Spiritual Enrichment and Exploration
Weekend Religious Gatherings
Services
at First Unitarian Society are intended to be intellectually stimulating,
aesthetically pleasing, and spiritually uplifting. Worship leaders
are not bound by a set of fixed liturgical conventions, which means that
the format may change from week to week. Most often, however, our worship
has a thematic focus, with hymns, readings, meditations and music serving
to complement the issue(s) presented in the sermon
or "reflection." In
preparing for these weekly celebrations, our ministers draw upon a wide variety
of sources, ancient and modern, Eastern and Western.
Families are important to us. Each week, Saturday afternoon services welcome
children for the first 20 minutes. Once a month—on "Meeting House
Sundays"—children attend the first portion of our Sunday celebrations.
Four times each year, dedication ceremonies for infants and young children
are conducted as part of the weekend worship services. The ministerial staff
will help parents who are interested in this rite of passage to make these
arrangements. From September through May, services and Religious Education
classes at the Meeting House are generally scheduled as follows: Saturday,
4:30 p.m.; Sunday, 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
From Memorial Day weekend to the end of June, services are held on Sunday only, at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. In July and August, a single Sunday service is offered at 10:00 a.m. The biweekly newsletter and weekly e-mail and web updates carry information specific to each week's schedule. A complete calendar of all events at the Meeting House is also available on this web site.
Special Celebrations
Over the years, the Society has designed worship services to mark special
events in the life of our culture and community. These include:
• All Souls'
Sunday
• Thanksgiving Eve
• Winter Holiday services
on the Solstice and Christmas Eve
• Good Friday vespers & Easter
celebrations
• Passover Seder
• Flower
Communion
• Coming of Age Recognition
Sunday
• Congregational
celebrations of Spirituality and the Arts.
Music and the Arts
The
musical life of First Unitarian Society is rich and varied. Traditional
masterworks,
contemporary anthems, and jazz, folk and Broadway tunes find a warm reception
here. The Society Choir, the Meeting House Chorus, Children's and High
School
choirs, soloists and instrumentalists complement, or on some Sundays, provide
the core of our worship services. New singers are most welcome, and no
auditions
are required. For more information, please contact our Music Director, Dan
Broner (233-9774, extension 21; danb@fusmadison.org)
or Assistant Music Director and Organist, Linda Warren(233-9774, extension
27; lindaw@fusmadison.org).
Left: Our 2 adult
choirs, The Society Choir and The meetinghouse Chorus, join forces for a
special service.
Photo by Don Sylvester
Adult Choirs
Directed by Dan Broner, the Society Choir is one of the largest and most dedicated groups in the Society and has a reputation for excellence in singing the music of the masters, both ancient and modern. Rehearsals are on Thursday evenings, from September through May, from 7:00 to 9:00, followed by a time of fellowship and relaxation.
The Meeting House Chorus was formed in 1997 to perform non-classical music. It meets from September through May on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. A sense of community and greater musical growth is our goal. The Chorus is directed by Dan Broner.
Children's and High School Choirs
Three choirs provide an opportunity for children and youth to develop an appreciation for fine music while extending their circle of friendship at the Society. Choirs meet on Wednesday evenings, with Heather Thorpe directing. Youngsters four years old through second grade rehearse from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m.; children in the third through eighth grade rehearse from 7:30 to 8:10, and the High School Choir meets from 8:15 to 9:00 p.m.
All Music Sunday
Twice a year, in December and April, our Sunday morning worship is devoted to major choral works with orchestra, sung by the Society Choir with guest singers and soloists. An encore performance is provided for the community in the afternoon.
