Calendar – Detail
There is a lot going on at UUCPA. Here is a brief listing of upcoming events. For a more comprehensive list, please visit the calendar.
Upcoming Events for Children & Youth
Upcoming Adult Classes
Upcoming Music
Upcoming Newcomer/Visitor Events
Upcoming Group Meetings
Upcoming Justice Projects/Events
Upcoming Special Events
Upcoming Holiday Events
Upcoming Non-UUCPA Events
Upcoming Events for Children & Youth
All Ages Game Night
08/15/2026, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Fireside Room (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Bring your favorite board game and snacks and learn a new one with your family and friends. Everyone welcome!
Game Nights happen every third Saturday August 2026 through May 2027 except for December, Fireside Room 6-9 pm
Questions? Contact gamenight@uucpa.org
UUCPA Summer Sunday School for All Ages
08/16/2026, 10:30 am - 11:30 am UUCPA (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Sunday Summer School is all about one of our official UUCPA CYRE goals – have fun and build community.
- We will check in and offer an activity planned for all ages every Sunday (check back for holiday exceptions)
- Supervised childcare on the playground is also available for preschool through grade 5 – so choosing between the activity or the playground is an option every Sunday.
- Older preschoolers may enjoy some activities especially if a parent can assist them.
Parents Night Out!
08/22/2026, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm Room 4/5 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Parents’ Night Out
every fourth Saturday August 2026 until May 2027 except for November and December, Room 4-5 5-8 pm
Religious Education Begins
08/23/2026, 10:30 am - 11:30 am UUCPA (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
We are excited to offer this year’s classes and programming for Children and Youth Programming. For all grades this year, we are following Soul Matters in our curriculum offerings for each grade level. Each month we will focusing on a particular theme along with all the other fellow congregations, connecting to each other and our larger faith.
UUCPA Children And Youth Religious Offerings 2026-2027
- Preschool – 2nd Grade
- 3rd Grade – 5th Grade
- 6th Grade – 8th Grade
- Coming of Age: Open to 8th – 12th Graders: Coming of Age provides a modern Rite of Passage experience that welcomes and affirms youth as they embark on their journey towards young adulthood. The youth are supported on this journey by the class’s volunteer facilitators, the ministers, and mentors within the congregation. Coming of Age is comparable to a confirmation or bar/bat mitzvah.
- Senior High Youth Group – Back on UUCPA Campus this Year!
- OWL 7-9 – Starts September 27 2026! Sundays 1:00-3:30 through May 2027 with holidays off. Parent orientation will be offered on Sunday September 20th. Register here. Rev. Cat will be hosting an informational session for families new to Our Whole Lives August 30 2026 after service.
A note on Registration:
If your children are new to UUCPA religious education, please register here at this link. If you registered last year, your child(ren) are registered for this year moved up to the appropriate grade level. If there is any changes or updates you would like to make to your information please contact Edie Keating to amend your information. This applies to every grade in regular religious programming (PS – 2, 3-5, 6-8, High School). Thank you!
If you would like to register your child for the upcoming OWL 7-9 course offering starting September 27 2026, register here at this link. Please share with your friends and neighbors.
Volunteers Needed
If you would like to volunteer for religious education as a teacher, an assistant, a childcare helper, please reach out to us at cyrecommittee@uucpa.org. No background in teaching required. We’ll train you! All UUCPA volunteers must pass a background check.
UUCPA Summer Sunday School for All Ages
08/30/2026, 10:30 am - 11:30 am UUCPA (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Sunday Summer School is all about one of our official UUCPA CYRE goals – have fun and build community.
- We will check in and offer an activity planned for all ages every Sunday (check back for holiday exceptions)
- Supervised childcare on the playground is also available for preschool through grade 5 – so choosing between the activity or the playground is an option every Sunday.
- Older preschoolers may enjoy some activities especially if a parent can assist them.
