Services on YouTube

Printer-friendly version

 

 

Did you miss one of the online services?  You can watch previous services on our YouTube channel or simply click on the selected date and title of the service below for services led by Rev. Kim Mason.  Enjoy!

2024/2025 Program Year Services with Rev. Kim Mason

Sunday, December 8th, 2024 - No Rehearsal Pageant  with Rev. Mason

Order of Service

Sunday, November 24th, 2024 - Cornbread Communion with Rev. Mason

Order of Service

Sunday, November 10th - Seeds of Healing with Rev. Mason

Order of Service

Sunday, November 3rd  - The Colors of Grief with Rev. Mason

Order of Service

Sunday, October 20th - REflections A Conversation on Religious Education with Rev. Mason and Interim Director of Religious Education Michele Grove

Order of Service

Sunday, October 13th, 2024 - Hello, I'm Anxiety with Rev. Mason

Order of Service

Sunday, September 29th, 2024 - Wild Imagination with Rev. Mason

Order of Service

Sunday, September 22nd, 2024 - Life in the Balance with Rev. Mason

Order of Service

Sunday September 15th, 2024 -- Powered by Love with Rev. Mason

Order of Service

Sunday September 8th, 2024 - The Rhythm of the Rain - Water Communion with Rev. Mason

Order of Service

Sunday August 25th, 2024 - The Meaning of Everything with Rev. Kim Mason

Order of Service

2023/2024 Program Year Services with Rev. Kim Mason

 
On this Father's Day we reflect on the role of fathers in our lives and the larger culture.
 
Embracing the fullness of our humanity means talking honestly about mental health. We'll explore how faith communities can be part of the conversation to destigmatize mental illness.
Order of Service
 
Our theme for the month of June is Renewal. How do we use rest to renew our bodies and minds in a culture of constant engagement? We'll also celebrate all new members who've joined since August.
 
What are the origins of Memorial Day? How does the history of Memorial Day inform its modern traditions? Join us for this Memorial Day Sunday as bring deeper meaning to this annual observation
 
The first Mother's Day Proclamation was a call for peace. We'll read Julia Ward Howe's original text and look at where its message is needed today.
 
Our annual Flower Communion service celebrates the beauty of diversity in our community. This month's theme of Pluralism explores how our different beliefs enrich our connections and add meaning to our shared worship. Don't forget to bring a flower with you to church!
 
Join us for our spring music Sunday! The choir will celebrate with two special  performances, including Mozart’s Ave verum corpus (with Dr Michael Mishra conducting) and Verdi’s Stabat Mater (with a string quintet). 

 

Sunday April 14th  Metro UU Collaborative Service with Rev Kim Mason

Our theme for the month of April is interdependence. We celebrate our web of connection with the three other UU congregations in the STL metro area by worshipping together from our respective sanctuaries.

Order of Service

 

Sunday March 31st Transforming Love with Rev Kim Mason

On this Easter Sunday we ask How does the Easter story transform us? Join us for a Unitarian Universalist celebration of hope, rebirth and renewal. 

Order of Service

 

Sunday March 10th Caterpillar Goo, or The Transient and Permanent in Unitarian Universalism with Rev. Kim Mason

In order to become a butterfly, a caterpillar goes through a complete metamorphosis. How do we embrace the transformations in our own lives? How do we tolerate the messiness of change so that we can emerge ready to fly? 

Order of Service 

 

Sunday March 3rd Weaving Our Future with Rev Kim Mason

The members of this congregation make up a beautiful tapestry. Each contribution adds color and texture. What is your contribution? How do our gifts weave together to build our future?

 

Sunday February 25th  Football is Life with Rev. Kim Mason

Following our October service, we'll once again visit the fictional world of Ted Lasso, where we'll explore lessons about equity and solidarity.

 
 
The transcendentalist movement is known for its philosophical, religious and artistic reforms. What often gets forgotten is how much of the social reforms of the mid-1800s were driven by transcendentalist thinkers and leaders. Learn more about how our religious ancestors shaped the history of social justice in this country.
 
 
Imbolc happens at the mid-point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox as the days begin to lengthen. Also known as St. Brigid's Day, this holiday celebrates home and hearth, and the blessings of the feminine divine. What seeds are you planting as the sun returns?
 
 

Sunday January 28th Ethic of Love with Rev Kim Mason

bell hooks' classic, All About Love, defines an ethic of love which is the key to our collective liberation struggle. Where can we apply an ethic of love in our lives and communities?

Order of Service 

 

Sunday January 21st Make Channels for Streams of Love

Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values. We continue our exploration of the proposed UU values with a month on the value of Love.

Order of Service 

 

Sunday January 7th Fire of Life with Rev Kim Mason

Join us for our annual Fire Communion , where we begin the new year by releasing those things holding us back in our hearts and minds.

