Hello!

Welcome to the First Unitarian Church of Des Moines! We’re glad you’ve found us and hope you find a church home with us.

At First Unitarian, we’re brave, curious, and compassionate thinkers and doers. We’re people of many beliefs and backgrounds – people with a religious background and people with none; people who believe in a God and people who don’t, and people who simply let the mystery be. And while we represent a diversity of faith, ethnicity, history and spirituality, we agree that we want to do good work in the world.

So we welcome you – your whole self, with all your truths and your doubts, your worries and your hopes. Let us support you on your faith journey.

Learn More

Upcoming Service

May Theme: Beauty

Join us each Sunday to hear a sermon on our monthly theme.

Sunday Services

9:30 a.m. Service

10:00 a.m. One Room Schoolhouse (Grades K-4)

and Crossroads (Grades 5-7)

10:45 a.m. Coffee and treats

11:00 a.m. Coming of Age (Grades 8-9)

11:15 a.m. Forum (starts 30 minutes after service ends)

 

 

 

Upcoming Services Previous Services

Church Calendar

  • Morning Zen with Meredith (Zoom)

    May 27, 2025  6:00 am - 7:00 am
    Zoom Only

    Morning Zen with Rev. Meredith Garmon is now offered on Zoom every Tuesday through Saturday morning at 6:00 am.

    Detailed information can be found on One Earth Zen. For the chants and sutras, it will be helpful to have the booklet: "One Earth Zen: Sutras, Chants, and Songs." You may also pick up a copy in the church office.

    Format:

    Opening Chants

    25 minutes zazen (silent seated meditation)

    6 mins kinhin (walking meditation)

    9 min Sutra service (recitations)

    10 min dharma discussion

    Closing chant

    See more details

  • A Word With You

    May 27, 2025  10:30 am - 12:00 pm

    Stonewall April-November, Zoom December-March

    “A Word With You” meets once a month in person and discuss topics that interest members. We would like to invite new-comers (or old ones) to our church who could join us or just visit with us. We meet on the last Tuesday of the month at 10:30 am. The topics vary from environment to personalities. 
    Zoom:
    Join Zoom Meeting
    https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81183859141?pwd=OXlvVHMwK09Eam90WVU5MXhJVjJQdz09


    Meeting ID: 811 8385 9141
    Passcode: 434401

    Please contact Sachiko Murphy (wordwithyou@ucdsm.org) if you are interested.

    See more details

  • Steering Committee

    May 27, 2025  6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
    Peace Conference Room

    Topic: Steering Committee (Peace Conference Room)
    Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime
    Join Zoom Meeting
    https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87661107051?pwd=0FbNxOzRScn3THkNPCRemmulvRiVvH.1

    Meeting ID: 876 6110 7051
    Passcode: STEER

    See more details

  • Morning Zen with Meredith (Zoom)

    May 28, 2025  6:00 am - 7:00 am
    Zoom Only

    Morning Zen with Rev. Meredith Garmon is now offered on Zoom every Tuesday through Saturday morning at 6:00 am.

    Detailed information can be found on One Earth Zen. For the chants and sutras, it will be helpful to have the booklet: "One Earth Zen: Sutras, Chants, and Songs." You may also pick up a copy in the church office.

    Format:

    Opening Chants

    25 minutes zazen (silent seated meditation)

    6 mins kinhin (walking meditation)

    9 min Sutra service (recitations)

    10 min dharma discussion

    Closing chant

    See more details

  • Connection Circle

    May 28, 2025  6:45 pm - 7:45 pm
    Griffin Hall

    Led by Sarah Guenther

    See more details

View Calendar

I’m New Here

Ready to explore Unitarian Universalism and our church? We’re ready for you!

  1. Start by joining us for our Sunday service at 9:30 a.m. CT in-person or via Zoom (passcode: Safford). You can also click here for directions to our building!
  2. In the front lobby of our church, you’ll be welcomed by a Congregational Life Committee member, who will direct you to visitor information and UU information.
  3. Join us after the service for coffee hour! Enjoy a generous spread of delicious food and take the opportunity to connect, mingle, and meet new people in a welcoming atmosphere.
  4. Check out our Affinity Groups for adults. We also have programs for children, youth, and adults.
  5. And finally, explore our website! There’s a lot to see and we encourage you to reach out to the contact people listed throughout the site if you have questions or want to get involved.