Caro Barschow, Minister

Listening is a path to peace, yet it is a skill that few of us are taught. Beneath the definition of a spoken or written word, there is humanity to discover. What are some common mistakes that we make in listening? What are some techniques for learning to listen as a path to peace? This service will feature music by the NSUU Singing Group.

Religious Services Committee

Soul Matters is a living curriculum, a deep resource centered on universal themes that matter to us as Unitarian Universalists. Month by month, these themes focus us on a spiritual value that our UU faith has historically honored and calls all of us to embody in our lives. This year’s overarching framework is “The Practices of Our Faith,” created to help us see our denomination as a lived faith that inspires us to act, live, and love our values out in the world. The Religious Services Committee will introduce Soul Matters and this year’s themes, and help us all think about what they mean to us as individuals and UUs.

Caro Barschow, Minister

Brendan and Erin Lo, Cello and Piano

*Rising Stars* Guest Musicians

Come for a celebration of the autumn equinox and reflection on how this new season invites us to trust change. We will be joined by guest musicians Brendan Lo on cello and Erin Lo on piano, playing selections from Brahms and Debussy. These siblings are the first performers in NSUU’s Rising Stars guest series featuring talented young musicians.

Following the service, return to the Sanctuary for a Talk Back conversation with Brendan and Erin Lo.

Caro Barschow, Minister

An invitation can lead us down a new path. It is not uncommon for Unitarian Universalists to say that the first time they attended a UU Church was because a friend invited them. On this Sunday, worship will explore the art of asking. You are welcome to extend an invitation to a friend to come to church. Perhaps your friend would like to stay after to help complete Get Out the Vote Postcards. Or maybe join in a Sunday Stroll at 2pm. See the current “Good Things are Happening” for more details regarding Get Out the Vote: Do Your Bit to Promote Democracy

Caro Barschow, Minister

Each time we gather, we gather anew. This year, Ingathering Sunday invites us back into community after a summer break. The ritual of pouring water – symbolizing the vibrant energy of the summer season – into one vessel will center our service. You are welcome to bring with you to church a jar or bottle of water for the ritual, from your tap or from your travels. The NSUU Singing Group will sing with guidance and accompaniment by Judy Putnam.

Rev. Molly Housh Gordon, Worship Leader of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbia, MO

Rev. Caro will lead a NSUU Cares and Celebrations during this special Zoom only service

We are all tangled up together in a great web of life that is woven with beauty and hardship, love and loss, thriving and struggle. How do we tend well to the weaving so that all of us are held in care?

Rev. Molly Housh Gordon will be joined by Violet Vonder Haar, Jamila Bachelder, and a host of other ministers from around the US. Musicians include Natasha Steinmacher, Lea Morris, Francisco Ruiz; beheld, and Paul Winchester. Choirs from 8 churches, including First Parish UU in Lexington, MA.

*This will be NSUU’s final Zoom service prior to a summer break.

Caro Barschow, Minister
Ethan Hackett, Music Director

Holding a Flower Communion is an annual ritual that celebrates beauty, diversity, and community. This ritual entered our living tradition about 100 years ago at a Unitarian Church in Czechoslovakia. Bring to the Sanctuary a flower from your garden, or share from a common bouquet. This ritual will celebrate with music from the Singing Group, the Bell Choir and a four-hands piano performance by Ethan Hackett and Judy Putnam.

*This will be NSUU’s final in-person service prior to a summer break.

Caro Barschow, Minister

This month’s theme for worship is Renewal. Many of us have had fresh starts in our lives. Sometimes they come because we seek them and other times they surprise us. There are times we are hungry for change and other times that we resist it mightly. How does our spiritual life impact how we respond to the invitation to start anew?

Rumni Saha, Guest Speaker

In the sermon “Dancing with the Divine” Rumni Saha explores Nataraja’s dance of divine creation, destruction, and transformation, drawing parallels with the cycles of life and death as well as the interconnection of all things, the search for spiritual enlightenment, the quest for truth and the pursuit of justice which our Unitarian Universalist Principles uphold.

About the Speaker

Rumni Saha considers herself to be a proud Hindu, a fierce Unitarian Universalist, and a devoted Religious Humanist. She is an active member of the Unitarian Church of Sharon where she has lived with her family since 2001. Rumni was a long-time Public School Educator, a newspaper columnist, and a regular contributor to the Huffington Post before receiving a Master of Divinity Degree from Boston University School of Theology in May of 2023. She currently serves as the Hindu and the Unitarian Universalist Chaplain at Wellesley College. Rumni considers India, her home country, as having given her roots and her adopted country, her wings. 

Religious Service Committee

Art communicates with us at a deep level. Humans are makers, and making art is a part of us!  Join us in the sanctuary or online to answer that creative impulse by making your own paper collage project. 

