A Resilient Future for Food?
2023-11-11 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Toronto) | 122 Harris St / Zoom
Ralph Martin will lead the service and speak to us about:”A Resilient Future for Food?”
Nursery Care with Ash and Ophelia will be available for this service.

Music Night with Jim Scott
2023-11-18 19:00 - 21:00 | 122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON, 122 Harris St., Guelph, ON-Ontario, N1E5T1, Canada
On Saturday, November 18th at 7pm, prolific composer & guitarist Jim Scott will bring warmth and humor to UCG with his jazz and world music influenced songs. A friend of Pete Seeger and Peter from Peter, Paul and Mary, he has toured the world, recorded nine CDs of original music and published a growing line of choral works. A life-long Unitarian Universalist, Jim has played at over 700 UU churches in four decades and his songs (Gather the Spirit) are included in UU songbooks. One of the originators of the Unitarian Universalist Church “Green Sanctuary” program, Jim also compiled the Earth and Spirit Songbook, an anthology of over 100 songs of Earth by many contemporary composers.

UCG Book Club
2023-11-30 19:00 - 21:00 | 122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON, 122 Harris St., Guelph, ON-Ontario, N1E5T1, Canada
Discussion on Naomi Klein’s new book Doppelganger.
Time and Dates: 7.00 pm, Thursday, October 26 (Parts One and Two) and Thursday, November 30 (Parts Three and Four).
“What if you woke up one morning and found you’d acquired another self – a double who was almost you and yet not you at all? What if that double shared many of your preoccupations but, in a twisted, upside-down way, furthered the very courses you’d devoted your life to fighting against?”
After you have read Naomi Klein’s new book Doppelganger, come and discuss the topics with others.
Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein review – across the great divide | Naomi Klein | The Guardian

Squareflake: The Musical featuring: Unitunz!!!
2023-12-03 11:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
Were you born to be wild? Join us for “Squareflake,” a whimsical musical service for all ages, spinning the tale of… well, the eponymous square snowflake of the title. This lighthearted story, invites you to follow—and sing along with—Squareflake’s journey to Earth and subsequent quest North towards non-dual awareness. Oh! And it also includes a grumpy polar-bear.
Penned and produced by the Unitunz, in collaboration with ChatGPT-4 and 8-UUP (aka. The Eight Unitarian Universalist Principles. An after service discussion on AI will follow. If you wish to tune in online, please email adminATguelph-unitariansDOTcom.

Children’s care for ages 0-12 will be available for this service.

On Friendship
2023-12-10 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON, 122 Harris St., Guelph, ON-Ontario, N1E5T1, Canada
Join us as we reflect upon the importance of friendship in our lives, and its connection to spirituality and resilience, inspired by the words of poet John O’Donohue. This will be an informal service involving time for quiet reflection and conversation led by Hannah, jei, Pia and others. To savor O’Donohue’s insights, consider reading this post from Marginalian:

https://www.themarginalian.org/2015/08/12/anam-cara-john-o-donohue-soul-friend/
Nursery Care will be available on site at 122 Harris St. Guelph. For the Zoom link, please email admin AT guelph DASH unitarians DOT com

Solstice Service
2023-12-17 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON, 122 Harris St., Guelph, ON-Ontario, N1E5T1, Canada
The longest night, the shortest day, a shifting balance. Let us come together to focus on “Hope with Muscle.” Let us work with the season to open to the many ways our hope and actions matter. The service will draw from the pagan tradition of creating circles of community and intention. Service Team: Lorna Wyllsun, Rebekah Jamieson, Janette Ledwith, Diane Ward, Gemini Marie and Linda Reith

Charlotte’s home for the holidays and will be providing children’s care for ages 0-12 during the service for the next three weeks.

No morning service
2023-12-24 11:00 - 12:00
Please note that there will be no morning service on Christmas Eve. We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday, no matter how much or how little you choose to celebrate. Instead join us for carols with Aspen and Rick at 7:30pm!

