Unitarian Univeralist Church of the North Hills

Church Closed due to Inclement Weather
2025-12-14 10:30 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | West Room and Zoom

Winter Solstice Service
2025-12-20 17:00 - 21:00

Holiday Pageant - The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming - A Christmas Story about Hanukkah
2025-12-21 10:30 - 12:30
UUCNH Children and Youth
Sunday is the first night of Hanukkah.
Join us as we explore the inspirational story that gave rise to this holiday and light the first candle.
Our children and youth will tell the story of a potato pancake desperate to distinguish himself and his holiday from all things Christmas.
Enjoy the amazing costumes and set designed by Michelle Broge-Connor, the inspired direction of Robyn Travers, and the exquisite stage managing of one of our youth, Evelyn Erbrecht.
Please bring a dozen or two cookies to share in our annual cookie exchange to occur after the service.
We will also be trimming our tree and decorating the church for the holidays.

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service and Potluck
2025-12-24 17:00 - 21:00

"Choosing Hope” with CeaseFire PA
2025-12-28 10:30 - 12:30
Sunday Services Team
This Sunday, we welcome Beth Foringer, Senior Southwest PA Coordinator with CeaseFirePA, as our guest speaker. Her sermon, “Choosing Hope”, is offered on the Sunday after Christmas, a time to reflect on how we carry hope forward when the holidays end and the work of justice remains. We hope you will join us as we reflect together on choosing hope and turning it into action. (Content warning: Gun violence)

"Creative Resistance" Not Just Another Protest
2026-01-04 10:30 - 12:30
Sunday Services Team
This Sunday, we will explore some different ways of resisting situations and policies that don’t feel quite right. We’ve all participated in marches and protests which have their place but sometimes we need to shake things up a bit. We will delve into some of the creative ways that people have used to get their point across.

Beloved Community in an Age of Artificial Intelligence: The Wisdom of Martin Buber (Part One)
2026-01-11 10:30 - 12:30
Rev. Lee Anne Washington
As artificial intelligence increasingly shapes our work, communication, and daily routines, it is reshaping not only what we do, but how—and with whom—we live our lives. This message will briefly define what AI is (and is not), explore its current and likely future roles, and consider how widespread automation may unintentionally deepen social isolation, echoing patterns many of us experienced during COVID. In a world where fewer interactions require other humans, the need for meaningful, embodied connection grows sharper. This reflection invites us to consider how intentional communities like UUCNH may become not relics of the past, but vital centers of belonging, purpose, and shared moral discernment in the years ahead.

This is the first of a four-part sermon series that will culminate in a Deep Dive Sunday on February 8th.

Beloved Community in an Age of Artificial Intelligence: The Wisdom of Martin Buber (Part Two)
2026-01-18 10:30 - 12:30
Rev. Lee Anne Washington
This Sunday’s service explores the wisdom of Martin Buber and what it means to place relationship—not individuality—at the center of a meaningful life. In a time shaped by artificial intelligence, digital connection, and increasing social isolation, we will reflect on how beloved community offers an antidote to loneliness and fragmentation. Together, we’ll consider how meaning is formed through relationships, how disagreement need not destroy connection, and how our congregation can become a place where people are truly seen, known, and needed. The service will conclude with a participatory ritual inviting members to share the gifts they bring to our shared life.

Children’s Chapel will be held this Sunday. Children should head straight to their classrooms when arriving.
This is the first of a four-part sermon series that will culminate in a Deep Dive Sunday on February 8th.

Beloved Community in an Age of Artificial Intelligence: The Wisdom of Martin Buber (Part Three)
2026-01-25 10:30 - 12:30
Beloved Community in an Age of Artificial Intelligence: The Wisdom of Martin Buber (Part Three)

This week’s service – Will be held via zoom

Rev. Lee Anne Washington

All Real Living is Meeting: we spend hours each week on Zoom, Google Meet, and social media—connected, yet distant. Online tools help us stay in touch, but often leave something to be desired when what we crave is companionship.

Drawing on Martin Buber’s insight that “all real living is meeting,” this service explores why meaning is most deeply made through in-person encounters, and why shared presence, service, and community life continue to be vital sources of meaning. Embodied community matters more than ever in an increasingly digital—and soon AI-shaped—world.

Due to the incoming snowstorm, our service will ironically be held on zoom click

The Light's Return: On Groundhogs, Imbolc, and Embodying Resilience
2026-02-01 10:30 - 12:30
Sunday Services Team
Even as Winter seems determined to sap our will, we take comfort and draw strength from celebrating the halfway point. The days grow longer, the seeds of Spring are sprouting in the Earth, and we celebrate even the cheeky groundhogs in their burrows.

