Stone Soup is a FREE monthly community meal on the final Friday of the month. Diners can park and come inside the Social Hall to enjoy a meal with others, or walk in to pick up a takeout meal for themselves or family members, a neighbor, or friend. Meals will be available from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, or until supplies run out. Bags of non-perishable groceries will also be available. This meal is open to all! We appreciate all of the volunteers who make this meal happen each month, and our partners, the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge and Kroger Marketplace.

Join us Sunday morning for our July worship series: "New Beginnings.” This week, we welcome Lóre Stevens on her first Sunday as ORUUC’s new settled minister! Wear your nametag!

Worship begins at 10 a.m. in person and on Zoom. To participate in worship on Zoom, please install the Zoom app on your device and use Zoom Worship Service Meeting ID: 946 8973 5846.

After worship, everyone is invited to the Social Hall for coffee and conversation. Youth Faith Formation classes are on a break for summer; classes resume August 4. Check out our regular Faith Formation opportunities for adults here: http://www.oruuc.org/faith-formation-for-adults and children and youth here: http://www.oruuc.org/religious-education. The Nursery is available during Worship only in summer.

Covid-19 Update: Masks are not required in the building. We encourage everyone to do what makes them feel comfortable.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

Join us Sunday morning for our July worship series: "New Beginnings.” This week’s theme is “Centered in Love.” As Unitarian Universalists, we covenant to engage the world with the transforming power of love. We believe these values must accurately represent who we are and what we believe, not just by tradition alone, but also in the times in which we live. This summer during the UUA General Assembly, members voted on the way we represent this covenant and our shared values right now. Join us to learn--and hopefully live--more Centered in Love. ORUUC’s own Liz McGeachy and Tim Marema will be providing special music today.

Worship begins at 10 a.m. in person and on Zoom. To participate in worship on Zoom, please install the Zoom app on your device and use Zoom Worship Service Meeting ID: 946 8973 5846.

After worship, everyone is invited to the Social Hall for coffee and conversation. Youth Faith Formation classes are on a break for summer; classes resume August 4. Check out our regular Faith Formation opportunities for adults here: http://www.oruuc.org/faith-formation-for-adults and children and youth here: http://www.oruuc.org/religious-education. The Nursery is available during Worship only in summer.

Covid-19 Update: Masks are not required in the building. We encourage everyone to do what makes them feel comfortable.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

Join us Sunday morning as we kick off our July worship series: "New Beginnings” with a special time of fellowship instead of our traditional worship service. Bob Grimac has helped Haitian refugees for years, raising funds for school supplies and so much more. This Sunday, he's hosting a special bingo game for ORUUC! Come for fellowship, campfire songs, and food during the morning worship hour. Let's have fun and support a worthy cause! In-person only (no Zoom). Worship begins at 10 a.m.

Youth Faith Formation classes are on a break for summer; classes resume August 4. Check out our regular Faith Formation opportunities for adults here: http://www.oruuc.org/faith-formation-for-adults and children and youth here: http://www.oruuc.org/religious-education. The Nursery is available during Worship only in summer.

Covid-19 Update: Masks are not required in the building. We encourage everyone to do what makes them feel comfortable.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

On Sunday, June 30, ORUUC invites you to watch a rebroadcast of the virtual worship service from this month’s General Assembly here: https://youtu.be/HQ47KMN5H5k The theme is "Weaving Our Lives." We are all tangled up together in a great web of life that is woven with beauty and hardship, love and loss, thriving and struggle. How do we tend well to the weaving so that all of us are held in care?

Rev. Molly Housh Gordon will be joined by Violet Vonder Haar, Jamila Bachelder, Rev. Leon Dunkely, Rev. Eric Kaminetsky, Rev. Joan Javier-Duvall, Rev. Jordinn Nelson Long, Rev. Aaron Wisman, Rev. Sadie Lansdale, and Rev. Sarah Oglesby-Dunegan for this service. Featuring musicians: Natasha Steinmacher, GA Music Coordinator; Lea Morris; Francisco Ruiz; beheld; Violet Vonder Haar; Paul Winchester; and choirs from All Souls Unitarian Church, Indianapolis, IN; First Parish in Concord, MA; First Parish UU in Lexington, MA; First UU Congregation of Ann Arbor, MI; UU Fellowship in Athens, GA; UU Fellowship of Poughkeepsie, NY; UU Church in Cherry Hill, NJ; UU Church in Reston, VA; and UU of Minnetonka, MN. The June 30 Order of Service may be found HERE.