Join us in a simple carol sing!
2023-12-24 19:30 - 20:30 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
’Twas the night before Christmas
and all through the UCG
all the creatures were singing,
playful and free.
Join us in a simple carol sing!
Christmas Eve 7:30-8:30 pm
at the UCG and Via Zoom

This celebration will be co-created. Rick and Aspen will be leading the songs in a song-circle fashion. If you have any special songs, poems, stories, or readings you would like to offer, we’ll happily weave them in.
For the Zoom link, please email admin AT guelph DASH unitarians DOT com.

"Choose your own Holiday" celebration
2023-12-25 13:00 - 16:00 | 122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON, 122 Harris St., Guelph, ON-Ontario, N1E5T1, Canada
Come and join us for a a first ever ‘Choose-your-own-holiday’ Celebration.
All are welcome to help us celebrate whatever holiday you enjoy. Join us for a warm meal, music, good company and some laughs! We are hoping to have an open mic set up!
***Please RSVP by Dec 17 *** to jei or Amanda. Non-Unitarians are welcome! We just ask for *no drop-ins* so we can ensure we have enough food for everyone.
If you also would like to contribute to this event in any way, please feel encouraged to do so!

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
2023-12-31 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
This New Year‘s eve service will be dedicated to the grief we feel caused by the loss of our human habitat as we know it. Mother Earth has been nourishing us. However, the greed that fueled an unsustainable relationship with and the disconnect from Mother Earth have been coming full circle, reminding us that we are not the pinnacle but a part of Nature.
It is almost impossible to distinguish the sorrow we inflict on each other from the sorrow we inflict on Mother Earth.
How to be with the sorrow that accompanies our time of multiple crises like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the war in Ukraine, and our Earthly demise is our focus. Let’s gather to grieve our global state of affairs, so we can ready ourselves to hold up our principles in this aching world.
Nursery Care with Charlotte will be available for this service.
To join via zoom, please email admin AT guelph DASH unitarians DOT com.

Burning Bowl Service
2024-01-05 08:00 - 17:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
In the burning bowl ceremony, people are invited to write down write down words, or a phrase, to sum up what they wish to release before entering the new year. They then come forward to burn that piece of paper.”
We will have an option for online participants to send their words/phrases through the chat, to be added to the bowl (Or bucket perhaps!)
Nursery Care with Ash will be available for this service.
For the Zoom link, please email adminATguelph-unitariansDOTcom

Chalice Cafe
2024-01-14 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
Join us on Sunday as we get together for a “Getting to Know You” Chalice Cafe with your fellows. You can expect conversation about your take on spirituality, your true passions and growing together spiritually. Led by Jei Tiffin and Amanda Loo.

What Does Love Look Like?
2024-01-21 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
(Speaker: Rev. Victoria)
If you listen to popular music, you might learn that love is either a blissful high that never ends, or a painful low that crushes the soul. Either way, it’s portrayed as pretty extreme! But love has many faces and many aspects, giving all of us a chance to explore the subtleties and nuances of love – for ourselves, for nature, for others, for animals, for a social cause, for a place, and on and on. This Sunday we explore love and how it liberates, energizes, and enlightens our lives.
Nursery Care with Ash will be available for this service. For the service link, please email admin@guelpj-unitarians.com

Congregational Meeting
2024-01-24 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Please attend our upcoming Zoom Congregational meeting tonight at 7pm to:

hear about the budget as it looks now,
find out about the work that has gone on over the last year to tackle the issue BEFORE this budget was prepared,
see the budget as it was prepared and where our major expenses are that we could adjust,
ask questions and discuss the options the Board is considering adjusting so we can present a prudent and responsible budget for the coming year,
and provide your input.

Based on this conversation, the budget for the Annual Meeting will be adjusted if needed. The budget will then be presented as usual at our Annual Meeting for routine approval. The Annual Meeting will occur on February 8, 2024 at 7pm in hybrid format. Please join us for this important discussion!
For the Zoom link, please email admin@guelph-unitarians.com

