Joys & Concerns—Exploring New Ways of Sharing
- Feb 24
- 2 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Joys and Concerns is a central ritual and community-building element of Unitarian Universalist worship services. The Worship Committee aims to make Joys & Concerns at HUU more inclusive and provide more ways to help our members and friends participate in this ritual. From March 22 to June 7, we invite the congregation to try 3 new modes of Joys & Concerns. These new modes, described below, will be offered for three consecutive Sundays each. We will also revisit our current Joys and Concerns method—inviting members to share by speaking into a microphone—every four weeks. In the weekly e-News and Order of Service, we will share a brief description of the mode to be shared in service that Sunday.
Neighborly Sharing: Worship attendees will be invited to share their Joy/Concern with those seated near them. This is an opportunity for personal connection and active listening. Attendees online will be welcome to unmute and share with others attending online. Dates: March 22, March 29, April 5
Written Joys & Concerns: Joys & Concerns cards will be available at the welcome table. Attendees may write their Joy/Concern on the card, then place the card in the offertory basket. In addition, this online form for submitting Joys & Concerns to our Worship Committee will be made available during the week. The link to this form will be in the e-News and on our website. The Worship Associate will read the cards and online submissions aloud in service. In order to give the Worship Associate time to collect the cards, the Meditation will come before, rather than after, Joys & Concerns on these Sundays. Attendees online will be invited to share their Joy/Concern in a chat with the Tech Assistant at the beginning of service, and these will be shared with the Worship Associate to read aloud. Dates: April 26, May 3, May 10
Candles & Book: Worship attendees will be invited to light a candle and write their Joy/Concern in a special book available in the sanctuary. Attendees online will be invited to share their Joy/Concern in a chat with the Tech Assistant at the beginning of service. The Worship Associate will light a candle and note in the book on their behalf.Dates: May 24, May 31, June 7
At the conclusion of the experiment, we will survey members and friends about their worship experiences. The Worship Committee will review this feedback, which will inform how we continue to offer Joys and Concerns in worship. We are excited to explore these new possibilities with you!
—The HUU Worship Committee (Posted Updated April 6, 2026 to reflect amended dates)
