Umpqua Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Roseburg
OR

• Unitarian Universalist churches in Roseburg, OR
• Unitarian Universalist churches in Oregon
• Unitarian Universalist churches in United States
• Unitarian Universalist churches near me
• All churches in Roseburg, OR

The Umpqua Unitarian Universalist Congregation is a diverse congregation. Though each of us travels our own spiritual pathway, we find common value in our seven guiding principles.

1) The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
2) Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
3) Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual
growth in our congregations;
4) A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
5) The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process
within our congregations and in society at large;
6) The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice
for all;
7) Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which
we are a part.

We welcome you to our congregation

Download Umpqua Unitarian Universalist Congregation vCard with Service Times

Download Lay Leadership vCard with Bio

Unitarian Universalist

Unitarian Universalist churches in Roseburg, Oregon, United States

Unitarian Universalist churches in Oregon, United States

Unitarian Universalist churches in United States

All churches in Roseburg, OR

Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA)

http://roseburguu.org/

Lay Leadership

(541) 672-2250

In 2015, UUUC members decided to utilize lay leadership. Consequently, we now have no staff minister, but other ministers in the area speak at our Sunday services on a regular basis.

On Church grounds.

Sunday Service at 10:30 am

Service Times last updated on the 22nd of August, 2019

English & Sign Language

Casual. We want our members & those who visit to be comfortable and enjoy the loving experience of our gathering.

We have a special program every Sunday for the children.

We collect every Sunday for the local FISH Pantry to feed those in need.
We are also a designated Blue Zone Congregation

We are equipped to meet the needs of disabled individuals.

Our roots go back to the fall of 1957 when a representative from Boston arrived to meet with local women and men who were interested in forming a Unitarian congregation. The enthusiasm for a liberal church in Roseburg was apparent, and a core group of people soon followed up to create an informal Unitarian Fellowship.

Like many other fledgling Unitarian groups, meetings and services were first held in homes and then in whatever public or commercial spaces were available.

Since many of the participants had children, there was a strong emphasis on religious education for kids and teens during the 1960’s. Adult leaders provided age-appropriate worship and experiential classes that invariably involved costumes and food, dancing, and celebration of shared or different values and joys. The adult program occurred in the evening and centered on discussions about the possibility of humanism serving spiritual needs or aspirations.

A wondrous aspect of the early fellowship was an annual weeklong campout in Umpqua National Forest. Tents were set up on a Sunday evening and then the campers (mostly women and children after the men returned to their jobs) would gather at the river for morning worship, followed by berry picking, singing, swimming, and skits. In general, the adults said “Yes” if at all possible to the children’s ideas.

During the 1970’s the Fellowship grew and diminished and grew again. It eventually reached an ungainly size, which made staying dynamic at all levels for children and new members more than those in leadership positions could manage. Consequently, the congregation decided to disband, but kept a hope alive to regroup in the future.

After a hiatus of about ten years, local leaders decided to reactivate the congregation under the auspices of the newly-formed Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), which had adopted its purposes and principles in 1985. Bylaws and a five-year plan were developed for a Umpqua Unitarian Universalist Church (UUUC), and we became an official member of the UUA in 1987.

Finding a permanent home became a top priority for the new congregation and—after some “fits and starts”—the current building was purchased in July of 1992. The congregation finally had a sanctuary, an office, a children’s area, a kitchen, lots of yard and parking space, and an associated building which could be used as a parsonage or rental property.

During the early years, UUUC Sunday services were led by visiting ministers or church members. Then, in 1998, the congregation decided to follow a “ministerial path.” For the next 18 years, a variety of part- or full-time ministers (some of whom became much beloved) were called to serve the church, However, as a small congregation, the costs became unsustainable, so members decided in 2015 to utilize lay leadership and change our name to the Umpqua Unitarian Universalist Congregation.

This is where things now stand. Will there be future changes? Undoubtedly; such is the nature of Unitarian Universalism. We are a dynamic organization not bound by creeds or dogma, and our members and friends are encouraged to engage in “a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.”

We trust that UUUC will continue to evolve and become even more effective and useful to our members, friends, and the local service organizations we support.