First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia

We are excited to welcome you to Spirit+Ed, the spiritual development program at First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia. Our program starts on September 15th at 11am offering the following programs for babies, children, and youth:

1) Nursery care for ages 0-4.
2) Classroom-based learning for grades K-5 except for multigenerational Sundays*
3) UU Tweeners for grades 6-9 every 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Sundays of the month except on multigenerational Sundays*

All children participating in our Spirit+Ed Programs or receiving childcare in the nursery three or more times must be registered, even if not First Unitarian members. Please complete the online registration form linked below or a paper version, available at the welcome table in the Sanctuary on Sundays.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdbzUVIGf-Kfrz6ua83MpJroidPfMejpY74I4OKRfbIUo6e0g/viewform

This fall, our congregation is launching a Capital Campaign to make crucial repairs and updates to our building. This is a powerful opportunity to help us continue to grow into the welcoming and accessible congregation we envision for ourselves. After lots of lay leaders and staff preparing the vision for the campaign, we are excited to share the possibilities with the congregation and get your feedback on them.

Please join us at one of our two Focus Groups this Sunday, both before and after service, 9:30am or 12:30pm in the Chapel. These gatherings are not for soliciting financial support, but rather to share the possibilities and gather input on what is most important to our congregation.

Tonight! "76 Place looks to destabilize the very fabric of Center City with its development. Please join as we discuss our strategy to combat this unwanted development. Let's continue to fight for justice in our hometown. Scan the QR code or visit https://tinyurl.com/5yyyw672 to register!"

TOMORROW! 76 Place looks to destabilize the very fabric of Center City with its development. Please join as we discuss our strategy to combat this unwanted development. Let's continue to fight for justice in our hometown. Scan the QR code or visit https://tinyurl.com/5yyyw672 to register!

Remember to collect water from your favorite pool, ocean, lake, pond, or any other special place for our Water Communion Service on September 8!

Repost from our friends at : Billionaires have come together, looking to gentrify our neighborhoods. 76 Place threatens economic dignity in a variety of ways and we must combat this! We are taking a stand against this economically harmful development and hosting a meeting to inform our Center City congregations on our fight against it.

Register at QR code or at tinyurl.com/5yyyw672

Does your theology center the Earth, the Old Gods, or ways of magick and mysticism? Join us for our monthly Pagan Potluck this Saturday, August 17, from 4-7pm! We’ll organize altars to the 4 Elements and the Ancestors. There will be a small ritual or meditation, music, merriment, and of course, food! You’re invited to bring a dish or snacks to share. This gathering will be held in Griffin Hall, which is down a flight of steps.

Curious about Unitarian Universalism and our congregation in general? Stick around after service this Sunday (8/18) for UU & You, a gathering led by Rev. Abbey, which offers an introduction to our faith, the history of this congregation, and ways to get involved.

Yesterday was my first service with y’all and I can’t wait to be in right there in person starting August 18th.

Gratitude for a deeply inspiring service led by Rev. Abbey, Juniper Sweeney, Steph Austin, and virtuoso John B Hedges!

Bless Saint “Jimmy”, Proclaimer and Furtherer of the Love Revolution!!!

Yours,
Rev. Alex

STLT “Joyful is the Dark”  #275

Joyful is the dark, holy, hidden God,
rolling cloud of night beyond all naming: majesty in darkness, energy of love, Word-in-flesh, the mystery proclaiming.

Joyful is the dark, Spirit of the deep, winging wildly o’er the world’s creation, silken sheen of midnight, plumage black and bright, swooping with the beauty of a raven.

Joyful is the dark depth of love divine,
roaring, looming thundercloud of glory, holy, haunting beauty, living, loving God. Hallelujah! Sing and tell the story!

"My prayer for you today is that you understand that you cannot be and say everything. That you are a light, a lamp in the night to help people find their way, but you cannot be their way."

Moment of Reflection: Prayer for the Lamp Keeper 'You are a light, a lamp in the night to help people find their way, but you cannot be their way.'

