Welcome to the First Unitarian Church of Des Moines! We’re glad you’ve found us and hope you find a church home with us.
At First Unitarian, we’re brave, curious, and compassionate thinkers and doers. We’re people of many beliefs and backgrounds – people with a religious background and people with none; people who believe in a God and people who don’t, and people who simply let the mystery be. And while we represent a diversity of faith, ethnicity, history and spirituality, we agree that we want to do good work in the world.
So we welcome you – your whole self, with all your truths and your doubts, your worries and your hopes. Let us support you on your faith journey.
How do our Unitarian Universalist commitments support us in this season of beginnings? Bring water to share in our annual Water Communion ritual, bring energy and curiosity to find something new to begin at the Community Faire after the service!
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As we come to the Autumn Equinox, the earth reminds us that the end of summer is the beginning of autumn, that every beginning is also an end. What must we end in order to begin something new in our lives?
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There is great hope and trust needed to begin something truly great. The caterpiller has to trust the molting process to become a butterfly. What spiritual and ethical practices do we need, personally and communally, to begin something special?
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Courage means taking on risk of failure or foolishness, of becoming vulnerable. And, courage asks us to confront what is easier to avoid, to say what needs to be said. How do we find courage in the midst of fear and avoidance?
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The word courage reminds us to honor the practice of heart-wisdom and love. The opposite of anxiety isn’t calm, it’s trust. Can we foster our capacity to be courageous by centering compassion and love? How might we treat a friend taking on something scary? Can we extend that love to ourselves?
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No one is an island unto themselves; we embrace our interconnectedness and social nature. Often it is the inspiration of others that gives us courage, and the awareness that others, too, experience fear and yet find a way to act in courage. Given the cost of staying comfortably avoidant in harmful situations, how do we best nurture courage in our community?
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What does it mean to heal? Why is healing often so difficult or scary? Join us for a courageous look into the practice of healing. We will honor those we have lost in our annual ritual of ribbons of remembrance.
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Healing is rarely linear. One day we’re improving, the next day it feels worse than before. And one person’s healing journey rarely looks like another’s. Join us for a service to explore the complex journey of healing.
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Healing often implies a ‘return to normal’. Who determines what is ‘normal’, and who is left out in those conversations? Join us for a courageous conversation on disability justice and the problem of the normal/abnormal binary.
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We live in community, not isolation. How can a community best support one another in our ongoing journeys of healing?
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The healing professions offer support and intervention for healing, but the journey is the care-seeker’s to take. How can we claim our part in our stories? Join us for a celebrant-led service on the courage to heal.
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DMARC Book Group
September 7, 2026 8:30 am - 10:00 am
Stonewall Conference Room
First Unitarian is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: DMARC Book Group
Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89454166012
Meeting ID: 894 5416 6012
Join instructions
https://us02web.zoom.us/meetings/89454166012/invitations?signature=kKJDj2dHs_leQCavlbMdJuXU-V87Z7PrQAOTDFD0N00
Awakening Heart Sangha
September 7, 2026 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Zoom Only
Awakening Heart Sangha is a mindfulness practice group in the Plum Village Tradition of Vietnamese Zen teacher Thích Nhất Hạnh, or ‘Thay’. We meet by Zoom on Monday evenings from 7:00 - 8:30 pm Central Time. All are welcome on a drop-in basis to this ongoing group.
All levels of practice are welcome, regardless of whether you are a newcomer to meditation or have had a meditation practice for a while. Brief meditation instruction will be offered at each meeting as needed for any newcomers. At each meeting, we will check-in, practice 20 minutes of sitting meditation and 10 minutes of walking meditation followed by a short reading and discussion.
Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83919185060?pwd=q1mGPZkWva8jnmTbKLk7JRfIls2Z0b.1
Email sangha@ucdsm.org for more information or to be added to the weekly Sangha meeting announcement email list.
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