We are hosting in person and livestreaming our Sunday Service from the meetinghouse on YouTube at 10:30 am. Community Hour follows at noon via Zoom.
If this is your first time with us, here are the answers to some Common Questions you might have.
If you have children/youth, you can find out more about our Family Ministry.
Our Dialog series is currently suspended.
Join in on one of our Music Programs.
The Current Status of Our Services
We’re OPEN!
We are welcoming people into the meetinghouse for Service on Sunday mornings. For the sake of the health of our entire Beloved Community, we ask that all eligible persons be fully vaccinated AND boosted before entering the meetinghouse. We also require masks.
Livestreaming from the meetinghouse to YouTube began Sunday, August 22, 2021. As of November 7, 2021, we added in-person services with a limit to the number of people in the building. As of March 13, 2022 the attendance limit has been dropped! After the service, we gather on Zoom for Community Hour. Links to both the Service and the Community Hour can be found in the eblast (sent Thursdays), the Saturday evening email, and here on the website.
Thank you for your continued patience and flexibility as plans develop going forward.
There is an entire library of Services recorded during the pandemic that you can enjoy at your convenience on our YouTube channel (see below or CLICK HERE).
If you are not already on our email list, click the button in the footer to sign up. Follow us on Facebook (click here) to keep in touch.
We hope you will join us in community in person at the meetinghouse
or via Zoom or YouTube from the safety of your homes.
August 21st 10:30am
In Person and Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Click here to watch the Service on Sunday morning.
Ordinary Miracles Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
The definition of the word “miracle” is, perhaps unexpectedly, quite approachable: “Something that has a surprising outcome, in a good way, different from what was expected.” There is nothing necessarily supernatural about effecting miraculous outcomes: all it takes is collective will and a surfeit of love. This morning, we will hear music and stories about, and find inspiration for the effecting of, miracles in our world.
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky and Rev. Craig.
Services Available to Watch on YouTube:
August 14th 10:30am
In Person and Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Rights vs. Obligations Rev. Rosemarie Newberry
Rev. Newberry found this quote on Facebook a few months ago that inspired her to consider a different way of looking at her life and her purpose. Let’s look at this together: “The single biggest thing I learned was from an indigenous elder of Cherokee descent, Stan Rushworth, who reminded me of the difference between a Western settler mindset of ‘I have rights’ and an indigenous mindset of ‘I have obligations.’ Instead of thinking that I am born with rights, I choose to think that I am born with obligations to serve past, present, and future generations, and the planet herself.” Click here to watch the Service.
Music: Joel DeWitt
August 7th 10:30am
In Person and Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Archery Practice Rev. Charlie Dieterich
College? New job? Eventually they leave home This week we will revisit Kahlil Gibran’s words about children, or friends or colleagues. What is our role in their lives? Where did we learn that role? How were we taught it? Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.
Music: Brian Gilmore
Rev. Charlie Dieterich is a retired Minister living in Kingston, NJ. Rev. Charlie has served congregations in Erie, Pennsylvania, in Norfolk, Virginia, and in Pomona, New Jersey. He was an intern and chaplain resident in New Orleans after attending Starr King School for the Ministry, in Berkeley, California. Since retirement he’s become involved in history and in ham radio.
July 31st 10:30am
In Person and Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Rehumanizing the Other Pauline E. Nijander
It can seem pretty difficult to build Community in a world where society tends to dehumanize the “other.” Is this particular pattern of dehumanization new, or has it been around for a while? Join us on this Sunday as we explore the dangers of dehumanization and how we can rehumanize those that are different from us. Click here to watch the recorded Service.
Music: Helen Benham and Richard Grossman
Pauline E. Nijander just completed her fourth year as a student at the Drew University Theological School in Madison, NJ where she is studying for the Unitarian Universalist ministry, and where she was just awarded the Dorr Diefendorf Award for excellence in homiletics. Pauline has been a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton since 2013, where she has served in various leadership roles, including being the ministerial intern in the 2019-2020 academic year, and now, as the Seminarian. As a proud transwoman and lesbian, Pauline has spoken often to different community and student groups about her perspective and life in hopes of educating people through honest and engaging conversation about trans* life and issues. For this work, she was awarded the 2017 Triad House LGBTQ+ Champion Award from LifeTies. Along with her wife, Michelle, and their sweet pitbull, Ingrid, Pauline resides in Ewing, NJ.
