Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix

Pathway to Membership
Are you new to Unitarian Universalism, or would you like to learn more about UUCP or how to become a member of this congregation? If so, this class is for you! The Pathway to Membership class provides an overview of Unitarian Universalism and, more specifically, the UU Congregation of Phoenix. The goal of this class is to welcome and integrate visitors, new members or friends into our community. Registration is ongoing and can be completed in the foyer every Sunday before and after services.

Date & Time:  Various times throughout the year
Location:  TBD
Fee:  N/A
Min/Max Participants:  N/A

UU Evolution: from 1800 - 2000

In 2011 UUCP will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the building of its sacred space on Lincoln Drive.  Our building rose on open Arizona desert, but its foundations go back over two hundred years in time to New England.  Beginning this March, we will explore the times and works of three seminal figures of the early 1800s:  Hosea Ballou, a founder of American Universalism, William Ellery Channing, who defined American Unitarianism, and Margaret Fuller, the mother of the Transcendentalist movement.  Their innovative leadership in those creative early years created movements that influence who we are today.  But do they hold more than historical interest?  Do their words and methods have still have relevance?  Our times are different, but our faith still challenges the prevailing culture with a blend of reason, love, and the transcendent. We have a history that is worth knowing.

The movements changed and evolved with time, and so we will continue by exploring the contributions of three leaders from our own era.  James Luther Adams entered college as a "raging humanist" and became a major religious educator in the mid 1900s.  Adams insisted that the language of the liberal free church must be richly flexible, not doctrinaire. "People can die," he often said, "from hardening of the categories."  Forrest Church, known to many of us as the co-author of  our book table favorite "A Chosen Faith", called us to a sense of awe and humility. "If our religion doesn't inspire in us a humble affection for one another and a profound sense of awe at the wonder of being, one of two things has happened. It has failed us, or we it."  William Schulz, past president of both the Unitarian Universalist Association and Amnesty International, writes from a deep understanding of the human capacity for evil and for resilient spirit.

"The first thing we need to do is to understand that religion is not a pastime but a discipline; not an amusement but a craft. .... Unitarian Universalism is not fundamentally about creedlessness; it is not fundamentally about believing whatever you want; it is not fundamentally about the liberty of the individual.... It is rather an opportunity to pursue ultimate religious questions within a context which respects mystery and is open to a multitude of revelations."
1961 marked a new beginning for our congregation and, coincidentally, the merger of two traditions to form Unitarian Universalism.  The traditions began as heretical variants of Christianity and has evolved into a faith that is inclusive and enriching, drawing from "a multitude of revelations."  We will explore that evolution for six Sundays beginning March 20 and running through April 24. Pre-registration is encouraged by emailing redirector@phoenixuu.org. 

Date & Time:  Sundays at 9:00 am, March 20 - April 24
Location:  UUCP, Annex room B 
Fee:  $10
Min/Max Participants:  6