What’s Our Whole Lives and Why Should You Enroll Your 7th-9th Grader
08/30/2026, 11:45 am - 1:15 pm (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
What’s Our Whole Lives and Why Should You Enroll Your 7th-9th Grader – Sunday August 30 11:45 AM – 1:15 PM Room TBA
What’s all the hoot about OWL? Come learn about This course is part of a lifespan sexuality education program developed for use by Unitarian Universalists and others, which has received acclaim from both parents and participants alike. The OWL program is a values-based sexuality education program that embodies UU values, including the dignity of the individual, the importance of personal responsibility, and the essential interdependence of all people. UUCPA is proud to be offering this program this year for 7th-9th graders from September 2026 – May 2027. This is an informational session designed for you to learn about the program and see/experience the curriculum for yourselves. Friends and neighbors welcome. Questions? Email cyrecommittee@uucpa.org.
All Ages Game Night
09/19/2026, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Fireside Room (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Bring your favorite board game and snacks and learn a new one with your family and friends. Everyone welcome!
Game Nights happen every third Saturday August 2026 through May 2027 except for December, Fireside Room 6-9 pm
Questions? Contact gamenight@uucpa.org
Parents Night Out!
09/26/2026, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm Room 4/5 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Parents’ Night Out
every fourth Saturday August 2026 until May 2027 except for November and December, Room 4-5 5-8 pm
All Ages Game Night
10/17/2026, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Fireside Room (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Bring your favorite board game and snacks and learn a new one with your family and friends. Everyone welcome!
Game Nights happen every third Saturday August 2026 through May 2027 except for December, Fireside Room 6-9 pm
Questions? Contact gamenight@uucpa.org
Parents Night Out!
10/24/2026, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm Room 4/5 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Parents’ Night Out
every fourth Saturday August 2026 until May 2027 except for November and December, Room 4-5 5-8 pm
Upcoming Adult Classes
Starting Point: A Group for Newcomers
09/27/2026, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Room 6 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Are you new or newish to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto? Want to deepen your connection with the congregation but aren’t sure how? Or want to gain clarity about what it means to be a UU? If so, Starting Point is for you.
We will meet on four Sundays (Sep 27, Oct 11, Oct 25, Nov 8), after the church service from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. in Room 6. There’ll be time to share about ourselves, get to know each other, and learn through fun and thought-provoking interactive activities.
Snacks and childcare will be provided.
Note that anyone is welcome—no matter how long you’ve been coming to UUCPA. If you are interested, we encourage you to register and attend. Here’s the form to register: 2026 Fall Starting Point Registration
–Gloria Geller and Jenny Robertson
Starting Point: A Group for Newcomers
10/11/2026, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Room 6 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Are you new or newish to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto? Want to deepen your connection with the congregation but aren’t sure how? Or want to gain clarity about what it means to be a UU? If so, Starting Point is for you.
We will meet on four Sundays (Sep 27, Oct 11, Oct 25, Nov 8), after the church service from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. in Room 6. There’ll be time to share about ourselves, get to know each other, and learn through fun and thought-provoking interactive activities.
Snacks and childcare will be provided.
Note that anyone is welcome—no matter how long you’ve been coming to UUCPA. If you are interested, we encourage you to register and attend. Here’s the form to register: 2026 Fall Starting Point Registration
–Gloria Geller and Jenny Robertson
Starting Point: A Group for Newcomers
10/25/2026, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Room 6 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Are you new or newish to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto? Want to deepen your connection with the congregation but aren’t sure how? Or want to gain clarity about what it means to be a UU? If so, Starting Point is for you.
We will meet on four Sundays (Sep 27, Oct 11, Oct 25, Nov 8), after the church service from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. in Room 6. There’ll be time to share about ourselves, get to know each other, and learn through fun and thought-provoking interactive activities.
Snacks and childcare will be provided.