Instruction and all materials will be supplied for those in the sanctuary; for those joining the service from home, you may want to have some creative materials at hand (paper, scissors, glue, magazine pages, journal, or any other creative project you would like to work on).

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

In their 2017 book Daring Democracy, co-authors Frances M. Lappé and Adam Eichen describe democracy movements around the world and anti-democratic economic and social forces. They highlight our political needs for personal agency, a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose in our community. These are spiritual needs, too. In today’s worship, we seek to understand: how does political life in today’s democracy meet—or not meet—our spiritual needs? 

Guest Speaker, Gina Tzizik

In May 2023, after 150 years, the Comanche, Kiowa, and Apache tribes of Oklahoma were allowed to view their tribal sacred items. Gina Tzizik was a guest and witness to families and tribal members reuniting with their sacred ritual artifacts. She will share pictures and stories from this two-day event.

Gina Tzizik is an Artist, educator, and early childhood teacher trainer. Gina’s art centers on spirituality, drawing inspiration from ancient texts, symbols, and rituals to convey timeless wisdom and sacredness. She holds a Master’s Degree in Jewish education from Hebrew College, Newton, MA, and a Master’s Degree in Montessori education from Endicott College, Beverly, MA, She holds an American Montessori Society Pre-Primary Certification and Torah Godly Play certification. She has extensive training in Reggio Emilia’s educational philosophy and has lived and worked in Italy, Germany, and the United States.

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

A monthly theme of pluralism invites us to celebrate that we are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology. What does it take to embrace our differences and commonalities with love, curiosity, and respect? This service will include an update on new language regarding pluralism proposed for the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Bylaws Article II, the statement of purpose and beliefs for our church’s denomination. 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

Good, better, best. Top 10 Lists. My Favorites. Greatest Of All Time. Ranks and ratings come easily to our human minds. What is the cost of this habit? Author adrienne marie brown says, “Humans are unique because we compete when it isn’t necessary. We could reason our way to more sustainable practices, but we use our intelligence to outsmart each other. We compete for fun, for ego.” Let’s consider together how and why competition can be in contest with our UU values of mutuality and interdependence. 

NSUU Green Sanctuary Team

The NSUU Green Sanctuary Team presents our 11th tribute to Earth Day (established 1970).  Join us – in person or on Zoom – in commemorating this holiday with music, stories, and a presentation by long-time environmentalist Rep. Kristen Kassner of Massachusetts 2nd Essex District.

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

Poet Mary Oliver offers these “Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” When we approach with humility and reverence the interdependent web of all existence, of which we are a part, we can be led towards a deeper caring and respect for all of creation. Let’s cultivate ways to pay attention right where we are to that sacred web.

Religious Services Committee, Speakers

Priscilla Odinmah, Guest Musician

Modern life encourages a non-stop mentality. Our culture overvalues the drive to achieve at the same time it undervalues rest. Humans need both! Honoring our own rhythms of rest and work, of dormancy and action, helps support our own wellbeing and that of the larger world. In today’s service, we will explore the spiritual and dimensions of action and rest. Vocalist Priscilla Odinmah will present music by well-known Brazilian composers

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

This Sunday, we join together to acknowledge the Christian celebration of Easter. Opened by the singing group and featuring the bell choir, this service explores rebirth and the nature of all things through music and ideas. Sing with us the hymn “Morning Has Broken,” then we’ll examine together why the Gospel depiction of Jesus Chist as “the Word” mattered for his early followers and what it might mean for our time on Earth. 

NSUU Singing Group and Ethan Hackett, Music Director

Bring your voice, spirit, and joyful being for a music-filled celebration of the changing season! Musical offerings will be made by the singing group and bell choir, with a special four-hands piano performance! Together we will mark the beginnings of new life and the incoming of fresh energy in a spirited spring equinox service. Not one to be missed! 

Rev. Caro Barschow, Minister

Stewardship means the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care. In a Unitarian Universalist congregation like ours, the care of our people, our mission and our church building arises through the dedication of our volunteer time and our financial resources. The act of stewardship often leads to both our church community’s growth and our personal growth. Today marks a “kick-off” for NSUU’s annual pledge campaign. Let’s reflect together on how we will grow together into the next chapter of thriving at NSUU. A pledge season kick-off brunch will follow the service.  

Religious Services Committee

Personal growth doesn’t happen by amassing knowledge. It happens as we become more conscious and more mindful of inner knowing. Every one of us goes through life poised for transformation at any time. Something significant (or insignificant) happens, and our perspective widens, and we are suddenly able to see ourselves, the world, and the meaning of things in new ways. Through the telling of some of our personal stories, let us appreciate the power and vibrancy of transformation for us as human beings and as Unitarian Universalists.

