Welcome to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charlottesville (UUCville)
We seek to be an inclusive spiritual community, coming together in love, and reaching out in service.
We welcome you to join us online for our Sunday services , learn more about our UU congregation, or become involved with our community activities.
In peace,
Rev. Tim Temeson, Developmental Lead Minister
Rev. Susan Karlson, Sabbatical Minister for Faith Development
Rev. Leia Durland-Jones, Minister of Faith Development (currently on sabbatical and will be away from congregational life until September 2024)
Pam McIntire, Board President 2021-2024
Unitarian Universalism is often referred to as a “free church” because people are free – and encouraged – to engage in their own search for truth and meaning without the imposition of creed or dogma.
Here you will find a community that is serious about its spiritual seeking and encouraging of yours. We see life itself as the greatest of scriptures, and seek to apply its teachings to the full living of our lives and the healing of the world.
Does this intrigue you? Excite you? Come. Add your gifts to those already here. Your presence will make this community richer still.
Throughout this website, you will find information about the many and varied activities and groups which make up the living reality of this faith community, and you are welcome to engage in ways that make sense to you.
Sunday Morning Service and Faith Development Times
A weekly service is held in-person and on Zoom at 11 a.m. on Sunday
Supervised play for children is available on the playground during the service and a family-friendly space to participate is also available in the social hall. All are welcome!
Check the Sunday Services page for changes.
Youth, Children and Families
Safe and supportive youth, child, and family engagement is central to our mission. Please learn about UUCville family programs, and register your child for an age-appropriate group. Programs run September through June.
What We Believe
Our purpose is not to tell you who to be or what to believe, but to help each of us to find greater meaning in our lives. We have no creeds. We believe in the intrinsic worth of all people and in life’s creative power. We offer a community of faith that reveres the interconnected web of all life, and that calls on us to work to make a difference in the world.
We are a church of the liberal religious tradition and heritage, one with ancient and deep roots. We are a diverse community which encourages spiritual growth and the practice of our beliefs through active involvement in the church and in the world. We are a religious community embracing a common faith expressed by our commitment to the UU Principles and Purposes.
Our religious community thrives on diversity
Many of our members were raised in other religious traditions and bring with them many spiritual perspectives. We come from Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, humanist, scientific, pagan, earth-centered, agnostic and other backgrounds, and we incorporate these traditions into our services. We are accepting of all religions and believe that creation is too mystical to be reduced to any “one truth.”
You are Welcome Here
Here we are an anti-racist, Welcoming Congregation promoting full participation in congregation activities by all persons of whatever race, color, creed, gender identity, ability and/or disability, affectional or sexual orientation, age, economic status, or origin. We hope that your visit here will provide you with a greater sense of unity within yourself, with the people around you, and with the world outside these walls.
Our Mission Statement
The UU Congregation of Charlottesville
builds community through love in action.
Together we cultivate a safe and welcoming place for all.
Together we nurture mind, heart, body, and spirit.
Together we work for equity, justice, and peace for all people and the planet.
(Click here to read more about the crafting of our mission statement in 2023)
Our Covenant with one another
In order to create the beloved community we all desire for ourselves, we, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charlottesville covenant to:
Communicate with compassion and respect, especially when we disagree,
Celebrate diversity and nurture our inclusivity,
Embrace one another spiritually and emotionally
Promote social justice within our congregation and the larger community,
Generously support the ministries of the church with time, money and enthusiasm, and
When we have fallen short, lovingly call each other back into covenant.