July 24th 10:30am
In Person and Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Stories Anyone? UUCMC Writers’ Workshop
Jane Reskof, Bob Kelly, Mary Carol Day, Woody Ross, Florrie Hill
One of the UUCMC Writers’ Groups will offer up stories, fables, adventures, and even personal interests for your insight and enjoyment. This Writers’ Group has been meeting for 20 years, exchanging thoughts on selected topics. Won’t you join us to see what we are about and share in our musings on sundry topics? Who knows?…there may even be a chuckle or two in the midst of more serious writing. Click here to watch the recorded Service.
Music: Helen Kho
July 17th 10:30am
In Person and Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
The Getting of Wisdom Rev. Julie Newhall
If you have spent any time around children, you know they like to ask questions, lots of questions. Especially, “Why?” How do you answer? For example, what do you say when asked, “Why is the sky blue?” Click here to watch the recorded Service.
Music: Helen Kho
Reverend Julie Newhall was ordained at UUCMC and has been speaking at and serving UU congregations since 2001. She has been leading worship at the UUOCC in Murray Grove for the past eight years. When not in a pulpit, Julie walks in Thompson Park, talks to her cat, and works her way through crossword puzzles in The New Yorker. Sometimes she completes them.
July 10th 10:30am
In Person and Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
All Who Come Rev. Carol S. Haag
Let’s explore together some of the meanings of our Unitarian Universalist commitment to inclusion. How do these commitments show up in practice? What are the challenges to our commitments? And what can we bring to the table? Click here to watch the recorded Service.
Music: Darrell and Mary Courtley
Rev. Carol retired after 13 years as the religious educator (DRE and MRE) with The Unitarian Church in Summit, NJ. Since then, she has served on the Murray Grove board, as member, President, and currently chairing its Development Committee. She is a strong advocate for Universalism as the central, vital force in our Unitarian Universalist movement. She believes that Universalism embodies the critical message of inclusion for our time.
Universalism: Love that won’t let you down
Love that won’t let you go
Love that won’t let you off.
July 3rd 10:30am
In Person and Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Supporting our Democracy Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
This morning, we will celebrate the United States of America, one of the world’s shining stories of imperfection in an always striving movement toward a more perfect union. As we begin to steel ourselves for the journey toward midterm elections in the fall, we will hear passages from Frederick Douglass’s searing 1852 speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” and experience Searches for Meaning from voices on Reproductive Justice as well as the UU the Vote contingency of our Social Justice Committee. Click here to watch the recorded Service.
Music: Elaine Held (Music Director emerita), Joel DeWitt
June 26th 10:30am Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Our Children are Watching John and Joseph DeMasi
We will all be judged by future generations. What will our legacy be? Join award winning UU contemporary folk singers Joseph and John DeMasi for this inspiring and thought provoking musical service.
Award-winning twin brothers Joseph and John DeMasi are contemporary folk singers, songwriters, and recording artists whose songs are imbued with their Unitarian Universalist beliefs of love, inclusion, tolerance, understanding, and worth and dignity for all. With Joseph on guitar and John on guitar and fiddle, the DeMasi Brothers bring a unique musical experience full of wit, humor, intellect, and poignancy to every concert and service they present. Click here to watch the recorded Service.
Music: the DeMasi Brothers
June 19th 10:30am Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
It’s Been a Long Time Coming Lorraine Stone and Dr. Carol Penn
“Bittersweet.” The very essence of the word relays the reality of June 19th, or Juneteenth, as it became known to the enslaved Africans living in Texas in 1865. And so far away from the rest of the settled, eastern, United States was Texas, that freedom became an afterthought to the men wielding the power to grant it. “Oh by the way, the war is over. And there was an emancipation proclamation, too! Yeah. No more war. No more slaves. YOU’RE FREE!!” And what to the slave is your emancipation? Where will he live? How will she eat? The freedom to be homeless and hungry. With nothing to your name. June 19th. Freedom has come. Wither shall thou goest? Click here to watch the Service.
