First Universalist Church of Rochester

Join First Universalist for a hybrid worship service (virtually and in-person) on March 15, 2026 at 10:30am for "Fatness, Not Fascism" with Rev. Shari Quan! ❤️ Many of us carry stories about our bodies—stories shaped by shame, control, and the pressure to be “more” or “less.” We probably know that we’re not alone in carrying these stories, but what if this set of ideas isn’t just common but also part of a larger system that tells us who is worthy and who is not? Let's gently and honestly explore the connection between self-talk and truth, body policing and fascism, acceptance and freedom, and consider how honoring our bodies builds a more just and compassionate world. The in-person portion of this event will be held in the First Universalist sanctuary! The online portion will be held via Zoom at the link provided. https://www.facebook.com/share/1CtUjU7FM2/ We will be live-streaming this service in its entirety as well as conducting it in-person!

Join #uuroc for worship Sunday @ 10:30am: "Fatness, Not Fascism" with Rev. Shari Quan! Many of us carry stories about our bodies—shaped by shame, control, and pressure to be “more” or “less.” Let's explore how honoring our bodies builds a more just and #compassionate world ♥️ 💪 tinyurl.com/47skykpz

Some words of #WednesdayWisdom from a recent sermon "What It Means to Be Real " with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell ❤️ "When we face up to the reality that Artificial Intelligence is not a god, it also lays bare the fear behind the lie that we have told about ourselves–that WE are nothing more than a collection of facts, true and untrue. We are particular and finite, fragile and lovely, ordinary and complicated, and so very messy. A.I. could very well replace our paid labor with automation, but the work we are here to do is not to be a machine. Our work is to belong to one another. Only someone real can square up to the truth of mortality. The joy and the sorrow in loving what doesn’t last, which is everything." #GetWise🧠 #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #Morality #Real

Some words of #WednesdayWisdom from a recent sermon "What It Means to Be Real" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell ❤️

#GetWise🧠 #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #Morality #Real

3/8/26 - "What It Means to Be Real" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell Let us begin the season of Truth by rejecting the idol of AI and embracing the messiness of humanity. Filmed in the sanctuary of First Universalist on March 8th, 2026

Miss "What It Means to Be Real " with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell? Don't worry, we recorded it! Watch it on YouTube here: youtu.be/O27c5W0aMN8 ❤️ 📺

Join First Universalist for a hybrid worship service (virtually and in-person) on March 8, 2026 at 10:30am for "What It Means to Be Real" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell! ❤️ Let us begin the season of Truth by rejecting the idol of AI and embracing the messiness of humanity. The in-person portion of this event will be held in the First Universalist sanctuary! The online portion will be held via Zoom at the link provided. https://www.facebook.com/share/1R5eUXi7sK/ Find the Zoom worship link in our Facebook event! We will be live-streaming this service in its entirety as well as conducting it in-person!

Join #uuroc for worship Sunday @ 10:30am: "What It Means to Be Real" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell! Let us begin the season of Truth by rejecting the idol of AI and embracing the messiness of humanity. tinyurl.com/3wu7wcah

Some words of #WednesdayWisdom from a recent sermon "Trusting in the Power of Love" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell ❤️ "This world breaks our hearts. But this world needs our hearts in all their brokenness. May they never harden. And may Love find its way through every fracture." #GetWise🧠 #Love #BrokenHeart #Heart

Some words of #WednesdayWisdom from a recent sermon "Trusting in the Power of Love" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell ❤️

#GetWise🧠 #Love #BrokenHeart #Heart

3/1/26 - Pulpit Swap! - "The Virtue of Skepticism" with Rev. AJ VanTyne (First Unitarian) As a radically progressive religious movement, today’s Unitarian Universalism is indebted to the skeptics of previous eras for questioning accepted “truths” of their day. In our current moment of…

Miss "The Virtue of Skepticism" with Rev. AJ VanTyne? Don't worry, we recorded it! Watch it on YouTube here: youtu.be/82MCaCtGFBM ❤️ 📺

Join First Universalist for a hybrid worship service (virtually and in-person) on March 1, 2026 at 10:30am for "The Virtue of Skepticism" with Rev. AJ VanTyne! ! ❤️ As a radically progressive religious movement, today’s Unitarian Universalism is indebted to the skeptics of previous eras for questioning the accepted “truths” of their day. In our current moment of multiple institutional crises, discovering and preserving that which is true requires guarding against advertisements, government propaganda, deep fakes, and “AI” fabrications. How do we cultivate a virtuous skepticism that is not merely contrarian and obstinate, but is a consistent servant of truth and freedom? The in-person portion of this event will be held in the First Universalist sanctuary! The online portion will be held via Zoom at the link provided. Find the Zoom worship link in our Facebook event! We will be live-streaming this service in its entirety as well as conducting it in-person! https://www.facebook.com/

