Newcomers

If you are new to our church or have only just found us on the Web, I would like to speak with you personally. You can reach me by phone at church (815-338-0731) or at home (815-648-2804) or e-mail me at the church office ( office@cucw.org ) or send a fax to church (815-338-0562).

I am hopeful that you will become interested in us as a church home and will help us expand and strengthen the work that we do.

I would describe that work in five parts:

Spiritual growth and development: your spirit is who you really are, that which is more than the sum of your parts, the place in you that reaches the utmost depth within you and travels as far as your heart and mind will go. Part of our work here is to provide opportunities for you to grow and develop that spirit through worship, music, meditation, yoga, and other spiritual exercises.

A search for your own truth and meaning: we don't claim to have the truth. We do claim to help you find your truth. Through the messages on Sunday morning, adult classes and discussion groups, seminars, and public forums, we give you the opportunity to search for your own truth and meaning.

Community outreach programs: the Unitarian Universalist faith is based not only on spiritual and intellectual searching, but on living out what we discover in everyday life. And so we offer several different programs that reach out to the communities around us and especially to the individuals who have not received the same opportunities most of us have enjoyed.

Social justice: the standard of justice is a very strong part of our heritage as Unitarian Universalists. And so we offer and are associated with groups that seek to change public laws and policies which discriminate and are harmful to the world and the earth. Each of our members approaches questions of justice with his or her own conscience and is always free to take or refrain from actions which we encourage.

Community building: the last part of our work is to sustain and improve the administrative base that is necessary to carry out the rest of our work; financial support; care of our building; member activities and gatherings; professional staff; planning and marketing, and all of the functions our members and church officers are asked to help with.

In all of what we do there is room for you. If you have some interest and would like to learn more about what we do, contact me directly and we will find places for you to fit.

Rev. Dan Larsen