Reconciliation
2024-01-28 11:00 - 12:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
Brian Hawker doesn’t see the issue of “Reconciliation” in isolation from the bigger Canadian picture. The “Indian problem” is typically described using shocking statistics about diabetes, poverty, suicide . . . The problem is isolated. It exists “over there”. To him this is an unfortunate illusion which allows busy people with other priorities to abdicate responsibility. It has become a pebble in our collective shoe. It doesn’t paralyze but it slows us down, obstructing our attempts to create a common story, a common vision.
Neither the problem nor the solution is “over there”. A structure that works will not simply follow from educating First Nations people to the point where they will be able to manage and participate in an aboriginal version of a free enterprise urban-style democratic system. It will emerge but it will emerge in a way that we cannot predict because we will not be able to see it until we create the conditions necessary for it to be seen. The path is emergent with each small success informing us of what the next step must be.
This talk will provide suggestions for all of us to participate in a country that is a true community of many diverse cultures.
Nursery Care with Ash will be available for this service.
Please email admin@guelph-unitarians.com for the Zoom link.

Annual Meeting
2024-02-08 19:00 - 21:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
Please try to join us as we give an overview to our members and friends about what has been happening over the last year and talk about our plans for the coming seasons!
Please email Admin@guelph-unitarians.com for a full Annual Meeting package including reports and information on how to vote by proxy. You can also use this email address to request a Zoom link.

Peer Support Group for Parents of Neurodiverse Kids
2024-02-17 13:30 - 15:00 | 122 Harris St / Zoom
UCG’s Peer Parent support group for parents of kids with neurodiversity continues to meet on the third Saturday of every month at the same time until June. Holly will continue to lead the group on a volunteer basis.
Join us at UCG for snacks, games and safe conversations. There is a Zoom option for those unable to attend in person. (Please let us know if you plan to attend this way so we can provide a link). Ash will be on hand with our junior RE staff to engage the kiddos in fun games and crafts so the big people can chatter.
Please let us know if there are any barriers preventing you from attending, so that we can do our best to accommodate you and your little one.
For more information or to book a spot for your child in the children’s program, please contact Holly Jones (she/her) admin@guelph-unitarians.com

Deepen Your Life. Celebrate Death
2024-10-27 11:00 - 13:00 | 122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON, 122 Harris St., Guelph, ON-Ontario, N1E5T1, Canada
October 27th: Deepen Your Life. Celebrate Death.
Every year UCG draws on it’s pagan roots to benefit from the ancient tradition of Samhain, the festival of death that was transformed into Hallowe’en. This year, as always, we will invite everyone to bring pictures or mementoes of loved ones who have died. In treasuring our connections with our ancestors, we acknowledge that we too are ancestors and our time is coming to die. Let us build our capacity to die with grace and awareness. Revolutionary in the overculture’s denial of death, rejecting it as some kind of failure.
Presenters: Rebekah Jamieson, Lorna Wyllson and Linda Reith
Join us either in person or online.
Childcare will be provided
#guelphunitarians #unitarian #unitarianuniversalist #guelph #halloween #samhein #death #celebratedeath #pagan
The service was recorded and can be viewed here:
https://youtu.be/udnDdVoT2Bs

Don't Know Much about (UU) History
2024-11-03 11:00 - 13:00 | 122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON, 122 Harris St., Guelph, ON-Ontario, N1E5T1, Canada
Sunday 3rd November @ 11:00 AM Eastern
Many Unitarian Universalists enter our congregations as adults, finding a compatible community and theological haven. But we don’t necessarily know much about how our faith came to be, where we originated, or what connections we might have to Christianity, Judaism, or other faith groups. Rev. Victoria Ingram shares highlights of our faith’s past to enlarge our understanding of our religious heritage.
Join us either in person at 122 Harris Street or online (email admin@guelph-unitarians.com for Zoom details).
Childcare will be provided
#guelphunitarians #unitarian #unitarianuniversalist #guelph #halloween #uuhistory
#history
Photo by Sharlene Rochen on Unsplash

To Batoche and Back: A Story of the Métis Nation and One Family presented by Paul Smith
2024-11-17 11:00 - 14:00
This Sunday November 17th at 11am

To Batoche and Back: A Story of the Métis Nation and One Family
presented by Paul Smith

Métis leader Louis Riel advocated for democracy, human rights for all,
and for Indigenous people. Louis surrendered to Canadian troops at
Batoche in 1885, ending the Northwest Resistance. Canada hung Louis on November 16, 1885, and we commemorate the day each year. The Michif or Métis people emerged out of the fur trade, and a creative fusion and improvisation of European and First Nations cultures. Paul Smith will
tell a story of the journey of Métis Nation and his own family to
Batoche and back. 2024 marks a step in reconciliation with the Métis
Nation as the Manitoba Government recognized Louis Riel as Manitoba’s
first Premier.