Music: Vel Johnson, Saxophone, Elaine Held
June 12th 10:30am Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
The Blessing of Diversity: A Multigenerational Celebration of Flower Communion
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM
In the ritual of Flower Communion, we impart blessings to one another in the form of offered flowers: flowers given, flowers received. In this, we partake of a ceremony originating in post WWI Czechoslovakia, at the Unitarian Fellowship of Prague, soon to become the largest Unitarian congregation in the world. Please bring a flower with you to the service to add to the bounty that symbolizes each and every one of us in all of our diversities. Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky and UU Singers
June 5th 10:30am Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Exploring Gender: A Service of LGBTQ+ Pride Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
Gender is much more complicated than it may seem to persons whose biological/anatomical sex, gender identity, gender expression, and/or attraction lines up with societal norms—in actuality, we are all somewhere on continua of each of those four matrices. In finding ourselves participating in gender’s complexities, we celebrate the blessing of all our genders, and kick off Pride Month in Beloved Community. Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Elaine Held and Rev. Craig
May 29th 10:30am Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
A Memorial Day Service: Remembering Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
The capacity for memory is one of the essential threads holding together communities, and yet daily stressors can impede the very creation of memories, leading to a paucity of treasures to savor over time. We can take memory for granted, but it is an enormously complex and wondrous thing of beauty that can haunt as much as bring joy. Click here to watch the Service.
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Joel DeWitt, UkUlele Orchestra
May 22nd 10:30am Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Celebrating Our Faith: Transitions and Milestones
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano, CDFM Michelle McKenzie-Creech, and members of the Coming of Age for Adults class
This Sunday will be a celebration of recent new members and of our staff milestones, all in the context of hearing Statements of Faith from participants in the recent five-session Coming of Age for Adults class led by Michelle and Rev. Craig. Click here to watch the Service.
Music: Ken Lipkowitz
May 15th 10:30am Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Imagination – A Tool and a Gift Tim Geiselman
History has shown that those who realize change have vivid imaginations. They work through the short term setbacks by holding onto long term visions. How can we better utilize the gift of imagination to see past the grind of daily headlines and breaking news stories? This service will key on imagination and how it has shaped who we are, who we can become. Click here to watch the recorded Service.
Music by Dr. Louise and Ruby Chernosky.
May 8th 10:30am Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Gratefulness for Caregivers Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
On this Mother’s Day, we will broaden the scope of things a bit and draw upon the stories of those persons who have given us the beauty of care. We will explore deploying a practice of gratefulness for the gift of connection. Who are the caregivers who have been most special to you? Click here to watch the Service.
Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky and Rev. Craig.
May 1st 10:30am Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Nurturing Beauty – All Music Sunday
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano, Dr. Louise Chernosky & UUCMC’s Musicians
We step into May’s theme of “nurturing beauty” by taking time to celebrate the music in our congregation. Please join us for a morning of music and movement, brought to you by UUCMC’s performing ensembles. As Eric Whitacre writes, “May our singing be music for others, and may it keep others aloft.” Our first live All Music Sunday since 2019! Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.
Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky, UU Singers, UkUlele Ensemble, Sister Singers, Just Folk, Roots and Wings, Joel DeWitt, Elaine Held, Core of Fire Dance Ministry.
April 24th 10:30am Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Earth Day – Together We Can Save Our World
Pat and Steve Miller and members of Climate Action Team (CAT)
Earth Day honors the 7th Principle: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. This service will highlight the steps UUCMC has taken from the early 2000s and continuing to the recent innovations in 2021-2022 to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions from the Meeting House, and what we as individuals can do and must do in our own lives so that we together provide a livable world for our children and grandchildren. Click here to watch the Service.
Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky, UkUlele Orchestra.
April 17th 10:30am Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Click here to watch the Service on Sunday morning.
Sing Songs of Freedom: A Multigenerational Celebration of Passover and Easter
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and Michelle McKenzie-Creech
Join us for a multigenerational celebration of Passover and Easter, complete with the return of an in-person Easter egg hunt! Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.
Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky, Elaine Held, ImpromptUU Singers, Rev. Craig, Paul Vallin.
April 10th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Waking up to Justice Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
Memorialized in the story of Jesus of Nazareth riding a donkey into Jerusalem at Passover time, his followers waving palms, Palm Sunday celebrates the living out of one’s values in the public square. This morning, we celebrate our social justice ministries. Click here to watch the Service recording.
Music by Helen Kho.
April 3rd Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Awakening Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
As Spring brings nature “back to life” before our eyes, it is almost as if the earth itself is asking us to see things anew, urging that we awaken to new possibilities, fresh perspectives, nascent wisdom. How are you awakening to the world around you these days? How might you? Click here to watch the recorded Service.
Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky and Roots and Wings Drum Choir.
