New River UUF Visitor Information

When are your services?
Services and RE (for "religious education") classes are each Sunday from 11 am to 12:30 pm at the 911 S. Kanawha Street location. Occasionally we meet in Hinton and Lewisburg, please contact the church for details.

Are children welcome in the service if they'd rather stay with the grownup they came with?
Our congregation is used to having kids in the service. We have RE classes during the academic year and open play time in the summer, but kids are always welcome in "big church." We have many intergenerational services throughout the year, where the entire community worships together.

Is your church accessible?
The church building is handicap accessible through the front entrance off of Kanawha Street.

Are there members of the church who are {insert ethnic group here}. Are {insert ethnic group here} folks welcome?
At this point, the membership of our congregation reflects the ethnicity and racial diversity of our area. Translation: We're a pretty white group. But we'd love to change that. We're lifetime corporate members of the NAACP, and many of our members are very active in local racial and economic justice efforts. We love having visitors of all persuasions and walks of life, and would love know how we can grow as a congregation to make all kinds of people feel welcome with us.

Are there members of the church who are GLBTQ? Are GLBTQ folks welcome?
We do have members who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and questioning. Of all American religious groups, the UUs have been furthest out front on issues of rights for sexual minorities -- we've been performing services of union for people regardless of affectational orientation longer than any other group. Our local congregation was one of the first UU societies to complete the UUA's Welcoming Congregation program, a curriculum of intensive self-study and commitment to equality, fairness, and access for GLBTQ folks.

Are there people in the congregation who believe {insert belief here}? Are people who believe {insert belief here} welcome?
In our congregation we have people who would call themselves humanists, liberal Christians, Buddhists, pagan or earth-centered, theist, agnostic, and atheist. We don't always agree, and sometimes we argue, but we see that diversity as providing an environment in which all of us can learn and grow from each other. As Francis David said 500 years ago, "We need not think alike to love alike." We share no common creed, but instead a common commitment to exploration and discovery.

What are services usually like? Does someone always read from the Bible?
The basic format of most of our services is pretty similar to that of traditional Protestant worship, though sometimes we really stretch and do something very different. We always begin and end our services with the lighting and extinguishing of the Chalice, which symbolizes for us the light of human love, the illuminating power of reason, and the power of the universe. During our services you'll hear many kinds of readings, sometimes from the Bible but just as often from another sacred scripture, or a poet, or a UU minister. Most weeks the service features a sermon by our minister or lay leader, but "non-traditional" services are frequent events.

How do I get to the church building?
Follow Rt. 77 and 64 to split (south of Beckley) stay to left and take Rt. 64 toward Lewisburg. Take 1st exit off to right (to Rt.19 and Eisenhower Dr.) Left at 2nd light (top of hill) onto Johnstown Rd. Left again at 2nd light onto S. Kanawha St. 911 is in the 2nd block. Parking in back.

Are you asking just what Unitarian Universalism is all about? These sites can help define what UUs believe and answer some common questions about our religion.

The 100 questions about UUism Page has answers to frequently asked questions about our religion.

What is a UU? is a site by the UUA Bookstore that answers some questions about our religion. It also has information about a book that answers these questions.

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 294; Beckley, WV 25802-0294
Located at 911 S. Kanawha St. in Beckley, WV
Phone: 304-252-4016
Email address: newriveruuf at yahoo.com

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