Join us at either in person at 122 Harris Strret or online via Zoom. Email admin@guelph-unitarians.com for the link

Childcare will be provided

#guelphunitarians #unitarian #unitarianuniversalist #guelph
#Batoche #metis #michif
The service recording can be accessed here:
https://youtu.be/yYvrf-uteOs

WHITE SUPREMACY presented by SOFIA TROOP
2024-11-24 11:00 - 14:00 | 122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON, 122 Harris St., Guelph, ON-Ontario, N1E5T1, Canada
WHITE SUPREMACY presented by SOFIA TROOP
Sofia Troop invites us to reflect deeply on how white supremacy isn’t just a political or social system, but a relational one that shapes our connections – with ourselves, with others, with the land, and with spirituality. As we examine our roles within this structure, Sofia encourages us to reclaim our curiosity and critically assess the subtle ways we may be complicit in perpetuating white supremacy, even in spaces where we consider ourselves anti-racist or progressive. With compassion and clarity, she will offer pathways forward, guiding us toward lives that break free from these ingrained patterns, fostering healing and reshaping our relationships from the ground up Join us either in person at 122 Harris Street or via Zoom
Please email admin@guelph-unitarians.com for the Service Link Childcare will be provided
#guelphunitarians #unitarian #unitarianuniversalist #guelph
Service Recording can be found here:
https://youtu.be/xvOgF9dEHO8

Is There Anything I Need to Change? with Rev. Victoria Ingram
2024-11-28 08:00 - 17:00
Is There Anything I Need to Change? with Rev. Victoria Ingram
Around this time of year, many of us start to ponder what is or isn’t working in our lives and consider resolutions to make changes in the new year. If you got to do it over, is there anything about 2024 you’d want to change? There always seems to be an expectation that we work on some personal weakness and strive to be “better.” This Sunday, Rev. Victoria explores the idea that we are, perhaps, enough just the way we are right now, and how reconsideration, reconciliation, renewal, and recommitment frame our life’s work.
Join us either in person at 122 Harris Street or via Zoom
Please email admin@guelph-unitarians.com for the Service Link
Childcare will be provided. #guelphunitarians #unitarian #unitarianuniversalist #guelph
Service recording here: https://youtu.be/PDoC_jJ5T6g

Land Trust as An Approach to Hospicing Modernity presented by Mary-Kate Craig and Sarah Best
2024-12-04 08:00 - 2024-12-08 17:00
Land Trust as An Approach to Hospicing Modernity
presented by Mary-Kate Craig and Sarah Best
In our Bringing the Light Series: Join us this Sunday as Mary-Kate Craig and Sarah Best share reflections on Hospicing Modernity by Vanessa Andreotti, a profound exploration of letting go of unsustainable systems and planting seeds for a regenerative future. Drawing on personal stories and the transformative work of the Junction Village Community Land Trust, they will invite us to consider how grieving, unlearning, and embracing radical interdependence can guide us through times of profound change.
Join us either in person at 122 Harris Street or via Zoom
Please email admin@guelph-unitarians.com for the Service Link
Childcare will be provided.
#guelphunitarians #unitarian #unitarianuniversalist #guelph
Service Recording here: https://youtu.be/xpRKcNnWVXs

Holiday Sing Along
2024-12-11 08:00 - 2024-12-15 14:00 | 122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON, 122 Harris St., Guelph, ON-Ontario, N1E5T1, Canada
Holiday Sing Along
with Seanna, John, Sean and Paul
Please join us for an informal service, filled with lots of music, singing and community with Seanna, John, Sean and Paul.
Join us either in person at 122 Harris Street or via Zoom
Please email admin@guelph-unitarians.com for the Service Link
Childcare will be provided.
#guelphunitarians #unitarian #unitarianuniversalist #guelph

