The First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa

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

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

With Earth Day on April 22, our service this morning will explore the delicate balance and beauty of Nature, and our place within it. Click here to view the service in full Use the 51:32 timestamp in the description to jump to Reverend Lara's Sermon

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

"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

"It is Love itself that brings us all together. This human family we are part of [...] that love is the energy of Creation, that it takes love to create love.” ~ Richard Wagamese This Sunday, we'll look at what it means to turn towards one another, from how to be a good ancestor to how we can care for all our community's children. Use the 47:15 timestamp in the video description to jump to Rev Lara's Reflection

"...What they dreamed be ours to do, hope their hopes, and seal them true." This Sunday, we'll explore stories of our UU Ancestors. Use the 41:39 timestamp in the video description to jump to Rev Lara's Reflection