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WEST CHESTERFIELD, N.H. -- The First Universalist Church of West Chesterfield will hold its annual Water Ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 9, at 10 a.m. The Water Ceremony, also sometimes called Water Communion, was first used at a Unitarian Universalist worship service in the 1980s. Many UU congregations now hold a Water Service once a year, often at the beginning of the new church year in September.
During the service, members and guests are invited to bring small amounts of water collected from a special place during their summer travels or closer to home. The individual samples of water are then placed into a larger common vessel. The combined water is symbolic of a shared faith coming from many different sources. It is then blessed by the congregation, and later boiled and used as the congregation’s "holy water" in child dedication ceremonies and other special events.
The Rev. Arthur Reublinger will be conducting the ceremony. His sermon topic will be "Are You Drinking Aristotle’s Water?" during which he will reflect on the longevity of the earth’s water cycle.
This life-sustaining cycle has been going on since the beginning of time, involving the same water molecules over and over again. Over the centuries, recognizing "the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part," it is conceivable that that water in your glass dates back to Aristotle.
During Sunday’s service, the congregation
Rev. Reublinger serves as itinerant minister for both the West Chesterfield church and the South Parish Unitarian Church in Charlestown. He currently serves as chaplain of Rockingham Hospice in Exeter.
The community is invited to attend this special service. A children’s religious education class will be offered. Coffee and refreshments will also follow the service. Further information and directions can be found at www.chesterfielduu.org or by calling 603-256-6346.
