Dear UUCville Members & Friends,

Love at the Center

That’s the theme of the UU Congregation of Charlottesville’s 2026 pledge drive and it perfectly describes all that we are doing and experiencing at UUCville. We are reaching out, offering a listening ear and an understanding heart, showing up and speaking out, and sharing a message of love and compassion, justice and peace, in our local community and in the wider world.

There are so many examples of the love that is at the center of UUCville but I’d like to mention two.  Last September, we rededicated our peace pole near the Edgewood Lane entrance and invited folks to place signs saying “Help Each Other” in their yards or around town. Every time I drove past one of those signs it always called me back to what matters most in my life and reminded me of why UUCVille makes such a positive difference. More recently, an ice storm left some in our congregation stranded with no way to leave their homes or drive to get food and other necessities. We put out an appeal for volunteers to help and the response was overwhelming! Every time I received another offer to shovel a church member’s driveway, I said to myself, “That’s what it means to put love at the center!”

And it is the love at the center of the UU Congregation of Charlottesville and Unitarian Universalism that inspires my family to make a financial commitment to our congregation and the reason we are planning to increase substantially our pledge this year. We see our financial commitment to UUCville as an investment in love and a down payment on justice and compassion.

In these troubled times, financially supporting the UU Congregation of Charlottesville is more important than ever. As one of our most meaningful hymns says, we need more hope, more joy, more peace, and more love. If you already make an annual pledge, please consider increasing it by 10 or 15% or more. That increase will enable us to build more community partnerships, to provide fairer compensation to our staff, grow our worship, faith development, and pastoral care ministries, take better care of our buildings and grounds, and to truly practice what we preach about social and environmental justice.  If you don’t currently pledge or have never pledged before, now is the time to make a financial commitment for 2026-27. All pledges, no matter the size, are generous and greatly appreciated. 

The love we are experiencing and sharing at UUCville are only the beginning. Let your passion and your values shine brightly and speak boldly. Help the UU Congregation of Charlottesville do more justice, offer more compassion, and welcome more souls into this community as we put Love at the Center!

Blessings,