March 27th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
If Not You Then Who? Rev. Latasha D. Milton
Our new neighbor minister offers us a call to action, a call to being involved in your community.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1 NIV
As the Great cloud of witnesses that has stood against injustice and oppression before us, we are called to continue the work to be agents of love. We are all interconnected within the fabric of love, called to bear each other’s struggles. If we do not take the mantle to continue the work, then who will stand? Click here to watch the recorded Service.
Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky and Paul Vallin.
Rev. Milton is the Senior Pastor at Hamilton United Methodist Church in Neptune, NJ. She has served in various ministry contexts over the years. She is passionate about God’s people being liberated to authentically serve God in the fullness of their gifts and talents. She desires to preach a transformative truth that reveals the heart of God to transform the world. She is passionate about standing against injustices to children and youth and being a voice for education equity. She received a M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary with an emphasis in Black Church Study. She has a M.S. in Counseling and Early Childhood from the University of South Miss. She has a B.S. in Pre-Med. Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Prior to establishing residence in New Jersey, she called St. Louis home. She is a licensed Zumba and Zumba Strong (combat) instructor. When she is not teaching Zumba, she enjoys photography, reading, playing golf and tennis, and watching sports.
Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky and Paul Vallin.
March 20th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Draw the Circle Wide: “Spring into Stewardship” Sunday Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
We celebrate our Annual Stewardship Campaign with a reminder that our relationship to money need not be constricting, but liberating, one that allows us to push outward the boundaries of our concern, drawing ever wider the circles of our lives. The 2022–23 congregational year will be one of deep renewal, in line with our monthly theme for March: “Renewing Faith.” Bring your pledge forms in-person to the service as, together, we draw the circle of UUCMC wide, and wider still. Click here to watch the Service recording.
Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky, UU Singers.
March 13th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Congregational Ministries Equal Community
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and members of the Committee on Congregational Ministry (CoCM)
This morning, we will explore the concept of “ministry,” and how we all contribute in different ways to create Beloved Community. Whether our participations are through dance, music, social justice activities, worship services, book discussions, or even vacuuming the halls, the needs are many, and the community is enriched by our shared ministries. Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.
Music by Elaine Held (Music Director emerita), Helen Kho
March 6th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Annual Dr. Myra Zinke Service*
Reproductive Health in the Garden State: How does a Beloved Community address reproductive health inequalities?
Dr. Jennifer Howard, MD, MPH
Racial and other disparities persist in New Jersey for reproductive health. The problem is ancient and mentioned in Luke 8:43 –” And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any.” How can we dismantle such systems of inequalities? Click here to watch the recorded Service.
Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky and the UkUlele Orchestra.
Dr. Jennifer M. Howard has been the President of the League of Women Voters of NJ since May, 2021, after serving on the Board. She is a member of the Princeton LWV. Jennifer is a practicing OB/GYN physician in NYC and previously practiced in NJ. She has been a Vice President for the African American Parent Support Group (a parent advocacy organization with over 25 years of addressing racial disparities and educational achievement gaps in African-American students), a preceptor to medical students and residents, a medical director of a reproductive health organization and a former Board of Trustee for a reproductive health organization. She went to Harvard/Radcliffe for an undergraduate degree, Howard University’s College of Medicine for her medical school degree, and Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health for her Master’s.
*Dr. Myra Zinke left UUCMC an endowment to fund an annual guest speaker on a topic of concern and interest to women.
February 27th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Love Letters to UU Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM
I’ll never forget how I fell in love with Unitarian Universalism and its saving and life-giving message of love and hope. I wanted to scream about it from the highest mountains and the tallest peaks until someone told me we don’t do that sort of thing because it is evangelism. Evangelism is simply the act of telling the good news, and I believe we have a lot of that to share. What’s your UU love story? Click here to watch the Service.
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky and UU Singers
February 20th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Celebrating Black History Month: A Multigenerational Worship Service
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM
The first “Black History Month” was held at Kent State University in 1970 as a way of remembering important events and people in the history of the African diaspora. While the isolation of one month out of a year for celebrating African-American History has had its critics, the opportunities it presents for learning and exploration, akin to that in other month-long identity-based commemorations, can serve to bring us together across generational lines. Let’s bring in the whole family for a morning of discovery and wonder. Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky
February 13th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Doing What Must Be Done Charles Loflin, Executive Director UU FaithAction NJ
Social justice work is integral to Unitarian Universalism but sometimes a source of tension among and within congregations. UU theologian James Luther Adams suggests freedom of belief demands social justice action. How do we collectively determine where to put our energies? What is the “work that must be done”? Click here to watch the Service on Sunday morning.