Note that anyone is welcome—no matter how long you’ve been coming to UUCPA. If you are interested, we encourage you to register and attend. Here’s the form to register: 2026 Fall Starting Point Registration
–Gloria Geller and Jenny Robertson
Starting Point: A Group for Newcomers
11/08/2026, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Room 6 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Are you new or newish to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto? Want to deepen your connection with the congregation but aren’t sure how? Or want to gain clarity about what it means to be a UU? If so, Starting Point is for you.
We will meet on four Sundays (Sep 27, Oct 11, Oct 25, Nov 8), after the church service from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. in Room 6. There’ll be time to share about ourselves, get to know each other, and learn through fun and thought-provoking interactive activities.
Snacks and childcare will be provided.
Note that anyone is welcome—no matter how long you’ve been coming to UUCPA. If you are interested, we encourage you to register and attend. Here’s the form to register: 2026 Fall Starting Point Registration
–Gloria Geller and Jenny Robertson
Upcoming Music
Harmonic Circle
08/16/2026, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Date: 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays monthly
Time: usually from 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Location: usually the McFadden Patio in the warmer months or room 4-5 in winter
Contact: harmoniccircle@uucpa.
Registration: Not required
In response to divisive U.S. politics, we want more harmony and community in our lives. Music-making leads to harmony, and builds community!
We have our own songbook with 230+ songs, and you are also welcome to bring songs to share. We do everything from simple unison singing, to four-part harmony. We sing old songs and new songs, and occasionally a song one of us wrote. We go around the circle, and each person gets to choose a song. We’ll try to sing anything you choose, but it will go better if you can sing and/or play the song for us. We love it if you teach us harmony parts for your song.
We’re a supportive singing community, and we do our best to make everyone sound great. We welcome instruments, too. Bring your guitar, ukulele, autoharp, mandolin, fiddle, keyboard, or any other instrument that goes well with singing.
Sacred Harp Shape Note Singing
08/23/2026, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Fireside Room (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Join the democratic and inclusive American song tradition of Sacred Harp music, one of the oldest ongoing music traditions in the United States. Rolling Stone magazine talks about “the soaring magnificence of Sacred Harp.” National Public Radio calls it “full-body singing,” and radio station KALW says it’s a “communal experience.” Come find out for yourself. Beginners are always welcome, and loaner books are available.
Dates: 2nd & 4th Sunday every month
Time: 2-4 pm
Location: Fireside Room
Facilitator: Palo Alto Sacred Harp singers
Contact: sacredharp@uucpa.org
Registration: Not required
Harmonic Circle
08/30/2026, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Date: 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays monthly
Time: usually from 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Location: usually the McFadden Patio in the warmer months or room 4-5 in winter
Contact: harmoniccircle@uucpa.
Registration: Not required
In response to divisive U.S. politics, we want more harmony and community in our lives. Music-making leads to harmony, and builds community!
We have our own songbook with 230+ songs, and you are also welcome to bring songs to share. We do everything from simple unison singing, to four-part harmony. We sing old songs and new songs, and occasionally a song one of us wrote. We go around the circle, and each person gets to choose a song. We’ll try to sing anything you choose, but it will go better if you can sing and/or play the song for us. We love it if you teach us harmony parts for your song.
We’re a supportive singing community, and we do our best to make everyone sound great. We welcome instruments, too. Bring your guitar, ukulele, autoharp, mandolin, fiddle, keyboard, or any other instrument that goes well with singing.
By Your Side Singers – Practice
09/02/2026, 7:30 pm - 8:45 pm Hamaker Library (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Join us for warm, welcoming small-group singing of beloved songs from our hymnals and other sources. In our practice sessions, we sing together and develop our skills for singing for others on a pastoral care visit. No registration required. New and seasoned singers both welcome.
Choir Practice
09/03/2026, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Main Hall (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Singers wanted! We can use singers on all parts. Don’t be shy – give us a try!