Caro Barschow, Minister

Jo-Mé Dance Theatre, Guest Artists

Dance expresses the emotions within us, where words can’t always go. Guest artists from Jo-Mé Dance Theatre of Boston will take us on a journey of the ache and the joy of loving, connecting and letting go. This unforgettable service will inspire you and challenge you to set your love in motion. 

Andrea Kaiser, Guest Speaker

Sol y Canto, Guest Musicians

Rosi Amador and Brian Amador of Sol y Canto, a nationally-touring and Boston Music Award winning Pan-Latin ensemble.

Rev. Caro Barschow, Ethan Hackett,Judy Putnam, Jill Aubin Updegraph

The Legacy Museum opened in 2018 in Montgomery, Alabama. It tells a comprehensive history of the destructive violence that shaped our nation, from the slave trade, to the era of Jim Crow and racial terror lynchings, to our current mass incarceration crisis. It was founded by Montgomery’s Equal Justice Initiative as a counterpart to the National Memorial to Peace and Justice, which is dedicated to the memory of the victims of racial terror lynching. Today’s speakers each traveled to Montgomery in 2023 to visit these sites. They bring to you stories and reflections from the experience.

Religious Services Committee

Love comes to us in many forms and disguises.  In this Valentine’s season, let us celebrate the many kinds of love through songs, readings, and the personal stories of some of our own church members. 

Caro Barschow, Minister

Multi-instrumentalist and composer, Akili Jamal Haynes will bring his music to the Northshore Unitarian Universalist Church at 323 Locust Street in Danvers, MA on Sunday, February 4th at 10:30 am as part of the service under the leadership of Reverend Caro Barschow and Music Director, Ethan Hackett. 

He has performed with Illinois Jacquet, Winton Marsalis, Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, McCoy Tyner, and numerous recognized jazz greats. He can be heard playing the acoustic bass, percussion, trombone, saxophone, trumpet, and is an excellent vocalist. Akili has also worked with hundreds of students at Boston University, Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory and Curry College. 

Currently, Akili is Chair of the Percussion & Popular Music Department at the Community Music Center of Boston. He also creates and performs in his own multi-media work Becoming Chibuzo and Chibuzo Dunun.

For this service, Akili will be performing original music and vocals, accompanying himself on the guitar. 

All are welcome to attend and meet Akili at a coffee reception following the service. 

Speakers: Jennifer Revill, Carolyn Hughes, Paula Flynn, and Paul Nason

What exactly is spirituality? And how does it show up, ready to get to work in the world? Four graduates of Merrimack College’s Graduate Spirituality Program will talk about their personal spiritual foundations, and share how these inform their “callings” toward service to others.

Caro Barschow, Minister

In the 1950s and 1960s, a theological movement began among Latin American Catholic priests to address inequalities of class and race differences. It empowered people to work collectively for social and political freedom. Over the past 75 years, the notion of spiritual liberation and spiritual liberators has evolved and expanded. Explore the history and present, and consider the future possibilities, of theologies of liberation.  

Anna Smulowitz Shultz

On January 14th our speaker will be Anna Smulowitz Schutz. In 1993, Anna traveled to Berlin to meet with descendants of the Third Reich. She is the child of two Holocaust survivors. The groups met in Germany for five days to engage in the dialogue about their commonalities and how they intertwine. Her theme on Sunday is “Forgiveness and the Right Not To”.

Rev. Anna Smulowitz Schutz is an interfaith chaplain at Brooksby Village for the past 18 years. She is also a theater playwright, producer and director at the Firehouse Center which she helped found in 1989 in Newburyport.  She also founded her own production company Theatre in the Open, in its 45th season also in Newburyport. Her 1984 American television award winning play “Terezin , Children of the Holocaust.” has toured the US and Europe for 53 consecutive years. In 2023 Anna was awarded by the Newburyport Firehouse Center Theater’s ,” Artist of the Year Award’.

Edith Fenton

We will discuss how the science of thankfulness can rewire our brains for resilience, optimism and the greater good. ” Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others” as stated by Cicero.

Could 2024 be the year of gratitude?

Caro Barschow, Minister 

Lessons from ancient and contemporary sources, beautiful carols and a sanctuary aglow in candlelight. Join us from home or in-person to honor the birth of Jesus and affirm that each night a child is born is a holy night.

Caro Barschow, Minister and Ethan Hackett, Music Director 

On the longest night of the year, join together to witness in song and poetry the beauty and mystery of darkness. A service that draws from ancient European earth-honoring traditions, we will call in the directions, sing and chant, and dedicate a Yule Log, sparking hope for the year to come and the return of the daylight.

Ethan Hackett, Music Director and NSUU Singing Group

Raising our voices in joy, in the spirit of the season. Enjoy and participate in a program featuring the diverse and generous musical talents of NSUU’s congregation.