Worship With Us
Worship at UU Montclair creates connections within, among, and beyond us. It calls us to our better selves and invites us to live with wisdom and compassion. Through music, reflection, and community, we gather each Sunday at 10:00 AM to explore meaning, celebrate life, and nurture the spirit. Whether you join us in person or online, you are welcome in this circle of love and learning.
Celebration
Special Worship Services
Our members come from diverse religious backgrounds. Many families find Unitarian Universalism to celebrate the faiths of many members. Because of this, you will find many reasons to celebrate and remember in our congregation. We mark these occasions annually.
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Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew: רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, literally “head of the year”) is the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur invite participants to repentance and renewal while celebrating the possibility of a new relationship to one’s understanding of the holy.
As a significant number of Unitarian Universalists trace their cultural or faith heritage to Judaism these high holidays are honored.
We will offer an evening Rosh Hashanah service done with respect to our Unitarian Universalist context.
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All Souls is the Roman Catholic holiday of remembrance closely associated with All Saints Day.
As a significant number of Unitarian Universalists trace their cultural or faith heritage to Catholicism, this day, also associated with our Universalist tradition, is honored.
On the Sunday Service closest to All Souls Day we hold a remembrance for all of our members who have died during the past year, and we invite those present to honor all in their circles of family and friends who have also died during the past year.
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We hold a Heritage Bread Communion on the Sunday service closest to the cultural holiday of Thanksgiving.
The communion represents the way that a rich and storied diversity merges in community and the blessing that is our shared experience.
For the communion, members bake bread from their cultural traditions; this bread is then made available, and all ages participate in the tasting.
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On the first Sunday of the congregational year, we hold a Water Communion.
During this ritual, individuals and families add a few drops to a common vessel. While they do they are invited to articulate both what they need from our congregation and what they can give to our congregation.
Articulations range as they are inspired by the individuals sharing, but some common articulations include: Hope, Resilience, Community, Connection, Joy, and Inspiration.
The water collected at Water Communion is used throughout the year for Child Dedications and for other rituals as called for.
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During the month of December, on either the second or third Sunday, children and youth participate in a pageant.
Our pageant honors the variety of holidays that often overlap during the early winter months – Diwali, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, and Solstice.
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Our Candlelight Christmas Eve Service is evocative, rich with depth and reflection, and features the astounding gift of a multi-part orchestra and thirty person choir.
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On the Sunday preceding Martin Luther King Day Monday our congregation holds a special service honoring this Civil Rights Leader and inviting us to continue in the work to affirm and ensure that black lives do matter.
In addition, many members attend and our ministers help to lead the Monday Montclair MLK Interfaith Service.
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We celebrate Passover Seder each spring in Fletcher Hall. This is an evening to celebrate our freedom and the hope of emancipation of all people!
Food, drink and a wonderful Passover service will help us reflect together about our past and to think about our future. All are welcome!
Please stay up to date with our events for our next celebration.
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On the Sunday closest to April 22nd our worship honors Earth Day.
Unitarian Universalism values the interdependent web of all existence, and we covenant to protect Earth and all beings from exploitation.
As part of this commitment, we celebrate Earth Day by focusing on themes such as earth-centered spirituality, connecting to the divine through nature, caring for the environment, and acknowledging the interdependent web of being.
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In the Roman Catholic tradition, October 4 is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis (1182-1226) was a monk who founded the contemporary order of Franciscans. He was known for his vow of poverty and his special connection to animals.
As a significant number of Unitarian Universalists trace their cultural and faith heritage to Catholicism, and as the Animal Blessing speaks to our all embracing theology, we celebrate an Animal Blessing in the afternoon on the Saturday closest to October 4th.
All are welcome to bring their pets (stuffed animals are also welcome) to be blessed by our ministers in this outside ceremony.
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Flower Communion, held on the third Sunday in June, celebrates beauty, human uniqueness, diversity, and community.