The UUCPA choir welcomes singers of all vocal backgrounds. We are looking for people:
- Who love to sing with others and be inspired by the act of making live music
- Who want to learn and perform a variety of musical styles, in many different languages
- Who can join us in weekly rehearsals and Sunday morning worship
You don’t have to sight-read, but you should be able to understand a music score and to learn a part quickly after hearing it. Bruce makes pronunciation recordings to help us learn the text in languages other than English.
Date: Rehearsals – Thursday, 7-9 pm, and Sunday, 9:45 am; Performances – Sunday, 10:15 am, September to mid-Jun
Location: Main Hall
Facilitator: Bruce Olstad, Music Director (music-director@uucpa.org)
Contact: music@uucpa.org
Upcoming Newcomer/Visitor Events
Starting Point: A Group for Newcomers
09/27/2026, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Room 6 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Are you new or newish to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto? Want to deepen your connection with the congregation but aren’t sure how? Or want to gain clarity about what it means to be a UU? If so, Starting Point is for you.
We will meet on four Sundays (Sep 27, Oct 11, Oct 25, Nov 8), after the church service from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. in Room 6. There’ll be time to share about ourselves, get to know each other, and learn through fun and thought-provoking interactive activities.
Snacks and childcare will be provided.
Note that anyone is welcome—no matter how long you’ve been coming to UUCPA. If you are interested, we encourage you to register and attend. Here’s the form to register: 2026 Fall Starting Point Registration
–Gloria Geller and Jenny Robertson
Starting Point: A Group for Newcomers
10/11/2026, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Room 6 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Are you new or newish to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto? Want to deepen your connection with the congregation but aren’t sure how? Or want to gain clarity about what it means to be a UU? If so, Starting Point is for you.
We will meet on four Sundays (Sep 27, Oct 11, Oct 25, Nov 8), after the church service from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. in Room 6. There’ll be time to share about ourselves, get to know each other, and learn through fun and thought-provoking interactive activities.
Snacks and childcare will be provided.
Note that anyone is welcome—no matter how long you’ve been coming to UUCPA. If you are interested, we encourage you to register and attend. Here’s the form to register: 2026 Fall Starting Point Registration
–Gloria Geller and Jenny Robertson
Starting Point: A Group for Newcomers
10/25/2026, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Room 6 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Are you new or newish to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto? Want to deepen your connection with the congregation but aren’t sure how? Or want to gain clarity about what it means to be a UU? If so, Starting Point is for you.
We will meet on four Sundays (Sep 27, Oct 11, Oct 25, Nov 8), after the church service from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. in Room 6. There’ll be time to share about ourselves, get to know each other, and learn through fun and thought-provoking interactive activities.
Snacks and childcare will be provided.
Note that anyone is welcome—no matter how long you’ve been coming to UUCPA. If you are interested, we encourage you to register and attend. Here’s the form to register: 2026 Fall Starting Point Registration
–Gloria Geller and Jenny Robertson
Starting Point: A Group for Newcomers
11/08/2026, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Room 6 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Are you new or newish to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto? Want to deepen your connection with the congregation but aren’t sure how? Or want to gain clarity about what it means to be a UU? If so, Starting Point is for you.
We will meet on four Sundays (Sep 27, Oct 11, Oct 25, Nov 8), after the church service from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. in Room 6. There’ll be time to share about ourselves, get to know each other, and learn through fun and thought-provoking interactive activities.
Snacks and childcare will be provided.
Note that anyone is welcome—no matter how long you’ve been coming to UUCPA. If you are interested, we encourage you to register and attend. Here’s the form to register: 2026 Fall Starting Point Registration
–Gloria Geller and Jenny Robertson
Upcoming Group Meetings/Gatherings
Saturday Meditation
08/15/2026, 9:00 am - 10:30 am (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
The Saturday morning meditation group welcomes all to join us on Zoom for meditation and conversation. Meditation time begins promptly at 9:10 and lasts for 40 minutes, including several short readings. Next, we share tea and conversation, talking about what is important to us in the moment – perhaps our response to the readings or something that is going on in our lives.
