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.
For some witches and Pagans, Lammas is the first of three points in the year honoring the harvest. It asks us to focus on the “first harvests” of our lives and in the world around us. Literal harvests often go through changes to become the products we love, and we can also apply this observation to our metaphorical harvests. Join us in considering what we harvest in our lives, how we transform it, and how it transforms us in turn.
Holly Near sang “I’m afraid of what you do in the name of your God,” but as UUs prove religion is about so much more than individual spiritual beliefs. As the pandemic lessens and we begin the work of finding a new normal, today we’re going to talk about the deep value of religious community.
Life is often complex. Sometimes wisdom comes from the simplest things. Let’s come together and talk about the wisdom we find in the stories we tell to children.
Sometimes friends, family, fun, and shared philosophies are what it is all about. Join us for this warm look at finding joy and support in our daily lives.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, our church is monitoring and responding to the conditions in our county and state. Following the closing of our building in March 2020, the Lens of the Future Team was established by the Board of Trustees to make recommendations regarding how and when we might return to any level of building use. Read their report for the latest recommendations and more about all opening levels.
While our church building is currently closed for in-person activities, our church community is open! Our Sunday services, Faith Formation programming, and many groups are meeting virtually.
Check out these options to get involved:
Until we can be together again, please stay safe, and please wear a mask!
A Word With You
July 27, 2021 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
“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 11:00 am at the patio area in our church, eat lunch, do check-ins, and discuss topics presented just by one word. The topics vary from environment to personalities. Currently we have five members regularly attending, and would love to share this opportunity with up to five more people. (If the weather is inclement, we will have our meeting on Zoom.)
Please contact Sachiko Murphy (wordwithyou@ucdsm.org) if you are interested.
Humanism Book Discussion
August 1, 2021 11:05 am - 12:05 pm
Zoom
Send a note to Dian Curran at HumanistBookGroup@ucdsm.org if you would like to participate.
Contact: Dian Curran/Al Powers
Endowment Committee
August 2, 2021 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81641468294?pwd=VGRkem5BV21adjdFS3prSVpHOUM1QT09
Awakening Heart Sangha
August 2, 2021 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Awakening Heart Sangha is a mindfulness practice group in the Plum Village Tradition of Vietnamese Zen teacher Thích Nhất Hạnh, or ‘Thay’. All are welcome on a drop-in basis to this ongoing group. All levels of practice are welcome, regardless of whether you are a newcomer to meditation or have had a meditation practice for a while. Brief meditation instruction will be offered at each meeting as needed for any newcomers. Chairs will be provided. If you prefer a meditation cushion, you are free to bring your own. Please plan to arrive 10-15 minutes early to help set up chairs.At each meeting, we will check-in, practice 20 minutes of sitting meditation and 10 minutes of walking meditation followed by a short reading and discussion.
Ready to explore Unitarian Universalism and our church? We’re ready for you, even during the pandemic!
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