Services | unitarians

Services

What to expect at a Unitarian service…

When and where and who:

Weekly services are held at our Norwood Meeting House at 99 Osmond Terrace, Norwood, at 10.30 am Sundays. Services can be expected to last for about an hour, and are followed by a social hour with coffee and tea provided.

All services are conducted by the Minister, unless otherwise indicated in our newsletter.
Monthly vesper services at our Shady Grove Chapel are held on the first Sunday of every month (January excepted), at either 4 or 5 p.m., depending on the season. These are conducted by members of the congregation, visiting speakers, or the Minister. Services are followed by a shared, bring-a-plate meal

What and how:
Though individual services may vary in content and order, our services generally have these components:

• Opening words or an invocation as we light our chalice flame
• A story for all ages, generally directed to the children (but usually with relevance to the adults too).
• Sunday Club–a separate space and activities for children directed by qualified carers and parents.
• A time for individual worshippers to light candles to mark recent significant events in tbeir spiritual lives–joys, concerns, sorrows, landmarks
• A time of reflection, meditation and private prayer
• 2 or 3 contemporary hymns or songs
• An address and a related reading of 15-20 minutes. This time may include activities, discussion, or audio-visuals. (As befits a free church, the purpose of our preaching is not to expound doctrine, but to ‘afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted.’ You may therefore hear things that will challenge you to deeper personal reflection, and stir you up to a more considered personal faith and more ethical living.)
• Excellent and varied musical interludes, ranging from clasical, to jazz, to folk, to R and B.
• A collection of offerings for the maintenance of the church and its work in the community.

For a schedule of this month’s service topics, please refer to our current Newsletter.

An archive of audio podcasts of recent service addresses is accessible on our Expanding Horizons site.