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Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation

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You are here: Home / Recent Services

Recent Services

Image Description: Rev. Mary Gear at the pulpit, wearing a patterned, white stole and chalice necklace, gesturing to the congregation during a Sunday Service
"Finding Calm in the Storm" with Rev. Justin Almeida, May 28 at 10am | in-person and online, no After-Service Forum, Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation
click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Finding Calm in the Storm”
with Rev. Justin Almeida

Sunday, May 28, 2023

As we move further into the Summer season, join Rev.  Almeida in exploring the spirituality of calm, rest and renewal to keep us centered amid the storms of life.

View the Order of Service here.


"Community Care: Reflections from the Pastoral Care Team" with Rev. Mary Gear and PC Team members, May 21 at 10am | in-person and online After-Service Forum: Annual Congregational Meeting, Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation
click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Community Care: Reflections from the Pastoral Care Team”
with Rev. Mary Gear and PC Team members

Sunday, May 21, 2023

We explore how we care for each other in the OUUC community. Members of the Pastoral Care Team will reflect on their call to this ministry and their experience of service.

View the Order of Service here.


"Lessons from Encanto: Healing Family and Generational Trauma" with Rev. Sara Lewis, May 14 at 10am | in-person and online, After-Service Forum: Proposed Congregational Budget Review
click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Lessons from Encanto: Healing Family and Generational Trauma”
with Rev. Sara Lewis

Sunday, May 14, 2023

View the Order of Service here.


"On Vision" with Rev. Mary Gear - May 7 at 10am | online or in-person - After-Service Forum: Behavioral Covenant with Rev. Mary Gear
click the image above to view a recording of this service

“On Vision”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, May 7, 2023

We explore the spiritual theme of vision. Is it possible to “see” clearly and what helps us do so if we can?

View the Order of Service here.

View the Sermon and Readings here.


"Trust: The Lost and Found" with Rev. Vincent Lachina, April 30 at 10am | in-person and online, After-Service Forum: Anti-Racist Terminology 101 with Rev. Sara Lewis
click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Trust: The Lost and Found”
with Rev. Vincent Lachina

Sunday, April 30, 2023

Few things are more important to a minister than to have the trust of others.  It would be complicated, if not impossible to have any credibility if there is no trust.  Sadly, once trust is lost, there is a vacuum of belief that has a lasting effect on a hearer.  Almost everyone knows how trust is lost, but perhaps a lesson to learn is how to find or build trust.  The message prepared for you at OUUC is a focus on how you as individuals and you as a body of church goers can establish and build trust in the world in which you live.

View the Order of Service here.


“Perfectly Imperfect” with Rylee Uhrich, April 23 at 10am | Please consider joining us online - Limited seating available in the classrooms. Then: After-Church with Melanie Ransom, featuring Rev. Sara Lewis
click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Perfectly Imperfect”
with Rylee Uhrich

Sunday, April 23, 2023

In these uncertain times let’s overturn the myth of perfectionism and find the strength of turning towards community. For this Earth Day service we’ll consider what we want to do differently in our personal work towards climate justice.

View the Order of Service here.

"On Trust" with Rev. Mary Gear, April 16 at 10am | Please consider joining us online - Limited seating available in the classrooms.  After-Service Forum:  Board Sunday
click the image above to view a recording of this service

“On Trust”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, April 16, 2023

We explore the spiritual theme of “trust.”  What does it mean to trust?  How do we regain trust when it has been broken and hope has been challenged?  We also welcome new members to OUUC.

View the Order of Service here.

View the Sermon and Readings here.


"Trusting Re-emergence" with Rev. Mary Gear, April 9 at 10am, in-person and online, After-Service Event: Easter Egg Hunt in Burri Park!
click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Trusting Re-emergence”
with Rev. Mary Gear and Rev. Sara Lewis

Sunday, April 9, 2023

On this Easter Sunday, we reflect on our re-emergence from a global pandemic, exploring how we wish to be in the world and with each other.

View the Order of Service here.

"When You’re Going Through Hell, Keep Going!" with Dr. Mary Ellen Johnson, April 2 at 10am, in-person and online, After-Service Forum with Rev. Mary on OUUC After COVID
click the image above to view a recording of this service

“When You’re Going Through Hell, Keep Going!”
with Dr. Mary Ellen Johnson

Sunday, April 2, 2023

Dr. Mary Ellen Johnson (she/her) holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Wisdom School of Graduate Studies. She is also a Religious Science Practitioner and a Certified Labyrinth Facilitator. Mary Ellen has been known to go hours and miles out of her way to seek out a labyrinth someone told her about. She’s also a voracious reader and is deeply inspired by stories of human triumph over adversity. As an avid pilgrim, Mary Ellen has completed the Spanish Camino and journeys on foot to Assisi in Italy to Chartres Cathedral in France. Mary Ellen’s personal credo is “Life is easy when you share what you love and teach what you know.”

