Services at First Universalist Parish
Sunday November 2nd, 2025
Dia de los Muertos: Honoring the Ancestors
Speaker- Julia Winkler
Synopsis- All cultures honor their dead. As the wheel of the year turns and the veil between the worlds thins, we will take a look at the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead and ways to honor our ancestors.
Musician-Janice Luce
Sunday November 9th, 2025
Mystery! It's gonna be good!
Speaker- Jude Elford
Synopsis- Jude has been a guest at First Universalist in the past and she does not disappoint. Her reflections focus on the natural rhythms of the world, connecting us to the Wheel of the Year, the ancestral pathways, and inner knowing that is a part of each of us. Join in for a reflection that strengthens the web of interconnection between us, the natural world, and all those who have come before us.
Musician-Janice Luce
Sunday November 16th, 2025
An Ecology of Caring
Speaker-Michelle Hogle Acciavatti
Synopsis-What does the relationship between the forest and the dead have to teach us about how to create and sustain the community we need to thrive? Helping three of our families through their natural burial experiences has shown me that curiosity, gratitude, and connection are the key to both forest health and human wellbeing.
Bio- Michelle Hogle Acciavatti, MS is a deathworker, storyteller, mother, and the founder of Vermont Forest Cemetery. Her work focuses on caring for the dying and dead at home, returning their bodies to the earth, and how natural burial can address the needs of mourners, conservation, and the living.
Musician-Janice Luce
Join us shortly after the service on 11/16/2025 (don't worry, you can grab coffee and some food) for a screening of the short documentary, "From Earth to Earth, The Lost Art of Dying in America" presented by Vermont Forest Cemetery. This20 minute short documentary showcases the beauty and significance of natural burial. It explores the legalization of natural burial in Vermont and the opening and first burial at its first natural burial ground, Vermont Forest Cemetery, alongside one woman's journey to find her "forever home" at Greensprings Natural Burial Preserve, the 3rd oldest natural burial ground in the United States. Following the screening, there will be a question and answer session, featuring our Founder and Head Cemeterian Michelle Hogle Acciavatti. Come witness how Vermont Forest Cemetery is preserving the environment, honoring loved ones, and creating a legacy of sustainability.
Sunday November 23rd, 2025
Thanks, Giving, Sharing, Feast
Synopsis-This mini service will give thanks to the bounties of our lives, highlighting the part of the world in which we live that provides for us in so many ways. After the mini service, we are going to feast (because if First UU knows how to do anything, it is welcoming people through the sharing of delicious food). Please bring a favorite dish to share with the recipe! It can be something that highlights local food, something sweet and special, or something that you grab quickly because that is where life takes you that morning.
Musician-Janice Luce
Chalice Suncatcher
$20.00
We have a limited supply of our Chalice Suncatchers. To Unitarian Universalists today the flaming chalice is a symbol of hope, the sacred, the quest for truth, the warmth of community, the light of reason, and more. We light a flaming chalice in worship to create a reverent space for reflection, prayer, meditation, and singing. We can ship to you for an additional charge. Scan the QR code or click this link: https://donorbox.org/chalice-suncatchers for payment options.
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112 Main Street Derby Line, VT 05830
[email protected]
(802) 487-0997
Sunday Service 10:30 am
We have an Electric Car Charging Station!
Our fellowship hall is the perfect venue for your meeting place or special occasion
For Reservations, please print and mail, or complete our online application.
For Reservations, please print and mail, or complete our online application.
The mission of First Parish is to sustain a safe home for our spiritual growth and to support each other as we put our beliefs and principles into action.
