Due to the weather, all in-person events at our church today are cancelled, but our service is pre-recorded and will stream online at 11am on our website, YouTube, and Facebook page. Click the graphic to watch on YouTube.

Join us ONLINE ONLY Feb. 1 at 11am for "The Embodied Resilience of Ethelred Brown," the 1st black person ordained as a Unitarian minister.  All in-person events this weekend are cancelled due to the weather. Watch the recorded service at www.churchoftheriver.org or on our YouTube or Facebook pages.

Parent Orientation for the upcoming Kindergarten/1st grade Our Whole Lives class will take place this Sunday at 9:30am on Zoom.  More details and registration are here: 

With below-freezing temps again this weekend, all in-person church events are cancelled. You can stay in and watch Rev. Lynn's pre-recorded service Sunday Feb. 1 at 11am at www.churchoftheriver.org or on our YouTube or Facebook pages. The annual congregational meeting will be rescheduled for Feb. 8.

Save the date for our popular Love and All That Jazz service! It's scheduled for Sunday February 15th, the day after Valentine's Day.

From yesterday's online sermon "Covenant as Resistance." If you missed it, you can watch it anytime on our Facebook or YouTube pages.

Our church service today is ONLINE ONLY--all in-person events cancelled due to weather. You can watch the service on our Facebook page or on our YouTube channel at this link:  https://youtu.be/3xxuRdUa45M

A reminder that ALL in-person church events this weekend are canceled due to weather. However, Rev. Lynn is TAPING a service that will be available online at 11am. Note that our new member recognition and Congregational Meeting are rescheduled for Sun. Feb. 1.

Due to expected harsh winter weather Jan. 23-25, our church service and all scheduled events are canceled. This includes Fri. night Game Night, Annie Nelson's Memorial Service on Sat., and OWL Orientation, church service, and Congregational Meeting on Sunday. Check our website for rescheduled dates.

From Sunday's MLK Day sermon titled "From Memory to Hope." If you missed it, you can watch the video recording anytime at www.churchoftheriver.org, or on our Facebook and YouTube pages.

Today we remember Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and his dream for a racially equal America where people are judged by character, not skin color, enjoying true civil and economic justice, an end to segregation, and a "beloved community" of brotherhood and opportunity for all citizens.

The Church of the River is offering Our Whole Lives (OWL) for Kindergarten and 1st graders this winter and spring. OWL is a comprehensive, secular sexuality education program with age-apporpriate lessons. Register now, space is limited.  https://churchoftheriver.breezechms.com/form/K1OWL-2026

Have you wondered what UUs are doing across the country to meet these difficul times? You'll find links to inspiring stores in the blog post linked below. https://www.uua.org/pressroom/ingoodfaith/witness-and-hope #UnitarianUniversalism #SideWithLove

Jan. 18 at 11am, the Sunday before MLK Day, our "From Memory to Hope" sermon will recall one Dr.  King's most challenging public speeches, and look at how his work then and ours now are points on a continuous line -- often uneasy, but always unbroken. We hope you'll join us!

If you’re fed up with your faith community because it seems more about hatred, intolerance and dogma, and less about love, kindness and reason, try a church with a different perspective.

Our Question of the Week: What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever been through?

Have you ever wanted to go back and listen to old sermons from our pulpit? You're in luck! Digitized udio recordings of sermons dating back to 2013 are available online! You'll find the link at www.churchoftheriver.org under the "Resources" menu tab.

Game on! Mark your calendars for Fri. Jan. 23, for a night of board games, fellow, and joy. Food and board games will be provided (guests are welcome to bring board games, beverages and friends), and childcare will be provided. RSVP here: https://tinyurl.com/CORgameNight

In exploring our monthly theme of Practicing Resistance, this Sunday (Jan. 11) we'll walk through ways to use joy, laughter, and a bit of grit to overcome not only our external oppressors but also our own selves and the resistance we put up in the face of needed change. Join us at 11am!

Our Soup Kitchen resumes Saturday Jan. 10.  Volunteers to help prepare and serve the meal are always needed and welcomed.

Our Question of the Week: what's your biggest wish for 2026?

Welcome to new member Baley Medlin!

If you'd like to meet with Rev. Lynn Hopkins for any reason, public office hours are 1-3 pm Wed-Fri, no appointment necessary.

