UUCCI

Pet Sunday is a fun service where we celebrate our connection to animals both who live in our homes and in nature. We honor the interdependent web of all existence and will look to the special blessings pets play in making life meaningful and loving. Everyone is welcome to bring their pet (dog, cat, turtle, fish, snake, rat...) to the service. Rev. Nic will offer a special pet blessing for those w...

Peace is a practice. It's something we do, not just an aspiration we hope will someday manifest. How then do we DO peace? What actions do we take? What do we mean by the word "practice" and what are the implications of living into the idea of peace-as-practice vs peace-as-aspiration. How do we embody peace?

Our Imagine 2030 plan calls us to be stewards of sacred land. How can we care for the lands upon which we gather while also being mindful of the legacy and present day realities of native peoples in this country? Rev. Nic will conclude this three part series with a deeper look at our role as stewards of the earth, healers of broken promises, and holders of visions not yet realized. 

Many non-indigenous people know very little about the everyday life of Native Americans in this country. As we continue our three part series on Indigenous Wisdom, Peoples, and Traditions, Rev. Nic will welcome two friends into dialogue around present day realities of Native Americans and how we can foster awareness, solidarity, and justice with indigenous people and communities in our area.

During this service we will reflect on whiteness as related to the study and practice of Indigenous spiritual traditions. Should white people practice these traditions? If so, how do we do so in a respectful, non-colonial way? If not, how do we still support Indigenous people in their struggle for liberation? Given our collective history, is a cross-cultural exchange of spiritual practice even pos...

Each spring, Unitarian Universalists are asked to consider the meaning of Easter. Sometimes, the Sunday in question is turned into a reflection on spring and rebirth of nature, othertimes it can be a poetry-based service. But what do UUs believe about Easter, one might ask. This year, Rev. Nic will take a closer look at how Unitarian Universalists may come to relate to the message of Easter, while...

On the last weekend of March, we will be welcoming Rachel Maxwell (she/they) of Stewardship for Us to UUCCI to listen deeply to our congregation’s stories, hopes, worries, and vision for the community we are becoming. During this Sunday Service, Rev. Nic and Rachel will discuss the idea of congregational vitality and how generosity, abundance, and space, can help congregations as they seek to make...

Regardless of our relationship with Christianity we in the Western Hemisphere still often carry the psychospiritual wounding associated with the idea of original sin. Is a reframe of this belief possible? If so, how do we do it, and what happens to our lives when we do? 

We all long to belong somewhere in this life, in this universe. What does it feel like when we don't belong? What does it feel when we do? Rev. Nic will reflect on the essential human need for belonging and how UUCCI is one space that can be a home for diverse peoples who long for connection, care, meaning, and intentional living. 

We welcome longitme UUCCI friend and author Scott Russell Sanders to discuss the different ways humans can fix and mend things, and how in collaboration with nature we can continue this much needed work in the world. He will share an excerpt from his new book project, "In Praise of Mending" and will engage in conversation with Rev. Nic, followed by a receiving questions from the congrega...

So what do we make of this dubious enterprise we call Valentine's Day? What's its origin? Does it hold any truth or is it just another Madison Avenue generated Hallmark holiday used to peddle sugar? What about love? In the dating app age of 'always connected but not connected at all' how do we do romance? 0:04 - Opening Words: "Quotes on Love" by Various Authors1:39 - Ref...

Generationally, the metaphor of the "melting pot" of the United States has shifted to that of the "salad bowl". How can the difference between the two shape our understanding of pluralism, community building, and of our fragile democracy? Rev. Nic will discuss the delicious salad we can prepare together with all of our help.0:04 - Opening Words: “Come, Gather In” by Andrea Hawk...

The Beacon Interfaith Dialogues are special services devoted to dialogue between Rev. Nic and someone who represents a different religious, spiritual, or philosophical tradition. It is an opportunity to learn about our differences and to build bridges toward common understanding. This service will welcome the Rev. Dr. Kathryn House, who is a professor at Meadville Lombard Theological School (where...