- Dates: Every Saturday
- Time: 9:00 – 10:30 am
- Location: Online
- Facilitator: Leadership is shared and rotates weekly
- Contact: The Zoom link is available from Susan Owicki – email susanowicki@uucpa.org by 9:00 pm on Friday.
Come Meditate with Us!
Resonant Reading (Saturday)-Force of Characte— Hillman
08/15/2026, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Some of what I mean by “force of character” is the persistence of the incorrigible anomalies, those traits you can’t fix, can’t hide, and can’t accept. Resolutions, therapy, conversion, the heart’s contrition in old age–nothing prevails against them, not even prayer. We are left realizing that character is indeed a force that cannot succumb to willpower or be reached by grace. The force of its flaws mocks all the virtuous books, whose efforts to enlighten are candles in the wind. … Character forces me to encounter each event in my peculiar style. It forces me to differ. I walk through life oddly. No one else walks as I do, and this is my courage, my dignity, my integrity, my mortality, and my ruin.
—James Hillman, The Force of Character and the Lasting Life, © 1999, p. 181
Facilitators use a light hand, posting the reading in the chat and calling on whoever’s Zoom hand is up. Suggestions for readings* come from group members, who also take turns facilitating, if they want to try that role.
How to join:
- Join this class from your Web browser: https://zoom.us/j/91019857324, passcode 227385
- Join this class using the Zoom app: Meeting ID: 910 1985 7324
- Join this class by phone: 669 900 9128 US (San Jose), Meeting ID: 910 1985 7324
- Join this class by on-tap on mobile phones: +16699009128,,91019857324# US (San Jose)
- Phoning in, but not in the bay area? Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abL8clvIYT
This is the Zoom link for Saturdays. For the Wednesday Zoom link, go to the Calendar and click on a Wednesday session.
Questions? Drop an e-mail to resonant-reading+owner@uucpa.org.
*This activity was formerly called “Sacred Text Reading.” That proved misleading–for one thing, more often than not our sources are secular–but it’s worth describing the qualities of a sacred text, which we still look for in the readings we choose. It is any reading that helps us to:
- connect to something of supreme importance to us
- feel more connected to other beings or to the universe
- feel more intensely alive
- align our lives with our values,
- perceive or feel more deeply
- be more fully and authentically ourselves.
Seasoned Souls – Group for Older Adults
08/16/2026, 11:45 am - 1:00 pm Room 10 (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Some things take time to age, like fine wine and wonderful cheese. If you are a “seasoned soul” and want to find camaraderie and support and discuss the challenges, opportunities, and transformations we encounter as we age, please join us!
We are a group of seasoned souls 60+ years young who meet the third Sunday of each month, from 11:45 a.m.–1:00 p.m., following the church service. Room 10. The group will be facilitated by Jan Rosin and Kathy Puryear.
Questions? Email seasonedsouls@uucpa.org
Spiritual Adventures in Parenting
08/16/2026, 11:45 am - 12:45 pm Fireside Room (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
If you are a parent to a child between the ages of birth through high school, we invite you to join UUCPA’s monthly parent group, Spiritual Adventures In Parenting!
We meet on the third Sunday of each month, from 11:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m., following the church service. Childcare is provided, and families can choose to have lunch together afterward if they wish.
Together, we:
- Explore the spiritual dimensions and meaning of our parenting and
- Cultivate deep connections with one another.
The group is facilitated by fellow UUCPA parent Matt Rosin.
To find out more, email spiritualparenting@uucpa.org.
Parent Groups page:
Resonant Reading (Wednesday)
08/19/2026, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Facilitators use a light hand, posting the reading in the chat and calling on whoever’s Zoom hand is up. Suggestions for readings* come from group members, who also take turns facilitating, if they want to try that role.