ORUUC will be closed on Sunday, June 30.

Stone Soup is a FREE monthly community meal on the final Friday of the month. Diners can park and come inside the Social Hall to enjoy a meal with others, or walk in to pick up a takeout meal for themselves or family members, a neighbor, or friend. Meals will be available from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, or until supplies run out. Bags of non-perishable groceries will also be available. This meal is open to all! We appreciate all of the volunteers who make this meal happen each month, and our partners, the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge and Kroger Marketplace.

Join us Sunday morning for our June worship series: "Renewal” and our Summer Solstice service, as we celebrate the longest day of the year through songs and rituals. Worship begins at 10 a.m. in person and on Zoom. To participate in worship on Zoom, please install the Zoom app on your device and use Zoom Worship Service Meeting ID: 946 8973 5846.

After worship, everyone is invited to the Social Hall for coffee and conversation. Youth Faith Formation classes are on a break for summer; classes resume August 4. Check out our regular Faith Formation opportunities for adults here: http://www.oruuc.org/faith-formation-for-adults and children and youth here: http://www.oruuc.org/religious-education. The Nursery is available during Worship only in summer.

Covid-19 Update: Masks are not required in the building. We encourage everyone to do what makes them feel comfortable.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

Join us Sunday morning for our June worship series: "Renewal" as we explore the correlation of Freedom and Fatherhood.

Worship begins at 10 a.m. in person and on Zoom. To participate in worship on Zoom, please install the Zoom app on your device and use Zoom Worship Service Meeting ID: 946 8973 5846.

After worship, all are invited to the annual Congregational Meeting at 11:15 a.m. in the Sanctuary and on Zoom. Members will vote on a 2024-25 church budget, board and committee nominations, and Split the Plate recipients, after hearing various committee reports and updates. Snacks and childcare will be provided. There will be no regular Faith Formation classes. Youth Faith Formation classes are on a break for summer until August 4. Check out our regular Faith Formation opportunities for adults here: http://www.oruuc.org/faith-formation-for-adults and children and youth here: http://www.oruuc.org/religious-education. The Nursery is available only during Worship in summer.

Covid-19 Update: Masks are not required in the building. We encourage everyone to do what makes them feel comfortable.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

The ORUUC community renews itself yet again in calling its new settled minister. But before Lóre begins, we'll say goodbye to Rev. Lisa Schwartz who has served as our interim minister for the past two years.

Join us Sunday morning for our June worship series: "Renewal." Worship begins at 10 a.m. in person and on Zoom. To participate in worship on Zoom, please install the Zoom app on your device and use Zoom Worship Service Meeting ID: 946 8973 5846.

After worship, everyone is invited to stay for a luncheon to honor Rev. Lisa. Youth Faith Formation classes are on a break for summer; classes resume August 4. Check out our regular Faith Formation opportunities for adults here: http://www.oruuc.org/faith-formation-for-adults and children and youth here: http://www.oruuc.org/religious-education. The Nursery is available during Worship only during the summer.

Covid-19 Update: Masks are not required in the building. We encourage everyone to do what makes them feel comfortable.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

A joint Celebration of Life service for Nancy England and Alan England will be held at ORUUC on Saturday, June 8th at 2 p.m. Please join us as we honor and remember the lives of these two incredible individuals who have touched our hearts in so many ways. Following the service and reception, the family warmly invites you to an Open House at 861 West Outer Drive.  

Fondly, Jean Reese, Julie England, and Sandy England england@iu.edu

To learn more about Nancy England, visit https://www.oakridger.com/obituaries/pokr0691874.

To learn more about Alan England, visit https://www.oakridger.com/obituaries/pokr0748680.

The following was a note sent to ORUUC members and friends by Interim Minister Rev. Lisa Romantum Schwartz in March.

Alan Coulter England, 92, died peacefully at home on March 4, 2024,surrounded by his daughters. He was an active resident of Oak Ridge and a member of ORUUC since the 1960s. He continued to attend church services on Zoom up to his last full day of life and was an active member of the ORUUC Buddhist Study Group and a member of one of the ORUUC Circles of Trust.

