Past Services

Click here to see all of our service recordings 

Mother’s Day

Sunday May 14, 2023. 10:30 am

An All Ages Event! Bring your Mom!
Join us for Mother’s Day worship followed by a Mother’s Day Tea! This will be a shorter worship service to give us more time for our tea party! The children will be making Mother’s Day cards.

Creativity

Sunday May 7, 2023. 10:30 am

During this time of change and transition, we are being asked to “get creative” and “go with the flow” in the ways that we worship and the ways that we design our ministries.  It’s an exciting time to “experi-learn” and put more art into our worship arts!

Practices of Community Care and Preemptive Radical Inclusion

Sunday April 30, 2023. 10:30 am

How do we make incremental changes that help us Widen the Circles of Concern to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive with each other?

Honoring Earth Day – Green-spiration

Sunday April 23, 2023. 10:30 am

Let’s celebrate some good news this Earth Day! We’ll be inspired by these eco-ethical responses to climate change and sustainable living.

Celebrating Poetry Month: Poems that Make Us Laugh!

Sunday April 16, 2023. 10:30 am

Join us for a special poetry-filled worship that will feature 3 poets including our own Cassie Welburrn, Carl Svboda, and special guest, Laurie Fuhr!

Easter Sunday Worship for All Ages

Sunday April 9 , 2023. 10:30 am

Come join us for this family-friendly shorter worship service followed by an Easter Egg hunt and cookie decorating!
 
Easter Brunch & Special Celebration: Farewell Until We Meet Again! 
After all that fun, we’re having brunch for everyone hosted by Eric Leavitt and Liz Blackstock.  All are welcome.  We will take the opportunity at that time to honour five long-time dearly departing (not dearly departed!) members: Mary Jane Hussey, Susan Stratton, Bernie Amell, Leslie Buckle, and Jim Love, who will be leaving Calgary over the next while.

The Path of Resistance

Sunday April 02, 2023. 10:30 am

What does it mean to be a people of Resistance? We’ll consider the benefits of viewing Right Relationship, Community Building and Self Care as counter-cultural acts of resistance.

Vulnerability

Sunday March 26, 2023. 10:30 am

Brene Brown tells us “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability and authenticity.” In a culture that values individuality, independence, aggression and power can we risk showing our vulnerability? Can we consider vulnerability not a weakness, but a softer form of strength? Join us as we explore these questions.

Commitment Sunday

Sunday March 19, 2023. 10:30 am

Join us as we celebrate the power of community. When we open our hearts and let people truly know us, we learn the deeper meaning of belonging to and with one another.
This Sunday is the live world premiere of “Like A Willow”

Stewardship Sunday: Show Your True Colors

Sunday March 12, 2023. 10:30 am

Our beloved community is a self-sustaining organization.  For all that we give to and receive from one another, one of the ways we show our love and gratitude is through our generous financial contributions. The Annual Pledge Campaign gives us the chance to collect your best estimates of what you anticipate giving over the next year.
This helps us make an accurate mission-based operations budget for the coming year of ministry.  Your gifts are gratefully received!

International Women’s Day

Sunday March 05, 2023. 10:30 am

To mark International Women’s Day coming up on March 8th, we recognize the journeys of refugee women in particular, and the work of The Centre For Newcomers in Calgary. We will be joined by Workenesh Sahle who shares her work with The Shoe Project where she shares her refugee journey in a project called In Her Shoes. Worship Leaders: Marcia Epstein and Cathy Welburn

Love in Action

Sunday February 26, 2023. 10:30 am

We use the word ‘love’ liberally in our beloved community- during worship and otherwise. But what do we mean? What does it look like? Join us this week as we explore love and love in action.

Making the Prophetic Personal: Othering and Belonging

Sunday February 19, 2023. 10:30 am

In 2017, the UUA common read was Centering: Navigating Race Power and Authenticity in Ministry. The book features essays by religious professionals of color in Unitarian Universalist congregations. The first essay is Othering and Belonging by Rev. Darrick Jackson. Listening to Darrick’s story will help us reflect on the true meaning of radical inclusion in our UU communities.