Your wedding should represent the unique love that you and your partner share, celebrating the family you are creating, the roots that hold you and the hopes that inspire your relationship. We have a variety of customizable ceremony and reception spaces available in our church, including a small Chapel, large Sanctuary, a reception room and hall. We are happy to work with you to offer a space that fit your needs. Reach out to [email protected] to learn more and reserve a date. Learn more about all our offerings on our website: https://philauu.org/weddings

Photos: Maria Teicher, Iris and Echo, Lydia Billings

Join us for Theology on Tap next Thursday 8/8, from 6-8pm, at Mix Bar & Grill, just a block down from the church. Theology on Tap is a lay-led, casual meet up and conversation on Unitarian Universalist theology. It’s hosted on the second Sunday of every month.

Join First Unitarian member, Eliza Hammer Gage, RYT (she/her) for a 90 minute, gentle Kripalu style yoga class this Thursday 8/1 for the last class of her series! This class will include meditative centering, warm-ups, asanas (postures), and deep relaxation. No prior experience necessary. Please bring your own mat and any additional props you prefer such as blocks, a strap, and/or a bolster. This class is free and held both in person and online. To join via Zoom, simply use the Sunday Worship link! If you have any questions please email [email protected].

Stay after service and join other folks loosely aged 20ish to 39ish for a meal together. 20s and 30s Brunch happens every last Sunday of the month!

We're thrilled to once again offer Our Whole Lives for children in grades 7 - 9 led by our own Eliza Hammer Gage, Marin Seng, and Anni Tacchino. Sessions will start in the fall and run through the spring. More detailed information will be coming soon. In the meantime, you can direct questions to the facilitators at [email protected] or learn more about OWL at www.uua.org/re/owl.

Join First Unitarian member, Eliza Hammer Gage, RYT (she/her) for a 90 minute, gentle Kripalu style yoga class. This class will include meditative centering, warm-ups, asanas (postures), and deep relaxation. No prior experience necessary. Please bring your own mat and any additional props you prefer such as blocks, a strap, and/or a bolster. This class is free and held both in person and online. To join via Zoom, simply use the Sunday Worship link! If you have any questions please email [email protected].

"We know that there can be no enduring happiness for humanity

so long as suffering and want go unrelieved;

until all may be sheltered, none of us is truly at home."

Moment of Reflection: Together, a Better World “We know that there can be no enduring happiness for humanity / so long as suffering and want go unrelieved”

We’re hiring! The Building Superintendent manages facilities and events at First Unitarian.

Job Summary: Directs and/or executes maintenance and repairs, leads property improvements, supervises housekeeping staff. Oversees security and hospitality for wide range of property uses, including concerts, weddings, childcare and meetings, preparing rooms and equipment.

Salary Range $50,000 – $53,000 full-time 40 hr/wk
Health & Retirement benefits. Paid vacation.

Check out the full job description and application instructions at www.philauu.org/hiring

Stay after service this Sunday and join other folks loosely aged 20ish to 39ish for a meal together. 20s and 30s Brunch happens every last Sunday of the month! This Sunday there will also be a Unitarian Universalism 101 Q & A discussion. Check it out if you are new to UU, new to our church, or just want to learn more!

Check out our full Summer Worship Slate! Beginning this Sunday, June 23, services will be held in our air-conditioned Parish Room and on Zoom at 11am. The summer is a unique chance to hear spiritual insights and stories from your fellow congregants, as many summer services are lay-led.