Alan was an experimental plasma physicist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory(ORNL) for 35 years. He authored or co-authored more than 90 scientific papers and over 100 conference papers and reports and served on foreign assignments that included work in Russia and Germany. Following his retirement from ORNL, he worked as a guest professor in Japan for a year, and then spent thirteen years working in South Korea, where he conducted research on fusion at the Pohang Institute for Science and Technology and the National Fusion Research Institute (Korea Institute of Fusion Energy).

His full life included many volunteer activities, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Reading for the Blind, and serving as a CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocate). He supported several ORUUC efforts, such as tutoring second graders and delivering Fresh Fruit for Kids. Alan enjoyed running and was a member of track clubs in Oak Ridge and Knoxville, as well as being part of hiking and caving groups in Oak Ridge, Japan, and Korea.

Alan is survived by his three daughters, two adopted sons, and four grandchildren. Condolences may be sent to the family c/o Jean Reese, 861 West Outer Drive, Oak Ridge 37830. Memorial contributions in Alan’s honor may be made to ORUUC or to the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge.

A memorial service for Alan and his ex-wife Nancy England will be held at ORUUC on Saturday, June 8th at 2 p.m.

Blessings,
Rev. Lisa Romantum Schwartz
Interim Minister
Oak Ridge UU Church

The annual flower communion is a tradition with more than a hundred years of history.Through this simple ritual we celebrate the diversity of our community, and the renewal of life. Bring enough flowers to share! You'll get some to take home. We welcome special musical guests the Matsiko World Orphan Choir from Liberia to the service today!

Join us Sunday morning for our June worship series: "Renewal." Worship begins at 10 a.m. in person and on Zoom. To participate in worship on Zoom, please install the Zoom app on your device and use Zoom Worship Service Meeting ID: 946 8973 5846.

After worship, everyone is invited to the Social Hall for coffee and treats. Youth Faith Formation classes are on a break for summer; classes resume August 4. Check out our regular Faith Formation opportunities for adults here: http://www.oruuc.org/faith-formation-for-adults and children and youth here: http://www.oruuc.org/religious-education. The Nursery is available during Worship and Faith Formation.

Covid-19 Update: Masks are not required in the building. We encourage everyone to do what makes them feel comfortable.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

Come enjoy Hal Hoyt’s wine and listen to the Tanasi Winds Woodwind Quintet on Saturday, June 1st at 3:30 p.m. at ORUUC. The quintet will play a variety of music from pop (Beatles, rags, swing), to showtunes, traditional-based pieces and to classical.

Light finger food (in the lobby) will also accompany the wine and music. Tickets are $30 and will be sold at the door. The music starts at 3:30 in the Sanctuary with two 40-minute sets and an intermission.  We want this to be casual, relaxed and enjoyable.

Marguerite Cain (Ebert) Blake

Born April 23, 1929 passed away on April 12, 2024. She was with her family at home, just as she wished.

A gathering will be held in Oak Ridge on Saturday, June 1 from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. We will have a light lunch and share memories!

Marguerite is survived by her son, Edward, his wife, Brigitte, of San Mateo, CA and their three children, Ellen, Julia and Claire: daughter Patty Ebert Gordon and her husband, Alan Sibley of Minneapolis, MN: and Sharon Hackney and her husband, Lonnie, of Nashville TN. She is also survived by her stepchildren, Wendy Blake of Park City, UT, and Jody Blake of San Antonio, TX. Her stepson, Chuck, passed away in 2006. Her special friend was Norbert Grant, who passed away in 2022.

Marguerite was always her own person, beginning when she was the age of 16 and driving her parent’s car all over Minneapolis during the winter to deliver sets & props to a theater troupe based at the Women’s Club of Minneapolis

She graduated Washburn High School as valedictorian and went to Mills College in California for a year before returning to the theater world at the University of Minnesota. There she met life long friends and Paul Ebert. They married in 1954 and had (as Marguerite always said) the amazing good luck to move to Oak Ridge, TN where Paul became the director of the Oak Ridge Community Playhouse. After 3 years working for the Highland Rim Girl Scout Council and volunteering at the Playhouse, she was selected as one of the directors for the Oak Ridge Children's Theatre, later known as Junior Playhouse.

