"To worship is to stand in awe under a heaven of stars, before a flower, a leaf in sunlight or a grain of sand. To worship is to work with dedication and with skill; it is to pause from work and listen to a strain of music. Worship is loneliness seeking communion; it is a thirsty land crying out for rain. Worship is the mystery within us reaching out to the mystery beyond. It is an inarticulate silence yearning to speak; it is the window of the moment open to the sky of the eternal."

Jacob Trapp, UU minister, 1899–1992

Much of our shared worship happens on Sunday mornings at 11, though we have other opportunities throughout the week.  Visitors and guests are welcome to visit our congregation at every worship service.  On the surface, Sunday mornings often follow a fairly typical Protestant liturgical flow - with hymns, spoken prayers and silence, readings, and a time for deeper reflection, like a sermon. One thing that makes us different is the breadth of our sources—you’ll hear contemporary poetry read as well as texts from the Bible and other sacred scriptures.  We also try to have as many voices heard in our worship together as possible.

Most Sundays the children and youth begin in the sanctuary and leave after about fifteen minutes to continue their faith formation with professional and lay facilitators.

The Sunday service lasts about an hour and is followed by fellowship time (aka coffee hour) in the Common Room.

The roots of the word “worship” are 'worth' 'shape.'  When we worship, together we are shaping that which has worth. In our services, we seek to shape ourselves, the community, and the world toward wholeness and love.  We do so by considering deep questions of existence, making meaning of our personal and shared stories, expressing gratitude and joy, liberating ourselves through the sacred act of play, and, when necessary, grieving and gathering our courage.

"A person will worship something, have no doubt about that. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will come out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character.  Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping, we are becoming."

Ralph Waldo Emerson, Unitarian Minister, 1803-1882

Elements of a typical Sunday morning worship service at UUCA include:

• Words of welcome
• Lighting a flaming chalice, the symbol of our faith
• A multigenerational segment, such as a “time for all ages”
• Music, both instrumental and vocal and in a variety of styles
• A time for lifting up the joys and concerns of the congregation
• A meditation or prayer
• Readings—ancient or contemporary
• A sermon given by our minister, a guest speaker, or a member of the congregation
• An offering, collecting financial donations for the congregation or for justice work in the community.
• Closing words or a benediction.

From time to time, worship services incorporate holiday celebrations, multigenerational plays and pageants, longer musical performances, child dedications, and coming-of-age ceremonies. We offer childcare and faith formation for children and youth during the Sunday service if desired - though our youngest are always welcome to stay in the sanctuary with the adults.