View the Order of Service here.


"Love Will Guide Us" with Rev. Mary Gear, March 26 at 10am, in-person and online, Then: After-Church with Melanie Ransom, featuring Marie Arensmeyer
click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Love Will Guide Us”
with Rev. Mary Gear and Karmel Shields

Sunday, March 26, 2023

We wrap up our month of reflection on commitment, generosity, and stewardship with a leaf communion and celebration of love at the center.

View the Order of Service here.

"Ritual of Lamentation for Racism" with Rev. Mary Gear and Rev. Sara Lewis, March 18 at 10 am, in-person and online, After-Service Forum: Proposed OUUC Behavioral Covenant
click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Ritual of Lamentation for Racism”
with Rev. Mary Gear and Rev. Sara Lewis

Sunday, March 19, 2023

In this month of commitment, we mourn those lost to racism and recommit ourselves to justice for all.

View the Order of Service here.

"On Commitment" with Rev. Mary Gear, March 12 at 10 am, in-person and online, After-Service Forum:  Capital Reserve Study Implementation Team
click the image above to view a recording of this service

“On Commitment”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, March 12, 2023

In this month of generosity and stewardship, we explore the spiritual theme of commitment. What does it mean to commit to ourselves and to something beyond ourselves? And, in honor of Daylight Savings Time Spring ahead, it’s pajama Sunday at OUUC!

View the Order of Service here.

View the Sermon and Readings here.


click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Committed to Generosity”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, March 5, 2023

Many have said, “How we do anything is how we do everything.” This maybe-daunting statement invites us to see opportunities everywhere to commit to and practice the values we want to embody. Today we’ll explore paths toward a life of deepening generosity.

View the Order of Service here.

click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Why I Support Updates to Article II”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Article II of the Unitarian Universalist Association bylaws contain the beloved seven principles and six sources as well as the purposes of the UUA.  The Article II Commission has proposed significant updates and changes to the bylaws.  Join us to explore these changes and how we are called to respond.

View the Order of Service here.

View the Sermon here.

click the image above to view a recording of this service

“On Liberation”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, February 19, 2023

We explore the monthly spiritual theme of liberation.  

Are freedom and liberation the same?  What are we as a people of faith called to do for collective liberation? 

View the Order of Service here.

View the Sermon here.

click the image above to view a recording of this service

“The Better Angels of Our Nature”
with Rev. Carol McKinley

Sunday, February 12, 2023

On this date in 1809 Abraham Lincoln was born; on a cold March morning in 1861 he delivered his first inaugural address as president of the United States. Knowing the nation was facing dark times, he called people to heed “the better angels of our nature” if the liberation and justice for all proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence were to be realized. Today, as people of faith, we are urged to call upon the better angels of our nature as we face challenges in our world.

View the Order of Service here.

click the image above to view a recording of this service

“The World Never Stops Turning”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, February 5, 2023

Less than two months into the pandemic, Rev. Mary told this congregation that no one would go through that time unchanged, and we would need to learn again how to be together. Roughly two years later, Alicia Seegers Martinelli won the OUUC auction service and asked Rev. Mary to revisit that concept. This service will explore the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, how it changed and transformed us, and how the world keeps turning.

View the Order of Service here.

View the Sermon and Readings here.

click the image above to view a recording of this service

“The Power of Money”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, January 29, 2023

In this month where we grapple with the spiritual theme of power, we explore the role of money and its power in our lives and world.

View the Order of Service here.

View the Sermon and Readings here.

click the image above to view a recording of this service

“The Sacredness of the Flesh”
with Rev. Sara Lewis

Sunday, January 22, 2023

On this 50th Anniversary of the Roe v Wade decision, and in the face of current threats to both reproductive justice and trans-rights, we will explore the sacredness of all bodies and a call for justice, love, and care for every body.

View the Order of Service here.

click the image above to view a recording of this service

“On Power”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, January 15, 2023

We explore the spiritual theme of “power” on this weekend when we celebrate the life and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

View the Order of Service here.

View the Sermon here.


click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Waste-Free Lifestyle”
with Rylee Uhrich

Sunday, January 8, 2023

Guest minister Rylee Uhrich leads this fully online service after an unexpected pivot due to a power outage at OUUC.

View the Order of Service here.

click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Christmas Morning Celebration”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, December 25, 2022

Welcome to all who wish to gather Christmas morning for carol singing and words of inspiration.

View the Order of Service here.


click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Room at the Inn”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, December 24, 2022

Join us for music, poetry, stories, and candlelight. 5:30 pm service online and in-person.