Join #uuroc for worship Sunday @ 10:30am: "The Virtue of Skepticism" with Rev. AJ VanTyne! As a radically progressive religious movement, Unitarian Universalism is indebted to skeptics of the past for questioning “truths” of their day. How can we cultivate virtuous skepticism?
tinyurl.com/y9rum2dz

Some words of #WednesdayWisdom from a recent sermon "These Good Bodies" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell ❤️ "We are all missing out when we divorce our intellectual and spiritual lives from our embodied experience. We’re missing out on the connection to our own selves and all the other bodies in this interdependent web. We’re missing out when we fail to cultivate love, pleasure, and delight in our bodies. " #GetWise🧠 #Love #InterdependentWeb #Web #Bodies #Connection

Some words of #WednesdayWisdom from a recent sermon "These Good Bodies" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell ❤️

#GetWise🧠 #Love #InterdependentWeb #Web #Bodies #Connection

Join First Universalist for a hybrid worship service (virtually and in-person) on February 22, 2026 at 10:30am for "Truth and Consequences" with Rev. Rev. Cindy Terlazzo! ❤️ In this muddy season of the world when truth is hard to discern, let’s consider those things that do ring true. And let’s remember that our search for truth and meaning is apt to lead us to some potentially surprising consequences along the way. The in-person portion of this event will be held in the First Universalist sanctuary! The online portion will be held via Zoom at the link provided. Find the Zoom worship link in our Facebook event! We will be live-streaming this service in its entirety as well as conducting it in-person! https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ejv3TvLyA/

Join #uuroc for worship Sunday @ 10:30am: "Truth and Consequences" with Rev. Rev. Cindy Terlazzo! In the muddy state of the world, let’s consider those things that do ring true. Our search for is apt to lead us to potentially surprising consequences along the way tinyurl.com/3zh9drxs

Some words of #WednesdayWisdom from last Sunday's sermon "These Good Bodies" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell ❤️ "We depend on one another. We are interdependent, therefore we are. Our bodies only exist in relationship to every other body in the web. How could we do anything but celebrate them? Sanctify them?" #GetWise🧠 #Love #InterdependentWeb #Web #Bodies #BodyPositivity #Interdependent

Some words of #WednesdayWisdom from last Sunday's sermon "These Good Bodies" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell ❤️

#GetWise🧠 #Love #InterdependentWeb #Web #Bodies #BodyPositivity #Interdependent

2/15/26 - "These Good Bodies" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell Just in time for Valentine’s Day, an ode to Eros (but not in the way you’re thinking). Let us honor the phenomenal power of loving every body, including our own, in the face of a world that devalues…

Miss "These Good Bodies" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell? Don't worry, we recorded it! Watch it on YouTube here: youtu.be/4-DuCjpGwvY ❤️ 📺

Join First Universalist for a hybrid worship service (virtually and in-person) on February 15, 2026 at 10:30am for "These Good Bodies " with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell! ❤️ Just in time for Valentine’s Day, an ode to Eros (but not in the way you’re thinking). Let us honor the phenomenal power of loving every body, including our own, in the face of a world that devalues them. The in-person portion of this event will be held in the First Universalist sanctuary! The online portion will be held via Zoom at the link provided. Find the Zoom worship link in our Facebook event! We will be live-streaming this service in its entirety as well as conducting it in-person! https://www.facebook.com/share/1C8T4T9peY/

Join #uuroc for worship Sunday @ 10:30am: "These Good Bodies" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell! Just in time for #ValentinesDay, an ode to #Eros (but not in the way you’re thinking). Let us honor the phenomenal power of loving every body in the face of a world that devalues them💞 tinyurl.com/2p9m8pau

We are thrilled to welcome our newest members at First Universalist! This past Sunday, in a New Member Ceremony, our congregation and our newest members joined in a shared covenant ❤️ 🕯️ ♥️ Gregory ♥️ Thomas ♥️ Colleen ♥️ Angelina ♥️ Molly ♥️ Welcome to the fullness of membership in our community, it is so good to join together in this journey. May our way be lit by the warm glow of community, the bright light of truth, and fire of commitment.

Welcome to the fullness of membership in our community, it is so good to join together in this journey. May our way be lit by the warm glow of community, the bright light of truth, and fire of commitment.