Marguerite also became the business manager of the Playhouse in 1959 and for the next 25 years she was the face of the Playhouse and Junior Playhouse. Innumerable children went through her Creative Dramatics classes and spent hours at the Playhouse for the two shows a year she directed. She loved the work there, the incredible volunteers, and years of being part of a fantastic group of creative, dedicated, funny and talented people who were part of the Playhouse family.

She also volunteered with the League of Women Voters, Recording for the Blind, and the Arts Council and wrote the Ask Inky column at The Oak Ridger in conjunction first with Mary Smyser and then Sam Richter. She was a founder and enthusiastic member of the lunch group, Monday Thing, which is still going after over 60 years.

In 184, Marguerite retired from the Playhouse and married Charlie Blake of Danbury, CT. After living there for three years, they moved back to Oak Ridge where they both resumed their volunteer work with the Playhouse and where she served on the Arts Council Board for the next 14 years.

The Blakes traveled a good deal with friends and family. Countries visited were England, France, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, Greece, Italy and Turkey. They also enjoyed their time at their lake place on Watts Bar. Charlie passed away in February 2006. With and without Charlie, her favorite trip for many years was a week at Litchfield Beach with good friends where she could enjoy the company and the beach. You could find Marguerite with Charlie and later with Norb Grant at just about any Oak Ridge Community Band concert, ORMA event, Playhouse show or ORICL class. She continued attending events even after her hearing loss became profound simply because she loved being a part of the arts community and seeing all her friends.

Marguerite loved living in Oak Ridge and deeply appreciated her friends who were so special to her. She also considers herself fortunate to have had such wonderful and loving children. She loved to read, travel, attend the theater, concerts and opera, and spend time with family and friends. In 2023 she moved to Nashville to live with her daughter Sharon and that is where she passed, right in the middle of everything, just like she loved.

She would want to remind everyone to vote, support the arts and love your friends and family fiercely. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Oak Ridge Playhouse at www.orplayhouse.com or PO Box 5705, Oak Ridge, TN 37830.

An online memorial is available at: https://www.alternativecremationandfuneralservice.com/obituary/marguerite-blake.

Stone Soup is a FREE monthly community meal on the final Friday of the month. Diners can park and come inside the Social Hall to enjoy a meal with others, or walk in to pick up a takeout meal for themselves or family members, a neighbor, or friend. Meals will be available from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, or until supplies run out. Bags of non-perishable groceries will also be available. This meal is open to all! We appreciate all of the volunteers who make this meal happen each month, and our partners, the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge and Kroger Marketplace.

The simple but powerful melody of Taps signals a time to rest, reflect and to be at peace in a safe place for soldiers. Join us for music and meditation this Memorial Day as we remember and honor UU's and others who have served in the military.

Join us Sunday morning for our May worship series: "Pluralism." Worship begins at 10 a.m. in person and on Zoom. To participate in worship on Zoom, please install the Zoom app on your device and use Zoom Worship Service Meeting ID: 946 8973 5846.

After worship, everyone is invited to the Social Hall for coffee and treats. Youth Faith Formation classes are on a break for summer; classes resume August 4. Check out our regular Faith Formation opportunities for adults here: http://www.oruuc.org/faith-formation-for-adults and children and youth here: http://www.oruuc.org/religious-education. The Nursery is available during Worship and Faith Formation.

Covid-19 Update: Masks are not required in the building. We encourage everyone to do what makes them feel comfortable.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

One of the most important things Unitarian Universalist congregations can do for our youth is to support them into adulthood, to keep them connected to Unitarian Universalism, and continue to minister to them as they become adults. Today's service will include a Bridging Ceremony for Kelsey Kaiser, Laura Scott, and Luke Stark

Join us Sunday morning for our May worship series: "Pluralism." Worship begins at 10 a.m. in person and on Zoom. To participate in worship on Zoom, please install the Zoom app on your device and use Zoom Worship Service Meeting ID: 946 8973 5846.

