Services

Please join us for a worship service on Sunday!

We worship together to engage the heart, mind, body, and spirit, to touch all the senses, to appeal to diverse generations and cultures. The dimensions of our worship aim to touch the sacred and holy which exist within each and every one of us.

We hold worship services every Sunday in our Old Ship Meeting House, year round. These services begin at 10:30 am and last approximately an hour. They are begun with a chime which signals quiet. In July and August, less structured, lay-led services are held at 10:30 am in the Meeting House.

Ushers and greeters are available at every Sunday worship service to offer assistance and answer questions. The Meeting House has a sound enhancement system and our facilities are wheelchair accessible. Some basic questions about our worship services are answered below. For more information, please contact our office during the week at 781-749-1679.

For information about nursery care for babies and toddlers, and our religious education program for children and youth, please contact Lisa Beck, our Church Administrator.

Sunday services – From the first Sunday in September after Labor Day through the third Sunday in June (Led by our minister or guest ministers)
Where: Old Ship Meeting House, 90 Main Street (also on Zoom)
When: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Sunday services – July through August (Lay led)
Where: Old Ship Meeting House, 90 Main Street
When: 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Children’s Religious Education & Nursery – September through June
Where: Old Ship Office, 14 Main Street (*however, children start at 90 Main Street and then leave the service with the Religious Education team)
When: 10:30 a.m. during Sunday worship

Love is the spirit of this church, and service is its law. This is our great covenant; to dwell together in peace, to seek the truth in love, and to help one another.
(JV Blake)

Parishioners-sit-in-boxes-at-a-service-at-old-ship

Upcoming Worship Services

Sundays at 10:30 am at 90 Main Street or join on Zoom.

Sunday, March 2
Pulpit Guest:

Claire Karl B. W. Muller
Living our UU Values in Action
Sunday, March 9

Rev. Carie Johnsen
The Humanizing Effect
Sunday, March 16

Rev. Carie Johnsen

Trust the Power of Pause

Sunday, March 23

Rev. Carie Johnsen

Lessons from Mycelium Mushrooms

Sunday, March 30

Pulpit Guest: Rev. Laura Randell

Communities of Resistance and Resilience

Worship FAQs

Worship services are held every Sunday year round. We have one service each Sunday at 10:30 am, which last approximately one hour. From the first Sunday in September after Labor Day through the 3rd Sunday in June, services are led by our minister or a guest minister. From late June through the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, services are lay-led.

The Meeting House, where worship services are held, is at 90 Main Street, Hingham. Children’s Religious Education, nursery care, and Coffee Hour are all in 14 Main Street. Click here for directions.

You may park on either side of Main St. At the Meeting House, accessible parking is located directly beside the main door. Enter the Meeting House through the door closest to the driveway. You can avoid stairs by using the ramp toward the rear of this Meeting House entrance.

The original pews were installed in 1755 (and reinstalled in 1930!). The numbers do not currently reserve pews for members. They are preserved as a unique historic record; you are welcome to sit in any pew, whether you are a first time visitor or have been coming for years.

On rare occasions Sunday services will be canceled when severe winter weather makes traveling unsafe. If you have questions about whether services are being held, please call the Church office at 781 749-1679 and listen to the voice message.

Although services vary a bit,  they follow a general structure. Here’s a brief introduction to some of the things you might expect.

Instrumental Musical Prelude and Choral Introit
Our service begins with music performed bythe Music Director and invited instrumentalists, often joined by the Professional Quartet and Choir.

Opening Words 
Our minister speaks a few thoughtful words celebrating our coming together  for the service.

Welcome and Announcements
Words of welcome from our minister and  few announcements.  (Most announcements are printed in the Program for the service.)  This is also a time when visitors and newcomers are, if they wish, recognized by standing to tell us who they are and from where they have come.

Chalice Lighting
A member of our congregation lights the chalice adding  a personal message.   The Chalice is the symbol of Unitarian Universalism.  We light the flame each week as a reminder of our unity – not only within Old Ship – but also world wide. When we light the chalice it is a time for all to join the service by listening and participation.

Hymns – sung by the congregation
Words and music comprise our service.  Singing together invites us to celebrate the moment by, if we wish, blending our voice with others. Generally there are three hymns that reflect the day’s worship theme.  They are  sung by the congregation, accompanied by the Choir  director.

Anthem – sung by the Choir
The anthem is a time for musical deepening.  Often it is sung by the Choir and Professional Quartet, accompanied by the Music Director on piano or organ.  At times. other instruments and voices are added.  Generally the Anthem complements the sermon of the day.

Responsive Reading
Services at Old Ship are comprised of many voices.  This reading is short written piece read in unison by the congregation, usually alternating lines with our Minister or another leader.

The Offering
The weekly offering helps continue the good works of Old Ship Church.  One or two offerings a month go to support charities.  Special services, like Christmas also support charitable causes.   The music celebrates the offering and, again, relates to the sermon of the day.

Sharing of Joys & Concerns 
This is a time when those who wish, speak from their hearts and share their joy, sorrow, or concern about personal or family issues.  The minister lights a candle for each joy or concern as it is spoken.  If one has a joy or concern, he/she raises a hand and someone comes by with a microphone so that all can hear – especially hearing-impared.

Prayer
A time for the us to reach into ourselves.  The prayer is a trans-formative time of deepening.  It is a time for reflection.  Following the minister’s words, there is a 3  minute meditation period.

Readings
Our minister chooses readings from a wide variety of sources.  They provide context for the sermon and are read by our regular church readers.

Sermon
Our minister chooses provocative and informative topics.  His sermons are crossroads where the holy and daily life meet.  The premise of the sermons is that our lives can be transformed by contemplating and understanding our own lives, the messages of great teachers, and opening ourselves to the beauty, awe, and oneness of ourselves, others, and our world.
The length of the sermons is generally about 20 minutes.

Benediction
At the completion of the service, our minister speaks words of completion and blessing from the rear of the church.

Benediction Response 
Our Choir and Quartet, accompanied by the Music Director, play a short musical ending to the service.

End of the formal service

Postlude 
A final musical offering, usually instrumental, is played by the organist or guest musicians. The congregation is invited to remain seated during the postlude.

Exit
Our minister always greets worshippers as they exit the church.    Most parishioners walk down the street to 14 Main St where there is a little repast called, “Coffee Hour”.  It is a time for chatting.  All visitors are welcome at the Visitors’ Welcome Table at 14 Main Street.

You are warmly invited to join us for coffee, tea and conversation at Fellowship Hour at 14 Main Street, immediately following our Sunday service. Be sure to stop by our Welcome Table for answers to any questions you might have or to sign up for our newsletter. Coffee Hour generally runs from 11:45 to 12:30 and is a great opportunity for members, friends and visitors to get to know each other.

Children are most welcome! We recognize that you may want to keep your child(ren) with you. Two pews in the Meeting House have rocking chairs for parents with infants. We also offer children and youth programs.

There is a small table located on the right side of the entry hallway at 14 Main Street with pamphlets that may be of interest. Please call the church office (781-749-1679), or send an inquiry by email to get more information about Old Ship. Additional information about our denomination is available from the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations at their website, www.uua.org.