ABOUT US

Our UUSIC mission and goals

We are a caring, inclusive community celebrating a liberal tradition that nurtures social justice, stewardship of the earth, and our lifelong journeys of mind and spirit.

Our goals

1. We provide intergenerational worship services to educate, inspire, celebrate, and nurture our Unitarian Universalist community.

2. We provide lifespan religious education to support the intellectual and spiritual growth of our children, members, friends and the wider community.

3. We practice shared ministry and build caring, supportive relationships within a diverse congregation.

4. We take action to create an environmentally sustainable culture, both within our congregation and in the wider community, through education and advocacy.

5. We work for social justice on behalf of those who are oppressed or in need, through education, direct service, financial support, and advocacy .

6. We provide facilities that meet the needs of our congregation and advance our principles and our mission.

7. We promote our principles and programs in the wider community and welcome those with whom our principles resonate.

UU principles
Unitarian Universalists throughout North America share a common set of ethical and spiritual values, our UU principles.

Our interim minister
Minister Benjamin Maucere comes to us from Houston, Texas, after two years of interim ministry. Benjamin also presided as minister from 1992-2005 at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Philadelphia, PA.

Our ministerial search
This April, we began the ministerial search process to select a new settled (permanent) minister; at our June Congregational Meeting, we selected the members of our Ministerial Search Committee.

Unitarians and Universalists in Iowa City
Between 1840 and 1844, the first Iowa City Universalists gathered in a room at territorial government headquarters.  In 1869 the congregation called its first woman minister. A Unitarian minister arrived to serve this church in 1878. 

Throughout our history in Iowa City, our congregation has been a home for liberal religious thought, participating in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, supporting Iowa City's identification as a Nuclear Free Zone in the 1980s, and becoming a Welcoming Congregation in the 1990s. 

Governance and leadership
"Congregational polity" is the Unitarian Universalist technical term for the way in which churches, fellowships, and societies of this denomination are governed -- in plain English, we govern ourselves, using the bylaws created by our board and congregation. Each year, our UUSIC Board of Directors produces an "Annual Report" that reviews where we've been and looks ahead to where we're going. Our 2010 Annual Report is now online. Learn more

Membership
Membership in the Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City may be achieved when a person feels ready to become a member.

Learn more about Unitarian Universalism
Visit the website of the Unitarian Universalist Association, our national organization, to learn more about UUs.

UU History
What do Florence Nightingale, Frank Lloyd Wright, Clarence Darrow, Beatrix Potter, and Christopher Reeve have in common?

Other helpful resources:

• Unitarian Universalist Association - Our national organization offers a vast amount of information and other resources for and about UUs.

• The UUA Office of Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Concerns (OBGLTC)

• UUA Young Adults Campus Ministry

• Prairie Star District - Our district organization offers services and resources for congregations in our region