The Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (ERUUF) is a Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregation located in Durham, North Carolina. In 2018, over seven hundred people were members of ERUUF, making it the largest UU congregation in NC and one of the largest in the UUA. [1] It sponsors the UU campus ministry program at Duke University, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship @ Duke. [2]
The Eno River Buddhist Community, founded in 1992, is affiliated with and meets at ERUUF. [3] [4] The group, which draws upon a variety of Buddhist traditions, but especially the Insight Meditation (vipassanā) tradition, "considers itself ecumenical." [3] [4]
One of the ministers of ERUUF, Mary Grigolia, serves on the steering committee of the North Carolina Religious Coalition for Marriage Equality. [5] The ERUUF is a Welcoming Congregation, [6] which is a specific designation within the Unitarian Universalist Association for congregations that have undergone a program to increase inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and understanding of LGBT issues. [7]
Between 1900 and 1925 Universalists had been active in Durham, and, in 1949, a Unitarian fellowship opened in the Durham/Chapel Hill area. In 1966, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Durham and Chapel Hill opened; it changed its name in 1978 to Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. [8]
ERUUF has been a recipient of the O. Eugene Pickett Award, [8] which is given annually by the Unitarian Universalist Association "to the congregation that has made an outstanding contribution to the growth of Unitarian Universalism". [9]
Members of ERUUF represent a range of beliefs and interests. In addition to the Buddhist Community, groups include a humanist group, a meditation group, a depression support group, a West African drumming group, A Course in Miracles, and a Taoist tai chi group, among others. [10] ERUUF is inclusive of different theologies; many pagans are members. [11] According to Rev. Arvid Straube, "We are a broad umbrella. Freedom of belief is our main tenet." [11]
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship @ Duke (UUF@D) is the Duke University UU campus ministry program. [2] It is both sponsored by ERUUF and recognized as a student organization by the university. It holds vespers services twice a month during the school semester. [2]
Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalist congregations. It was formed in 1961 by the consolidation of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America, both Protestant Christian denominations with Unitarian and Universalist doctrines, respectively. However, modern Unitarian Universalists see themselves as a separate religion with its own beliefs and affinities. They define themselves as non-creedal, and draw wisdom from various religions and philosophies, including humanism, pantheism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, Islam, and Earth-centered spirituality. Thus, the UUA is a syncretistic religious group with liberal leanings.
Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religious movement characterized by a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". Unitarian Universalists assert no creed, but instead are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth. Unitarian Universalists do not have an official, unified corpus of sacred texts but rather draw inspiration and guidance from the Six Sources: personal experience, prophetic utterances, world religions, Jewish and Christian teachings, humanist teachings, and spiritual teachings. Unitarian Universalist congregations include many atheists, agnostics, deists, and theists and have churches, fellowships, congregations, and societies around the world.
Unitarianism is a Nontrinitarian branch of Christianity. Unitarian Christians affirm the unitary nature of God as the singular and unique creator of the universe, believe that Jesus Christ was inspired by God in his moral teachings and that he is the savior of humankind, but he is not comparable or equal to God himself.
The General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches is the umbrella organisation for Unitarian, Free Christians, and other liberal religious congregations in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was formed in 1928, with denominational roots going back to the Great Ejection of 1662. Its headquarters is Essex Hall in central London, on the site of the first avowedly Unitarian chapel in England, set up in 1774.
The Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans is an independent affiliate of Unitarian Universalists who identify with the precepts of classical or contemporary Paganism: celebrating the sacred circle of life and guiding people to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature. CUUPS members foster the development of "liturgical materials based on earth- and nature-centered religious and spiritual perspectives" as well as encourage "greater use of music, dance, visual arts, poetry, story, and creative ritual in Unitarian Universalist worship and celebration." Many members of CUUPS embrace the cycle of seasons and beauty of all life forms found in nature. Unlike many mainline religious sects, Unitarian Universalists and Pagans both value the "sacredness in the present world rather than on an afterlife." CUUPS is a community open to all Unitarian Universalist members and those who support the tenets.
The Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship (UUBF) is a "Related Organization" to the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). Formed in the early 1990s, the UUBF exists to facilitate dialogue among UU Buddhists and other UUs interested in Buddhism and its practices. It is open to all Unitarian Universalists who are Buddhists of any tradition or who are interested in learning more about Buddhism. The UUBF publishes a newsletter, the UU Sangha, and posts back issues in an archive on its website. The website also has a list of UU Buddhist and meditation groups and contact information. Instructions for joining the UUBF Listserv are there also. Each year there is a UUBF booth in the exhibit hall at UUA General Assembly. Every other year, in odd years, the UUBF holds a Convocation.
James Ishmael Ford is an American Zen Buddhist priest and a retired Unitarian Universalist minister. He was born in Oakland, California on July 17, 1948. He earned a BA in psychology from Sonoma State University, as well as an M.Div. and an MA in the Philosophy of Religion, both from the Pacific School of Religion.
Unitarian Universalism, as practiced by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), and the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC), is a non-Creedal and Liberal theological tradition and an LGBTQ affirming denomination.
The First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia is a Unitarian Universalist congregation located at 2125 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a regional Community Center it sponsors cultural, educational, civic, wellness and spiritual activities.
The North Carolina Religious Coalition for Marriage Equality was an interfaith same-sex marriage advocacy group composed of religious leaders in North Carolina. The group's headquarters were at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh which has hosted speeches with James A. Forbes of the Riverside Church in regards to LGBT rights. The steering committee included executive director Jimmy Creech, group coordinator Chantelle Fisher-Borne, Mary E. Grigolia of the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Jack McKinney of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Susan Parker of Wake Forest Baptist Church, Steve Smith of the North Carolina Council of Churches, and Wanda Floyd of the Imani Metropolitan Community Church.
Jimmy Creech is a former United Methodist Church minister who was defrocked for marrying same-sex couples. He was a founding member of the North Carolina Religious Coalition for Marriage Equality, an interfaith same-sex marriage advocacy group, co-author of the Dallas Principles, was a participant in the Marriage Equality Express, and is the current Board Chairman of the North Carolina Social Justice Project, a progressive policy and advocacy organization dedicated to eliminating inequality in North Carolina.
Peter Morales is an American former president of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Morales was the UUA's first Latino president. In the early 2000s, he was the senior minister of the Jefferson Unitarian Church in Jefferson County, Colorado, a rapidly growing Unitarian Universalist congregation in the northwestern Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area. He also worked for the UUA from 2002 to 2004. In 2008, he announced his candidacy for president, and in 2009 he was elected. As the result of a controversy regarding the UUA's hiring practices and charges of institutional racism, Morales resigned as president in 2017, three months before the end of the term.
All Souls Unitarian Church is a Unitarian Universalist (UU) church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is one of the largest UU congregations in the world.
Northwest Unitarian Universalist Congregation (Northwest) was organized in 1969. The organization of Northwest was the result of action taken by the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta (UUCA) to establish a new congregation in the northwest suburbs of Atlanta.
First Parish in Malden, Universalist is a Unitarian Universalist ("UU") church in Malden, Massachusetts and a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association. It was gathered in 1648 to support the establishment of the city of Malden. It is one of the oldest churches in Massachusetts. The current minister is the Rev. Otto O'Connor, who was called to be the congregation's minister in 2017.
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder is a Unitarian Universalist ("UU") church in Boulder, Colorado.
