April 26 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Guest Speaker: Rev. Dr. Rand Peabody

The sermon will focus on our need to awaken and articulate enhanced degrees of personal development through our opening up channels of creative activity. I am speaking of something beyond the mere journaling of insights or passing occurrences, valuable as such observing and recording can be.

I will draw upon the playwright Thornton Wilder’s sense of the eternal, the poet John Keats’ view of our creative acts as “soul-making”,  and the wisdom of Henry David Thoreau, to focus on our “everyday poetics”  as the forging of our timeless individual identity.  And while pursuing our creative endeavors can utilize many different avenues of personal artistic expression, I will offer examples of two readily accessible forms of poetry that I employ in such an everyday way– haiku writing, and what I call “snapshot poems”.  

As a UU responsive reading puts it, “Creativity is the spark that nurtures our curiosity individually, and together, lets us create a brighter world.”

Dr. Rand Peabody has ministerial standing in The Reformed Church in America.  Between 1988 and 2009, he filled a total of fifteen Interim-Pastoral positions in the Maine and Massachusetts Conferences of the United Church of Christ.  He has served regionally in Norfolk, Weston, Arlington, Melrose, Southborough, Boxborough, Newton, Gardner, Lynnfield, West Medford, and West Concord.  Trained in Pastoral Counseling at Andover Newton Theological School, Rand focused on bringing spiritual healing and systemic awareness to congregations in transition.  Since 2022, Rand and his wife, Sally, have greatly enjoyed living at Brooksby Village, where they are involved in a broad range of activities.

April 19 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Sona Minasian, Music Director

NSUU Musicians

Since 1970, Earth Day has encouraged human beings to rethink their relationship to the environment. Led by Music Director Sona Minasian, NSUU’s Bell Ringers and Singing Group will present music that will inspire care and justice for the earth, its ecosystems and its living beings. Hal Morse joins on guitar and Rev. Caro Barschow will share readings. You’ll be invited to sing along to old and new songs that celebrate our one home, Planet Earth.

The Social Action Sunday Share-the-Plate recipient will be Rest-Stop-Ranch in Topsfield, a inclusive nature preserve built for caregivers and their loved ones.

April 12 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

Guest Musicians Brendan Lo and Erin Lo

This month, we invite you to meet the moment by awakening curiosity. What makes Unitarian Universalism so hard to explain—and is that actually part of its strength? In a faith without a single creed, what holds us together and where are our commonalities? Join us as we explore a question that brings us to the heart of UUism. Our Young Artists guest series concludes today with music for cello and piano by Erin Lo and Brendan Lo.

April 5 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

Celebrate the season of renewal with us on Easter Sunday as we rejoice in the transforming power of spring. Through joyful music from our handbell ringers and singing group, we will lift up the beauty of new life emerging all around us. Together, we’ll reflect on what it means to root ourselves in loving ground—nurturing the courage to grow, whether tentatively or boldly, into the fullness of who we are becoming. Come be part of this playful and hope-filled service of music, meaning, and renewal.

March 29 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

This Sunday kicks off NSUU’s annual pledge drive. This service celebrates the power of generosity to create new pathways for connection, justice, and spiritual growth. Together we’ll dream  about who we are becoming and what we can create as a community. Guest musician Shriya Bhushan will play selections from Beethoven and Brahms, as part of our Young Artists Series. 

March 22 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

 This service invites us to center peace, even as our hearts break witnessing senseless violence in our community and destructive warfare across the world. Inspired by prophetic activists and musicians, we’ll explore how acts of love and solidarity can ripple outward in a fractured world. Join us as we gather to renew our commitment to peace, beginning in our own hearts and neighborhood.

March 15 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Religious Services Committee

Guest Speaker: Joanna Lubkin

“Change is coming. What do we need to imagine?” These lyrics by Molly Bajgot invite us to harness the power of radical imagination to bring about the world we want to see. What we pay attention to grows; let’s turn our attention to what could be possible.  Guest speaker, rabbinical student Joanna Lubkin, will explore the stories — sacred and secular — which help us envision a better world.

