Our Church Staff
Rev. Susan Milnor
Interim Minister
Interim Minister
Sara Bossen
Director of Religious Education
Director of Religious Education
Thom Lissey
Music Director
Music Director
Thank you for taking a moment to check us out. We are an open and welcoming spiritual community serving Medford, Somerville, and surrounding communities. Whoever you are, wherever you come from, whomever you love, you are welcome here.
Our Sunday morning worship service starts at 11:00 a.m., with hymn singing at 10:50 a.m. for all who wish to come early.
We are child friendly, with a religious education program for children of all ages and a nursery for toddlers. Children are always welcome in our sanctuary. Also we have a Quiet Room adjacent to the sanctuary where parents with young children can bring them and still hear the service through our speaker system.
UUCM is wheelchair accessible
UUCM is LGBT Friendly
New to Unitarian Universalism? Start here.
| UUCM Spring Schedule (Sunday Services start at 11:00 a.m.) | ||
| April 7 | Sunday Service | Karla Hailer, “Stone Soup.” What do Harlan Ellison, Jimmy Buffett, Mario Batalli and my Italian grandmother have to do with Tikkun Olam and feeding the world? They are all pieces to a puzzle of how our service as a congregation can find ways to live up to the Divine charge of understanding we cannot fix the world, but that does not relieve of us of our obligation to try and sometimes it is as simple as learning to feed each other. |
| April 14 | Sunday Service | The Rev. Susan Milnor, “Once Upon a Time ...” |
| April 21 | Sunday Service | Tammy McKanan, “Stop Striving! Magic Happens When You Attend to What is Right in Front of You.” |
| April 28 | Sunday Service | The Rev. Susan Milnor, “Original Blessing.” After an Earth Day that went unnoticed, we will consider a theological grounding for our place in the universe. One of the most redemptive concepts I have encountered over the years is that of “original blessing” (rather than original sin). Creation theology is very different from creationism! This sermon will NOT be a list of all the terrible things we are doing to the Earth, but, rather, a consideration of how joy might be central to a re-imagined relationship with our home. |
| May 5 | Sunday Service | Steve Schmidt, “Our Problematic First Principle.” The sermon will offer an unexpected resolution to what many perceive as a problem of applying the First Principle to evil persons. |
| May 5 | 12:30-1:30 p.m. | “Where’s Waldo Mission Treasure Hunt” – workshop conducted by the Interim Minister and the Transition Team. The initial reaction most of us have to the idea of coming up with a mission/purpose statement is “Been there. Done that. Saw the movie.” In this workshop we are instead going to turn that around and ask what mission an outsider coming in from the cold – a ministerial candidate, to take a not-so-arbitrary example – would understand our church to have from observing our website, our buildings, our worship and RE classes and other aspects of our community in action. Join the fun! |
| May 12 | Sunday Service | The Rev. Susan Milnor, “Our Mothers’ Gardens.” Many women who raised children over the generations experienced life with definite limits yet somehow maintained a creativity that would not be squelched. Mother’s Day gives us a chance to honor many kinds of creativity. In keeping with that theme, we will also offer appreciation for the work of our music director, Thom Lissey, both in the service and at coffee hour. |
| May 19 | Sunday Service | The Rev. Susan Milnor, “A Shiver Runs Through It.” “It’s just a coincidence,” we say, yet even the most rational of us respond to the small world experiences that surprise us with a hint of the mysterious. I think there is something deeper at work in our reaction than neurological goose bumps, something, in fact, theological/spiritual for us Unitarian Universalists. A sermon that brings together strange happenings, quantum physics, and the seventh principle of UUA congregations. |
| May 26 | Sunday Service | Lori Kenschaft, “Memorial Day as an African-American History Day.” Few people remember that Memorial Day was started by African-Americans after the Civil War to celebrate their freedom and honor the sacrifice of the soldiers who made their liberation possible. Please join us for a reflection on memory and forgetfulness, slavery and freedom, racism and hope. Note: Lori Kenschaft is a member of the First Parish Church of Arlington and coordinator of a Mass Incarceration Working Group. She has a masters in theological studies and a doctorate in American history. |
| June 2 | Sunday Service | The Rev. Susan Milnor, TBA |
| June 9 | Sunday Service | The Rev. Susan Milnor, TBA. Religious Education Sunday and Flower Communion. |
| June 14-16 | Ferry Beach Weekend. See this link for details. | |
| June 16 | Sunday Service | The Rev. Susan Milnor, TBA. Final service of the regular church year. |
Other Events and Announcements
See the church calendar for a detailed listing of events.
