Upcoming Services and Sermons

We gather together on Sunday morning to find meaning and live more deeply. Worship creates connections within, among, and beyond us, calling us to our better selves, calling us to live with wisdom and compassion. Most of our Sunday services are led by our Minister, Rev. Heather Rion Starr. We also offer lay led services featuring members and friends who share their thoughts and life experiences.

Hybrid Sunday Service:

• UUSD is requiring that only vaccinated individuals (who are eligible to be vaccinated against COVID) attend in-person services.
• Please stay home and enjoy our livestream if you have a fever, any other symptoms of illness, or if it’s simply a better option for you.
• Mask wearing is encouraged but not required.

Enjoy our livestream service at uussd.org/livestream, starting at 9:55 a.m.

A Social Hour is held in the Gathering Area after the Sunday service.

Welcome Visitors: Click to complete our online visitors form.

Sunday, April 28, 10 a.m., “What Doesn’t Kill Us…Makes Us,” Rev. Heather Rion Starr: How do we reflect upon and incorporate into our lives some of our most difficult experiences? What sense, if any, do we make out of the trauma we have lived through?

May 2024

Sunday, May 5, 10 a.m., “Unity in Diversity: Navigating our Religious Pluralism,” Rev. Paula Maiorano: Pluralism rooted in love is proposed as a core UU value. So what is this kind of pluralism? Is it different from our already affirmed value of “religious pluralism” for which we are grateful? Is pluralism the same as diversity?  Why does it require more than tolerance to practice? What are its benefits for an individual, our church, and our society? These are the questions which Rev. Paula Maiorano will explore in her worship reflection.

Rev. Paula Maiorano was jointly ordained in 1996 by both our UU fellowship in Chester River and her member congregation, First Unitarian Church in Wilmington, Delaware. In 2021 Rev. Maiorano retired to rejoin her spouse, Giovanni, in active membership at First Unitarian of Wilmington, after twenty-five years of parish, interim, and community ministry. She has received awards for racial justice work from YWCA and Pacem in Terris. Their sons, Andrew and Gianni, grew up at First Unitarian, and now their granddaughters are too.

Sunday, May 12, 10 a.m., “For All That Is,” Rev. Heather Rion Starr: On this Mother’s Day, we will ponder and practice together how we might all be less driven by worry. Worry is a necessary, understandable, human emotion, and also…there is more to notice and to celebrate than just what our worrying hones in on.

Sunday, May 19, 10 a.m., “Our Whole Lives,” Rev. Heather Rion Starr: Joined by Children’s Faith Exploration Director, Prof. Heather Hamilton, and UUSD Member, Susan Haase, Rev. Heather will share with us the background, promise, and the possibilities of the Our Whole Lives (OWL) sexuality education curriculum. We hope and plan to offer this program to our 7th to 9th grade UUSD youth, along with interested youth from the larger community in 2024-25. We want everyone to know more about it! We welcome and appreciate your support. We will also celebrate our newest members through our New Member Ceremony today.

Sunday, May 26, 10 a.m., “Yearning for Peace,” Rev. Heather Rion Starr: On this Memorial Day weekend, we wrestle once again with the importance of actively witnessing to ongoing conflicts throughout our world, and honoring all the human beings involved. How can we keep our energy active in the pursuit of peace, while also opening our hearts to hear the stories of those veterans and many others impacted by pervasive violence and seemingly never-ending war?

To view past services, go to Past Services.