Worship Services
- Worship Schedule
- Description of Worship Services
- Lay-Led Worship Services
- 2026-2027 Thematic Arc for Worship
Worship Schedule
Each month’s plans for our 10:30 a.m. Sunday worship services appear here. Details about the worship service for the upcoming Sunday also appear on our Home Page. Childcare is always provided without reservations for Worship, Mindfulness Meditation and Forum.
Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026 – “Barely Gettin’ By” – Rev. Dr. Molly Housh Gordon
For this year’s Labor Day service, we will use Dolly Parton’s anti-capitalist anthem “9 to 5” as our sacred text. “There’s a better life, and you think about it, don’t you?”
Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026 – “You are here. We are here.” – Rev. Dr. Molly Housh Gordon
This year, our worship arc invites us to re-locate ourselves in a time of disorientation, and to root ourselves in place and earth. Join us for a service introducing the arc and reflecting on what it means to deeply connect with and deeply love a place and its people.
Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026 – “Take it to the Water” – Rev. Jordinn Nelson Long and Rev. Dr. Molly Housh Gordon
The poet John O’Donohue writes: “I would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.” Join us to ponder what lessons the water of Grindstone Creek can speak into our lives.
Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026 – PRIDE PARADE – No Livestream
Pridefest organizers have moved the time of the annual Pride Parade earlier in the day, so we are taking church to the streets! Rather than joining us at church, please join us to march, wheel, and roll together as a church in the Mid-Missouri Pride Parade. Gather in the Armory parking lot at 10:30 a.m. and find us by looking for our 40-foot rainbow banner! You can fill out UUCC’s parade registration form online to let us know about any access needs you may have. There will be a small, informal gathering at the church for those who are unable or prefer not to join in the parade. There will be no livestream this Sunday.
The Zoom address for our 10:30 a.m. Sunday worship is
https://zoom.us/j/380411489
You can also join by phone: 312-626 6799
Webinar ID: 380 411 489
Services are also streamed live to Facebook
Description of Worship Services
We offer a worship service every Sunday at 10:30 a.m.. The current month’s schedule appears above. Services last about one hour.
Children are present for about the first 15 minutes, which includes a stones of joy and sorrow ritual. The children then leave for their religious education classes. Nursery care and our full religious education program for preschool through junior high school are offered at this time.
Although each of our services is unique, services usually begin with a welcome from a member of our Board of Trustees and occasional special announcements.
Interspersed with a variety of music and hymn singing, the typical service also includes the lighting of the chalice, one or more inspirational readings, a sermon or homily, an offertory, an opportunity to express joys and sorrows, and a closing benediction.
After the service we gather for fellowship, conversation and coffee.
Members of the Worship Associates assist in planning worship services and also participate in conducting services.
Lay-Led Worship Services
Our lay-led services honor our commitment to lay involvement in church leadership and our church’s history. We began in 1951 as a lay-led fellowship, and thus all services were lay led until we called our first minister in 1980.
From September through May, we have occasional lay-led services, and many of the services are lay led during the summer. The Worship Associates organize the lay-led services. These services are often non-traditional and unique and allow individuals to speak to a topic of interest or lead the congregation in exploring a variety of activities related to the many facets of worship and spirituality.
2026-2027 Thematic Arc for Worship
“You are here. We are here.”
Purpose:
- Re-locating ourselves, in a time of disorientation.
- Re-rooting ourselves in earth and place.
Theological touchstones:
- The sacredness of every place and person.
- The interconnection of all things.
- Deeper time and clearer attention.
Monthly Themes:
- September – toes in the water @ Grindstone Creek
- October – moving under a rustling canopy of leaves @ MKT trail (MLK trailhead)
- November – golden hour in your own backyard @ church prairie
- December – curled up with a book/audiobook @ the library
- January – surrounded by art @ Columbia Art League
- February – delving into history @ the Blind Boone Center
- March – witnessing life return @ Garth nature area
- April – in a riot of blossoms @ the redbud grove in Stephen’s Lake Park
- May – On a blanket under new leaves @ the Big Burr Oak