What is Theme-Based Ministry?

Theme-based ministry is a new way of doing church and faith development that brings Unitarian Universalists together across differences of life experience, age, or beliefs. It’s a way of helping us focus and deepen, both in our spiritual lives, and in our connections to one another.

Each month, we look at a new monthly theme – past themes have included Hospitality, for example, or Compassion. Throughout the month, the entire community explores dimensions of this theme though aspects of our common life at the church, such as music, meditation, and reflections from the pulpit. There are also organized monthly small theme discussion groups that meet from October through May; please see our Covenant Groups page for more information.

Ministry themes for 2026-2027 are:

• October 2026: Agency and Acceptance How do we practice agency today, whether in our personal circumstances or as groups in
  society? What systemic factors make our agency possible (or limit it)? What does acceptance of others look like, and how can it be life-giving?
• November 2026: Change and Stability How do we practice adapting to change, especially when change is unexpected or challenging? How do we practice ways of creating stability for ourselves and others in times of profound change?
• December 2026: Humility and Pride How do we understand ourselves and our place inside a larger frame? How do we celebrate our own gifts – and our communities’ gifts – while leaving room for others?
• January 2027: Responsibility and Integrity How do we develop a practice of responsibility to our community in a culture that promotes self-interest? Can we be empowered by contributing to the whole without also taking ownership?
• February 2027: Power and Powerlessness How do we become aware of our personal power and use the power that we have to leverage our values? How can we encourage communities to distribute power equitably and how do we interact with systems when they are inequitable?
• March 2027: Expectations and Surprises How do our expectations shape our relationships and communities? What practices can we use to discern when expectations could be higher and when we might broaden them? How can we stay open to surprises and the unexpected gifts they may offer?
• April 2027: Forgiveness and Repair How do we practice forgiveness and repair within and beyond our UU Communities? When can these practices strengthen our relationships and communities? How do we see others as more than their mistakes?
• May 2027: Community and Individuality How do we practice community while managing the diversity of individual needs? How do we carefully choose what is best for the whole?

The October-May themes come from the Meaning Making project, created collaboratively by four Canadian UU ministers, Revs Arran Morton, Fiona Heath, Meg Roberts, and Karen Fraser Gitlitz. The overarching theme for the year is Facing the Future Together: we are exploring our interdependence from the perspective of community. How do we make space for the flourishing of both the individual and the community? What personal values and practices nurture the kinds of communities that will help us meet the future? We may not know what the future holds, but we know it will be better if we face it together.