Unitarian Universalist Society East

09/03/2026

On Sunday, Sept. 6, we're participating in "Labor in the Pulpit," a program of the AFL-CIO. We'll be joined by the president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, Ed Hawthorne. We'll have an opportunity to engage in dialogue with him about the state of the labor movement in Connecticut and nationally. The service is at 10 AM at the meetinghouse and on Zoom. For the Zoom link, visit uuse.org and sign up to receive news about the congregation or email [email protected].

08/27/2026

Join us at 10 AM Sunday, Aug. 30, for our annual coffeehouse service where UUSE musicians and poets will share their talents. This service has become a beloved end-of-summer tradition. Always fun, always meaningful, always a wonderful reflection of the diversity and passion within the UUSE community. You can attend in person or on Zoom. Email [email protected] or sign up at uuse.org to receive the Zoom link and news about the congregation.

(Photos show performers at past coffeehouses. The coffeehouse is held on the first Saturday of the month October-May; sign up starts at 6 PM, performances at 6:30.)

08/26/2026

How would you finish this sentence?

Finish the sentence: You know you’re at a UU church when ______.

Every UU congregation has those little moments that make you think, “Yep, I’m definitely at a UU church.” 😄

What’s yours? Drop them in the comments—we want to hear them! 🔥💛

08/22/2026

May our schools be places where every person is welcomed in the fullness of who they are—places where students and educators are safe, where curiosity is nurtured, differences are honored, and everyone has the opportunity to learn, grow, and belong.

For some students, teachers, families, and school communities, the new school year is already underway. For others, those first days are just around the corner.

As another school year begins, we’re thinking especially of the students, educators, staff, caregivers, and families stepping into new classrooms, campuses, routines, relationships, and expectations.

May our schools be places where every person is welcomed in the fullness of who they are—places where students and educators are safe, where curiosity is nurtured, differences are honored, and everyone has the opportunity to learn, grow, and belong.

In the words of Rev. Debra Haffner’s blessing, "A New Year for Beloved Community":

“We gather together at the start of this new year
With gratitude and love
For those who have come before us
For those who stand here with us
May it be a good year. May it be a sweet year.”

To everyone beginning a new school year: may it be a year of learning, safety, belonging, growth, and beloved community. 💛

Read the full blessing at the link in the comments.

08/20/2026

As Unitarian Universalists, we believe all life is sacred. Anyone who has had a connection to an animal has felt the interdependence of all life. On Sunday, Aug. 23, we will lift up our non-human family and celebrate all that they bring to our lives. The service is at 10 AM in person at the meetinghouse and on Zoom. Email [email protected] or visit uuse.org and sign up to receive the Zoom link and other news about the congregation.

08/18/2026

UUA offers this resource

The Woodlands returns September 6! 🌳

This monthly online spiritual community is beginning a new season of connection, care, joy, and rest for trans, non-binary, Two-Spirit, gender-expansive, intersex, gender-blessed, and gender non-conforming people—and those who love them.

And this year, The Woodlands is growing. We’re excited to introduce Sweetgums, a new dedicated space for the partners and spouses of trans people, alongside small community groups for trans youth and adults, parents, caregivers, and families.

Rooted in Unitarian Universalist values, The Woodlands offers a space where trans lives are not up for debate or explanation, but are honored as sacred, whole, and worthy of care.

Monthly gatherings resume September 6 at 5 p.m. Eastern / 2 p.m. Pacific.

Learn more and register at the link in the comments.

08/12/2026

On Sunday, Aug. 16, join us for Our Poetry Connection. Many things bind our beloved community together, including the arts, and for this service, poetry. Members and friends will share poems they wrote or by their favorite poet that inspire them and hold personal meaning. The service is at 10 AM at the meetinghouse and on Zoom. For the Zoom link, email [email protected] or visit uuse.org and sign up to receive news about the congregation.



Photo by Suzy Hazelwood via pexels.com

08/10/2026

Thoreau’s three chairs offer a simple image for the different kinds of connection that sustain us.

There is solitude: time to listen inwardly, reflect, and reconnect with what grounds us.

There is friendship: relationships where we can be known, cared for, challenged, and changed.

And there is community: spaces where we practice belonging, live our values alongside others, and join together in the work of creating a more just and loving world.

A full life asks us to find a balance among all three, and to trust ourselves to know when each one is needed.

08/06/2026

On Sunday, Aug. 9, we complete the two-part series about the book "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz with the last two agreements: Don't make Assumptions and Always Do Your Best. We know what happens when we ass/u/me... but how do we avoid falling into that trap, especially with the people we know best? And how do we find a balance between always doing our best ... and running ourselves ragged? Join us for a thought-provoking service as we explore how Ruiz's agreements can help us better live the UU principles and values. The service is at 10 AM in person and on Zoom. For the Zoom link, email [email protected] or visit uuse.org and sign up to receive news about the congregation.

08/03/2026

Our showing up for electoral justice, especially in this election season, is an investment in each other and through this, an investment in democracy. The promise of democracy lives in the collective whole and it is made manifest through our actions and our care for one another.

We take in stories each day – headlines, ideologies, campaign tactics, politics, and stump speeches – attempting to convince us that human goodness is impossible. It would be understandable to adopt this lens as our own in this chaotic time, if it were not for the way we as Unitarian Universalists live with one another in community.

When we affirm in our congregations and communities that humanity is inherently worthy and met in that highest value by all of creation, when we give of our time and our resources to strengthen the work of partnership and faithful witness, we are refuting the stories of the day and renewing the very wholeness and possibility of our tradition.

Nicole Pressley, the UUA’s Organizing Strategy Team director, insists that for democracy to work, we need one another and therefore, we must care for each other. All of the work of Side With Love is an investment in democracy and the collective power of community. It is all about the promise, the process, and the people.

Our labor on behalf of climate justice is an investment in democracy. Our work for abolition is an investment in democracy. Our insistence on bodily autonomy through reproductive justice, LGBTQ and gender justice, and disability rights is an investment in democracy. Organizing against criminalization as racial justice and immigration justice is an investment in democracy.

Our showing up for electoral justice, especially in this election season, is an investment in each other and through this, an investment in democracy. The promise of democracy lives in the collective whole and it is made manifest through our actions and our care for one another.