How to join:
- Join this class from your Web browser: https://zoom.us/j/96865808923, passcode 227385
- Join this class using the Zoom app: Meeting ID: 968 6580 8923
- Join this class by phone: 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 968 6580 8923
- Join this class by one-tap on mobile phones: 6699006833,,96865808923# (San Jose)
- Phoning in, but not in the Bay Area? Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abL8clvIYT
This is the Zoom link for Wednesdays. For the Zoom link for Saturday, go to Calendar and click on a Saturday session.
Questions? Drop an e-mail to resonant-reading+owner@uucpa.org.
*This activity was formerly called “Sacred Text Reading.” That proved misleading–for one thing, more often than not our sources are secular–but it’s worth describing the qualities of a sacred text, which we still look for in the readings we choose. It is any reading that helps us to:
- connect to something of supreme importance to us
- feel more connected to other beings or to the universe
- feel more intensely alive
- align our lives with our values,
- perceive or feel more deeply
- be more fully and authentically ourselves.
Sci-Fi / Fantasy Discussion Group
Genesis, a novel by Ken Lozito
08/19/2026, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
At the August 19, 2026 meeting, we’ll discuss the novel Genesis (2017) by Ken Lozito [Book 1 of 20 in the First Colony Series] (328 pages, audio 9 hrs, 6 mins)
From Goodreads:
*A mission gone wrong. Innocent lives have been lost.
Escaping wrongful imprisonment wasn’t something Connor had in mind, but being put into stasis aboard Earth’s first interstellar colony ship was something he couldn’t have prepared for.
For three hundred thousand colonists, the new colony brings the promise of a fresh start…a second chance. Connor might be the wrong man for the colony, but he’s the right man to see that it survives what’s coming.
available in Apple, Amazon, Audible, and Spotify
At the end of the meeting, we will choose a book for our October 21st meeting.
The Sci-Fi and Fantasy Discussion Group was meeting via Zoom before it was cool! Lovers of science fiction and fantasy, at UUCPA and beyond, have been getting together online to talk about books, movies, and television episodes chosen by the group, every other month since early 2019. Past books include The Broken Earth Trilogy (N. K. Jemisin), The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Robert Heinlein), Parable of the Sower (Octavia Butler), The Left Hand of Darkness (Ursula K. Le Guin), Red Moon (Kim Stanley Robinson); past television and movies include Arrival, Blink (Doctor Who), Serenity and The Train Job (Firefly), and The Day the Earth Stood Still.
The meeting method: via Zoom, 7-8:30 p.m.
- Dates: Third Wednesdays
- Time: 7-8:30 pm
- Location: Online
- Facilitator: Bill Hackenberger (scifi+owner@uucpa.org)
- Registration: Not required
Join the meeting via Zoom: Link
- Meeting ID: 924 4906 7832
- Passcode: 825590
Dial by your location •
- +1 669 444 9171 US
- +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Find other upcoming dates on the web page.
Saturday Meditation
08/22/2026, 9:00 am - 10:30 am (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
The Saturday morning meditation group welcomes all to join us on Zoom for meditation and conversation. Meditation time begins promptly at 9:10 and lasts for 40 minutes, including several short readings. Next, we share tea and conversation, talking about what is important to us in the moment – perhaps our response to the readings or something that is going on in our lives.
- Dates: Every Saturday
- Time: 9:00 – 10:30 am
- Location: Online
- Facilitator: Leadership is shared and rotates weekly
- Contact: The Zoom link is available from Susan Owicki – email susanowicki@uucpa.org by 9:00 pm on Friday.
Come Meditate with Us!
Resonant Reading (Saturday)
08/22/2026, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Facilitators use a light hand, posting the reading in the chat and calling on whoever’s Zoom hand is up. Suggestions for readings* come from group members, who also take turns facilitating, if they want to try that role.