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky and Roots and Wings Drum Choir
Charles Loflin serves as the Executive Director of UU FaithAction NJ. He is a 2021 graduate of Meadville Lombard Theological School having earned a Masters of Divinity degree. He also holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from the University of Louisville. Charles served the Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship from 2019-2021 under the supervision of Rev. Alison Miller. A member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, he calls Montclair home.
February 6th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
The Limits of Empathy Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
The definition of “empathy”—“the ability to understand and share the feelings of another”—leads to widespread questions about anyone’s ability truly to “understand” or “share” another’s feelings. But the limits of empathy are a good place to start in the worthy quest to enter into relationships with those different from ourselves. Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.
Music: Evan Schwartzman
January 30th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Living with Intention: The Artist’s Way Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
Living with intention, our monthly congregational theme, begins with pathways for a good orderly direction in our creative lives. In tandem with the Adult Religious Education Committee’s January Common Read, we will use insights from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way to discover possibility, abundance, and connection. Click here to watch the recording of the Service.
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky and UU Singers
January 23rd Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Hands Across America: Healing Community Trauma Dr. Mary Early-Zald
In the United States, we are a people of trauma: it is revealed in the hostility and reactivity of our discourse. From her own experiences, clinical psychologist, hospital chaplain, activist, and about-to-be-ordained UU minister Dr. Mary Early-Zald brings stories of healing. Click here to watch the recorded Service.
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky
January 16th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
The Sum of Us: A Multigenerational Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM
In The Sum of Us, political commentator and strategist Heather McGhee exposes the most consistent fallacy of racism—that it benefits most white people. McGhee demonstrates that racism hurts everyone, and urges us toward what she calls the “solidarity dividend” resulting from everyone working together to dismantle racism’s hold on the American body. We will celebrate the MLK legacy by looking forward, as we discover ways to be of service. Click here to enjoy the Service.
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Rev. Craig
January 9th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
We Three Kings? Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
In part two of the Christmas story according to the gospel of Matthew, the child Jesus gets involved in a geopolitical plot that includes Magians, migration, murder, and mayhem. Rounding off the 12 Days of Christmas, the feast of Epiphany celebrates new insights, new directions. How might we move more fully into community in 2022? Click here to watch the recorded Service.
Music: Brian Gilmore
January 2nd Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Click here to watch the Service on Sunday morning.
See, Speak, Live Minister Kerwin Webb
The first Sunday of the new year is the ideal time to cast a vision and set the tone for the remainder of the year. This service will encourage the congregation to be purposeful and intentional as they begin creating and living into their desired futures. Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.
Minister Webb currently serves as the Associate Pastor of Youth and Young Adults at Second Baptist Church of Asbury Park, the President of the Greater Red Bank branch of the NAACP, coalition liaison for the New Jersey Social Justice Remembrance Coalition, and Board Chair of the T. Thomas Fortune Foundation. In 2012, Kerwin founded the RMW Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on child development, youth outreach, and adult empowerment. Minister Webb is an organizational coach and a training and development consultant, with a focus on helping individuals and organizations achieve personal and organizational goals. More info at kerwinwebb.com.
Music: Core of Fire Dance Ministry and Dr. Louise Chernosky
Core of Fire are women of significance who have created an intentional community of faith and spirituality, working in the area of social justice through dance. It is their tradition to dance “Let it Be” on the first Sunday of the year at UUCMC. All who know the movements are invited to join in.
December 26th 10:30am Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Holiday Sing-along Elaine Held, Music Director Emerita and Joel DeWitt
Join us in a sing-along! Click here to watch the recorded Service.
Music: Elaine Held, Joel DeWitt, Sister Singers and Friends
December 24th 8pm Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Lessons and Carols Candlelight Service Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
Candles and stories join beloved carols to tell the tales of Christmas—both of them! Click here to watch the recorded 8pm Service.
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UU Singers, Sister Singers, Elaine Held, Rachel Sweet, Rev. Craig
December 24th 4pm Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Click here to watch the Service 4pm on Friday evening.
Family Candlelight Service Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM
This service of songs and stories includes our pageant, “Christmas in the Barn,” with a part for every child. In the UU tradition, we believe that every child is the hope of this world. Click here to watch the recorded 4pm Service.