Joanna Lubkin is a rabbinical student whose path included ten years of service in UU congregations, college chaplaincy, a lifetime of Jewish education, a passion for songleading, and training as a community organizer. She is called to cultivate radically welcoming communities, where people can feel like they wholeheartedly belong. Joanna is the Worship Arts Lead at The Sanctuary Boston, and recently served as the student rabbi at Etz Hayim Congregation in Derry, NH.

Share the Plate:

March 15

The Danvers HRIC is a cohesive task force against intolerance, bigotry & oppression.  It partners with police, schools,, interfaith leaders and other community organizations to stand against hatred and support those who experience marginalization due to their age, gender, race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, citizenship status  or  socioeconomic status.

March 8 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

Aiden Li and Ian Chen, Guest Musicians

Aspiration means the active connection with spirit. It has qualities of longing, intention, and, at times, ambition. We might access our aspiration through imagery, prayer or story. We will practice ways to pay attention to our aspirations and notice what might be getting in the way. This service begins this year’s Young Artists series. Our guest musicians will be Ian Chen and Aiden Li, high school students at the Wellesley Piano School. Aiden will play pieces by Bach and Beethoven and Ian has prepared Faure’s “Clair de Lune.”

March 1 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

We’ll begin a worship series on “Paying Attention” with an examination of the qualities of attention in Buddhist teachings. We’ll practice gathering our attention through meditation, and consider the challenges to cultivating our attention in a cultural landscape full of demands for our attention.   

Febuary 22 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Reigious Services Committee

Guest Speaker: Peter VanDeBogert

Tchaikovsky, Kermit the Frog, Beethoven, a phony magician, but most of all, Ed Lynn. These are all creative figures that influenced me in my Spiritual Journey of 69 years. Such creative acts can be also known as Prayers in Motion, according to Susan B. Anthony.  

Febuary 15 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

Guest Musician: Jacqueline Schwab

The inherent worth and dignity of every person is a key principle of Unitarian Universalism. In this service, we will explore how love can reshape our relationships to those who wish us harm. We will learn new ways to face our opponents without surrendering our values. This is the 2nd service in a 3 part series based on the See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love by Sikh-American activist and author, Valerie Kaur.

Febuary 8 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Religious Services Committee

What do you need to express before you are no longer here to express it? What are the worries and wishes of your heart, and can you say them aloud? Following the brave example of a person who expanded these questions into a global art form that has touched people around the world, we will have a chance to create a communal document of concern and hope right here at NSUU. Presented by the Religious Services Committee.

Febuary 1 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

We are called again and again into the exquisite risks of living—of loving, belonging, and caring in a world that can wound us. In this worship service, we will reflect on how love asks something of us: vulnerability, courage, and a willingness to be changed. Through story, music, and shared reflection, we will explore how taking these risks is not a failure of wisdom, but a sacred practice that deepens our humanity and binds us more fully to one another.

January 25 Service at 10:30 AM on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

In-person service and all activities are canceled due to the expected snow storm.

No single person can do everything needed to create social change—but each of us can do essential work. In this service, we’ll reflect on how understanding our unique gifts and hopes for growth can help us participate in changemaking without burning out. Drawing on Deepa Iyer’s Social Change Now and her Social Change Ecosystem Map, we’ll explore specific individual and organizational roles that contribute to building a just and peaceful world. Together, we’ll consider how we are called to show up, support one another, and sustain the work over time. Learn more at: https://www.socialchangemap.com/

January 18 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

Join us as we honor the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by reflecting on his work to unite the struggles for racial justice, peace, and labor rights. This service will explore how King’s vision of solidarity calls us to recognize our shared humanity and interconnected movements for liberation. Music from the NSUU Singing Group will help ground us in community, courage, and moral wisdom. On the Social Action Sunday, we will Share-the-Plate with Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network (BIJAN).

January 11 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

How does procrastination relate to our spiritual lives? In this service, we’ll be guided by the gentle humor of Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad story “Tomorrow,” among other wisdom teachings on resisting the work and play of daily living. We’ll reflect on themes of dignity, accountability, and gratitude that can transform resistance into inspiration.

