Sunday, September 10, 2023 at 3:30 pm.  Peninsula United Church.

On Sunday, September 10, we will come back together as a congregation with our annual in-gathering service, our Water Communion. Water Communion is a Unitarian Universalist ritual which marks the beginning of the congregational year as we come back together after time apart.  The water we bring symbolizes the blending of our hopes and gifts, as well as our joys and sorrows during our time apart.

This Water Communion ceremony will be significant. We come back together in our congregational home, the Peninsula United Church, filling the whole sanctuary space, for the first time in three and a half years. A time to celebrate. We remind ourselves of the home we share here as a congregation, a home that we can come back to, after absences short or long, a home we welcome all to make their own. And of the community we create when we come together  – to connect, change and care.

For this ritual all are invited to bring water which holds meaning for them to the service, usually brought in a small bottle or jar. The water you bring might be from the tap, from a puddle, from a local pond or river, or from your travels.  Additional water will be available at the service that can serve symbolically as water having meaning to you if you are unable to bring any!  During the service there will be several opportunities for you to come forward and pour the water you brought into a large communal bowl at the centre of the sanctuary.

This ceremony will be an in-person service only.  There will be no zoom or live streaming option available.  After the service, please stay to join in connection, and celebrate our coming back together.  Refreshments, including sandwiches and coffee, will be available, so please plan to stay after the service for fellowship.