Next Sunday · June 21 · 10 am
“Love Blooms”
Sunday worship
We gather every Sunday at 10 am, in the sanctuary and live on Zoom. A service runs about an hour: music, a lesson for all ages, readings, and a sermon, with time to share the week’s joys and concerns. Here is what to expect, and what’s coming up.
After that · June 28 · 10 am
“T-Shirt Theology”
Recent services
- Jun 14, 2026 The Revolution Will Be Beautiful Order of service — The Revolution Will Be Beautiful Watch — The Revolution Will Be Beautiful
- Jun 7, 2026 “On the Shoulders of Giants” LGBTQIA+ Pride Sunday Order of service — “On the Shoulders of Giants” LGBTQIA+ Pride Sunday Watch — “On the Shoulders of Giants” LGBTQIA+ Pride Sunday
- May 31, 2026 The Practice of Being Alive (UU Pulpit Swap Sunday) Order of service — The Practice of Being Alive (UU Pulpit Swap Sunday) Watch — The Practice of Being Alive (UU Pulpit Swap Sunday)
- May 24, 2026 Having Fun Order of service — Having Fun Watch — Having Fun
- May 17, 2026 “We are Growing a Community” All Ages RE Sunday! Order of service — “We are Growing a Community” All Ages RE Sunday! Watch — “We are Growing a Community” All Ages RE Sunday!
A Sunday service
The service follows a familiar shape. We begin with a welcome and the week’s announcements. Visitors are invited, never obligated, to introduce themselves. We light the chalice, sing, and offer a lesson for all ages. People name their joys and concerns; there are readings, a sermon, and a few minutes of quiet. Near the end we take an offering, a third of which goes each week to a local nonprofit.
A2U2 is a Unitarian Universalist congregation, which shapes how we worship together. We are joined by common values rather than a shared creed, so you will not be asked to recite anything you don’t believe.
New to a Sunday here? Plan your first visit for the practical details: where to park, what to wear, and what the children get up to.
The church year
From September through June we hold regular services, most of them led by our minister, the Rev. Tara Humphries. About once a month a service is led by members of the congregation.
Summer is quieter. In July and August services are smaller and informal, led by members, and held in the round rather than from the pulpit.
Music
There is music in every service: anthems from the choir, hymns sung by the whole congregation, solos from our talented members and friends, and the jazz improvisations of Dale Churchill, our music director, at the piano. It carries the spirit and energy of the community as much as anything we do.
The choir sings at the 10 am service and rehearses Thursdays, 7–8:30 pm. Reading music helps but isn’t required, and new voices are welcome; some members also sing with the Choral Art Society and Women in Harmony.
If you’d like to sing or play, come find us.
Holidays and traditions
A few services mark the turning of the year, and people look forward to them.
Water Communion opens the church year, the first Sunday after Labor Day. Bring a little water from somewhere your summer took you; the waters are combined and blessed.
Flower Communion falls on the third Sunday of June. Bring a flower for the common vases, and take a different one home.
The Winter Solstice service and ritual is put together by the Allen Avenue Pagan Group. On Christmas Eve there are two services: an all-ages service at 5pm and a more traditional one, with choir and preaching, at 7pm. We also keep Christmas, Easter, Rosh Hashanah, Passover, and the holy days of other traditions.
Two services belong to our young people: Coming of Age, when teenagers write and read their own statements of belief, and Bridging, which sends off our high-school graduates.
Weddings, memorials, and dedications
The Rev. Tara Humphries officiates at the milestones of a life, for members and for the wider community.
Child dedications
Because Unitarian Universalists believe that all children are born blessed, rather than sinful, we hold child dedications instead of baptisms. In the ceremony we name the child, for it is by name that each of us is known as a unique person, and we consecrate them with water, since all life arises from and is sustained by water. The congregation pledges to share in the child’s care and growth. Dedications usually happen in a Sunday service so the community can make that promise, and can be held at any age, in infancy or when a child is old enough to take part.
Weddings
We bless the marriages of opposite-sex and same-sex couples alike; where there is love, we find the presence of the holy among us. In the UU tradition there is freedom to shape a ceremony around your own deepest values, together with the minister.
Memorial services
We hold many different beliefs about the mystery of death, but are united in the conviction that love is stronger than death. A memorial for a member, or a member’s relative, is planned and led by the minister together with the family, and we welcome favorite poems, songs, stories, and personal sharing. Members will prepare a simple reception afterward if you would like one.
To talk about a ceremony, reach the office at office@a2u2.org or (207) 747-3299. The building can also be rented for weddings and memorials by people who aren’t members, and for a memorial you are welcome to bring a celebrant of your own; see our space and how to book it.
Taking part
We have a tradition of shared ministry at A2U2; each person is part of the ministry of our church. Members read, make music, lead the lesson for all ages, and now and then preach. For many, taking part in worship this way is an important expression of their spiritual life.
The Worship Committee coordinates one service a month through the regular church year, and all of the summer services, sometimes leading them and sometimes inviting another group to. By tradition the Social Justice Committee and the Senior Youth Group each lead a service during the year. The committee also holds occasional training in using the microphone and in reading aloud, so that taking part feels welcoming rather than daunting. If you’d like to take part, we’d be glad to hear from you.
Watch live or later
Every Sunday service is live on Zoom at 10am, the same gathering you’d find in the sanctuary. If you can’t make the morning, the recording goes up on our YouTube channel later in the week.
- Live
- Sundays at 10am, on Zoom. The Zoom link is posted with each week’s service.
- Later
- Recordings go up on our YouTube channel a few days after. Browse past services, with orders of service.
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