January 4 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Daniel (Dan) Frye, Guest Speaker

December 28 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

Hope Is the Thing: Poems and Songs of Hope and Resilience

In a season that asks much of us, this service invites us to lean into hope as a living, breathing practice. Through poetry and music—including Emily Dickinson’s beloved “Hope is the thing with feathers” and the Chapin Sisters’ stirring “We Will Not Stop Singing”—we’ll reflect on resilience, courage, and the ways hope carries us forward. The service will also include a gentle, reflective opportunity to write a letter to yourself as we step into the new year.

December 24 Service at 5:00 PM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

“Each night a child is born is a holy night,” begins a poem by Unitarian Universalist religious educator Sophia Lyon Fahs. Through Scripture, carols, and contemporary readings, we will reflect on the message Christmas offers for our world today about compassion, determination and the sacredness of all life. Come share in candlelight, music, and community as we honor the beauty and meaning of this night.

December 21 Service at 6:30 PM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

Dark and Still

To mark the longest night of the year, join us for a contemplative Winter Solstice service honoring the deep gifts of darkness and quiet. Through honoring the directions & elements, chanting & song, and carrying a Yule log to the outdoor fire, we will celebrate the turning of the year and the humble, hopeful work of igniting the flame of renewal. Come sing together, pause together, and welcome the returning light with intention and reverence. (Join via Zoom & In-Person)

December 14 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

“Music Sunday: Transformations” (Christian and Jewish stories of resilience)

Join us for a joyful and reflective Music Sunday as we explore stories of resilience and transformation told to celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah. This special service will feature musical offerings from the NSUU Singing Group and our Bell Ringers that will illuminate hope, renewal, and the courage to begin again.

December 7 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Religious Services Committee

We will contemplate this season of anticipation, of expecting, of hoping, of wanting. After an abbreviated service, we will gather to make holiday swags with fresh winter greens and some other holiday crafts. There will also be a table for wrapping our donations to the annual Giving Tree. Cider and snacks will be served.

November 30 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

In this service, we will honor both personal and collective losses that shape our lives and our world. Through poetry, reflection, and shared silence, we will explore the many ways grief moves through us—sometimes heavy, sometimes illuminating—and how resilience grows in the presence of compassion and community.

November 23 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

How do we practice compassion for those we struggle to understand—or even those who oppose us? This Sunday’s service, we draw inspiration from Sikh author and activist Valerie Kaur and her vision of Revolutionary Love. Together, we’ll explore how Kaur’s “compass” guides us to wonder, grieve, and fight for one another as part of a shared, diverse, and beloved world. Join us as we learn to see no stranger, but rather, to see ourselves reflected in each other.

November 16 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

This Sunday, we’ll explore how our relationship with nature reflects our theological imagination and our capacity for connection and compassion towards our living Earth. Drawing inspiration from the wisdom of Potawatomi scientist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer, we’ll reflect on practices of reciprocity—how we might move from seeing nature as a resource to honoring it as kin. Join us for a service of reverence, curiosity, and renewal in our shared web of life.

Safety Song

Share The Plate

For: DANVERS PEOPLE TO PEOPLE FOOD PANTRY

Given the government’s shocking response to blocking funds for the SNAP (i.e. food stamps) program) the need is great to provide sustenance to our neighbors and friends. This month’s Share the Plate is devoted to providing help to our local food pantry. Checks or cash donations to: Danvers People to People Food Pantry will be collected during our weekly offering on November 16. Please be as generous as you are able to be.  In addition, we are still collecting items for the food basket in fellowship hall. A list of needed items will be available next to the basket.

November 9 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Religious Services Committee

Almost exactly 16 years ago, on November 12, 2009, the Charter for Compassion was unveiled to the world. It is a collaborative declaration of the universal principle of compassion, and a call to action for justice, equity, and respect that has continued to inspire compassionate action in individuals, communities, and institutions around the world. This service will deepen our understanding of compassion as a gift to ourselves and to the world. This service is offered to our community by the Religious Services Committee and members of the NSUU congregation.