♥️ Gregory ♥️ Thomas ♥️ Colleen ♥️ Angelina ♥️ Molly ♥️

Welcome our newest members! 🕯️

2/8/26 - "Trusting in the Power of Love" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell In times like these, it can feel like love doesn't have a chance. Are we hopelessly naive to say we're not giving up on love? Filmed in the sanctuary of First Universalist on February 8th, 2026

Miss "Trusting in the Power of Love" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell? Don't worry, we recorded it! Watch it on YouTube here: youtu.be/u8vqpJlqWDk ❤️ 📺

Sunday Service: Trusting in the Power of Love Religion event in Rochester, NY by UURoc: First Universalist Church of Rochester, NY on Sunday, February 8 2026

Join #uuroc for worship Sunday @ 10:30am: "Trusting in the Power of Love" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell! In times like these, it can feel like love doesn't have a chance. Are we hopelessly naive to say we're not giving up on love? tinyurl.com/sht63jdw ❤️

All funds will support the excellent work that ROCmusic does to provide music education to children in the City of Rochester. We hope you’ll join us!!

Join us for a benefit concert for ROCmusic, featuring musicians and musical friends of First Universalist, plus students and faculty of ROCmusic for an eclectic & fun concert! All funds will support the work that ROCmusic does to provide music education to children in the City of Rochester ❤️🎶

Some words of #WednesdayWisdom from a recent sermon "Beginning Again in Love" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell ❤️ We can resist authoritarian power by being accountable for dismantling the scaffolding of white supremacy it has built inside of us and our communities. We can resist by being accountable for the safety of our neighbors and putting ourselves in the line of harm to protect them. We can resist by living out our accountability to one other in the form of mutual aid in our communities." #GetWise🧠 #Love #Fascism #MutualAid #Accountability #Power #Justice #community

Some words of #WednesdayWisdom from a recent sermon "Beginning Again in Love" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell ❤️

#GetWise🧠 #Love #Fascism #MutualAid #Accountability #Power #Justice #community

2/1/26 - "The Power of Self-Advocacy" with Rev. Padraic "Paddy" Collins-Bohrer In my sermon, I will celebrate the power of self-advocacy through sharing the journey of The Rev. Absolom Jones, the first African American priest in The Episcopal Church, ordained in 1802, and my…

Miss "The Power of Self-Advocacy" with Rev. Padraic "Paddy" Collins-Bohrer? Don't worry, we recorded it! Watch it on YouTube here: youtu.be/QpDRmQfcCQU ❤️ 📺

Join First Universalist for a hybrid worship service (virtually and in-person) on February 1, 2026 at 10:30am for "The Power of Self-Advocacy" with Rev. Padraic "Paddy" Collins-Bohrer! ❤️ "In my sermon, I will celebrate the power of self-advocacy through sharing the journey of The Rev. Absolom Jones, the first African American priest in The Episcopal Church, ordained in 1802, and my own journey to the priesthood in The Episcopal Church, advocating for my needs as a person and priest living with cerebral palsy. Questions I invite you to reflect on through the sermon include: In what ways is God working through these journeys? What are your experiences of advocating for yourself or for others who are part of marginalized communities?" The in-person portion of this event will be held in the First Universalist sanctuary! The online portion will be held via Zoom at the link provided. https://www.facebook.com/share/1EeTQZBMJe/

Join #uuroc for worship Sunday @ 10:30am: "The Power of Self-Advocacy" with Rev. Collins-Bohrer! Celebrate the power of #selfadvocacy in my journey of advocating for my needs as a priest with cerebral palsy. What are your experiences advocating for marginalized communities?❤️ tinyurl.com/3hf8beu8

Some words of #WednesdayWisdom from this past Sunday's sermon "Beginning Again in Love" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell ❤️ "Harm-doing is so normalized that demanding accountability starts to feel like the real harm. Simply bearing witness to wrongdoing is cast as an offense. And deflection, avoidance, defensiveness, and gaslighting cause an added layer of trauma to those who are harmed. They serve to disperse blame like scattershot, so that it appears everyone shares it equally and no holds its true heft. When we lose the means to hold one another accountable, we lose relationship. We lose our humanity." #GetWise🧠 #Love #Fascism #Gaslighting #Accountability #Power #Justice

Some words of #WednesdayWisdom from this past Sunday's sermon "Beginning Again in Love" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell ❤️

#GetWise🧠 #Love #Fascism #Gaslighting #Accountability #Power #Justice

1/25/26 - "Beginning Again in Love" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell & Rev. Michelle Yates In this season of Power, let us honor one of the cornerstones of community–the power of accountability. When we bind our lives together in community, we need to get good at apologies, forgiveness,…

