Besides weekly services, we also conduct other ceremonies, such as child dedications and memorial services. Our church and its beautiful grounds are home to many weddings. If you are considering a marriage at MVUC, our minister may be available to officiate. Explore opportunities to host your wedding or special event on the Weddings and Events page.

Child Dedications

Unitarian Universalists have a long tradition of welcoming our children into the community with a Child Dedication service. Our Minister officiates during a regular Sunday worship service with the child (birth to 10 years old), parents and Godparents if any.

The whole family is encouraged to attend as well. The ceremony includes select readings about the commitment parents and the community make to the care and well being of the child. The ceremony includes the congregation. Everyone present makes their own commitment to welcoming a new member into the community.

During the ceremony, the congregation hears your child’s name called out. We share a blessing using purified waters collected from the annual Gathering of the Waters ritual (held each September).

If you prefer, private Child Dedication services can be arranged with the Minister using a modified ceremony.

Memorial Services

Each memorial service is individualized to reflect the life of the deceased. If appropriate, the service is presented as a celebration of life to express our recognition that humanity is on a sacred journey marked by life and death, with joys and sorrows fulfilling our hearts.

In our services we strive to offer a profound and well-rounded perspective of this journey grounded in the personal theology of the deceased.

Memorial services are offered at a reduced rate to all members of Mount Vernon Unitarian Church with the minister officiating.

For more information, download our Memorial Services Planning Guide.

Memorial Walks

Our Memorial Walks are an enduring memorial area on the MVUC grounds dedicated to the remembrance of those we love.  Memorialization, via wall plate or interment of cremated remains, within the Memorial Walks is open to MVUC members, their spouses, life partners, and immediate family members.  The Memorial Walks are accessible by a brick path that starts immediately to the left of Meeting House as you are facing it. To learn more about the Memorial Walks or if you are interested in being interred in the Memorial Walks, please contact the Memorial Walks Committee or send an e-mail to memorialwalks@mvuc.org.

Additional information: MVUC Memorial Walks Fact Sheet and MVUC Memorial Walks Personal and Family History Form. (Last updated: October 2023.)

Other Rites of Passage

Other Rites of Passage we observe at MVUC include: Coming of Age recognitions for our 8th-graders, Bridging ceremonies for our high school graduates, and of course wedding and commitment ceremonies.