Hello!

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.

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Upcoming Service

Practice Makes Grateful

What is the difference between feeling gratitude and practicing gratitude?  Join us on Sunday as we dive deeper into our theme of Gratitude, reflecting on how the active practice of gratitude helps both the giver and receiver.

Join our Livestream!

Click here for the Order of Service (updates every Friday afternoon)

Forum- What Should We Do with Our Plaques and Furniture?

Heirlooms, memorial plaques and furniture! Oh My! Do you care about our church’s history and how it gets recognized? Come to the Forum on Sunday, Nov. 9th as the Dare to Dream committee revisits our past and envisions our future by exploring the contents of the upper-level floor of our church. A slide show and small group discussions will make this an interactive and engaging hour.

In a World…

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times… Join us for a service that imagines what the world might look like if everyone made gratitude an integral part of our daily practice – and what it might look like if no one did. 

Join our Livestream!

Click here for the Order of Service (updates every Friday afternoon)

Forum- Homelessness in Polk County

I’ll talk about my work linking stories of people experiencing homelessness to policy through the “Unsheltered Des Moines” study. I’ll discuss the importance of humanizing and demystifying the experiences our Des Moines neighbors have with homelessness and reflect on some of the stories we tell ourselves about why people are homeless and how they measure up to what we find in research.

Upcoming Services Previous Services

Church Calendar

  • Mold Mitigation

    November 3, 2025 - November 14, 2025  

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  • Leader's Gathering

    November 8, 2025  8:30 am - 11:00 am
    Griffin Hall and Kitchen

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  • FF Sundanese Dinner

    November 8, 2025  3:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    Griffin Hall and Kitchen

    See more details

View Calendar

I’m New Here

Ready to explore Unitarian Universalism and our church? We’re ready for you!

  1. Start by joining us for our Sunday service at 9:30 a.m. CT in-person or via livestream. You can also click here for directions to our building!
  2. In the front lobby of our church, you’ll be welcomed by a Congregational Life Team member, who will direct you to visitor information and UU information.
  3. Join us after the service for coffee hour! Enjoy a generous spread of delicious food and take the opportunity to connect, mingle, and meet new people in a welcoming atmosphere.
  4. Check out our Affinity Groups for adults. We also have programs for children, youth, and adults.
  5. And finally, explore our website! There’s a lot to see and we encourage you to reach out to the contact people listed throughout the site if you have questions or want to get involved.