JULY MINISTRY THEME: POSSIBILITY
Annual Ministry Theme: Life
SUNDAY, JULY 12
GROWING INTO HARMONY WITH THE DIVINE
SERVICE STARTS
AT 10AM
Sunday, July 5, 2026
Reading Frederick Douglass Together
10am, Brown Square, rain location: FRSUU, no livestream
Please join us for the annual community reading of Frederick Douglass’s speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Meet in Brown Square across from City Hall (rain location, FRSUU) at 10am. No sign-up required. Light refreshments will follow. Lawn chairs are encouraged. Co-hosted by the Friends of William Lloyd Garrison, the YWCA of the Greater Northshore, Museum of Old Newbury, and Congregation Ahavas Achim, with support from Mass Humanities and Mass Cultural Council. No livestream. More information at www.WLGarrison.com.
Sunday, July 12, 2026
Growing into Harmony with the Divine
10am, Sanctuary and YouTube
Drawing from Steve McIntosh’s Evolution’s Purpose, the story of cosmic, biological, and cultural evolution, the service will explore how familiar phrases from our FRS Affirmation of Faith and Doxology can speak to our lives today. The service will be led by David Turner and will include harmonies from choir members and video reflections and songs from Alban and Erinda in Albania.
FRSUU Welcomes New Interim Minister!
The FRSUU Board of Trustees and the Interim Minister Search Team are excited and proud to announce the selection of Rev. Connie Simon as our new interim minister. Rev. Connie, who is completing her interim ministry at the River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Bethesda, MD, will start her two-year ministry at FRSUU on August 1. Her first official Sunday in the pulpit will be September 13, Opening Sunday for the 2026-27 church year.
Rev. Connie explains her approach to interim ministry on her website: “I’ve chosen to focus my ministry on transitional work because I genuinely love it. There’s something deeply meaningful about accompanying congregations through periods of change—helping them reflect on their history, clarify their identity, strengthen their leadership, and step intentionally into their future. Transitions are challenging, but they’re also extraordinary opportunities for growth, healing, and renewal.”
Read the full announcement HERE.
Summer Sunday Worship
July 19 and 26
10am in the sanctuary with livestream on YouTube
Click here for the full schedule of summer services and events.
The Latest News & Events
Wilson Music Series: Champlain Trio on 3/30
March 30, 3:00 p.m. (please note different start time) – Champlain Trio – Violinist Letitia Quante, cellist Emily Taubl, and pianist Hiromi Fukuda came together as an ensemble in the spring of 2020. All three musicians earned degrees from The Juilliard School among...
Maker Mondays Craft Circle with Rev. Laurel
Rev. Laurel (and her dog Henry) invite you to join her on the first and third Mondays of the month during lunch hour from 11am-1pm for a chance to knit, stitch, draw, and create in community with other FRS members and friends. Don't have a project? You can just stop...
FRSUU Fourth Century Campaign
The Fourth Century Team of FRS is excited to support a bold initiative to revitalize our Parish Hall building. Their vision for this building looks for inspiration to its 19th-century roots as a community meeting space; a space where congregants and the wider...
Wilson Music Series: Justin Murphy-Mancini on 3/23
Sunday, March 23, Sanctuary, 4pm Justin Murphy-Mancini, organist, presents this concert in honor and memory of Barbara Owen, former FRSUU Director of Church Music and international organist. Former Director of Church Music at First Religious Society UU and current...
Meeting the Moment
Join Marianne Vesey, Guardian of Local Justice Newsletter, and Rev. Laurel Gray, Assistant Minister of Congregational Life, for this three-part series about different ways to take action against authoritarianism, discern the work that is best for us to do, and make...
Wilson Music Series: Improbable Beasts on 3/2
Improbable Beasts will perform at FRS on Sunday, March 2 at 4pm. They are a Boston-based professional bass clarinet ensemble dedicated to bringing the deeply expressive power of multiple bass clarinets before a broad audience, their repertoire ranges from Renaissance...
Spring Equinox Celebration (Outdoors)
Join Rev. Rebecca for our annual outdoor Spring Equinox Celebration on Thursday, March 20 from 6-7pm. All are welcome (all ages too!).
An Evening Service of Music and Poetry
Join us on Tuesday, February 18 in the Sanctuary for this special midweek service which will feature Director of Church Music Nick Place playing piano and singing thoughtfully selected music and Rev. Rebecca sharing poems to inspire peace, solidarity, and rejuvenation.
Coffee Hour and Board Q&A
Join us after worship on Sunday February 23 at 11:30am for coffee and fellowship and a chance to ask Board members your questions about plans for renovating the Parish Hall.
Tour the FRS Campus and Buildings
Follow our drone footage as we fly to the top of FRS’s steeple featuring a glass-eyed gilded weathercock which overlooks downtown Newburyport and Merrimack River. From there, you’ll get a first-hand look at our campus grounds and the interior of our meetinghouse and Sanctuary which dates back to 1801. Rev. Rebecca, our Senior Minister, welcomes you and ALL who seek a place of spiritual community and faith here. Organ music provided by former Director of Church Music Justin Murphy-Mancini on our 1834 Joseph Alley organ. Piano music provided by Director of Church Music Nick Place. We close with a view of the bell from the foundry of Paul Revere and Sons bell.