Love the World

Sunday February 12, 2023. 10:30 am

Our theme this month is Love. For Valentines’ Day we will have an all-ages worship that starts with music and a story to inspire us to widen the circle of love to the whole world. Then, we will go into Wickenden for community time to make valentines. ❤

And after worship…
The Panabaker Award goes to…Mary Anna Louise Kovar!
Join us on Sunday after worship for lunch and a celebration of Mary Anna Louise and her wonderful contributions to our community! We will eat and share stories and continue to make those Valentines. It will be a FUN time!

National Worship Sunday Service: Covenanting through Transitions

Sunday February 05, 2023. 11 am

Congregations are experiencing a lot of change these days: from ministerial transitions to implementing the 8th Principle, all during a pandemic. Upheaval, loss, uncertainty, pain, aspirations, conflict: cultural shifts within and without are calling us to hold one another gently, despite our differences and difficulties.

Covenanting through Transition is a national worship service that asks us “How do we stay in covenant through all of this in our communities? How do we stay in it in a good way when it is hard and people aren’t always their best selves or are disappointed?”

We encourage you to bring materials to help you participate in a creative ritual to express yourself during the service; art supplies, an instrument, findings from outside, whatever moves you!

Where: Zoom, YouTube Live
Use the bitly link to join the service on Zoom, or watch live on the CUC’s YouTube channel
If you’re phoning in, call 1-855-703-8985 and enter the Meeting ID and password when prompted:
Meeting ID:891 5257 2984
Password:  136347

KAIROS Blanket Exercise

Sunday January 29, 2023. 10 am – noon

This is an in person service and there will be no Zoom meeting

Welcome to Calgary Unitarians Blanket Exercise, our Sunday service for January 29.

The KAIROS Blanket Exercise’s goal is to build understanding about our shared history as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada by walking through pre-contact, treaty-making, colonization, and resistance.

Everyone is actively involved as they step, or roll onto blankets that represent the land, and into the role of First Nations, Inuit, and later Métis peoples.

By engaging on an emotional and intellectual level, the Blanket Exercise effectively educates and increases empathy.

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Our Facilitators:

Elder Doreen Healy – born and raised on the Blood Reserve, Blackfoot Confederacy, Southern Alberta. Member of the Kainai Nation, Blood Tribe. She is a residential school survivor taken from her family at age 5. She has worked in the oil and gas industry for many years with Amoco Canada and

MEG Energy as an Indigenous Relations Liaison and for Alberta Energy Regulator as an Indigenous Specialist and Resident Elder.

Anne Harding – Owner of Forum Community Relations Inc, where she has engaged with over 85 Indigenous communities and organizations across Canada, delivered training to more than 2000 people, Vice-Chair Indigenous Gathering Place Society of Calgary, Director Calgary Chamber of Commerce where she co-chairs Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Sub-Committee.

Workshop Outline (2.5 hrs)

TIME ACTIVITY PURPOSE
20  mins Opening ceremony (smudge), introduce exercise, key concepts, and participants and assign roles Prepare participants for what they’re about to experience
45 mins Experience the KAIROS Blanket Exercise Experiential learning of history.
15 mins BREAK
25 mins Hear the lived experience of a residential school survivor Connect learning with personal story and emotion
45 mins Talking Circle and Video Debrief lessons and emotions that came up during exercise

It is customary for women to wear long skirts when participating in many Indigenous Ceremonies. This is an exercise as a workshop rather than a Ceremony. There will be some ceremony elements incorporated when Elder Doreen smudges at the beginning, but the exercise itself is very much a non-Indigenous way of learning designed for non-Indigenous people, and therefore the term ‘Ceremony’ doesn’t fit so it is not necessary to advise women to wear long skirts.

Please note that participants will be asked to take off their shoes so that they are more closely connected to the ground as they move around the blankets. If this is truly a distraction for some participants they may leave their shoes on, but it’s a better experience if everyone has their shoes off.

Please fill out this pre-session survey if you are planning to participate in the Blanket Exercise.  It provides the opportunity for folks who may be triggered by the experience to let the Facilitator know in advance so that accommodations can be made in terms of the roles people are assigned.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday morning at 10 AM. Lunch will be provided.

The Path of Finding Our Center: Beyond

Sunday January 22, 2022. 10:30 am

As Unitarian Universalists, we are committed to serving our wider community and the world. Here at Calgary Unitarians, our mission to Grow in Wisdom, to Welcome and Deepen Relationships and to Act for a Just and Sustainable World specifically calls us to  use our time talent and treasure to support people and organizations that increase justice equity and compassion in our shared civic life.