About Our Worship

We gather together in spiritual community in order to support one another, and return our focus to what matters most in life. In a world of heartbreak and dehumanization, our congregations and communities call us to our better selves. We learn to live with more wisdom, more connection, and more compassion.

Our worship services are weekly reflections that weave together our own thoughts and experiences with music, beauty, poetry, and words that both comfort and challenge. Our programs for all ages inspire us, and awaken us to our capacities to make a difference in our own lives and in the world.

We are inspired not just by religious sources but by the people with whom we journey: the diverse and spirited Unitarian Universalists.

​Connect with us to join in. Discover our upcoming services here.

Faith is a journey best taken together. In this complex, chaotic world, we long for connection. Those connections — relationships between family and community —  are at the heart of our religious exploration offerings. After all, for most, families are the ultimate builders of values. Learn more about our Family Ministry and Religious Exploration program here.

Music and Choir

Music is an important part of our worship services. It can speak to the soul deeply and powerfully, creating a time of beauty and reflection. Music can raise us up and carry us toward a vision of beloved community. Jo Ellen Miano, music director, leads us at our Steinway piano or in congregational circle singing throughout the service. Our music is selected to serve as a spiritual anchor throughout the service. Frequently, soloists participate in live singing. Our congregation engages in uplifting communal singing and even with those attendees on Zoom! 

“I find that the music in our services can often brings people to a deep connection with each other, creating a shared understanding or empathy. We really incorporate lots kinds of music . . . whatever the worship service’s theme calls for, ” Miano says.

We often frame our worship services with opening and closing music, often drawn from Singing the Living Tradition and Singing the Journey.

“In addition, we look to engage people beyond simply singing from a hymnbook. We like to get moving, clapping, swinging.” We look for music that keeps centering on our UU movement’s commitment to anti-racism, anti-oppression, and multiculturalism. As Erika Hewitt, UUA Minister of Worship Arts, says, “[We] want to weave in  . . . practices of disrupting white supremacy culture, and [we] want to invite equity and diversity and inclusion.”

We are excited to begin drawing from the upcoming Virtual Hymnal that the Unitarian Universalist Association is developing. It will be a living collection of song resources through an accessible, equitable, online platform grounded in UU values. This virtual hymnal will help Unitarian Universalism live into our prophetic calling as a joyful, liberatory, and anti-oppressive faith.

Interested in sharing your musical talents? Contact us at love@uuplattsburgh.org.

Music in Film

Join us on Saturday, May 31, 3:30 p.m.
Interfaith Movie Series (in partnership with SUNY Plattsburgh’s Interfaith Alliance)

For the third in our new movie series, we are screening a 2021 Disney animated film in partnership with SUNY Plattsburgh’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the SUNY Interfaith Alliance!

We will be showing a film for the whole family (PG)! Wonderful characters, fabulous songs and dancing. Themes of family, fantasy, secrets, empathy, immigration.

Film begins at 3:30 p.m. Running time: 1 hour, 42 minutes.

FREE and open to the public. Join us for a family potluck immediately afterwards . . . or starting when the kids get hungry!

For details or more information: Contact the BLM team at love@uuplattsburgh.org or diversity@plattsburgh.edu

Music During The Week

Fun. Joy. Connection.
Wintry Mix of Music & Story Together: Activities for Young Children
Saturday, Jan. 25 and Feb. 22, 3:30-5:30 p.m.

We’re expanding our Saturday music and story program! Once a month over the colder weather season, we gather to celebrate our little ones and their families. Build connections, young and old together.

We’ve got two groups for the children: one for 2-3-year-olds and one for Pre-K children to grade 2. Activities are especially designed for the children and their grownups and siblings.

Our free-wheeling family supper time together offers the grownups some time to connect with each other!

So that we can design activities for two age groups, we’ll meet in two spaces at the fellowship:

• In the open sanctuary space for Pre-K to grade 2.
• In the basement for children ages 2-3.

Here’s how the afternoon will be loosely planned, based on the ages of children who arrive with their adult loved ones: 
˜˜3:30
Welcome Time
˜˜3:40
We begin our music and story sessions (one age group in sanctuary and one age group downstairs). After the first 20-minute session, the group leaders (Jo El Miano/music & movement and Kris Lutters/story and activities) will trade places for another 20 minutes.
˜˜4:30
We all come together for a Big Circle Time: singing & movement for the entire group — kids and grownups together!
˜˜4:40-5:15
We hang together for a casual and free-wheeling family supper to close up our time together. If you want to bring a favorite snack, we’ll all enjoy it. But we’ll provide pizza.

Contact Jo El Miano at joellen.miano@gmail.com or 518-578-5821 or re@uuplattsburgh.org

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For years, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Plattsburgh has been known as a host of public concerts featuring bluegrass, jazz and folk genres, among others, through its distinguished Palmer Street Coffeehouse. The coffeehouse remains closed at this time.