Order of Service 

 

Sunday December 24th Traditional Christmas Eve with Rev Kim Mason

A joyful Christmas Eve service featuring lessons and carols for all ages, followed by cider and cookies in the Fellowship Hall

Order of Service 

 

Sunday December 17th - Children’s Christmas Pageant with Rev Kim Mason

Join us for our traditional Christmas Pageant featuring participants in the First Unitarian religious education program. This is an all ages service.

Order of Service 

 

Sunday December 10th 2023 - 10am - The Mystery of Miracles with Rev. Kim Mason

The winter holidays bring familiar stresses. When also dealing with loss or change, the holidays can feel more sad than festive. Together we acknowledge the challenges and seek solace in community.

Order of Service 

 

Sunday December 3rd 2023 - 10am - Music Sunday with Rev. Kim Mason and the First Unitarian Choir

Our annual Music Sunday service featuring the First Unitarian Choir performing Schubert's Mass in G

Order of Service 

 

Sunday November 26th 2023 - 10am - Question Box with Rev. Kim Mason

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving we participate in a UU tradition: the Question Box Service. Got a question about Unitarian Universalism? About church? About God or nature or belief? Life, death or the afterlife?  Submit your burning questions to Rev. Kim who will answer them during the service!

Order of Service 

 

Sunday November 19th 2023 - 10am - Cornbread Communion: Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address

Join us for our annual cornbread communion. This year we'll share a responsive reading of the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address featuring members of all ages.

Order of Service 

 

Sunday November 12th 2023 - 10am - Wider Circles with Rev Kim Mason

Mutual thriving is about the well-being and flourishing of all. We begin our exploration of the proposed UU values with a month on the value of Generosity.

Order of Service 

 

Sunday October 29th 2023 - 10am - Life in Plastic (It's Fantastic) with Rev Kim Mason

This summer's blockbuster hit "Barbie" was written and directed by UU Greta Gerwig. On this Sunday before Halloween we'll examine the history and heritage of Barbie and the impact of the movie. 

Order of Service 

 

Sunday October 15th 10am  Pray Without Ceasing with Rev Kim Mason

On October 15, 1826, Unitarian minister Ralph Waldo Emerson preached his first sermon, "Pray Without Ceasing." Emerson left the ministry in 1832, yet the impact of his writings on Transcendentalism shape Unitarian Universalism to this day. 

Order of Service

 

Sunday September 17th10am Answering the Call of Love with Rev. Kim Mason

"Advancing Justice" is part of First Unitarian STL's mission statement, but what does that mean? This Sunday we'll explore five ways we engage with issues in our community and beyond.

Order of Service

 

Sunday September 10th 10am Ingathering: We Got Here Together with Rev. Kim Mason

Each fall as we kick off the church year, we regather by combining water in a shared ritual. The water comes from many sources - mundane and extraordinary, near and far - symbolizing the literal and figurative journeys we've been on this summer, whether or not we ever left home. Join us for this annual tradition!

Order of Service

 

Sunday August 27th, 2023 10am  My Resistance Playlist with Rev. Kim Mason

MLK Jr said "Songs are the soul of movement." We gather this morning to share some of our favorite protest songs and the ways they have inspired us to action and change.

Order of Service


2022/2023 Program Year Services with Rev. Kim Mason


Sunday May 7th 10am Music Sunday with Rev. Kim Mason

Join us for our spring music Sunday. The choir will celebrate with a performance of Mozart's Mass in D Major

Order of Service


Sunday April 23rd The Language of Trees with Rev. Kim Mason

On this Earth Day weekend we combat climate grief with lessons from trees on how to build connections that foster the mutual thriving of all.

Order of Service


Sunday April 2nd  Desert Journey with Rev. Kim Mason

As the Israelites fled enslavement in Egypt, they left behind everything they knew. We explore the Passover story for lessons on surviving the grief that comes with any life transition. 

Order of Service

 

Sunday March 26th The Ministry of Both/And Redux with Rev. Kim Mason

Simone de Beauvoir invites us to tolerate the ambiguity inherent in human nature and to focus our attention on an ethic of care rooted in advancing the freedom of all. How does such an ethic invite trust and expand possibilities for mutual thriving?

Order of Service

 

Sunday March 19th Made for Joy with Rev. Kim Mason

What better time than Women's History month to consider this question: "How much the world adapted to women in power over last 35ish years, and how far we might have to go? Join Rev. Kim as we explore this auction sermon topic.

 

Sunday March 5th 10am - Sustain the Flame with Rev. Kim Mason

Lewis Henry Lapham said "Money is like fire, an element as little troubled by moralizing as earth, air, and water. [We] can employ it as a tool, or…dance around it as if it were the incarnation of a god." As we kick off our annual p,edge canvass, we consider how are we sustaining the flame of our community.