After worship, everyone is invited to a luncheon to honor our Bridgers. Youth Faith Formation classes are on a break for summer; classes resume August 4. Check out our regular Faith Formation opportunities for adults here: http://www.oruuc.org/faith-formation-for-adults and children and youth here: http://www.oruuc.org/religious-education. The Nursery is available during Worship and Faith Formation.

Covid-19 Update: Masks are not required in the building. We encourage everyone to do what makes them feel comfortable.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

Karen Toucey Wilson, 79, of Fairfax, Virginia, passed away on April 14, 2024. She was born on June 28, 1944, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. She graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 1962, and obtained a Bachelor's degree from Emory University and a Master's degree from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

A service to honor Karen's life will be held at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church on Friday, May 17, at 9:30 a.m. Burial will follow at 1 p.m. at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.

While at UNC, Karen met John Wilson, and they married on August 26, 1967. Sons Scott and Brian were born in 1970 and 1973. John's career in the U.S. Navy led them to live all over the world, including Misawa, Japan and Midway Island. When John retired from the Navy in 1982, the family moved to Oak Ridge, where Karen was a research librarian at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory until her retirement in 2005.

Upon her retirement, Karen moved to northern Virginia to be closer to her family, and was very devoted to her granddaughters, giving them piano lessons, watching them after school, and attending many functions and events.

Karen was also a loyal friend, maintaining lifelong relationships with her Toucey and Keelor cousins, high school "Penguins,” and college sorority sisters and friends. In her free time, Karen enjoyed reading, gardening, and painting.

She is survived by her sons Scott Wilson (wife Jill), Brian Wilson (wife Jerri Lynn), and granddaughters Ella and Lily Wilson. Karen was preceded in death by her husband John Wilson and her parents Robert and Margery Toucey.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Parkinson's Foundation (https://www.parkinson.org/) or the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (https://www.michaeljfox.org/).

The 19th Century Unitarian Julia Ward Howe proclaimed: "From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with our own. It is the voice of the Divine, and it says: 'Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.'” Thus did our ancestor declare a Mother’s Day of Peace, calling for people of all ages and stages of lives to be the nurturers and peace makers of the human race.

Join us Sunday morning for our May worship series: "Pluralism." Worship begins at 10 a.m. in person and on Zoom. To participate in worship on Zoom, please install the Zoom app on your device and use Zoom Worship Service Meeting ID: 946 8973 5846.

After worship, please stay for coffee and treats in the Social. Faith Formation classes for adults and youth meet from 11:15 to 12:15. Please note: this is the last Sunday for Youth Faith Formation for this school year. Classes take a break for summer, and will resume on August 4.

Check out our regular Faith Formation opportunities for adults here: http://www.oruuc.org/faith-formation-for-adults and children and youth here: http://www.oruuc.org/religious-education. The Nursery is available during Worship and Faith Formation.

Covid-19 Update: Masks are not required in the building. We encourage everyone to do what makes them feel comfortable.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

What is the end of educating children and adults about matters of faith? Interim Minister Rev. Lisa Schwartz helps us explore why we do what we do in this service honoring our Faith Formation leaders. Stay afterwards for the May Day picnic!

Join us Sunday morning for our May worship series: "Pluralism." Worship begins at 10 a.m. in person and on Zoom. To participate in worship on Zoom, please install the Zoom app on your device and use Zoom Worship Service Meeting ID: 946 8973 5846.

After worship, everyone is invited to the May Day Picnic! Please bring a side dish that feeds at least 6 people. Hot dogs, buns, and condiments will be provided. If you’re planning to sit outside, bring a chair or a blanket. The picnic will take place during second hour (11:15-12:15); there will be no Faith Formation classes or childcare on May 5. Check out our regular Faith Formation opportunities for adults here: http://www.oruuc.org/faith-formation-for-adults and children and youth here: http://www.oruuc.org/religious-education. The Nursery is available during Worship and Faith Formation.

Covid-19 Update: Masks are not required in the building. We encourage everyone to do what makes them feel comfortable.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

Join us Sunday morning for our April worship series: "Interdependence." Worship begins at 10 a.m. in person and on Zoom. To participate in worship on Zoom, please install the Zoom app on your device and use Zoom Worship Service Meeting ID: 946 8973 5846.