Miss "Beginning Again in Love" with Rev. Michelle Yates & Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell? Don't worry, we recorded it! Watch it on YouTube here: youtu.be/CdoAmTfCZAk ❤️ 📺

Join #uuroc for worship Sunday @ 10:30am: "Beginning Again in Love" with Rev. Casey-Campbell! In this season of Power, let us honor one of the cornerstones of community–#accountability. In community, we need to get good at apologies, forgiveness, and beginning again in love 💞 tinyurl.com/upsj2tmd

Some words of #WednesdayWisdom from this past Sunday's sermon "No One Stands Alone" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell ❤️ "While we laud the brilliance of MLK, Jr., we cannot afford to lose sight of the multitudes that surround him. It isn’t that he doesn’t deserve veneration, we just need to honor him within the proper scope. When we zoom out, we can see the entirety of the liberatory hope that he, and many others, have been part of. When we zoom out, we can see ourselves as participants in the movement where the powerful are humbled, the oppressed are raised up, where everyone has enough, is enough, and where peace and justice go hand in hand. When we zoom out from the individual, we can see our place in the long moral arc of the universe and commit to our part in bending it toward justice". #GetWise🧠 #MLK #MartinLutherKingJr #MartinLutherKing #MLKDay2026 #MLKDay #Power #Justice

Some words of #WednesdayWisdom from this past Sunday's sermon "No One Stands Alone" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell ❤️

#GetWise🧠 #MLK #MartinLutherKingJr #MartinLutherKing #MLKDay2026 #MLKDay #Power #Justice

1/18/26 - "No One Stands Alone" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell As we celebrate the bold life and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., let us remember that he was not a lone hero but the representative of an entire movement, spanning nations and generations.…

Miss "No One Stands Alone" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell? Don't worry, we recorded it! Watch it on YouTube here: youtu.be/E1v4pfOaFqc ❤️ 📺

Happening Tonight: Dinner Church at First Universalist! 🍲🍽️💓 Join us in our (lovely and warm) Clara Barton Lounge for a new and different way of worshipping! We offer warm food and even warmer company! Come at 5:30pm to help prepare food and set up, or gather at 6pm for dinner, stories, songs, and meditation. This is a service for all ages; children and their noises are welcome. Please feel encouraged to bring a friend or two! We hope to see you there! Please use the red door off the church parking lot (located on Court Street) to attend this event.

Tonight: Dinner Church! 🍲🍽️💓 Join us in our (warm🔥) Clara Barton Lounge for a different way of worship! Warm food & even warmer company! Come @ 5:30pm to help prep & set up or @ 6pm for dinner, stories, songs, & meditation. Children & their noises welcome! Please feel encouraged to bring friends!

Join First Universalist for a hybrid worship service (virtually and in-person) on January 18, 2026 at 10:30am for "No One Stands Alone" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell! 💞 As we celebrate the bold life and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., let us remember that he was not a lone hero but the representative of an entire movement, spanning nations and generations. Power, when it moves toward justice, is broad and diverse. The in-person portion of this event will be held in the First Universalist sanctuary! The online portion will be held via Zoom at the link provided. https://www.facebook.com/share/1867KcqnCn/ Find the Zoom worship link in our Facebook event! We will be live-streaming this service in its entirety as well as conducting it in-person!

Join #uuroc for worship Sunday @ 10:30am: "No One Stands Alone" with Rev. Casey-Campbell! As we celebrate the bold life and work of #MLK, let us remember that he was not a lone hero but a representative of a movement. #Power, when it moves toward #justice, is broad & diverse ♥️ tinyurl.com/8cerna43

Notice: The First Universalist building will be CLOSED today, Thursday, January 15 due to weather. All events scheduled today are cancelled. Apologies for any inconvenience! ❤️ ❄️

Notice: The First Universalist building will be CLOSED today, Thursday, January 15 due to weather. All events scheduled today are cancelled. Apologies for any inconvenience! ❤️ ❄️

Some words of #WednesdayWisdom from a recent sermon "Going Softly" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell ❤️ "We, too, are traveling the long slow road to bow down in awe before the vulnerability of being alive. We, too, are moving softly toward deeper connection to the vulnerability of life". #GetWise🧠 #Love #Vulnerable

Some words of #WednesdayWisdom from a recent sermon "Going Softly" with Rev. Eileen Casey-Campbell ❤️

#GetWise🧠 #Love #Vulnerable

Miss "Service for the Animals" with Adam Durand? Don't worry, we recorded it! Watch it on YouTube here: youtu.be/a9LZoFhef9Q ❤️ 📺