamps in the description to just to our guest speakers' Reflections.


Sing Out Love - March 22 Sunday Service
Introducing the new UU virtual hymnal! We will explore how our hymns reflect our values and help us cultivate resilience, wonder, and wisdom. Click here to view the service in full Use the 46:09 time stamp in the description to jump to our Music Director's Reflection.


Facing the Future with Gratitude, Imagination, Courage, and Action - March 15 Sunday Service
We are faced with many pressures, internal and external. What practices will help us face the future together? Join us as we celebrate this year’s Sharing our Faith Sunday with a reader’s theatre-style service. Grief, gratitude, imagination, courage, and action will all have their say. Click here to view the service in full Use the time stamps in the description to jump to various Acts in our Reader's Theatre piece.


Oh, My Goddess! - March 8 Sunday Service
The enduring wisdom of Goddess traditions and the divine feminine, presented through a non-biologically-reductionist lens. Click here to view the service in full Use the 51 :15 time stamp in the description to jump to Reverend Lara's sermon.


Wisdom Stories - March 1 Sunday Service
Long before there were textbooks, sermons, research papers, Google, and podcasts, there were myths, fables, parables and wisdom stories. Click here to view the service in full Use the 44:26 time stamp in the description to jump to Reverend Lara's sermon.


Out of the Shadows: Black History in Canada - February 22 Sunday Service
Canada's Black History Month is a time to honour the leadership, and contributions of Black communities across Canada. It is also a time to reflect on the systems that continue to shape the lives of Black Canadians today. Click here to view the service in full Use the 43:10 time stamp in the description to jump to Reverend Lara's sermon.


A Free and Responsible Search for Truth and Meaning - February 15 Sunday Service
Our UU Fourth Principal states that we are all entitled to our own "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". For a covenantal faith, with deeply held shared values, but no expectation that everyone in a given congregation will have the same beliefs about the nature of the cosmos and their place in it, the "Free" part of our Fourth Principle is self-explanatory. But what is a "Responsible Search"? How do we discern what makes truth true or what makes meaning meaning


Is It True? Is It Kind? Is It Necessary? - February 8 Sunday Service
The great Sufi poet, Rumi, believed that before we speak, our words should pass through three gates. Each gate asks a simple question, yet each one carries weight. Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind? These poignant questions aren’t meant to restrain us, but to become invitations to awaken and grow conscious of what we release into the world. Click here to view the service in full Use the 41:11 time stamp in the description to jump to Reverend Lara's sermon.


Inherent Mirth and Dignity - February 1 Sunday Service
What do you do when the life you’d imagined for yourself is stuck in committee? Join us for the story of the UU Hysterical Society - a story of feeling lost, finding yourself, and UUism-outside-the-box with UUHS founder Liz James. Click here to view the service in full Use the 35:15 time stamp in the description to jump to Liz James' Reflection


Everything is Holy Now - January 25 Sunday Service
This Sunday, we explore how we can live into a practice of cultivating wonder and reverence for the world around us. Click here to view the service in full Use the 44:27 time stamp in the description to jump to Reverend Lara's Sermon


Awakening to Love - January 18 Sunday Service
Wonder often begins with love. In this service, we reflect on love as a grounding and awakening presence - one that invites us into deeper relationship, shared values and faithful action in the world. Click here to view the service in full Use the 45:34 time stamp in the description to jump to Reverend Lara's Sermon


We Are Stardust: A Cosmic Theology of Awe and Wonder - January 11, 2026 Sunday Service
Grounded in science and spirit, this service invites us to consider our place in an ever-unfolding universe - and the wonder that awakens us to belonging. Click here to view the service in full Use the 44:10 time stamp in the description to jump to Reverend Lara's Sermon


Awakening to Wonder - January 4, 2026 Sunday Service
We have a basic need for awe wired into our brains and bodies, so finding awe is easy if we just take a moment and wonder. All of us, no matter our background, can find our own meaningful path to awe. How awesome is that?! Click here to view the service in full Use the 33:25 time stamp in the description to jump to our guest speaker's Reflection.


Sacred Fire: Reflection, Release and Renewal - December 28 Sunday Service
With the marking of the Winter Solstice on the 21st, we have begun another circle around the sun together. This Sunday we’ll participate in a fire communion/ or burning bowl ritual to center ourselves, seal our intentions, and leave behind what we wish, as we move into the New Year, as individuals and in community. Click here to watch the service in full Use the 29:13 time stamp to jump to Lay Chaplain Lisa Boulay's Reflection


Silent Night, Holy Night - December 25 LATE Service
A contemplative, candle-lit service of readings and carols. No time stamps for this service. We invite you to enjoy the whole thing. Click here to watch the service in full


The Night the World Waited: Lights of Hope - December 25 EARLY Service
A lively, kid-friendly service full of story and song! No time stamps for this service. We invite you enjoy the whole thing. Click here to watch the service in full


The Darkest Day - December 21 Sunday Service
Merry and Blessed Yule to all! Hail the Sacred and Embracing Dark! Hail the Invincible Sun! There can be no Spring without the Winter, no bloom without the seedtime, no Light without the Dark." ~ Cyndi Simpson This Sunday, we'll celebrate the Solstice and the longest night, with a FirstU tradition - our annual Solstice Spiral - and honour the pause-point of the Solstice with an exploration of the gentle dark and the need for quiet rest. Click HERE to watch the service in full


Helping Hands: Our Mitten Tree Service - December 14 Sunday Service
This Sunday, we'll share a UU tradition: Mitten Tree Sunday! Join us as we decorate our tree with winter woolies that will help neighbours in need stay warm this winter, and live our UU Values of Justice, Equity, and Generosity. Click HERE to watch the service in full Use the 47:46 timestamp in the video description to jump to "The Mitten Tree" story and decorating our tree!


Building a Caring Community -December 7 Sunday Service
"To provide care in our communities together, we need to feel with those who need care and then we need to put that feeling into action." ~ Ilara Stefaniuk-Gaudet This Sunday, we'll explore how we can build caring communities at FirstU and beyond. Use this embedded link OR click on the image below to watch the service in full Use the 46:02 timestamp in the video description to jump to Reverend Lara's Reflection
bottom of page