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UkUlele Orchestra, Maya Kimmel (cello)
December 19th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
A Litany of Lights: A Multigenerational Celebration of the Solstice
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM
On this day, we honor the lights of many faiths as we gather to celebrate the dawning of new light following the longest night of the year. If you would like to be one of our candle lighters for the Litany of Lights, please contact Rev. Craig (craig@uucmc.org). Click here to enjoy the recorded Service.
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Elaine Held, UU Singers, Skip Leib & Friends
December 12th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Ode to Joy – for Whom and When? Rabbi Marc Kline
We are here to rejoice and celebrate. Far too many will never know this joy. We need to rethink our celebration so that it can impact more people. For all that divides us, we need to reset humanity, rethink our bias, and return to human—so that each of us can turn to joy—not just for the season—for life. Click here to watch the recorded Service.
Rabbi Marc Kline serves as senior clergy for Monmouth Reform Temple in Tinton Falls and in leadership and advocacy roles locally, nationally, and internationally.
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Sarah Fischell and the UkUlele Orchestra
December 5th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Opening to Joy Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
Music: Helen Benham.
November 28th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
The Advent of Hanukkah Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Dr. David and Sarah Fischell.
November 21st Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
The Way of Gratitude: A Multigenerational Service of Thanksgiving
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, Elaine Held (organ), Paul Vallin, Eva Mehri.
November 14th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Building Community through Trees—the Great Connectors
Ann Sherwood, Social Justice Committee Co-Chair
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky.
November 7th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Holding Our UUCMC History Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and Voices of UUCMC
(Lee Rossbach, Liz Dean, Barbara and Irwin Schpok, Irene Gibson)
Music: Elaine Held, Karen Christiana, Edna Larsen, Jennifer Thomas, and Rev. Craig.
October 31st Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
The Thinnest Veil: A Multigenerational Service of All Hallows Eve and All Souls
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM
Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky and Joel DeWitt.
October 24th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
NJ Together Monmouth County: Listening as Organizing
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and the UUCMC NJTogether team
There is a new group in our midst: NJ Together, an IAF (Industrial Areas Foundation)-affiliated multi-faith, multi-issue, strictly non-partisan broad-based coalition of congregations, non-profits, neighborhood organizations, and parent groups. NJ Together seeks to develop leaders, strengthen communities, and seek justice by identifying problems in our county. The first step in any community organizing is to listen. This morning, we will hear from members of the UUCMC NJ Together team…what problems rise to the surface in your neighborhoods, and to whom might you listen to organize for change? Click here to watch the recording of the Service.
Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky and UU Singers.
October 17th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Which, Not How Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM
There’s lots of advice out there about how to cultivate relationships, but what about the challenge of deciding which relationships to nourish? We live in a society that distracts us from the relationships that matter most, and certainly the relationships that could feed us the most. We will lean into the work of noticing and listening to the longings for deeper connection. What relationships need your attention right now? Click here to enjoy the recording of the service.
Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky and PJ Casbar.
October 10th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Gender Creative Resilience Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
Resilience, the ability to bounce back from setbacks, is especially crucial for persons already at the receiving end of cultural aspersion. This morning, we will examine the self-reported resilience needs of transgender and gender nonconforming—gender creative—persons in this country, finding resilience commonalities among all genders, and identifying ways that congregations are well-placed to offer sustenance and community. Click here to enjoy the recording of the Service.
Music by Helen Kho and Steve Knowlton.
October 3rd Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
The Promise of Family Ministry Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
For a long time in our Unitarian Universalist faith movement, religious education has been at the forefront of creatively inculcating values and religious awareness in next generations. Though the strategies for accomplishing these goals have shifted and morphed over time, at the heart of those efforts has been the family, broadly defined. This morning, we will look back, as we look forward to the always present promise of Family Ministry. Click here to view the Service.
Music by Sarah and David Fischell, and Dr. Louise Chernosky.
September 26th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Emergent Possibilities Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
Social justice facilitator adrienne maree brown urges us to notice the many relatively simple interactions in the natural world that give rise to complex systems, and to awaken to the harvest of adaptations available to us when we acknowledge our unity with that world. On this first Sunday of autumn, we delve further into our monthly theme of “embracing possibility.” Click here to view the recording of the Service.
Music by Joseph and John DeMasi.
September 19th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Possibility and Brokenness Rev. Rosemarie Newberry
You may hear something like “we are all broken.” If we are broken, then isn’t possibility just impossible? Let’s explore together our brokenness, and how we may live into possibility. Click here to view the recording of the Service.