How to join:
- Join this class from your Web browser: https://zoom.us/j/91019857324, passcode 227385
- Join this class using the Zoom app: Meeting ID: 910 1985 7324
- Join this class by phone: 669 900 9128 US (San Jose), Meeting ID: 910 1985 7324
- Join this class by on-tap on mobile phones: +16699009128,,91019857324# US (San Jose)
- Phoning in, but not in the bay area? Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abL8clvIYT
This is the Zoom link for Saturdays. For the Wednesday Zoom link, go to the Calendar and click on a Wednesday session.
Questions? Drop an e-mail to resonant-reading+owner@uucpa.org.
*This activity was formerly called “Sacred Text Reading.” That proved misleading–for one thing, more often than not our sources are secular–but it’s worth describing the qualities of a sacred text, which we still look for in the readings we choose. It is any reading that helps us to:
- connect to something of supreme importance to us
- feel more connected to other beings or to the universe
- feel more intensely alive
- align our lives with our values,
- perceive or feel more deeply
- be more fully and authentically ourselves.
Resonant Reading (Wednesday)
08/26/2026, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Facilitators use a light hand, posting the reading in the chat and calling on whoever’s Zoom hand is up. Suggestions for readings* come from group members, who also take turns facilitating, if they want to try that role.
How to join:
- Join this class from your Web browser: https://zoom.us/j/96865808923, passcode 227385
- Join this class using the Zoom app: Meeting ID: 968 6580 8923
- Join this class by phone: 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 968 6580 8923
- Join this class by one-tap on mobile phones: 6699006833,,96865808923# (San Jose)
- Phoning in, but not in the Bay Area? Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abL8clvIYT
This is the Zoom link for Wednesdays. For the Zoom link for Saturday, go to Calendar and click on a Saturday session.
Questions? Drop an e-mail to resonant-reading+owner@uucpa.org.
*This activity was formerly called “Sacred Text Reading.” That proved misleading–for one thing, more often than not our sources are secular–but it’s worth describing the qualities of a sacred text, which we still look for in the readings we choose. It is any reading that helps us to:
- connect to something of supreme importance to us
- feel more connected to other beings or to the universe
- feel more intensely alive
- align our lives with our values,
- perceive or feel more deeply
- be more fully and authentically ourselves.
Saturday Meditation
08/29/2026, 9:00 am - 10:30 am (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
The Saturday morning meditation group welcomes all to join us on Zoom for meditation and conversation. Meditation time begins promptly at 9:10 and lasts for 40 minutes, including several short readings. Next, we share tea and conversation, talking about what is important to us in the moment – perhaps our response to the readings or something that is going on in our lives.
- Dates: Every Saturday
- Time: 9:00 – 10:30 am
- Location: Online
- Facilitator: Leadership is shared and rotates weekly
- Contact: The Zoom link is available from Susan Owicki – email susanowicki@uucpa.org by 9:00 pm on Friday.
Come Meditate with Us!
Upcoming Justice Projects/Events
Upcoming Special Events
Religious Education Begins
08/23/2026, 10:30 am - 11:30 am UUCPA (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
We are excited to offer this year’s classes and programming for Children and Youth Programming. For all grades this year, we are following Soul Matters in our curriculum offerings for each grade level. Each month we will focusing on a particular theme along with all the other fellow congregations, connecting to each other and our larger faith.
UUCPA Children And Youth Religious Offerings 2026-2027
- Preschool – 2nd Grade
- 3rd Grade – 5th Grade
- 6th Grade – 8th Grade
- Coming of Age: Open to 8th – 12th Graders: Coming of Age provides a modern Rite of Passage experience that welcomes and affirms youth as they embark on their journey towards young adulthood. The youth are supported on this journey by the class’s volunteer facilitators, the ministers, and mentors within the congregation. Coming of Age is comparable to a confirmation or bar/bat mitzvah.
