If you are looking for real community in these challenging times; If you wonder about how you could live with deeper meaning and purpose; if you want to define your religious life by what you love rather than what you fear; if you want the freedom to explore your spiritual life without dogma; if you want to be an active agent in the work of peace and justice in this world; ...then this community may very well be the place for you. We look forward to connecting with you!
Start Here
There’s nothing like connecting to real, live people to gain a sense of a community.
Join us for the next UU 101 session with Rev. Kevin, other newer folks, and current UUCM members. Expect meaningful and fun conversation as well as information. In this interactive, introductory session we’ll explore the history, principles, and sources of Unitarian Universalism as well as UUCM’s mission statement. Plus, there will be snacks! And there will be plenty of time for questions and discussion, because, after all, UU-ism is a tradition that encourages questioning!
To find out when the next UU 101 session is being offered check out our calendar HERE. To sign up or for more information please email membership@uugrassvalley.org
Check out a Sunday Service
Sunday morning services are another great way to get acquainted with this congregation and its values, whether you prefer to tune in quietly via Zoom or to make an in-person visit to Church Street some Sunday morning.
You are always welcome, AND we know it may be uncomfortable to enter a new place and community, so let us know you are coming (fill out the form on the right), or simply stop in when it feels right to you.
If you wish, let us know you are coming and we will greet you when you arrive!
You can get a glimpse into UUCM services and the kinds of messages and experiences offered on Sundays by checking out past services on UUCM’s YouTube Channel.
If you are new to UUCM, you may be wondering what to expect in a Sunday service.
Sunday services are held at 10:30 a.m., online via Zoom and on-site at UUCM, and last about an hour and ten minutes. You may find the Order of Service to follow along with and our Zoom link HERE.
Starting about 10:10 a.m. on Sundays, you can view a series of announcements and quotes, accompanied by music. Online, people gradually sign in, making sure their connection is working, with a “Welcome!” and support from the morning’s Chat Host. In our home at 246 S. Church Street in Grass Valley, people arrive (most dressed casually) and are greeted at the door. Then they chat with others or find a seat and sit quietly in anticipation of the service. Childcare is available for the youngest among us.
At 10:30 a.m. our minister or the worship leader says hello, or an opening song leads us into our time together. We acknowledge the Nisenan, the indigenous people who lived on this land long before UUCM, light a chalice (a symbol of our tradition), and begin to focus on the particular theme or message of the day.
Although there is a great deal of room for variety and experimentation, many services follow a fairly familiar pattern, with the singing of two or three songs, a “wisdom for all ages” story and singing the children on their way to Kids’ Connection, readings from many different sources, time for spoken or silent meditation or prayer, a chance to acknowledge our current joys or sorrows for those who wish to share them by typing them into the chat (on-line) or placing a stone in a bowl of water (on-site), and a message or sermon from the minister, members, or guests.
Our goal is to explore and examine life through many different lenses over time, hearing from many different voices, calling forth our compassion, courage, love, and commitment to justice through words, music, ritual, sharing, movement and artistry of many kinds.
We look forward to your presence one of these Sunday mornings, whether in a Zoom room, or in our home on Church Street.
Online
To participate in Sunday’s 10:30 a.m. on-line service, join the Zoom meeting. The Zoom Room opens about 25 minutes before the service.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/746107217?pwd=a0VRT2JwckJZVjUrV2hYOHh0MHlRZz09
Meeting ID: 746 107 217
Passcode: 688010
Join by phone
1 669 900 9128
Meeting ID: 746 107 217 #
Passcode: 688010
On Site
We are currently holding on-site services as well, at our 246 South Church Street home in Grass Valley, CA. This gives you a chance to meet some people in person and to get an embodied feel for the community. As virus realities change, we’re prepared to adjust.
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Find Your People
You are invited to join many other conversations and groups and meetings – Singing Meditation, Walking Groups, Women’s and Men’s groups, the Book group, and…
UUCM’s Story
The Unitarian Universalist Community of the Mountains was founded a little over twenty-five years ago by people who attended the UU church in Auburn but who envisioned a community closer to home. Since those fledgling days the community has grown substantially and now consists of more than 140 active members and many more friends, most of whom live in Nevada County but some of whom come from a distance, including, now, on-line.
Unitarian Universalism is different from most other denominations. We are a community with diverse theological beliefs. Some identify with the tradition of progressive Christianity; others are fed in their spiritual quest primarily by humanist and scientific thought. Some look mainly to earth-centered spirituality for their inspiration, while others are drawn to eastern mysticism and practice. We rejoice in this diversity of beliefs because we are committed to the basic notion that no one approach can encompass all truth. Whatever our individual thoughts, we each are enriched by being in community with those who see things differently so that our small window of wonder onto the world can be enlarged.
What defines and unites us in not conformity of beliefs but commonality of values. We are united in our desire to live meaningfully and well in this life, for its own sake, rather than as a preparation for a possible future life. We are united in our desire to help build a world that is more just, more equitable, and more humane for all of life, not only for ourselves. We are united in our desire that the measure of our existence be based on how we live rather than what we profess, by deeds rather than creeds.