At the 2025 Auction, Dick Wiley purchased the rights to select a sermon topic for Rev. Nic. He chose the book Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono. Rev. Nic will plumb this classic text to see what wisdom and direction it can offer us as we continue into a new year together. 0:11 - Opening Words: "We Come Together Without Creed" by Rev. Maureen Killoran2:17 - Wonder Box: "Caps for Sa...

Service Description for January 4, 2026: As we ring in the New Year, we begin again in love the work of justice and of being the progressive religious community the world needs us to be. The Fire Communion service will help mark the beginning of our next chapter of shared ministry, where we will live into our strategic plan we call Imagine 2030. Come one and all as we rekindle a fire of commitment...

Every year, Rev. Nic leads a service that includes the mysterious Question Box. Those in attendance can submit any questions they want about subjects ranging from theology, history, ethics, politics, and personal curiosities, which Rev. Nic will collect during the service and answer during his sermon.0:04 - Opening Words: “Live the Questions” by Rainer Maria Rilke0:56 - Wonder Box: “What’s on the...

This service is from Sunday, August 17, 2025. Here is the description for the service: It is sometimes easy to think that the most profound moments in our lives happen in our formative years as children and youth. However, we are in fact always "Coming of Age" throughout our lives. In fact, as we go further through life those thresholds of change are compounded by all of the accumulated...

William Blake suggested that "Joy and woe are woven fine. A clothing for the soul divine." In the turbulent times in which we are living, it is important to be among those who honor your joy and your woe, your happiness and your sorrow. For it is in that recognition of the "clothing" we wear that we come to honor the divine within each of us and foster an ethic of care for one...

The theme for the 2025 General Assembly of the UUA was Meet the Moment. In every era, we must ask whether we were made for times such as these. Unitarian Universalists hold a bone-deep belief in our human capacity to rise to meet the needs of the day. However, this requires us to be deliberate in our reflection and action as individuals and a community. How might we prepare our hearts for the jour...

Charlie Wiles returns after many years to share insights from his interfaith journey. Charlie is the Director Emeritus for the Center of Interfaith Cooperation. He previously ran the Peace Learning Center. He will address identity, different faith communities, objectives, strategies and tactics for building interfaith relationships. We are honored to welcome Charlie back to UUCCI

Pet Sunday is a fun service where we celebrate our connection to animals both who live in our homes and in nature. We honor the interdependent web of all existence and will look to the special blessings pets play in making life meaningful and loving. Everyone is welcome to bring their pet (dog, cat, turtle, fish, snake, rat...) to the service. Rev. Nic will offer a special pet blessing for those w...

Beacon Interfaith Dialogues are services that bring together Rev. Nic with a member of our interfaith community to engage in dialogue and shared learning. This Sunday, we welcome Srikanth Padmanhaban who has been a member of the Columbus community for over thirty years. He is one of the founders and leaders of the Hindu Society of Southern Indiana and was instrumental in constructing the Sri Ganes...

Every year, Unitarian Universalists celebrated Flower Communion in which everyone is invited to bring a flower from their garden or the store. Rev. Nic will collect these flowers in a common space and everyone will be able to go home with a different flower symbolizing the beauty and diversity of our community and world. Join us as we retell the story of Czech Unitarian minister, Norbert Capek, an...

Star Trek and other stories that explore space have opened new frontiers into our imagination and wonder about life and the great unknown. How might Star Trek illuminate the great unfolding and journey we are on today as we foster shared sacred space not out beyond the sun, but deep within our own interfaith campus where we move and make our living? Rev. Nic will invite us to travel to new planes...

Heroes and superheroes have captured the imagination of people and cultures for generations, even millennia. How does the notion of heroes shape our imaginations and sense of responsibility as Unitarian Universalists. Rev. Nic will talk about the potential superhero trap and how we can avoid it as we continue to celebrate love and work for justice in the world today.