Beloved Community in an Age of Artificial Intelligence - The Wisdom of Martin Buber (Deep Dive Sunday)
2026-02-08 10:30 - 12:30
Rev Lee Anne Washington
From I-It to I-You: Practicing Presence:
Over the past several weeks, we have been exploring the wisdom of Martin Buber, who taught that life’s deepest meaning is found not in what we use or manage, but in how we meet one another. In a world shaped by speed, efficiency, and increasingly mediated relationships, Buber’s insight invites us to practice presence—to notice when our interactions become purely transactional and to choose, when we can, deeper attentiveness, listening, and care. Deep Dive Sunday offers a chance to learn and practice deep listening skills as well as a chance to reflect on how adopting Buber’s perspective can enhance how we relate to one another, our communities, and the world we inhabit.

Matters of the Heart.... and Other Organs
2026-02-15 10:30 - 12:30
Rev. Lee Anne Washington
We all know the heart is the seat of romantic love, but is love really that simple?
During this multigenerational service after Valentine’s Day, we’ll explore various types of love (agape, eros, philiia, and storge) and where in the body love has lived across cultures and centuries: in the heart, yes… but also in the liver (courage), the gut (compassion), the brain (choice), and the hands (action).
Join us and discover that love may be more embodied, more powerful, more resilient, and more nuanced than we ever imagined.

Put Feet On Our Prayers
2026-03-01 10:30 - 12:30
Systemic Change
Our guest speaker will Rev. Dr. DeNeice Welch.
She holds a Ph.D. in health care ethics, a Master of Divinity, with an urban ministry focus and a bachelor of science in community ministry, Ms. Welch’s academic work focuses on reproductive justice, racialized health care and faith responses to systemic inequalities.
Since 2007, Ms. Welch is the Pastor Emeritus of Bidwell Church, and on the pastoral staff at Sixth Mt. Zion Baptist Church. She is also a national director of Ntosake, a women’s public leadership initiative of The Gamaliel National Network.
Ms. Welch has been recognized with several accolades for her work, including the NAACP Faith in Action award, YWCA Racial Justice award and the New Pittsburgh Courier’s Women of Excellence award. A minister in training program she developed has gained national recognition.

She has the operational experience to run a powerful organization, and her deepest self-interest is to raise up leaders in our communities who will force the powers to work for the people.

Are You Serious?
2026-03-08 10:30 - 12:30
Rev. John Ballance will discuss what it means to take one’s intentions and attentions seriously. It turns out that sometimes a small failure can turn out to be a gift.

Stop Sleepwalking, Start Noticing: Three Spiritual Practices to Wake You Up!
2026-03-15 10:30 - 12:30
Rev Lee Anne Washington

Ever feel like you are operating on default? You do what you always do. You think what you always think. You follow who you always follow. Your routine remains unexamined and unchallenged. Join us on this spiritual practice Sunday as Rev. Lee Anne offers opportunities to rekindle a feeling of awe, to adopt a beginner’s mind, and to intentionally return to your center.
Come prepared to bare your feet, feel the wind in your hair, smell some spices, and pray for peace. After a brief message and a scented meditation, you will be offered an opportunity to experience two additional outdoor spiritual practices of your choosing.

Iran & Israel: The Ancient Stories Beneath the Headlines
2026-03-22 10:30 - 12:30
Rev Lee Anne Washington

Much of the public conversation about Iran and Israel focuses on strategy, politics, and military power. What if current events in Iran and Israel cannot be fully understood through those alone? What if there is also an older layer of meaning–shaped by ancient historical memory, civilizational symbolism, and the self-understanding of peoples whose roots reach deep into the ancient world? Question: What do Esther, Mordecai, Haman, and Cyrus the Great have to do with the current war? Join us as Rev. Lee Anne offers an additional perspective–not to simplify the present, but to deepen our understanding of it.

Awe Shucks
2026-03-29 10:30 - 12:30
Rev. Scott Rudolph

There are many openings to the feeling of awe – experiencing the natural world, connecting with another person, or noticing a simple moment unfolding.
Life is always happening; we just have to remember to pay attention. Remembering what we already know is a spiritual practice.