After worship, all are invited to enjoy coffee and treats in the Social Hall. Adult and Faith Formation classes meet from 11:15 to 12:15 as scheduled. Check out Faith Formation opportunities for adults here: http://www.oruuc.org/faith-formation-for-adults and children and youth here: http://www.oruuc.org/religious-education. The Nursery is available during Worship and Faith Formation.

Covid-19 Update: Masks are not required in the building. We encourage everyone to do what makes them feel comfortable.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

Stone Soup is a FREE monthly community meal on the final Friday of the month. Diners can park and come inside the Social Hall to enjoy a meal with others, or walk in to pick up a takeout meal for themselves or family members, a neighbor, or friend. Meals will be available from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, or until supplies run out. Bags of non-perishable groceries will also be available. This meal is open to all! We appreciate all of the volunteers who make this meal happen each month, and our partners, the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge and Kroger Marketplace.

This Sunday, April 21, be part of worship at 10 a.m. in person or on Zoom as our ministerial candidate, Lóre Stevens, introduces herself, and her special blend of science and spirituality, to ORUUC. Stay for the meet & greet with Lóre during coffee hour in the Social Hall! **Please wear your name tag Sunday and during Candidating Week to help Lóre get to know you!

Join us for our April worship series: "Interdependence." Worship begins at 10 a.m. in person and on Zoom. To participate in worship on Zoom, please install the Zoom app on your device and use Zoom Worship Service Meeting ID: 946 8973 5846.

After worship, all are invited to enjoy coffee and treats in the Social Hall. Adult and Faith Formation classes meet from 11:15 to 12:15 as scheduled. Check out Faith Formation opportunities for adults here: http://www.oruuc.org/faith-formation-for-adults and children and youth here: http://www.oruuc.org/religious-education. The Nursery is available during Worship and Faith Formation.

Covid-19 Update: Masks are not required in the building. We encourage everyone to do what makes them feel comfortable.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

Is there a way for humanity to align our needs with the needs of our planet? Can we harness the power of our individual and collective imagination to forge a future where all life can live well on Earth? Our guest speaker is Dr. Peter Thornton, a scientist in the Climate Change Science Institute and the Environmental Sciences Division of ORNL, will help us find hope in the face of the climate crisis.

Join us Sunday morning for our April worship series: "Interdependence." Worship begins at 10 a.m. in person and on Zoom. To participate in worship on Zoom, please install the Zoom app on your device and use Zoom Worship Service Meeting ID: 946 8973 5846.

After worship, all are invited to enjoy coffee and treats in the Social Hall. Adult and Faith Formation classes meet from 11:15 to 12:15 as scheduled. Check out Faith Formation opportunities for adults here: http://www.oruuc.org/faith-formation-for-adults and children and youth here: http://www.oruuc.org/religious-education. The Nursery is available during Worship and Faith Formation.

Covid-19 Update: Masks are not required in the building. We encourage everyone to do what makes them feel comfortable.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

What future do you see for ORUUC when you look ahead a few months, or a few years? This Sunday is a special day when the congregation will be (virtually) introduced to our candidate for settled ministry. Amidst this time of great excitement, we begin to cast our vision for who we want to be. Interim Minister Rev. Lisa Romantum Schwartz is in the pulpit today. And plan to stay afterwards for a catered lunch and visionary celebration!

Join us Sunday morning for our April worship series: "Interdependence." Worship begins at 10 a.m. in person and on Zoom. To participate in worship on Zoom, please install the Zoom app on your device and use Zoom Worship Service Meeting ID: 946 8973 5846.

After worship, adults are invited to stay for our Stewardship Kickoff Luncheon in the Social Hall. All Adult Faith Formation classes are canceled. Youth Faith Formation classes will meet from 11:15 to 12:15 as scheduled. Check out Faith Formation opportunities for adults here: http://www.oruuc.org/faith-formation-for-adults and children and youth here: http://www.oruuc.org/religious-education. The Nursery is available during Worship and Faith Formation.

Covid-19 Update: Masks are not required in the building. We encourage everyone to do what makes them feel comfortable.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

Easter tells a story of brokenness, rife with suffering and shame. It is the ancient story generations have told again and again, written in blood. Perhaps this tale of fragility and darkness and wide open wonder is especially relevant today.

