Visitors

We are Unitarian Universalists

by Marta Flanagan

Are you looking for a religious home?

Unitarian Universalists say:

• “I want a religion that respects the differences between people and affirms every person as an individual.”
• “I want a church that values children, that welcomes them on their own terms-a church they are eager to attend on Sunday morning.”
• “I want a congregation that cherishes freedom and encourages open dialogue on questions of faith, one in which it is okay to change your mind.”
• “I want a religious community that affirms spiritual exploration and reason as ways of finding truth.”
• “I want a church that acts locally and thinks globally on the great issues of our time-world peace; women’s rights; racial justice; homelessness; gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender rights; and protection of the environment.”

What We Believe

Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion born of the Jewish and Christian traditions. We keep our minds open to the religious questions people have struggled with in all times and places. We believe that personal experience, conscience, and reason should be the final authorities in religion. In the end religious authority lies not in a book, person, or institution, but in ourselves. We put religious insights to the test of our hearts and minds. We uphold the free search for truth. We will not be bound by a statement of belief. We do not ask anyone to subscribe to a creed. We say ours is a noncreedal religion. Ours is a free faith. We believe that religious wisdom is ever changing. Human understanding of life and death, the world and its mysteries, is never final. Revelation is continuous. We celebrate unfolding truths known to teachers, prophets, and sages throughout the ages. We affirm the worth of all women and men. We believe people should be encouraged to think for themselves. We know people differ in their opinions and lifestyles, and we believe these differences generally should be honored. We seek to act as a moral force in the world, believing that ethical living is the supreme witness of religion. The here and now and the effects our actions will have on future generations deeply concern us. We know that our relationships with one another, with diverse peoples, races, and nations, should be governed by justice, equity, and compassion.

We Celebrate

Each Unitarian Universalist congregation is involved in many kinds of programs. Worship is held regularly, the insights of the past and present are shared with those who will create the future, service to the community is undertaken, and friendships are made. A visitor to a Unitarian Universalist congregation will very likely find events and activities such as church school, daycare centers, lectures and forums, support groups, family events, adult education classes, and study groups-all depending on the needs and interests of the local members. Each Unitarian Universalist congregation is the fulfillment of a long heritage that goes back hundreds of years to courageous people who struggled for freedom in thought and faith. On this continent we include the Massachusetts settlers and the founders of the republic. Outstanding Unitarians and Universalists include John Adams, Clara Barton, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Susan B. Anthony, Adlai Stevenson, Eliot Richardson, and Whitney Young. Not as famous but equally worthy are the thousands of men and women in our congregations leading vital, dedicated, and useful lives. Our congregations are self-governing. Authority and responsibility are vested in the membership of the congregation. Each local congregation, called a church, society, or fellowship, adopts its own bylaws, elects its own officers, and approves its budget. Every member is encouraged to take part in church or fellowship activities.

We Unite

More than one thousand congregations make up the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), which represents our interests on a continental scale. The UUA grew out of the consolidation, in 1961, of two religious denominations, the Universalists, organized in 1793, and the Unitarians, organized in 1825. (See the UU Historical Society) The UUA provides resources and offers consultations to local congregations, creates religious education curricula, spurs social action efforts, expedites the settlement of professional religious leaders, supports Beacon Press, and produces pamphlets, devotional materials, and the bimonthly journal the UU World. The UUA works in concert with many other Unitarian Universalist organizations, the largest of which is the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC). Since its early work aiding victims of Nazi oppression, the UUSC has been helping people help themselves through service and advocacy programs around the world. The Unitarian Universalist Women’s Federation, an independent membership organization, represents, organizes, and acts on the concerns and issues of importance to UU women across the continent. Another related organization is the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Larger Fellowship, which provides a ministry to geographically isolated religious liberals.

MVUUF at St. John’s United Church of Christ
515 E. Third Street, Dayton, OH 45402

Ph: 937-436-3628
admin@mvuuf.org

Parking:
On Sundays, free parking is available in the side lot, and the far-rear parking lot behind the building (catty-corner to side lot). As the side parking lot is paved, it is reserved for those with mobility challenges. Please enter the building using our main entrance on Third Street. This front entrance is equipped with a ramp and wheelchair/scooter lift.

Parking can be a bit tricky at MVUUF, so please see our Parking Page for more information, including a map of our packing lots.

