Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence

06/06/2026

It’s time for another Freedom Summer, says USNF member Teresa Amabile - and we heartily agree!

A partisan Supreme Court decision threatens to largely undo the progress that the Voting Rights Act made against Black disenfranchisement. In the face of this terrible turn of events, ordinary people must act.

05/30/2026

Join USNF Sunday, May 31, at 10am for a service at Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity (130 Pine St., Florence), followed by our annual congregational meeting. All members are requested to attend the congregational meeting. (Everyone is welcome for the service and meeting, however only members may vote.)

The service, "The State of the Mission," will be led by interim minister Rev. Eric Cherry and will consider the intersections of Mission, Polity, and Vision during an abbreviated worship service. The Annual Congregational Meeting will begin immediately after the service has concluded.

For more late spring/summer service locations (while our Great Hall ceiling is being repaired), visit uunorthampton.org/summer2026.

05/22/2026

Join USNF Sunday, May 24, at 10am for a service at Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity (130 Pine St., Florence). The service, "Honoring Sacrifice," will be led by interim minister Rev. Eric Cherry.

"Supreme Court Justice, Unitarian, and Civil War Veteran Oliver Wendell Holmes famously wrote, 'I see them now, more than I can number, as once I saw them on this earth. They are the same bright figures, or their counterparts, that come also before your eyes; and when I speak of those who were my [siblings], the same words describe yours.'

On this Memorial Day weekend, we remember and honor the sacrifices of those who died while serving in the branches of the US military."

For more late spring/summer service locations (while our Great Hall ceiling is being repaired), visit uunorthampton.org/summer2026.

05/16/2026

Don’t miss this event to benefit Transhealth — one of our Share the Plate partners — tonight at the Academy!

ONE WEEK LEFT to purchase tickets before Transhealth’s Freedom to Be Ourselves Annual
Benefit. Thanks to the tremendous support from our sponsors, we are able to lower ticket prices
to just $10 (plus fees)!

Join us on Saturday, May 16th, 7:30pm at the Northampton Academy of Music. Celebrate and
support Transhealth’s mission of protecting and expanding access to gender-affirming care with
an unforgettable evening that will illuminate the power of hope, the warmth of joy, and the
courage required to live authentically.

This year, we’re joined by special guest Mercury Stardust (she/they), we’ll ask about her
experience being invited into people’s homes and hearts as “The Trans Handy Ma’am” and as
an educator, author, performance artist, fundraiser and advocate for trans rights and healthcare.

Featuring a powerful keynote as well as our first ever Community Impact Awards! Come
celebrate 5 Years of protecting & expanding gender-affirming.

ACCESSIBILITY: Wheelchair accessible, ASL interpreting, mask optional. All are welcome, including kids!

Learn more and get tickets at
tinyurl.com/FreedomToBeOurselves

05/15/2026

Tomorrow! May 16 at 7:30pm at the Academy!
Support Transhealth — one of our Share the Plate partners — and hear from Mercury Stardust as she shares her
experience of being invited into people’s homes and hearts as “The Trans Handy Ma’am” and as an educator, author, performance artist, fundraiser and advocate for trans rights and healthcare. TransHealth will also present their first ever Community Impact Awards. Tickets are still available ($10) tinyurl.com/FreedomToBeOurselves

ONE WEEK LEFT to purchase tickets before Transhealth’s Freedom to Be Ourselves Annual
Benefit. Thanks to the tremendous support from our sponsors, we are able to lower ticket prices
to just $10 (plus fees)!

Join us on Saturday, May 16th, 7:30pm at the Northampton Academy of Music. Celebrate and
support Transhealth’s mission of protecting and expanding access to gender-affirming care with
an unforgettable evening that will illuminate the power of hope, the warmth of joy, and the
courage required to live authentically.

This year, we’re joined by special guest Mercury Stardust (she/they), we’ll ask about her
experience being invited into people’s homes and hearts as “The Trans Handy Ma’am” and as
an educator, author, performance artist, fundraiser and advocate for trans rights and healthcare.

Featuring a powerful keynote as well as our first ever Community Impact Awards! Come
celebrate 5 Years of protecting & expanding gender-affirming.

ACCESSIBILITY: Wheelchair accessible, ASL interpreting, mask optional. All are welcome, including kids!

Learn more and get tickets at
tinyurl.com/FreedomToBeOurselves

05/15/2026

Join USNF this Sunday at 10am for a service at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary. The service "After the Interim" will be led by interim minister Rev. Eric Cherry and the Transitions Team.

"As we approach the end of our interim ministry, let’s reflect on the path we’ve followed, what we’ve discovered, and how it shapes the journey ahead."

More information about late spring/summer service locations (while our Great Hall ceiling is being repaired) can be found at uunorthampton.org/summer2026.

05/14/2026

Our new settled minister, Rev. Melissa Carvill Ziemer, shared some insights about what Unitarian Universalism can offer in these times, when she was interviewed by the Daily Hampshire Gazette last week. What draws you to Unitarian Univesalism? Or, if you haven't joined us yet, what are you looking for?

Thank you for the coverage, Daily Hampshire Gazette!
Read the full article at https://gazettenet.com/2026/05/08/unitarian-universalist-church-finds-new-settled-minister/

05/09/2026

Welcome, Reverend Melissa Carvill Ziemer! Our society greets you with open arms!

NORTHAMPTON — Although she was raised in a secular household, the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence’s new settled minister, Rev. Melissa Carvill Ziemer, said she long sought the sense of meaning, community and tradition often found in organized religion. Now, after more than 20 years...

05/08/2026

Join USNF on Sunday for a service with Rev. Eric Cherry at our temporary new location at Bombyx (130 Pine St., Florence)! See uunorthampton.org/summer2026 for more about our spring and summer locations.

04/29/2026

Join USNF and our minister candidate for a community dinner, game night, and pop-up kids’ choir tonight at 5:30! Fun for all ages! Dinner is provided, but additional sides, desserts, and non-alcoholic beverages are welcome! (Our community dinners always include gluten-free and vegan options.).