The Rev. Rosemarie Newberry is a long time member of this congregation. She is currently serving the UU Congregation of Queens in Flushing, NY.
Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky and Karen Christiana.
September 12th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
A Multigenerational Service of Ingathering
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano & Michelle McKenzie-Creech
Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky, PJ Casbar, Rev. Craig, and UU Singers.
September 5th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Return Again: High Holy Days Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
In the urging of a popular song often performed at High Holy Days, “Return to who you are, return to what you are, return to where you are born and reborn again.” Rosh Hashanah begins the evening of Labor Day; this Sunday, we will contemplate what “returning” means in our current context. Click here to view the recording of the Service.
Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky, Dan Chernosky, Paul Sherman, and Joel DeWitt.
August 29th Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Spirituality Speaking, The Power of Singing Spirituals Roosevelt Credit
A spiritual is a type of religious folk song closely associated with the enslavement of African people in the American South. Roosevelt Andre Credit will join us in exploring the spiritual healing and traditions in singing spiritual and gospel music. Together we will walk down history lane and discover our inner spiritual voices. Roo says “Let the music do its work for you!” Let’s learn together in song – Let’s find the voice within. Click here to watch the recording of the Service.
Roosevelt Credit lives in New York City and is a singer, conductor and composer. He is well known to UUCMC members for his magnificent performance as one of the Wiseman of “Amahl and the Night Visitors”.
Music by Roosevelt Credit and Elaine Held.
August 22nd Livestreamed from the Meetinghouse on YouTube
Back to the Future Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
Music by Dr. Louise Chernosky, Liz Tortorella, and Elaine Held.
August 15th Shared Summer Service Series: Renewing Together
Showing Up Today for the Community of Tomorrow
Beacon (UU Congregation in Summit), Rev. Dr. Robin Tanner & Rev. Emilie Boggis
In the last 16 months, showing up has taken on new meaning as we connected virtually. Some of us are even deepening and renewing our commitments in community. There are always ample reasons to show up…or not! As life shifts again, how do we discern as UUs when to show up and for whom? Click here to view the Service.
August 8th Shared Summer Service Series: Renewing Together
Regeneration
Central Unitarian Church in Paramus, Rev. Andrée Mol
Turning to the monarch butterfly as our guide and teacher, we’ll examine both its individual transformation from larvae to butterfly and its multi-generational transformation as a species migrating across an entire continent each year. We’ll consider the ways in which such transformations play out in our individual lives and collectively across generations. Click here to view the Service.
August 1st
When Things Fall Apart: Buddhist Principles and Practices Cheryl Bartholomew
Buddhism is the fastest growing of all religions. Its practices are used in schools throughout the world, with marines, and in psychotherapy contexts. Buddhist teachings help us to remain peaceful and grounded when we are faced with life’s challenges. Click here to view the Service.
Dr. Cheryl Bartholomew is a psychologist and professor who has taught at SUNY/Upstate NY, George Mason, and Monmouth Universities. She has received the Chancellor’s award for excellence in teaching, the Martin Luther King Humanitarian award, Outstanding Women in Virginia, and the National Curriculum and Development award (AERA). Her curriculum has been adopted throughout the US and in four foreign countries. Dr. Bartholomew is also a textbook author who has appeared on CBS News with Dan Rather, and NPR, “All Things Considered”. She is cited in “Megatrends for Women”: How Women are Revolutionizing American Society. She has been a member of UUCMC since 2018.
Music by Elaine Held, Kirsten Norberg, Sister Singers, and Louise & Dan Chernosky.
July 25th Shared Summer Service Series: Renewing Together
Guardians and Gatekeepers
UU Congregation at Montclair: Rev. Anya Sammler-Michael & Rev. Scott Sammler-Michael
UU Congregation of Somerset Hills & First Unitarian NJ (Fanwood): Rev. Ann Marie Alderman
A shared Summer Service with the minister from First Unitarian (Fanwood) and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Somerset Hills and the Co-Ministers from the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair. This service weaves their own personal stories of guardians (those who protect and preserve) and gatekeepers (those who block and prevent.) Click here to view the Service.
July 18th
Moving into a Different World Rev. Julie Newhall
Our lives have been changing in unexpected ways since early 2020. Some say that nothing will ever be the same. The same as what? Today we take some time to quietly think about what is new and to consider what we’d like to see in our new reality. Click here to view the Service.