November 2 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

Despite our best intentions we sometimes have a hard time saying what we need to say to others. We’ll meditate on a saying from 12 step recovery programs – “Clear is kind, unclear is unkind” – as we explore the vulnerability it requires from us to communicate with clarity. Research from social scientist Brené Brown will offer insight on speaking up and creating boundaries in different areas of our lives, rooted in kindness.

October 26 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom – A River Remembers

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

Like a river that carries our reflections and stories, memory flows through us—softly, persistently, shaping who we are. In this service of remembrance, we honor the lives of loved ones who have died and the ways their love still moves within us. You are invited to bring a photo, memento, or small object representing someone you wish to remember, to place on our shared altar of memory and love. Together, we’ll let the current of remembrance carry us toward gratitude, connection, and peace, with music from the NSUU Singing Group.

October 19 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom – Cultivating Compassion

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

This service begins a six-week exploration of meeting the moment by cultivating compassion. We will begin within, exploring Dr. Kristin Neff’s research on mindful self-compassion. We’ll practice through guided meditation. We’ll make connections between the inner cultivation of compassion and the expression of compassion in our actions in the world towards justice, peace and beloved community. This 3rd Sunday of the month is Social Action Sunday with a Share-the-Plate collection.

October 12 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom – The Stone Sat Still

Religious Services Committee

Do you  have a favorite place to walk or see the sunset or the starry sky? Is there a group or community where you feel a sense of belonging? Those same places and groups can be seen in countless ways depending on one’s perspective, over many years and in different situations. They become memories for those who knew them, a lasting legacy of the interconnectedness of nature and the different ways we see the world.

October 5 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom – Covenant

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

We will explore the meaning of covenant as a living, evolving promise that grounds us in relationship and shared intention. Unlike creed, covenant is not about uniformity or fixed truth, but about harmony, trust, and co-creation. In Unitarian Universalism, covenant is both the mosaic of our shared stories and the grout that holds us together— calling us into courage to be ourselves and to be responsible to one another.

September 28 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom – Loneliness

Members of the Religious Services Committee

Here we gather not because we think the same, but because we choose to journey together.  Belonging is not something given, it is something we build with open hands and open hearts.”   These words of David Breeden are just a few of the many that inspired this week’s service on one aspect of “Belonging” and that is “Loneliness.”  Come and hear Terri Hansen and Judy Putnam share some of their thoughts, insights and understanding on this very personal topic that can be a tender one for many. 

September 21 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom – Homeland

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

Together we will reflect on the notion of a homeland—the places that shape us and the people who claim us and the belonging we seek along the way. We will honor the ache of displacement and the complexity of carrying more than one home in the heart. Featuring music from the NSUU Singing Group.

September 14 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom – Building Belonging

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

This Sunday we explore the deep human need to belong—how true belonging is rooted not in “fitting in,” but in living authentically from our values. As Unitarian Universalists, belonging calls us into love, equity, pluralism, interdependence, and generosity, reminding us that our communities thrive when each voice is heard and each person is embraced. In a time of division, we practice belonging to ourselves and one another so that we can stay grounded in compassion, resist fear, and build connections across our differences.

September 7 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom – Ingathering Water Ceremony

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

The Tao Te Ching teaches, “Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water, yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it.” In this first Sunday of the new church year, we will reflect on the strength of water. You are welcome to bring water from your tap or from your travels for a water ceremony honoring the power of this element and our sacred interconnections. This service will feature music from the NSUU Singing Group and Music Director Sona Minasian.

August 17 Service at 10:30 AM in the Church and on Zoom 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

Rev. Caro will share her learnings about the Meet the Moment framework from the UUA General Assembly in June, and engage the group in a discussion. Meet the Moment is a new framework helping Unitarian Universalists analyze, discern, and take values-based action in response to today’s religious, cultural, generational, and political realities.

No Services on August 24 and August 31.  Weekly Services resume on Sunday, September 7th at 10:30 AM