Join us Sunday morning for our March worship series: "Transformation." Worship begins at 10 a.m. in person and on Zoom. To participate in worship on Zoom, please register here https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJArf-CvrT4iHtIsgktTYAWotY75rmxi5V78#/registration. If you've already registered (a one-time process), use the link you received via email to attend worship.

After worship, all are invited to stay for coffee and conversation in the Social Hall. Faith Formation classes take place from 11:15 to 12:15. Check out Faith Formation opportunities for adults here: http://www.oruuc.org/faith-formation-for-adults, and children and youth here: http://www.oruuc.org/religious-education.

At 12:15, all children from nursery through fifth grade are welcome to join in the Easter Egg Hunt. Bring a basket!

Covid-19 Update: Masks are not required in the building. We encourage everyone to do what makes them feel comfortable.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

A memorial service for Margarete Ohnesorge, 89, who passed away January 9, will be held at ORUUC on Saturday, March 30 at 2:00 p.m. For more information, visit https://www.weatherfordmortuary.com/obituaries/Margarete-Ohnesorge?obId=30304159.

Stone Soup is a FREE monthly community meal on the final Friday of the month. Diners can park and come inside the Social Hall to enjoy a meal with others, or walk in to pick up a takeout meal for themselves or family members, a neighbor, or friend. Meals will be available from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, or until supplies run out. Bags of non-perishable groceries will also be available. This meal is open to all! We appreciate all of the volunteers who make this meal happen each month, and our partners, the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge and Kroger Marketplace.

In India, spring is celebrated with great joy and lots of color in the festival of Holi. We'll honor the Hindu culture by exploring this tradition. There will be a colorful blessing and special Indian treats!

Join us Sunday morning for our March worship series: "Transformation." Worship begins at 10 a.m. in person and on Zoom. To participate in worship on Zoom, please register here https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJArf-CvrT4iHtIsgktTYAWotY75rmxi5V78#/registration. If you've already registered (a one-time process), use the link you received via email to attend worship.

After worship, all are invited to stay for coffee and conversation in the Social Hall. Faith Formation classes take place from 11:15 to 12:15. Check out Faith Formation opportunities for adults here: http://www.oruuc.org/faith-formation-for-adults, and children and youth here: http://www.oruuc.org/religious-education.

Covid-19 Update: Masks are not required in the building. We encourage everyone to do what makes them feel comfortable.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

An interdependent world is like an immense web, and every action has consequences for the rest of the web. When we recognize the connections between the parts of the living earth it can restore a sense of balance and transform our lives. Cuban dancer Elier Estrada is a special guest as we celebrate the emergence of Spring!

Join us Sunday morning for our March worship series: "Transformation." Worship begins at 10 a.m. in person and on Zoom. To participate in worship on Zoom, please register here https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJArf-CvrT4iHtIsgktTYAWotY75rmxi5V78#/registration. If you've already registered (a one-time process), use the link you received via email to attend worship.

After worship, all are invited to stay for coffee and conversation in the Social Hall. Faith Formation classes are canceled for Oak Ridge Schools’ Spring Break. Instead, all are welcome to create art using air dry clay during a multigenerational hour after worship until 12:15.

Covid-19 Update: Masks are not required in the building. We encourage everyone to do what makes them feel comfortable.

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you!

The ORUUC community is an energetic place. Sometimes trying to find a “way in” to this busy church feels like trying to join in a game of jump rope while the rope is twirling, and other jumpers are already in the game. On Saturday, March 16th from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., Rev. Lisa and some current members (i.e., those who were newcomers at an earlier date) will lead a brief intro to ORUUC and Unitarian Universalism. Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfBVMW0HVvYx-yKlJg3TerG97pu74aB1FSgHBA8PWjIeH3AgQ/viewform?usp=sharing.

The goals are to get to know our newcomers (what’s your spiritual journey been like, and how can ORUUC be a resource for you in your continued growth?), help new folks get to know each other, and of course to help newcomers learn more about the church, its mission and core values. We’ll take a brief look at history (of UU and ORUUC), talk about the mutual expectations of entering a spiritual community, and how to find ways to serve and be served.

If you’re just getting to know ORUUC, this is a great way to find out more in a less crowded space than Sunday after service. And if you’re considering membership, we’ll talk about that process. Sign up by March 9 to join us!