As the poet Naomi Shihab Nye wrote, "The river is famous to the fish, the loud voice is famous to the silence, the cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds." As we go through life, we cannot help but to be famous to the people and communities we spend time with and leave our imprint on, whether it through our words or our actions. The question then remains, if we cannot help but be famous for something, what fame, no matter how small, do we want to be known for? Ministerial Intern, Valentin Frank preaches.

Do you or your loved ones find yourselves spending too much time staring into the black screens of your smartphones, doom scrolling through the news and the social apps? Are you looking for more meaningful connections? If so, you are not alone! According to former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, loneliness and social isolation are a public health crisis. Luckily, there is a solution. Come explore the wisdom of the ancients on the life-affirming value of cultivating friendships. We are never too young or too old to make a new friend. Rev. John O’Connor preaches.

Bio for Rev. John O’Connor:

Rev. John has been an active member of Arlington Street Church in Boston since 1990. John graduated from Harvard Divinity School in 2022 and then served as the Intern Minister at First Church in Belmont. He was then ordained at Arlington Street Church where he currently serves as the Community Minister for Good Works. John’s work centers on pastoral care and counseling, social justice organizing, and serving as a guest preacher at many of our local UU congregations. Outside of church, John is an avid reader, and when time permits, he noodles around a bit on the piano.

Our lives are rarely simple and often overwhelmingly complex. We are quick to fix, to solve, to save - to rush past what is difficult on our way to something sweeter. But what if the full flavor of being alive comes from welcoming every taste?  In the midst of it all, what does it mean to truly savor life? Sophia Doescher preaches.

Link to the sermon

Harvard Book Store welcomes Michael Pollan―New York Times bestselling author of ten books, including This Is Your Mind on Plants and How to Change Your Mind―for a discussion of his new book, A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness.

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Please Note: Tickets to this event are sold out. We will have a stand-by line at the church. If any seats are still open five minutes before the event begins, we will sell tickets to those in the stand-by line on a first-come, first-served basis.

Harvard Book Store welcomes Margaret Atwood―prize-winning author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays, including The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments, and a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour for services to literature―for a discussion of her memoir, Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts. She will be joined in conversation by Robin Young—Peabody Award–winning documentary filmmaker and host of NPR's Here & Now.

Thin Places and Narrow Passages: Musical Pathways to the Unbound Spirit features the bold expression of Eudaimonia Voices in an entirely vocal and choral concert that transports and transcends, to the mystical realm, to ecstasy, to a sweet safe haven.

With Eudaimonia’s characteristic diversity of repertoire from the 16th century through the current day, this program centers around Benjamin Britten’s Hymn to St. Cecilia,  while also encompassing otherworldly period works by Byrd, Blow, and Billings, and dipping into contemporary and Appalachian song.

Eudaimonia’s Social Action Partnership for this event will highlight the freeing work of Lesley University’s program for Dance and Movement Therapy, which teaches the power of dance as a channel for trauma recovery and community repair. 

Eudaimonia continues their connection with the social justice initiatives and music program of First Parish in Cambridge where Eudaimonia is Artist-in-Residence. 

Admission is Pay-What-You-Decide ($20 recommended). Follow this link to purchase tickets.

Serenade shoppers and strollers from the front steps of the church! Kids can pass out candy canes while we fill the air with festive song. Meet in the Meeting House at 12:00 to run through the carols, then sing out front starting around 12:30.