Saturday and Monday mornings : tai chi classes Tai chi chuan classes with tai chi master Arthur Goodridge. Classes at 10:00 a.m. Saturday and 9:30 a.m. Monday are open to all levels; tai chi patterns class at 11:30 a.m. Saturday is for advanced level students. More information is available here and here.
Weekdays at 12:00-1:00 p.m. and Wednesday evenings at 7:30-9:00 : Al-Anon group meetings.
Saturdays 7:00-8:00 p.m. : AA meeting (big book)
UUCM Staff Office Hours
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Rev. Susan Milnor Tuesday 11:00-2:00 Wednesday 1:30-3:30 Thursday 1:00-2:00 and by appointment |
Sara Bossen, Director of Religious Education Tuesday 11:00-1:00 |
Church offices are in the Osgood House, on 141 High Street across Powder House Road from the main church building. Entry is through the rear door.
What We Believe / The Living Tradition Which We Share
Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion with Jewish-Christian roots, while drawing on many different theological sources and practices. It has no creed. It affirms the worth of human beings, advocates freedom of belief and the search for advancing truth, and tries to provide a warm, open, supportive community for people who believe that ethical living is the supreme witness of religion.
We believe that an individual’s theology is best discovered through his or her own inquiry into spirituality and via the integration of life experiences, rather than by obedience to an external authority. We believe that each person’s experience matters, that everyone has something to contribute.
Rev. David O. Rankin wrote a summary of what he thought were ten essential UU beliefs, which are presented by the Unitarian Universalist Association:
- We believe in the freedom of religious expression. All individuals should be encouraged to develop their own personal theology, and to present openly their religious opinions without fear of censure or reprisal.
- We believe in the toleration of religious ideas. All religions, in every age and culture, possess not only an intrinsic merit, but also a potential value for those who have learned the art of listening.
- We believe in the authority of reason and conscience. The ultimate arbiter in religion is not a church, or a document, or an official, but the personal choice and decision of the individual.
- We believe in the never-ending search for Truth. If the mind and heart are truly free and open, the revelations which appear to the human spirit are infinitely numerous, eternally fruitful, and wondrously exciting.
- We believe in the unity of experience. There is no fundamental conflict between faith and knowledge, religion and the world, the sacred and the secular, since they all have their own source in the same reality.
- We believe in the worth and dignity of each human being. All people on earth have an equal claim to life, liberty, and justice - and no idea, ideal, or philosophy is superior to a single human life.
- We believe in the ethical application of religion. Good works are the natural product of a good faith, the evidence of an inner grace that finds completion in social and community involvement.
- We believe in the motive force of love. The governing principle in human relationships is the principle of love, which always seeks the welfare of others and never seeks to hurt or destroy.
- We believe in the necessity of the democratic process. Records are open to scrutiny, elections are open to members, and ideas are open to criticism – so that people might govern themselves.
- We believe in the importance of a religious community. The validation of experience requires the confirmation of peers, who provide a critical platform along with a network of mutual support.
- The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
- Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
- Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
- A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
- The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
- The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
- Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
- Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
- Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
- Wisdom from the world‘s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
- Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
- Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit.
- Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.
More information on Unitarian Universalism may be found here.
A brief history of our Medford UU church may be found here.