Is your New Year’s resolution to find a new spiritual home? One with curious and compassionate thinkers, and a legacy of “deeds not creeds”? See if we’re the right fit for you—check us out at www.churchoftheriver.org. And come visit us this Sunday at 11am.

Thanks to everyone who took part in this online community of ours in 2025! We appreciate you, and and look forward to continuing to connect with you in 2026!  Remember to hit that "like" or "follow" button on our home page so you don't miss any posts!

Happy New Year!

Our Question for the Week on this New Year's Eve:  what is your resolution (or resolutions) for the new year?

A nearly unavoidable tradition at the new year is that we make resolutions. It increases our expectation that we need to fix something to be a better person. But perhaps we have more important and deeper work to do. Sunday at 11am, we'll explore how we might start "Living with Intention."

If you agree that the work of Christmas is a year-round endeavor, we invite you to join our congregation and join your strength with ours to work for a better, more just world.

Wishing everyone a most wonderful Christmas Day!

Our Question of the Week for families gathering tonight: what's the best Christmas movie to watch on Christmas Eve? 🎄⛄

Our church office will be closed from Dec. 22 through Jan. 2. There are no events scheduled for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Our next church service is Sunday December 28.

Join us Sunday Dec. 21 at 11am as we celebrate Advent Week 4: Love, with our "Pageant from the Pews": No stage, no spotlight, just the congregation rising from our seats to embody angels, shepherds, travelers, and hope-bearers of all kinds.

Last week we asked about the best give you ever GAVE that cost no money. For this week's Question of the Week we want to know what's the best gift you ever RECEIVED that cost no money?

A quote worth remembering this holiday season from Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol."  Although raised in the Anglican Church, Dickens adopted the ideals of Unitarianism in his 30s.

Our beautiful Candlelight Service and Cookie Reception made for a bright and joyous Sunday evening.

Today we are sending love and light to our Jewish friends, as they both celebrate the first night of Hanukkah...and grieve for victims of the attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Australia.

We know joy as a feeling, a pleasant experience that sometimes comes over us. Joy, like hope and peace, is also a practice. Join us Sunday at 11am as we celebrate "Joy" as the topic of Advent week 3. And we hope you'll return for our Holiday Candlelight service of music at 5:30pm Sunday.

Join us Sunday Dec. 14 at 5:30 for our beautiful, annual holiday Candlelight Service, featuring a string quartet. And stay after the service for a reception with treats and sweets!

Our Question of the Week: What's the best gift you ever gave someone, that didn't cost you a penny?

From Sunday's Advent sermon on "Peace."  If you missed it, you can watch the vide recording anytime at www.churchoftheriver.org, on our YouTube channel, or our Facebook page.

Thanks to everyone who attended our annual Canvass Lunch and the Hanging of the Greens! (And a special thanks to the volunteers who made it happen!) It was great fun for all!

Join us this Sunday Dec. 5  at 11am, as the second week of Advent brings us to the subject of peace. We will consider the idea of shalom,  translated to "peace," but with layers of meaning far beyond its English equivalent.

Be sure to stay after the service this Sunday for our annual canvass luncheon AND the Hanging of the Greens, as we decorate the sanctuary for the festive holiday season!

The holidays are here, so we want to know...what's your family's favorite holiday tradition?

From Sunday's Advent Week 1 sermon on "Hope."  If you missed it, you can watch the video recording anytime at www.churchoftheriver.org, or on our Facebook page and YouTube channel

The holidays are here, so take a look at our upcoming events: Sun. Dec. 7--Hanging of the Greens (after the service) Sun. Dec. 14--Regular 11am morning service PLUS 5:30pm Candlelight Service (reception afterwards) Sun. Dec. 21--"No Rehearsal" Pageant (11am) Wed./Thurs. Dec. 24/25--Office closed

Join us Sunday Nov. 30 at 11am as we celebrate the first Sunday in Advent. What is Advent to the atheist, the agnostic, the differently religious? Its themes are for all of us: Hope, Peace, Joy, Love. And so we begin, with hope.

If you're out shopping on Black Friday and looking for a great gift for a Church of the River member who's on your list, consider making a donation to the church in their honor! It's fast, secure and easy--just click the "Give" link on our website: https://www.churchoftheriver.org/give.

Happy Thanksgiving!