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.

Learn More

 

Upcoming Service

Resilient Community

What does resilience look like in community? Join us this Sunday as we explore stories of communities that have faced remarkable challenges and found ways to spring back, let go, and transform.

Join our Livestream!

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

Forum: Stewardship & How to Think About Giving

Join the Stewardship Committee for a hands-on session on supporting our church’s annual operating budget for 2026-27. We’ll talk about UUA guidelines for giving, our coming year’s budget and aspirations, and how to think about your own generosity in the context of your life and commitments.

The Gift of Attention

What we choose to attend to is where we direct our time, energy, and love.  How can we be good stewards of the resource of our attention?

Join our Livestream!

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

Forum: Fraud & Scam Prevention

The Work of Attention

We are drowning in input to compete for our attention.  How do we navigate the constant distractions of contemporary life to steward our attention where we want it to go?

Join our Livestream!

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

Forum: Choosing Hope: A Garment, A Ripple, and A Button

As 2026 lurches into being, America finds itself struggling to remember essential core values which helped it get past the drumbeats of fascism, racism, homophobia and other horrible systems of belief. With all that’s coming at us, how can we keep faith, stay the course? There’s only one way: a commitment to hope, tightly wrapped with compassion. Despite today’s political and social challenges, Ellie Krug will share how most people have good empathetic hearts. Along with inspiring you, she will offer ideas on how to move forward to realize a just and verdant society. In 2009, when she was a civil trial attorney in Cedar Rapids IA with 100+ trials, Ellen (Ellie) Krug transitioned from male to female. The author of a two-part memoir series, Ellie has presented on human inclusivity topics on more than 1000 occasions. She is the recipient of the numerous awards and in 2022, Ellie was elected to the school board of her local school district, making her one of a handful of transgender school board directors in the U.S.

Church Calendar

  • Building Team - Griffin Hall Work Day

    February 21, 2026  8:00 am - 5:00 pm
    Griffin Hall

    See more details

  • Celebrant Team Meeting

    February 21, 2026  9:00 am - 10:30 am
    Stonewall Conference Room

    Join Zoom Meeting
    https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81038991478?pwd=UOR0NrS5iKdxeI9BVDtJ3UFpoEHwVP.1

    Meeting ID: 810 3899 1478
    Passcode: Celebrant

    See more details

  • Soul Matters

    February 21, 2026  10:00 am - 12:00 pm
    Minister's Office

     Facilitated by Hilary Hippen

    See more details

  • mUUvie Night

    February 21, 2026  6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
    Griffin Hall

    See more details

  • Childcare

    February 22, 2026  9:15 am - 12:15 pm
    Tracy's Office

    Childcare is always available during Sunday services for children aged 0-4 years-old in room 112.

    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.