The First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa

As we launch into our Summer Service series, Lee Rose will share a reflection on the Adjacent Possible, exploring how life unfolds not through giant leaps, but rather through a series of incremental steps – with each experience, relationship, and act of wonder expanding the horizon of what can come next. Click here to view the service in full Use the 33:28 time stamp in the description to jump to Lee Rose's Reflection.

In this service, we celebrate our annual Flower Ceremony, a ritual of story, renewal and promise. Click here to view the service in full Use the 34:24, 45:29, and 52:12 time stamps in the description to jump directly to The Story, The Meaning, and The Sharing of our Flower Ceremony.

In this service, we explore the perils of perfection and delve into the power of repair. Click here to view the service in full Use the 35:08 timestamp in the description to jump to the Anthem performed by musical guest Tony Turner Use the 40:09 timestamp in the description to jump to Reverend Lara's Sermon

It can be hard to “assume good intentions” when we have been hurt, or to repair what is broken when we have caused harm. How might we deal with unintended impact and find our way back into healthy relationship? Click here to view the service in full Use the 43:21 timestamp in the description to jump to Reverend Lara's Sermon

Exploring the tension between personal salvation and the call to collective liberation. Behind words like community, fellowship, and world community are real, daily choices—choices that shape not only our individual lives, but the kind of world we are building together. Is faith about securing my own well-being, or participating in the freedom of all? What does it mean to be “well” in a world where others remain bound? Today's service will invite us to wrestle with a hauntin

The gentle practice of receiving and providing care nurtures our minds, bodies, and spirits. It allows growth and beauty to flourish in our personal and communal lives. When we pause to receive and give care, we affirm our deep interdependence. Click here to view the service in full Use the 49:42 timestamp in the description to jump to Reverend Lara's Sermon

We are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love. What does this mean for us as a community and as individuals? Click here to view the service in full Use the 48:02 timestamp in the description to jump to Reverend Lara's Sermon

Author bell hooks referred to love as a practice, not a feeling, and observed that “there is no love that does not involve risk.” On this Mother’s Day, we’ll join guest minister, Reverend Erika Hewett, to reflect on what it means to practice love, with all of its risk, in our personal relationships. Click here to watch the service in full Use the 36:05 time stamp in the description to jump to Reverend Erika's Homily

"We are all longing to go home to some place [...] Someplace where we can be free." ~ Starhawk This Sunday, we are joined by guest speakers Sheldon Leong and Sahada Alolo, the Director of Fund Development and the Director of Community Engagement, respectively, of Multifaith Housing Initiative. Click here to view the service in full Use the 46:22 timestamp in the description to jump to Sahada Alolo's Reflection Use the 46:22 timestamp in the description to jump to Sheldon Leon

The Selma, Alabama, Civil Rights Actions in 1965 were a watershed Unitarian event in American history. It had been named by Martin Luther King as a place to pursue voter's rights. After the Rev. James Reeb was murdered there, several hundred Unitarian ministers descended on Selma. There was a 5-day non-violent Gandhian stand-off between the marchers and the police. That was followed by a 50 mile March to Montgomery, Alabama. Reverend Fred, who was the Minister at the UU Sil

A multigenerational service to celebrate nature! The service has been crafted to engage all ages, and is filled with stories, songs, and movement activities! Click here to view the service in full Use the 26:09 time stamp in the description to jump to Jodi's story, "The Great Kapok Tree".

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.