Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Southern Maryland

09/14/2026

UUFSM Sunday service, September 20 – After the Fall and a Backpack Blessing

Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Church of the Ascension Fellowship Hall, Lexington Park, MD

This week, Jackie Triplett leads our service anchored on a sermon by Rev. Gretchen Haley. Haley says, “We are right now in the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur…Between these two holy days lies the practice of Teshuva, which has as its root, the word “shuv,” or “turn.” The wisdom of Teshuva is, in our culture, often skipped over, as if forgiveness is something we offer when enough time has passed, or when we’re just ready to let it all go. But Teshuva insists there is intentional work we need to do before we reach atonement – or at-one-ment…”

This Sunday is also our Blessing of the Backpacks. School children of all ages and teachers of all ages and subjects should bring their backpack, laptop bag, or a notebook that can be filled with blessings.

Remote attendees: join at the link below.
https://zoom.us/j/91757547354?pwd=BXbgSgnHwIbD72AaCtN6IIGNas6a8n.1
Meeting ID: 917 5754 7354
Passcode: 418798

09/11/2026

Check out our September newsletter to see what's been going on and what's coming up in the congregational life of UUFSM!

Monthly news for UUFSM members and friends. To submit an article, please send information to [email protected]. Click here to view this newsletter online.

09/10/2026

UUFSM Sunday service, September 13 - Water Communion

Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Church of the Ascension Fellowship Hall, Lexington Park, MD

This Sunday is our Water Communion, the annual ingathering service to start our regular church year. Please bring to worship a small container of water from a place that is meaningful to you, perhaps from a beloved place around your home or from your summer travels. Each of us will pour our water into the community bowl and share its significance to us with one another, symbolizing our return to a shared life and faithful experience from many different places and sources. Children are invited to participate in the water ceremony.

Join us in person or on zoom or as we gather in gratitude and solidarity with each other, all the earth, and the life that inhabits it.

Remote attendees: join at the link below.

https://zoom.us/j/91757547354?pwd=BXbgSgnHwIbD72AaCtN6IIGNas6a8n.1

Meeting ID: 917 5754 7354

Passcode: 418798

08/31/2026

September 6 – Annual Picnic, no service
12:00 noon - 4:00 pm

The Annual Picnic is a terrific way to reconnect, enjoy the last of the summer, and look towards our new church year. Please bring a dish to share; water and lemonade will be provided. Plates, napkins, all service utensils, and a couple of coolers with ice will be supplied.

We will set up a hose with a sprinkler for children (and the childlike among us) to play in, and there will be towels available. We will have Co****le, and parents are welcome to bring yard games their children enjoy. There are two kayaks and a three-person canoe that people can enjoy on Herring Creek, and the possibility of short boat rides on a skiff. And there is always good fellowship!

Please contact [email protected] for the location address.

08/23/2026

UUFSM Sunday service, Aug 30 – UU Community of Charlotte, NC
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Church of the Ascension Fellowship Hall, Lexington Park, MD

This week continues our summer viewing series, in which we join other East Coast congregations via Zoom for shared worship. Partway through each service, we’ll step out of the broadcast to share our local Joys and Concerns and to take up our Offering, keeping our familiar touchstones of care and generosity at the heart of our time together.

We will visit the UU Community of Charlotte, NC.

Remote attendees: join at the link below.
https://zoom.us/j/91757547354?pwd=BXbgSgnHwIbD72AaCtN6IIGNas6a8n.1
Meeting ID: 917 5754 7354
Passcode: 418798

08/16/2026

UUFSM Sunday service, Aug 23 – UU Congregation of Westport, CT
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Church of the Ascension Fellowship Hall, Lexington Park, MD

This week continues our summer viewing series, in which we join other East Coast congregations via Zoom for shared worship. Partway through each service, we’ll step out of the broadcast to share our local Joys and Concerns and to take up our Offering, keeping our familiar touchstones of care and generosity at the heart of our time together.

We will visit the UU Congregation of Westport, CT to hear speaker Bob Welsh discuss “How to Breathe Through Anything.”

Remote attendees: join at the link below.
https://zoom.us/j/91757547354?pwd=BXbgSgnHwIbD72AaCtN6IIGNas6a8n.1
Meeting ID: 917 5754 7354
Passcode: 418798

08/09/2026

UUFSM Sunday service, Aug 16 – Mount Vernon Unitarian Church, Alexandria, VA
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Church of the Ascension Fellowship Hall, Lexington Park, MD

This week continues our summer viewing series, in which we join other East Coast congregations via Zoom for shared worship.

We will visit the Mount Vernon Unitarian Church to hear the Rev. Dave Clements offer “Reflections of our Unitarian Roots.” He says, “What can a journey across centuries and continents teach us about courage, community, belonging, and hope? Join us as we share stories, reflections, and lessons from the roots of our tradition, discovering how the wisdom of the past can help guide us into the future.”

Remote attendees: join at the link below.
https://zoom.us/j/91757547354?pwd=BXbgSgnHwIbD72AaCtN6IIGNas6a8n.1
Meeting ID: 917 5754 7354
Passcode: 418798

08/02/2026

UUFSM Sunday service, Aug 9 – Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, NC
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Church of the Ascension Fellowship Hall, Lexington Park, MD

This week continues our summer viewing series, in which we join other East Coast congregations via Zoom for shared worship. Partway through each service, we’ll step out of the broadcast to share our local Joys and Concerns and to take up our Offering, keeping our familiar touchstones of care and generosity at the heart of our time together.

We will visit the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, NC.
Remote attendees: join at the link below.
https://zoom.us/j/91757547354?pwd=BXbgSgnHwIbD72AaCtN6IIGNas6a8n.1
Meeting ID: 917 5754 7354
Passcode: 418798

07/30/2026

UUFSM Sunday service, Aug 2 – Follen Church of Lexington, MA
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Church of the Ascension Fellowship Hall, Lexington Park, MD

This week continues our summer viewing series, in which we join other East Coast congregations via Zoom for shared worship.

We will visit the Follen Church, a UU congregation in Lexington, MA. The Rev. Hillary Collins-Fitzpatrick will deliver a message entitled, “This Is It.” About this sermon, Rev Collins-Fitzpatrick says, “Every moment of our lives we are reacting — reacting to the people around us, the situation at hand, and the environment through which we move. Often these reactions are mindless, almost pre-programmed in us, and they are not always to our benefit nor the benefit of others. If we want to make a change in the world — or even just make the daily routine of our lives less of a rigmarole — what might aid us in becoming aware of our reactions and the power that lies therein?”

Remote attendees: join at the link below.
https://zoom.us/j/91757547354?pwd=BXbgSgnHwIbD72AaCtN6IIGNas6a8n.1

07/22/2026

UUFSM Sunday service, July 26 – First Unitarian Universalist of Richmond VA

UUFSM invites you to church.
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Church of the Ascension Fellowship Hall, Lexington Park, MD

This week continues our summer viewing series, in which we join other East Coast congregations via Zoom for shared worship. Partway through each service, we’ll step out of the broadcast to share our local Joys and Concerns and to take up our Offering, keeping our familiar touchstones of care and generosity at the heart of our time together.

We will visit the First Unitarian Universalist of Richmond VA.

Remote attendees: join at the link below.
https://zoom.us/j/91757547354?pwd=BXbgSgnHwIbD72AaCtN6IIGNas6a8n.1
Meeting ID: 917 5754 7354
Passcode: 418798