Service Recording here:
https://youtu.be/HrAorIcOXY8
Image by Frauke Riether from Pixabay

Winter Solstice Service
2024-12-18 08:00 - 2024-12-22 17:00 | 122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON, 122 Harris St., Guelph, ON-Ontario, N1E5T1, Canada
Winter Solstice Service
with Rebekah, Lorna and Linda
The darkest time of the year brings both gifts and challenges, joys and sorrows. Join us in community as we “bring the light” into the darkness and explore together. If you are able, please consider bringing an item for the Food Bank or something pre-made for Dec.25th’s holiday dinner.
Please email admin@guelph-unitarians.com for the Service Link
Childcare will be provided.
#guelphunitarians #unitarian #unitarianuniversalist #guelph

In Between the Old and the New...Chalice Cafe
2024-12-29 08:00 - 17:00
In Between the Old and the New…

Chalice Cafe Facilitated by Margriet
https://youtu.be/XQnTqdC7_Kk

Letting Go & Moving Forward Into The Light
2025-01-05 08:00 - 17:00 | 122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON, 122 Harris St., Guelph, ON-Ontario, N1E5T1, Canada
Letting Go & Moving Forward Into The Light

Join us for the Burning Bowl ceremony. For more information on the Burning Bowl please have a look at this link https://www.uua.org/worship/holidays/fire-communion-burning-bowl
This ritual allows us to symbolically release what no longer serves us – worries, anxieties, regrets, and negative patterns. It is a link to our 4th principle: “A free and responsible search for truth and meaning” and is a ceremony often held in UU communities to symbolize the start of the New Year, letting go of the past and looking forward to the new.
During this service, we will:
Reflect: Spend time in quiet contemplation, identifying the things we wish to release.
Write: Write a short word or set of words representing these burdens on slips of paper.
Release: Place these slips of paper into the fire, witnessing their transformation.
Intend: Set intentions for the future, focusing on growth, healing, and positive change.
Connect: Share in community with others as we collectively release and renew.
We look forward to sharing this experience with you.
Service Recording here: https://youtu.be/mgrIyLWMDY0

Memory and Hope
2025-01-12 11:00 - 14:00 | 122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON, 122 Harris St., Guelph, ON-Ontario, N1E5T1, Canada
Memory and Hope
Remembering UCG Members Who Have Passed

This Sunday, we come together as a community of memory and hope to remember and honor the UCG members who have passed. 🌿✨ Led by Hannah Schell, our service will reflect on the rich history we share and look toward the future we are creating together, grounded in our Unitarian-Universalist values.
We invite you to bring your stories and photos as we celebrate the spirits of beloved past members whose legacies continue to inspire us. Whether you’re a longtime member or new to our community, your presence is welcome.
Have a photo to share? Email Hannah at channahschell@gmail.com to be part of the service montage.
Join us in person or online, with childcare available during the service.
Recording here: https://youtu.be/h4ikdA1-4oI
#MemoryAndHope #UCGCommunity #InMemory #HopeForTheFuture #UU #UnitarianUniversalism #UUValues #UUCommunity #BelovedCommunity #SpiritualJourney #UnitarianUniversalist

Awe and the Sacred Pause
2025-01-19 08:00 - 17:00
Awe and the Sacred Pause
by Melina Bondy
Service leader: Lisa Clendenning
Science is starting to catch up on what religion has always known, that awe and wonder are good for us, maybe even vital for human flourishing. In this service we’ll look at some of the research on wonder and connect it to the mindfulness practices of Thich Nhat Hanh called gathas. This will be an experiential service – come ready to wake up wonder.
Recording here: https://youtu.be/2ZSox_ZDFes

Growing Our Roots: The History and Hope of UU
2025-01-26 08:00 - 17:00
Growing Our Roots: The History and Hope of UU
Rev. Victoria Ingram
We continue our monthly exploration of UU history by focusing on the 8 Principles of our faith.
Each month, Rev. Victoria will unpack a selection from our Principles and explain how the statement came to be included, how it has been used and interpreted, and what each means in relationship to how we work together as a church community and how we personally make choices about our lives
Join us either in person or online.
Service Zoom Link
Childcare will be provided
