Blue
Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Visitors' Information
- Are you looking
for a liberal religious community in which to seek spiritual growth?
- Would you like
to consider religious questions with others who may not be certain that
they have all the answers, but with whom you share many values?
- Would you like
a church where people are held together by a sense of mutual concerns,
rather than one tied together by religious law?
- Would you like
to learn the wisdom of great moral leaders of every age and nation?
- Would you like
to expand your circle of friends and join in celebration, worship,
discussion, and education in an atmosphere of respect and mutual
support?
- Would you like
a church where your children can be helped to develop their own
religious
beliefs, without having any creed or dogma imposed on them?
- Would you like
a community of individuals who will welcome your participation in the
effort to preserve and extend the tradition of personal freedom and
human dignity against the danger those elements face today?
You may find what you are
looking for at the Blue Hills Unitarian Universalist fellowship (BHUU).
Click here to learn more about Unitarian
Universalism, and read below for information about our specific
fellowship.
History of the BHUU: 1981
- present
The idea of Blue Hills UU Fellowship was born one evening at a dinner
party where several parents were lamenting the fact that there was no
local
church that met their need for the freedom to be together as a family
in
a setting where their differing beliefs were respected. They were
particularly
concerned about the religious education of their children. They were
interested
in a religion that spoke to the issues of the day.
One of the women did some library research and came upon Jack
Mendelson’s book Why I Am A Unitarian. After more research,
correspondence, and a visit to the Madison Wisconsin UU church, a group
of members decided to visit the Bloomington Minnesota Fellowship to see
for themselves what Unitarian Universalism was all about. They traveled
to the Minnesota Valley UU Fellowship where
they met the Rev. David Phreaner and the Rev. Beth Ide who encouraged
them
to pursue their dream of beginning a UU Fellowship of their own. Emil
Gudmundsen of the Prairie Star District Extension office helped with
the particulars, and after several working meetings they came up with
the following as their statement of purpose:
"Relying
upon reason as our guide, and upon freedom as our method,
we seek to grow in
understanding of ourselves and of our world, to promote and serve the
Universal human family."
The
following spring (1981) the Blue Hills UU Fellowship was accepted in
the Unitarian Universalist Association with 12 founding members.
(What's the Unitarian Universalist Association?)
Since then, we have grown to include members from a wide geographic
area. Our members come from many walks of life and many backgrounds.
Some consider themselves Christians, some humanists, some agnostics,
and some classify themselves
in other ways, but all share a devotion to freedom, a commitment to
reason,
and a belief in the supreme worth and dignity of every human
personality.
Visiting & Joining BHUU
You will be with many others in a situation where friendship and even
love may be offered you, but your privacy will be respected, and if you
choose to be alone, no one will beg or press you to share yourself. You
will be given many opportunities to grow spiritually and otherwise, but
if
you wish to stay where you are, no one will push you into something
undesired.
Your ideas will be challenged vigorously, but your personal integrity
will
be revered. You will be—we hope—inspired to strive to make this world,
or
your part of it, a better, more wholesome place in which all people may
live.
Membership in our fellowship is freely open to anyone—regardless of
race, color, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, age or national
origin—who signs the by-laws in the presence of a member of the
congregation. While no pressure will be exerted on anyone to join, we
rejoice when a guest decides to unite his or her religious quest with
ours. Please feel free to contact any one of us about the privileges
and responsibilities of membership, program, or Unitarian Universalism.
Is this the sort of religious community in which you can feel
comfortable? If it is, then we invite you to sign our by-laws and
become a part of this community. We hope that your life may be enriched
by joining with us and that you may enrich our lives as well.
If you do join, you will soon receive a call and a visit from one of us
inviting you to join those activities you would find rewarding and
enjoyable. You will also be hearing from the chair of our Finance
Committee who will ask you to make a fair-share pledge to the budget of
our Fellowship. We
will encourage you to get to know us—to give you as clear a picture as
we
can of how our Fellowship operates. This should help you learn where
you
can find the opportunities and challenges that best meet your desires.
We hope you will initiate many contacts yourself. You will find it easy
and comfortable to share ideas and establish relationships with us. 
Once every year, you will be contacted during the spring fund drive.
The regular pledges of our members are the backbone of financial
support for our programs, personnel, and church facility. The fund
drive is conducted each year to make sure that your membership remains
important to you, and to be certain you are not being taken for
granted. At that time, in addition to receiving your pledge, we will be
seeking your ideas about ways of meeting your changing needs and the
continuing and future direction of our Fellowship.
You may have many other questions. Feel free to ask. You are part of
the family now!
BHUU
Happenings
Sunday
Services are held year long. From September through May, there is an Adult
Forum Discussion and Children’s and Youth
Religious Education held every Sunday at 9:15. Intergenerational Worship
is at 10:30 followed by a coffee hour. During the summer months, there is
Intergenerational Worship Sundays at 10:30. Fellowship activities for adults
and families include
-
monthly
Sunday potlucks following worship
-
coffeehouses
for talent, fun, and of course coffee
-
various service projects, including Helping Hands dinner
preparation
Our Fellowship holds an Annual Meeting in the spring where a
board of directors is elected. April Nielsen is our Lay Leader. She has
voice mail available at 715-924-3845 or cell phone at 715-790-2243. You may
also consider contacting Chairwoman Pat Shifferd for conversation and to
answer any questions you may have concerning our Fellowship. Her telephone
number is 715-466-5867.
