Welcome to UUCG!

New here? Start with this.

Maybe you've never set foot in a Unitarian Universalist congregation. Maybe you grew up going to church and walked away, or you never went at all and you're not sure what you're even looking for. However you got here, you're welcome, exactly as you are.

This page is the stuff we'd tell you if we were standing in the parking lot together before your first Sunday: what time, where to go, what happens inside, and what to do with your kids. No surprises.

Worship With Us

The basics

  • When: Sundays at 10 AM

  • Where: 5603 Hilltop Road, Jamestown, NC

  • How long: About an hour

  • Can't make it in person? Every service is livestreamed on our YouTube channel.

 

What to wear, what to bring

Wear whatever you're comfortable in. On any given Sunday you'll see jeans and you'll see a jacket and tie, and nobody is keeping score. Bring yourself. That's all you need to do.

Parking and getting in the door

We have an accessible parking lot with plenty of spaces. We have visitor spots close to the door and plenty of handicap spaces. We have automatic doors and there will be someone there to hold the door and welcome you in.

When you enter, look for the welcome table straight through the doors. Tell them it's your first time. They'll help you find name tags and answer anything this page didn't. You won't have to figure it out alone.

What actually happens in the service

If you've never been to a UU service, here's the shape of ours so nothing catches you off guard.

We open with a gathering hymn and then light the chalice (a flame in a cup, which is the symbol of our faith). One of us reads the chalice lighting words aloud, and the congregation reads our church covenant together (the words are always printed in the order of service, so you can simply read along or just listen).

From there, a typical Sunday includes a Time for All Ages (a short message geared toward the kids), a couple of hymns or anthems, and a chance to greet the people sitting near you. There's a musical meditation, and "Prayers of the People," where we hold up joys and sorrows, things people are celebrating or grieving. (The kids head off around this point.) After a moment of shared silence comes the sermon, then a hymn or anthem in response.

When the offering plate comes around, there's also a "share the plate" partner each month (a local or statewide organization we're supporting), and there is no pressure to give. We close by extinguishing the chalice, hear announcements, enjoy another song, and end with a benediction and postlude.

A few things worth saying plainly:

  • You will not be singled out. No one is going to make you stand up, introduce yourself, or say anything in front of the room. When we greet our neighbors, a handshake, bow, or a wave is plenty.

  • The offering is not expected of guests. When the plate comes around, you're welcome to pass it right along. Many of our members give online so it is not uncommon for people to just pass the baskets along.

  • There's no script you need to know. Everything spoken or sung together is printed in the order of service or hymnal we hand you at the door. When we stand, you can stand or stay seated. When we sing, you can sing or just listen.

Kids and youth on Sunday morning

Children are genuinely welcome here, including the wiggly, noisy parts of having them.

  • Nursery: 9:30 AM to noon. Infants to age 4

  • Religious Exploration (RE): Kids through grade 5 leave worship (you’ll know when from the Order of Service/the mass of children leaving) and go to our RE Wing (Religious Exploration). You can pick them up after church.

  • Sign-in/sign-out: You'll sign your nursery-age children in and out and we ask you to fill out a form before church with your children’s information.

Families are always welcome to stay together in the service too, if that's what works for your kid that day.

Questions about kids before you come? Reach out to Cindy Dillard, Director of Children’s and Youth Ministry.

After the service

When it's over, don't rush off. Stick around for coffee and fellowship in the lobby, where you can meet people and ask the questions you didn't want to ask in a crowd. This is where a lot of people decide whether a place feels like home. We hope you’ll join us for some snacks and coffee!

Accessibility

We want everyone to be able to get in and take part. We are wheelchair accessible with accessible all-gender restrooms (the doors have buttons to open them automatically). We have several wheelchairs available for use and people ready to help you if you need it.

Do you need an accommodation we haven't listed? Email the Director of Membership and Operations, Dan Lamson, ahead of your visit and we'll do our best to sort it out.

Who we are

Unitarian Universalism is a religion with no required creed. We don't ask you to sign onto a fixed set of beliefs at the door. What holds us together isn't a single answer about God or the universe; it's a shared way of being together and a commitment to keep searching, honestly and in good company.

In our chairs on a given Sunday you'll find humanists, atheists, agnostics, Christians, Jews, pagans, Buddhists, and theists, sitting side by side. That's a feature, not a bug. That's the whole point.

Our shared values center on love, and branch out into justice, equity, transformation, pluralism, interdependence, and generosity.

We are a Welcoming Congregation, which means our commitment to LGBTQ+ people is explicit and official, not just implied.

Do you want to know more about our beliefs? Click here!

Do you want to know more about our history? Click Here!

Quick Answers

  • No. Some of us do, some of us don't, and both belong here.

  • No. You can be as quiet and anonymous as you like on your first visit (or your hundredth).

  • They can go to our Religious Exploration Programming from church if they are age 5 through 5th grade. They are dismissed about halfway though worship. Younger kids can go to our nurseries for the whole service.

  • Not as a guest, though you are welcome to help support us. The offering is for members and regulars who choose to support the congregation.

  • About an hour. (Maybe a bit over if we’re totally honest….)

  • Whatever's comfortable. Truly. We have zero dress code.

  • Yes, on YouTube, if you'd rather start from your couch. YouTube channel is here.