Visiting In-Person

After parking and entering the building, you’ll be greeted either by one of our hospitality volunteers.  They’ll hand you the day’s Order of Service, and then direct you toward the sanctuary.  At the doors to our sanctuary, you’ll be greeted again, either by another one of our hospitality volunteers, or by our Director of Membership, Meredith Plummer.  We’ll ask you to fill out our visitor book, create a name-tag for you, and hand you one of our visitor bag (it has chocolate!).  If you have children, we’ll also ask you to fill out a visitor registration form.  Then, if there is time before the service, we’ll show you around the building and answer any questions you may have.  If there isn’t time, we’ll give you some basic information and still answer any questions you may have!  Finally, we’ll invite you to stay for coffee hour, after the service.

Coffee hour is our social hour.  It is a time for us to talk, connect, and enjoy refreshments together.  Our coffee hour takes place at the back of the sanctuary.  If you decide to stay for coffee hour, you too can talk, connect, and enjoy some refreshments!

Our Director of Membership, Meredith Plummer, will follow-up with you by email or text within the week should you have questions, or want to know more about MVUUF.  They are here to serve you, and are always available to talk by phone or over coffee (they’re treat!).

Visiting Online

After accessing the worship zoom, you will temporarily be placed in a waiting room, while the zoom host grants you entry.  If you arrive around the start of the service, you will be greeted by the zoom host in the chat.

During the Welcome, the zoom host will post a link to the online visitor form (below).  Should you like to know more about us, we encourage you to fill out the form.  We also encourage you to stay on the zoom after the service encs for Coffee hour.

Coffee hour is our social hour.  It is a time for us to talk, connect, and enjoy being in community.  If you decide to stay for coffee hour, you too can talk, connect, and enjoy being in community!

If you filled out our online visitor form, our Director of Membership, Meredith Plummer, will follow-up with you by email or text within the week.  Meredith is here to serve you, and is available to answer any questions you may have about MVUUF by phone or over coffee (they’re treat!).

At MVUUF, Children and Youth Religious Education (CYRE) includes regular Sunday classes as well as periodic extra programs such as Our Whole Lives (OWL) comprehensive sexuality education classes and classes that help children and youth explore their personal faith formation.

CYRE also hosts fun special events throughout the year like a Halloween celebration, Holiday craft-making afternoon, and an Easter Egg hunt. Stay up to date with announcements about upcoming classes, special events, and more by filling out the visitor form below.  We’ll add you to our CYRE email list when you tell us you have children.

Please note, all children and youth attending CYRE classes must be registered. Visitors may use the guest registration form (given to adults when they first visit with children); however, after three visits, we ask everyone to complete the full registration form (called “MVUUF Youth Religious Education Registration”). Registration helps us learn names, track attendance, plan for activities, and accommodate any special needs.

If you and your family are planning on visiting us for the first time, here are some additional things you need to know:

• Our youth group (6th – 12th graders) meets at the start of the service.
• Children (Infant – 5th Grade), start in the sanctuary with their adults.
• There is an interactive worship space set up at the front of the sanctuary just for our children!  Please feel free to sit there.
• Elementary aged children (Kindergarten – 5th grade) are dismissed to their classroom after the Story for All Ages (more on this under “What can I expect from a service at MVUUF?”).  Adults should plan to pick up their children 15 minutes after the service ends.
• Finally, the sound of children in church is both a joy and a blessing.  However, should you feel the need, the unstaffed nursery room is open and available to families who may wish to step out of worship.

Most MVUUF services follow the same schedule:

• Opening Rituals: Our services begin with opening rituals which help guide us into worship.  These include music, welcoming words, a land acknowledgement, and a Chalice lighting (the Flaming Chalice is the symbol of Unitarian Universalism).
• Story for All Ages: The Story for All Ages welcomes children into the service, makes the day’s message more accessible to adults, and provides opportunities for connection across the lifespan.  After the Story for All Ages, the children exit to their classroom while the adults sing them out.
• Rituals of Care & Connection: After the children are in class, we share our Joys & Sorrows, engage in prayer or mediation, and enjoy more music.  Sharing of our Joys & Sorrows helps us quiet our minds and hearts, gives us the opportunity to rejoice in each other’s wins, and provide witness to each other’s pain. If you would like to provide a Joy or Sorrow when you visit, you can write it in the Joy & Sorrow book in the back of the sanctuary upon arrival, or type it into the zoom chat when prompted.
• Sermon: Engaging, heart-felt, reflections with a message.  Need we say more?
• Offering: Each week at MVUUF we split our offering with a local organization doing the work of justice and liberation.
• Closing Rituals: Finally, our services end with closing rituals which help guide us back into “the real world.”  These include music, extinguishing the Chalice, announcements, and closing words.

If you would like to view previous services to get a feel for our services, please see Service Recordings.