Life Transformed: From Tomb to Womb
2026-04-05 10:30 - 12:30
Rev. Lee Anne Washington

This Easter, we gather in a season of profound change – changes reflected by the ancient stories of Inanna’s descent and Jesus’s transformation. While our transitions—through downsizing, career changes, or the loss of those we love—can feel like a radical stripping away, these stories suggest a deeper truth: our transitions are a sacred preparation for a new form of existence. Join us as we find hope in the “life after letting go” and discover how our darkest tombs can become the wombs of our most resilient possibilities.

Sharing Our Light
2026-04-12 10:30 - 12:30
Rev. Lee Anne Washington

What do we mean when we speak of light? Not something sentimental or decorative, but compassion for what is, clarity about what is true, and openness to what is possible. This Sunday, we will reflect on generosity as a spiritual practice and on the ways our shared light becomes blessing—through visible gifts, hidden faithfulness, and the quiet labor of love that sustains a community.

Misteakz!
2026-04-19 10:30 - 12:30
UUCNH Youth Group

Our youth group will tell the story of the, EVIL Eraser, the spirit of every perfectionist, who will learn to live with their mistakes.

Embracing the Possibility : Views on the Afterlife
2026-04-26 10:30 - 12:30
Rev. Lee Anne Washington
What happens after we take our final breath? While we are fully aware of our own mortality, what awaits us remains a profound mystery. Throughout history, humanity has sought answers through religious texts, philosophical reasoning, and scientific inquiries like near-death experiences.
This Sunday marks the first part of our final Deep Dive Sunday series in this liturgical year, where we will explore some of the most intriguing ideas about the afterlife. Each of the three Sundays in this series stands alone, so it’s okay to miss one—you won’t be lost!

This Sunday: Embracing the Possibility: Views on the Afterlife
May 3rd: Embracing the Possibility: Comforting Words & Deeds
May 10th: Embracing the Possibility: Companioning the Dying and the Bereaved

We will dive deeply through small group discussion and exercises to help us companion the dying and the bereaved. (Please expect May 10 to be a 90-minute service).

Embracing the Possibility : Comforting Words and Deeds
2026-05-03 10:30 - 12:30
Rev. Lee Anne Washington

When a friend receives a terminal diagnosis or a neighbor loses a loved one, even the most articulate among us can find ourselves speechless. In this service, we explore the ministry of presence and kind deeds that truly sustain us in times of catastrophe. Drawing on the wisdom of several different traditions, we will learn how to offer the kind of comfort that doesn’t try to fix the unsolvable, but ensures that no one has to go it alone.

This Sunday marks the second part of our final Deep Dive Sunday series in this liturgical year, where we will explore some of the most intriguing ideas about the afterlife. Each of the three Sundays in this series stands alone, so it’s okay to miss one—you won’t be lost!

Last Sunday: Embracing the Possibility: Views on the Afterlife
This Sunday: Embracing the Possibility: Comforting Words & Deeds
Next Sunday: Embracing the Possibility: Companioning the Dying and the Bereaved

We will dive deeply through small group discussion and exercises to help us companion the dying and the bereaved. (Please expect May 10 to be a 90-minute service).

Embracing the Possibility: Companioning the Bereaved and the Dying
2026-05-10 10:30 - 12:30
Rev. Lee Anne Washington
What does it mean to truly walk someone home? In our final deep dive of this liturgical year, we move beyond the search for the right words and enter the practice of presence. Witnessing the end of a life or the weight of a Great Loss requires more than just sympathy. It requires the courage to face the unfixable and remain present and emotionally available.
We will look at practical ways to ensure that neither the dying nor the bereaved face pain and sorrow in isolation. Through small group discussion and shared reflection, we will explore how to nourish the spirit by simply showing up.
Please note: This is a 90-minute service to allow for deeper engagement and congregational exercises.

Voices for Change: The Role of Advocacy in Our Faith
2026-05-17 10:30 - 12:30
Sunday Services Team & Michael Mehrazar, Executive Director of UUJusticePA
Consider the essential role advocacy plays in living out our Unitarian Universalist principles. By examining how our faith calls us to action, we will explore the transformative power of collective voices, the significance of storytelling in connecting with others, and practical ways to engage in advocacy that promotes justice, compassion, and equity in our communities.

What's So Funny About Humor?
2026-05-24 10:30 - 12:30
Tony Palermo

Of all the survival techniques Natural Selection has honed in us, the ability to laugh seems the most, well, superfluous. What good is it, how do we make it happen, and what are some – hopefully – fulfilling examples? Let’s look at Bugs Bunny, the Far Side, Opus the penguin, Abbott and Costello and others. Bring your funny bone