- Senior High Youth Group – Back on UUCPA Campus this Year!
- OWL 7-9 – Starts September 27 2026! Sundays 1:00-3:30 through May 2027 with holidays off. Parent orientation will be offered on Sunday September 20th. Register here. Rev. Cat will be hosting an informational session for families new to Our Whole Lives August 30 2026 after service.
A note on Registration:
If your children are new to UUCPA religious education, please register here at this link. If you registered last year, your child(ren) are registered for this year moved up to the appropriate grade level. If there is any changes or updates you would like to make to your information please contact Edie Keating to amend your information. This applies to every grade in regular religious programming (PS – 2, 3-5, 6-8, High School). Thank you!
If you would like to register your child for the upcoming OWL 7-9 course offering starting September 27 2026, register here at this link. Please share with your friends and neighbors.
Volunteers Needed
If you would like to volunteer for religious education as a teacher, an assistant, a childcare helper, please reach out to us at cyrecommittee@uucpa.org. No background in teaching required. We’ll train you! All UUCPA volunteers must pass a background check.
Sunday Service – Water Communion
08/30/2026, 10:30 am - 11:30 am UUCPA Main Hall & Online (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
What’s Our Whole Lives and Why Should You Enroll Your 7th-9th Grader
08/30/2026, 11:45 am - 1:15 pm (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
What’s Our Whole Lives and Why Should You Enroll Your 7th-9th Grader – Sunday August 30 11:45 AM – 1:15 PM Room TBA
What’s all the hoot about OWL? Come learn about This course is part of a lifespan sexuality education program developed for use by Unitarian Universalists and others, which has received acclaim from both parents and participants alike. The OWL program is a values-based sexuality education program that embodies UU values, including the dignity of the individual, the importance of personal responsibility, and the essential interdependence of all people. UUCPA is proud to be offering this program this year for 7th-9th graders from September 2026 – May 2027. This is an informational session designed for you to learn about the program and see/experience the curriculum for yourselves. Friends and neighbors welcome. Questions? Email cyrecommittee@uucpa.org.
All Church Picnic – Mitchell Park
09/13/2026, 11:30 am - 2:00 pm Mitchell Park, Palo Alto (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
The UUCPA Annual Picnic is September 13th! Lunch will be provided at Mitchell Park after the service. All are welcome, we hope you’ll join us!
Where: At Mitchell Park (behind UUCPA) – East Meadow Group site
When: Sunday, September 13 after service is out (~11:15/30 am). Walk on over via the pedestrian bridge or drive over.
What: Lunch, socializing, and maybe some games (frisbee? volleyball?).
UUCPA Annual Auction
11/14/2026, 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm UUCPA Main Hall & Online (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Each year in November, the church auctions goods and services at a wonderful party with live music, dancing, food (heavy hors d’oeuvres, balloon lady, live auction for the kids, silent and live auction for everyone!)
See uucpa.org/whats-happening/all-church-auction/ for the latest details.
Upcoming Holiday Events
Upcoming Non-UUCPA Events
South Bay Interfaith Climate Justice Summit
08/23/2026, 1:00 pm - 5:30 pm First Unitarian Church of San Jose (Add to calendar: Google, iCal, webcal)
Sunday, August 23 | 1 PM – 5:30 PM
First Unitarian Church of San José, 160 North Third Street, San Jose, CA 95112
Climate protections, clean energy progress, and our social safety net are facing growing threats. Join clergy, lay leaders, youth, and community members from diverse faith traditions for an afternoon of faith leadership and advocacy training, relationship-building, and opportunities to take action together for climate justice and the common good.
Together, we’ll explore how our shared values can become a stronger moral voice for protecting our communities, advancing climate justice, and building the relationships and leadership needed to create lasting change.
Open to clergy, lay leaders, youth, and community members of all faith traditions—and anyone inspired by faith-based values.
RSVP: HERE