Originally created in 1923 by Unitarian minister Norbert Capek of Prague, Czechoslovakia, the Flower Ceremony was introduced to the United States by Rev. Maya Capek, Norbert’s widow. Everyone in the congregation brings a flower to be placed in a shared vase.
The congregation and minister bless the flowers, and afterwards each person brings home a different flower than the one they brought.
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On the Sunday on or immediately following January 1st, we hold a Fire Communion. This ritual invites us to bid farewell and release the old year, while preparing ourselves for the new.
At this service participants will be given flash paper (a very quick burning product) on which to write the past year’s regrets or challenges. They can then come forward and release the paper in the flame of a candle suspended over a fire safe bowl.
Share a Remembrance in our Sunday Prayer
Rites of Passage
We share our joys and sorrows. We support one another through difficulty and success. From birth to death, our Congregation helps us live with deeper gratitude, greater connection, and more reverence for life.
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In the Bridging Ceremony, high school seniors are celebrated by our congregation and welcomed by our young adults into their new relationship with our congregation and their new stage in life.
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Newborns and children are honored with a child dedication. The dedication will include:
An announcement of the name of the child
A blessing for the new life of the child
An expression of the parent or parents’ hopes for the child
A promise by the congregation to support and nurture the child
Child Dedications for member families are scheduled on the first Sunday in October, the first Sunday in December, and Easter Sunday during the Sunday morning worship. Please be in touch with Office and Communications Manager, Jaclyn Puleo to schedule your family’s Child Dedication.
Child Dedications for non-member families can be held in our congregation, or in other locations determined by the family. These can be scheduled with our ministers by contacting Rev. Anya Sammler-Michael.
Schedule a Dedication -
Youth who participate in the congregation’s year-long Coming of Age curriculum prepare to transition into a fuller understanding of their personal faith journey under the guidance of chosen congregational mentors.
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Memorial services can be held in a range of settings, and can take place any time after a death: from a few days to months later. Families will have an opportunity to celebrate the life of a loved one, and to confront the complexities of grief.
Our Memorial Services will draw deeply from the particular life of the bereaved as well as their spiritual and religious leanings.
Our congregation’s ministers are available to plan, and lead, memorial services for members, and can be hired to plan and lead memorial services for non-members. To schedule a memorial service, connect with our congregation’s administrator.
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Wedding services celebrate the love of two individuals who have chosen to come together in marriage. Because of our strong respect for each person’s beliefs and values, each wedding is custom-crafted with a couple to reflect their personalities and relationship.
Our ministers joyfully bless marriages for individuals across the gender and sexuality spectrum. Unitarian Universalists affirm the inherent worth and dignity of all people and have a long history of promoting equal rights of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ).
Our congregation’s minsters are available to plan and lead weddings for members and can be hired to plan and lead weddings for non-members. To schedule a wedding, connect with our congregation’s administrator at admin@uumontclair.org.
Music Ministries
You gotta sing when the spirit says sing!
Music is an important part of our worship services and our congregational life. With multiple ensembles to join and many other opportunities to share, we hope that you will raise your voice or instrument in song with us.
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The Chalice Choir is open to teenagers and adults who enjoy singing.
No need to audition, and reading music is not a requirement. The choir sings a wide repertoire of music, from Handel to Nina Simone, Leonard Cohen and Bobby McFerrin.
Opportunities to solo or sing in small groups are often available for more confident singers.
Regular rehearsals are on Wednesday evenings from 7:30 to 9:00 PM in the Sanctuary.
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From hobbyist to teachers to Juilliard-trained musicians, our Congregation’s members lend their talents to Sunday morning worship and celebrations throughout the year.
If you are looking for a way to share your instrumental talents, we’d love to hear from you!
For more information, contact Director of Music Ministries,
Markus Hauck at musicdir@uumontclair.org
Plan a Visit at UUCM
Come experience life at UU Montclair — from vibrant Sunday worship to music, learning, and justice-centered gatherings throughout the week. Whenever you visit, you’ll be welcomed just as you are.