Speaker: Melissa O'Brien

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

Today I ruminate on “Blessed are those who mourn,” and the surprising wisdom that tears can hold. I have come to believe that our tears often reveal truths about life that we could not discover in any other way. Order of Service Music Sheet

Honoring Freedom

This day we explore the everyday work of freedom. As we pay respect to the past and consider what it means to be a free nation, we contemplate whether we ourselves are becoming freer: freer from fear, freer from vanity, freer from the need to possess, freer from the thoughts and actions that keep us … Continue reading Honoring Freedom

Accentuate the Positive!

We gather in a season of becoming. Some of us are arriving, some are departing, and most of us are somewhere in between. May we find courage for what is ending, openness for what is emerging, and companionship for the journey. Website oos 6_28_26 Music sheet 6-28-26

The Larger House

As we prepare to leave this beloved building, move into temporary quarters, and begin the work of creating a new sanctuary, we are invited to reflect on what truly makes a spiritual home. The Larger House explores the possibility that our congregation is more than any one structure. We consider, then, how change can open … Continue reading The Larger House

Flower Communion

The Flower Communion is a beloved Unitarian Universalist ritual celebrating beauty, human uniqueness, and community. website oos 6-7-26 Music sheet 6-7-26

What Carries Forward

Continuing the series as we transition from our Interim Pastor, Melissa O’Brien, to our Contract Minister, Rev. Viola Abbitt.

Crossing the Threshold

Beginning this week our services will have an arc of continuity through the eight weeks that Melissa will be with us until the end of July.  She will guide us through this time of transition, helping us to reflect on change, identity, resilience, and community, and inviting us to see ourselves as not simply enduring … Continue reading Crossing the Threshold

What Does It Mean to Love Something into Freedom?

What does it mean to love something into freedom? Melissa offers a Mother’s Day reflection exploring the central tension of mothering: that genuine love and good parenting requires nurturing another human toward the very independence that takes them away from you. OOS 5-10-26