June 23: Fascia: The Body’s Interconnected Web,
led by Eliza Hammer Gage

June 30: Why Is There So Much Economic Inequality?, led by Deb Figart

July 7: Good Communication for Good Relationships, led by Dennis Schmieder & Melissa Strong

July 14: It Takes a Village, led by Anne Slater

July 21: Lessons From My House, led by Phaedra Tinder

July 28: Democracy as a Spiritual Practice,
led by Chuck Black

August 4: “Mirroring and Magnifying Each Other’s Light,” led by Rev. Abbey Tennis

August 11: Using our POWER, led by Rev. Abbey Tennis

August 18: Questions of Faith,
led by Rev. Alex da Silva Souto & Rev. Abbey Tennis

August 25: A Season for Grace and Healing: It’s Our Time!, led by Rev. Zemoria Brandon

September 1: Unwanted Resilience: Surviving Hardship as a Spiritual Practice, led by Constance Paige Young

Does your theology center the Earth, the Old Gods, or ways of magick and mysticism? Join us for our monthly Pagan Potluck, this one celebrating the Summer Solstice! We’ll host this celebration in our Parish Room at the church this Saturday, June 22, 4-7pm.

We’ll organize altars to the 4 Elements and the Ancestors. There will be a small ritual or meditation, music, merriment, and of course, food! You’re invited to bring a dish or snacks to share.

Please join us in welcoming our new Minister for Faith Formation, Rev. Alex da Silva Souto! Rev. Alex (they/them) comes to us from three years of serving the Sierra Foothills Unitarian Universalists in Auburn, California. Prior to their ministry there, Rev. Alex served United Methodist congregations in Connecticut for 10 years and has a long history of anti-oppressive and justice-oriented religious leadership. Rev. Alex will begin this role in August. We are so excited to welcome them into our community and introduce them to our congregation!

On Sunday, we honored Rev. Hannah Capaldi and bid her a loving goodbye. Rev. Hannah served First Unitarian for 5 years as our Minister for Faith Formation. She helped hold us through a pandemic, grow our community, lead our social justice initiatives, and helped so many develop their spirituality. We will miss her greatly and are so excited for her new chapter as the Lead Minister of the UU Society of Germantown. This will be her last Sunday with us.

This Sunday we’ll celebrate with our annual Flower Ceremony. Each of us brings something delightful, something special, something utterly unique to this community and to this world. Please bring a flower along with you to add to our Flower Ceremony ritual!

We welcomed two new members on Sunday. Say hi to Tyler and Brandon when you see them around the church! This photo also features some of our Membership Committee volunteers: Tony, Dan, Lincoln, and Natalie, as well as Rev. Hannah and Rev. Abbey.

Want to learn about how we govern ourselves and ways to get involved? Join us tonight at 6pm on Zoom for Congregational Life 101, which gives an overview to the various committees and ministries that make up the church. Great for newcomers and old timers alike! Use the Zoom Worship link, which is linked in our bio.

And we’ll have our last New Member Ceremony of the church year on Sunday! This is a chance to become a formally recognized member of our congregation! There will be a reception at 10am and a small ceremony during service. Reach out to Rev. Hannah ([email protected]) with any questions. Sign up is linked in our bio!

Join us tomorrow evening 6-7:30 for our monthly singing-meditation Vespers service. This musical, low key evening service is an opportunity to take a pause mid week to tune into ourselves, our faith and our communities. The Vespers crew takes a break over the summer, so this will be the last Vespers service until the fall. Hope to see you there.✨

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our table at Pride on Sunday! This crew had such a fun time repping First Unitarian, meeting new people, and inviting people to learn more about our congregation and community.

There are more than 1,700 Unitarian Universalists who are incarcerated in the United States, and many of them rely on the Worthy Now prison ministry for a lifeline to the outside world. Worthy Now is a ministry of the Church of the Larger Fellowship, a congregation without walls that connects UUs around the world. They are in need of free-world pen pals. Their growing ministry has a long list of incarcerated CLF members waiting to be connected to a pen pal, but we never have enough free-world UU writers to make a dent in the waiting list. If becoming a pen pal interests you, and you are looking for a way to live into your UU values, check out their website, linked below, and fill out an application. Visit First Unitarian’s Decarceration Team at their table in Coffee Hour on June 2 to learn more and sign up!

https://worthynow.org/

We learned this week that the first Pride March in Philadelphia, in 1972, left from the steps of our church. If you want folks to head over to Pride with after service, there will be a group leaving together! Or visit our table at Pride and learn more about First Unitarian Church.