Lay Leader: Our church family is constantly changing. People come and go. Babies are born. Children grow up. People commit themselves to one another. Loved ones and friend among us come to the end of their lives. Individuals move into our community and church life. Others leave us, moving away to...

In a worship service, the congregation presented farewell gifts to the outgoing Director of Religious Education/Exploration (DRE) before the following: MINISTER: In (season, year), this congregation and NAME entered into a formal/unspoken covenant with one another. NAME agreed to step out of her...

Please note: this ritual was preceded by the departing minister's homily, in which she looked back at the installation service and the promises they had made to each other as minister and congregation. She then continued as follows....

This ritual, for use within a worship service, calls for the voices of two lay leaders—such as the Board President and a worship associate—although a single lay leader could just as easily read both parts. Lay Leader 1: The life of our religious community is fluid, ever changing with new lives,...

New Member Covenant (new members recite in unison) We enter this faith with hope and possibility in our hearts, pledging to participate in and support the ministries of this church. We covenant to remain true to the spirit of love that flows through this church and guides us....

Responsive Reading of Dedication 2011 (based on readings from 1950 and 1964 dedications of this church adapted by Rev. Kanter)....

We draw from many wells, From oceans and rivers, From lakes and streams, From the muddy Mississippi to the roaring Rio Grande, From faraway places and from the ponds and puddles in our own backyards....

If you woke this morning with a sorrow so heavy that you need the help of this community to carry it; or if you woke with a joy so great that it simply must be shared, now is the time for you to speak....

The children being dedicated will take a walk around the sanctuary. Different church members and older children present in the pews will offer objects that will become a part of the child throughout the poem....

Minister: Today, we welcome into our community these new members, who have chosen to make a commitment to this congregation by signing our Membership Book....

Once a month we have an adult and a child lead a multigenerational part of the service called, “Living the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Principles.” The adult and child are chosen ahead of time so they can prepare the words they will say. We do a different principle every month, from October to...

Opening words (by Tess Baumberger) Reader 1: There will be a brightness to this day Even if there be but cloud and rain outdoors. Reader 2: The brightness of this day comes from within, From this gladly gathered company....

Religious Education Director: Today, we celebrate you as you take the next step on your journey, moving from childhood to adolescence. This is a wonderful time in your life, full of hope and expectation and wonder. As you begin to explore more about who you are, you are like a kite....

Introduction As we continue to seek out the stories of hope in our world in the new year, there are also some things we would very much like to put behind us from the old year. The ushers have given you scraps of paper on which to inscribe those things from which we would seek to unburden ourselves.

We pause now on the edge of the New Year— An artificial beginning to be sure—but still a time to reflect. Like Janus, the god for whom January was named, we glance back at past joys and sorrows That what has past can guide us Toward what is yet to be. Let us reflect for a moment on some of the...

Introduction to a New Orleans Jazz Funeral Welcome to a new tradition for our church—a New Orleans-style jazz funeral for the old year. This service offers opportunities for reflection on the past year, a chance to “bury” whatever that was negative or hurtful to us in 20xx, and looks forward...

We come together today to celebrate, honor, hold and support your new life. We recognize the complexity that is gender, while also recognizing the complexity that goes into living a life that openly and honestly challenges the simplicity of our culturally imposed binary gender system. It takes...

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a commissioning is "the act of granting certain powers or authority to carry out a particular task or duty." In many churches there is a common misconception that the leaders of the church run things—that the Board or the Council of Chairs has all...

Introduction: Ours is welcoming community where we find connection; ...a spiritual community where we find meaning; Ours is a sharing community where our joys are amplified; ...a caring community where our sorrows are lessened; We take this moment to reflect on our joys and sorrows and acknowledg...

Many Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregations follow an annual Ingathering tradition on the first Sunday after Labor Day that includes a Water Communion/Ceremony ritual. Specific traditions vary widely, but often they include introductory remarks, a time for reflection, a sharing of water that...

Note: This ritual involves writing grievances on a piece of paper and casting them into a flame. All our lives we have been told to seek that which is good, to turn our faces from the dark and toward the light, toward beauty, toward truth. But the truth is that the world is not always good. The...

We, the Members of the [Name] Unitarian Universalist Congregation, dedicate this chalice to Truth, to Community, and to Commitment. Recognizing that each person possesses a portion of the greater Truth, and knowing that no one may comprehend Truth in its entirety, we affirm that this flame shall...

Minister: The life of our religious community is fluid, ever changing with new lives, new visions, new possibilities and new ministries. [Length of time] ago we welcomed our intern minister, [Name]. And we have been changed....

Note: Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) 2016 begins in the evening of Wednesday, May 4 and ends in the evening of Thursday, May 5. This week holds the annual observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom Hashoah. Jewish communities prefer not to call the dreadful events of the 1930's and...

ALL: Today we honor the youth among us You who are stepping beyond and away and toward Today we share in your journey And encourage your discovery Young Adults (18-35): Today we welcome your energy And offer you a safe place to grow Today we celebrate your hopes and dreams Come live, breathe, thr...

[Note: We have a tradition of asking each person to bring to church on Mother’s Day a single flower—colored if she is still living, white if she has died. The flowers are arranged on the spot into a bouquet and brought into the service just before the Call to Worship. With a bow to Max Coots for...

I don't know about you, but I'm a little bit skittish about holidays that seem to have originated with the greeting card people. That's not true, in fact, of Mother's Day....

The Wedding blessing is to be used with a wedding ritual of pouring water from two vessels into a common vessel, as an alternative to a unity candle....

Formed in your mother’s womb, these precious hands, which have been scraped, bent, worn down, and maybe even broken, are yet perfect in the Divine’s eyes. Bless these hands, for they bring comfort to those so in need of comforting. Bless these hands, for they nurture and care for those unable to...

Written during the February 2014 Teacher Development Renaissance Module, Pacific Southwest Liberal Religious Educator Association (LREDA) chapter. Minister: This morning we dedicate our Religious Education teachers who have been called to minister to our children, to our future. Without them to...

[sing Holy Waters] We bring waters from the four directions. Water from the north, from icy seas and frozen lands, water that commingles and is part of the water of the globe. Bless these waters, that they may be healing waters. May the waters make us new....

Sample Teacher Dedication Ceremonies Religious Educator(s) From Liz Jones, Religious Educator, First UU Church, San Diego, CA: This morning we wish to thank you for your commitment to this church, to our values, and especially to our children. You have accepted the responsibility of helping our...

With faithful progress, The Great Sun has traveled, From north to south again, And on this day pauses. So we also stand still, With the whole Earth, In quiet thankfulness, To the Source of Blessing, The Giver of All Light.

President: We at ______ welcome you as new members of our community this morning. You have come to worship, play, work and grow among us. Ours is a free fellowship; we have no creeds and you are free to bring your ideas and beliefs to this fellowship to share with others....

Recorded music (e.g., Mozart's Requiem; Arvo Pårt's Lamentate) will be playing as the background. Spoken introduction as people prepare to walk in silence: Let us open our minds and hearts to the power of healing that is in us and in the world around us....