Reverend Julie Newhall is our guest minister today. From September through June, she leads worship twice a month at the UU Ocean County Congregation and twice a month at the UU Society of South Suffolk.
Music by Helen Kho, PJ Casbar, and Louise Chernosky.
July 11th
Do You Hear What I Hear? Janet Freed
If you said to me, “I feel like I just got hit by a bus” and I responded by saying, “Did you get the license plate number?”, would you feel like I got your message? This talk about Deep Listening will help us hear the thoughts and feelings behind the words we say so that we can respond to others in a compassionate and empathetic way. Click here to view the Service.
Janet Freed is a clinical chaplain and bereavement counselor offering spirit-centered care and support to patients and their loved ones. She is an ordained Buddhist priest and is ending her tenure as co-chair of CoCM.
Music by Helen Benham.
July 4th Shared Summer Service Series: Renewing Together
The Sacred Ground of Interdependence
UU Congregation of Monmouth County (Lincroft), Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
The Unitarian Society (East Brunswick), Rev. Karen Johnston
Our 7th Principle reminds us to respect, perhaps even to show reverence for, our interdependence. All existence is connected, and we, as human creatures, are not above or below or apart, but wonderfully woven as part of a greater whole. The ministers and worship teams from the UU Congregation of Monmouth County in Lincroft and The Unitarian Society in East Brunswick kick off a Shared Summer Services series bringing together UU congregations across the mid-to-upper stretches of New Jersey. Click here to view the Service.
Music: Louise Chernosky, Ruby Chernosky, Robert Shumway (Lincroft); Nick Place (East Brunswick)
June 27th
Live from the UUA General Assembly: Sunday Morning Worship
This year’s virtual General Assembly offers us all a unique opportunity to share worship with thousands of other UUs. Click here to enjoy the Service.
Until Love Wins First Universalist Church of Minneapolis
Today’s challenging times require a nimble and resilient spirituality. We need a demanding, inspiring faith and a love strong enough that it will not let us go. Join us as we draw the circle wide, gather our strength, and promise to stay in the struggle and joy until love wins.
Each year, the last weekend in June, UUs gather from across the country and around the world, to do the business of the UU Association of congregations, and to learn and celebrate together. We are so pleased to share the Sunday morning worship service from GA with you.
June 20th
A Summer Solstice Service Sister Circle
The SisterCircle Summer Solstice Ritual/Service will honor the relationship between all creatures and will touch on the impact of humans on their existence. It is adapted from the writings of Joanna Macy, an environmental activist and author. We hope to offer a positive view of our relationship with our “ship’s companions.” Click here to view the Service.
SisterCircle is a women’s group that has been active since Yule, 1993. They are analogous to a covenant circle and enjoy friendship and creativity together. They follow the “Wheel of the Year” to celebrate each season’s gifts.
Come celebrate with us as we turn the Wheel once again and welcome the joys of summer.
Music by Tom McCormack.
June 13th
Blessings and Flowers: Our Annual Flower Communion Multigenerational Service
Rev. Craig Rubano, Rev. Virginia Jarocha-Ernst, and Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM
If you could share your best blessing with another congregant, what would it say or look like? Now more than ever, we need one another’s blessings. As we say our final farewell to Rev. Virginia in her last Sunday Service, she asks you to give away your most precious blessing to one another. Click here to view the Service.
Music by Elaine Held, Joel DeWitt, David Fischell, Edna Larsen, UU Singers Virtual Choir, Core of Fire, and Louise Chernosky.
June 6th
First and Last Words Rev. Virginia Jarocha-Ernst
Today we celebrate our graduating High Schoolers as they bridge into adulthood. In these years together, what have we said, and what have we left unsaid? There are a few things you need to know! Click here to view the Service.
Music by Just Folk, Louise and Dan Chernosky, and Thomas Cannizzaro.
May 23rd
Faith Through Crisis: Coming of Age Coming of Age Group & Michelle McKenzie-Creech
What has it been like to be a teenager during a historic pandemic? Time spent quarantining this last year has meant many teens have missed the milestones that ordinarily mark coming of age.
Our 8th and 9th grade youth will reflect on how they are coping in real time and with the crisis likely to shape their generation for decades to come. To commemorate this Coming of Age service unlike any other, the youth invite you to attend this live Zoom service in your best shirt and most comfortable pajama pants or your robe. Click here to view the recording of the live service.