Worship
Overview
At Community Church Unitarian Universalist, we are guided by our Unitarian Universalist Seven Principles as we journey together to bring more justice, equity and compassion to our lives, the Community in which we covenant and the larger world. Each week we light the chalice, a symbol of our faith tradition. The Chalice was created during World War II to identify and honor the Unitarians who helped people escape Nazi persecution. The chalice centers us in our worship while also reminding us, as a Community, of the work we must do outside our Sanctuary walls toward greater peace, and liberty for all.
Worship is dynamic and generative at CCUU. Our tradition has deep roots
and we allow for new growth to emerge. As such, members are encouraged to work with our Worship Ministry (worship@ccuunola.org) to engage the traditions that are meaningful to their journey within Unitarian Universalism – whether through science, another religious faith, social justice activism or the natural world, among many others. We believe that deep theological reflection can and should encompass all that surrounds us. In worship, community and ritual, we embark upon that reflection with full hearts, creating sacred moments we return to each year.
Holidays
While our tradition finds inspiration in many sources, our roots are in
Christianity. As such, we hold a beautiful Christmas Eve Service honoring the story of Jesus from the UU perspective, and the Unitarian connection to the holiday, in particular Charles Dickens’ Unitarian classic “A Christmas Carol” and the symbol of the Christmas tree are connected with the UU faith. In addition, we honor Easter – often from the perspective of re-emergence, rebirth and the natural world.
As a multi-faith and perspective community, we also explore and honor
other religious traditions (and non-faith perspectives) in reflection and, when appropriate, ritual. Community Church UU celebrates the “beginning” of our Church year in early September with a water blessing ceremony, in which we as a Community vision how we will be together in the coming year through blessing each other. The month of October at Community Church UU has us reflecting on death and remembrance, with a powerful service of remembrance for our loved ones who have died.
Throughout the Church year, we host a series of special services and rituals – membership ceremonies, child dedications, intergenerational Services, joint services with our fellow Greater New Orleans Unitarian Universalists, Music Services, including an annual Jazzfest Service, and much, much more.