View the Order of Service here.

click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Refuge in the Dark”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, December 18, 2022

As we approach the Winter Solstice, we reflect on the gifts of darkness. This service includes a meditation to embrace the dark.

View the Order of Service here.


click the image above to view a recording of this service

“A Rose in the Wintertime”
with Victoria Poling

Sunday, December 11, 2022

In the season of long nights and short days, we’ll reflect on the wondrous and ordinary miracles of peace and refuge that welcome us to come home to ourselves.

View the Order of Service here.

click the image above to view a recording of this service

“On Refuge”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, December 4, 2022

In this month of holidays and holy days, we explore the spiritual theme of refuge.  What does it mean to offer refuge–to ourselves and each other?  Where do we find refuge?

Read the sermon here.

View the Order of Service here.


click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Lessons from Gate A-4”
with Rev. Mary Gear and the PWR-UUA Staff

Sunday, November 27, 2022

In her poem “Gate A-4”, Arab-American poet Naomi Shihab Nye shares an account of distress, compassion and community as she is called to interpret Arabic for a fearful traveler at an airport. As many of us take to the highways, airways and railways this November and December, the PWR Staff has put together a worship service that touches on the themes of the poem, and questions such as Who are we called to care for? When do we answer the call to serve? Where might we be surprised by grace?

PWR-UUA = Pacific Western Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association

View the Order of Service here.


click the image above to view a recording of this service

“A Different Thanksgiving Story”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, November 20, 2022

As we enter a time of holidays and holy days, how do we reconcile a story of Thanksgiving that is false and harmful?  What might we do to restore meaning to this time?  What accountability does our faith call us to?

Read the sermon here.

View the Order of Service here.

click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Can We Sing the Darkness to Light?”
with Troy Fisher and the OUUC Choir

Sunday, November 13, 2022

A music service led by OUUC Music Director Troy Fisher.

View the Order of Service here.

click the image above to view a recording of this service

“On Accountability”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, November 6, 2022

We explore the spiritual theme of accountability.  What does it mean and what could it mean if we focus on calling in instead of calling out?

Read the sermon here.

View the Order of Service here.


click the image above to view a recording of this service

“We Are One”
with Rev. Summer Albayati and Rev. Carol McKinley

Sunday, October 30, 2022

View the Order of Service here.

click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Reflections on Covenant”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, October 23, 2022

What does covenant mean to you?  OUUC congregants of all ages reflect on the monthly spiritual theme of covenant and what it means in their lives. 


click the image above to view a recording of this service

“When Love Comes to Visit: A Quilted Covenant”

with Victoria Poling

Sunday, October 16, 2022

Our UU response to the religious question “How are we to live?” is to make a covenant: a sacred promise to one another about how we stay in relationship, care about each other, and work together in good faith. As we go about the work of covenanting, it can be useful to hold an image in front of us and step into it, trying on a vision of how that covenant might look and feel. Today we’ll invite in the story of a mysterious guest and a quilt and listen for that sacred promise.

View the Order of Service here.


click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Celebrating Our Differences”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, October 9, 2022

We are different and we are one.  We explore this paradox and how we bridge differences in a world that seems divided. This service includes music and a sermon requested by Atley and Sheila Ralston in honor of their OUUC annual auction purchases. 

Read the sermon here.

View the Order of Service here.

click the image above to view a recording of this service

“On Covenant”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, October 2, 2022

This month we explore covenant, a foundation of Unitarian Universalism.  As we enter into a period of revisiting our OUUC covenant, let’s build our covenanting knowledge and muscles.

Read the sermon here.

View the Order of Service here.


click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Head, Heart, and Hands: How we Inform, Form, and Transform in Faith Community”
with Rev. Sara Lewis

Sunday, September 25, 2022

Genesis design collections have everything you need to design beautiful block-powered websites with just a few clicks.

Read the homily here.

Decorative image of pine tree canopy with text that reads: Welcoming the Breath with Rev Mary Gear. September 18, 2022 at 10 a.m.
click the image above to view a recording of this service

“Welcoming the Breath”
with Rev. Mary Gear

Sunday, September 18, 2022

Breathing is what keeps us alive.  Our breath is always with us, a place of grounding and life itself. We explore the power of breath and breathing together.

View the Order of Service here.

click the image above to view a recording of this service

Ingathering and Water Communion

Sunday, September 11, 2022

We begin a new congregational year with our annual ritual of water communion.  We return home to ourselves and to our spiritual community as we begin once again.

What is the meaning of your water?

Click here to view a graphic set including some of the responses and reflections from congregants at Ingathering and Water Communion.

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Olympia, WA 98502

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