Order of Service

 

Sunday February 19th 2023 10am Yes, And... with Rev Kim Mason

There are no mistakes in improvised theater. Rev. Kim reflects on a year and half of improv training and how improv as a practice for life can make us more resilient.

Order of Service

 

Sunday February 12th 2023 10am Love Can be at the Center with Rev Kim Mason

Our Seven UU Principles have been a guiding force since 1985. Former UUA Moderator Elandria Wililams mentioned that our UU Principles are great but they don't include LOVE. So what would our UU Principles look like if LOVE were at the center? This service will discuss the process to revise the UU Principles.

Order of Service

 

Sunday February 5th 2023 10am Mission Resilience with Rev Kim Mason

Resilience is the ability to recover from difficulties or challenges. How does our congregational mission statement build resilience for this faith community?

 
 

Sunday January 22nd - Ignite the New Year with Rev. Kim Mason

Fire Communion joins our traditions of water communion, cornbread communion, and flower communion. What do you need to release as we enter the new year?

Order of Service

 

Sunday January 15th - The Man, The Dream, The Movement with Rev. Kim Mason

We honor the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr this Sunday with multigenerational service that tells the story of his life and the civil rights movement.

Order of Service

 

Saturday December 24th - Saturday December 24th 2022 - Candlelight Christmas Eve Service

The traditional candlelight Christmas Eve service features lessons and carols, followed by cider and cookies in the Fellowship Hall

Order of Service

 

Sunday December 18th - Children's Christmas Pageant w/ Rev. Kim Mason

Our annual Children's Christmas Pageant features First Unitarian children and youth telling the story of Jesus' birth. Join us for this all ages holiday tradition.

Order of Service

 

Sunday December 11th - Joy Comes in the Morning with Rev. Kim Mason  

Joy is a tool for resilience and resistance. We'll explore how to embrace joy in moments of loss and pain, marginalization and oppression.

Order of Service

 

Sunday December 4th 2022 - Music Sunday: Seven Joys of Christmas with Rev. Kim Mason

Our annual fall Music Sunday features the First Unitarian Choir performing the Seven Joys of Christmas by Kirke Mechem. Join us for this holiday tradition

 

November 20th 2022 - Cornbread Communion: Thank You Party with Rev. Kim Mason

 What makes Uncle Harry's bread so special? Together we'll find out! We share in a practice of gratitude on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. This is an all ages service and includes our annual cornbread communion.

Order of Service

 

November 13th 2022 - The Land Has Memory with Rev. Kim Mason

As we face the looming dangers of climate change, what can we learn about climate resilience from the original inhabitants of this land? Rev. Kim shares some of the lessons from the Prairie Group minister's study program.

Order of Service

 

Sunday November 9th - Remembrance Sunday with Rev. Kim Mason

Grief is proof that love existed. Join us for Remembrance Sunday, when we honor loved ones who have passed away. We will also announce the 2022 First Church Community Fund grant recipients in this service.

Order of Service

 

Sunday October 23rd - The Ministry of Both/ And, Part III with Rev. Kim Mason

We finish our series on Simone de Beauvoir's Ethics of Ambiguity and explore what she means by "To will oneself free is also to will others free." You can view Parts I & II of this sermon series at https://youtu.be/1xcacVavKao and https://youtu.be/05vzTDzWJzM

 

Order of Service

 

Sunday October 9th - Inspiring  Wonder, Awe and Empathy with Rev. Kim Mason

Religion is derived from the two latin words “re” and “ligare” which means “to reconnect”. As Unitarian Universalists we understand ourselves to be part of the interdependent web of all existence, yet modern life insists on a certain about of disconnection just to survive. What if the role of church was to reconnect us to wonder, awe and empathy?

 

Sunday October 2nd - The Ministry of Both/ And, Part II with Rev. Kim Mason

We return to Simone de Beauvoire's Ethics of Ambiguity and explore the paradox of having personal freedom yet existing within the constraints of circumstance and how to achieve genuine freedom. You can view Part I of this sermon series at https://youtu.be/1xcacVavKao


September 18th, 2022 -  After the Storm with Rev. Kim Mason

As fear of the pandemic wanes, we are awakening in more ways to the trauma of the past two years. We revisist Noah for a second week from a lens of recovery and transformation.

Order of Service

 

September 11th, 2022 -  Cloudbursts & Rainbows with Rev. Kim Mason

Our annual Ingathering and Water Communion service kicks off the program year. In light of our recent floods, what does the Biblical story of Noah teach us about resiliency, gratitude and survival?

 

September 4th, 2022 - Bread and Roses with Rev. Kim Mason

On this Labor Day weekend we reflect on how we support workers and what it means to join in solidarity