We welcome any member or friend to join one or more of our committees. We always need and welcome volunteers! Committee membership is an excellent way to get to know our Fellowship and a good way for us to get to know you. If a committee holds your interest, contact the chair. Meeting times are announced in our newsletter and on our website calendar. Meetings are open to everyone. Choose committee(s) that fit your interests and your curiosity—no experience necessary.

Please consider joining us on one or more committees!

Membership – Remember the people who came up to you and made you feel so welcome when you first walked into UCF?  Likely they are the membership committee who love to invite you to coffee and discussion, and who help you get to know us.  We can use your ideas for new opportunities for the growth of UCF as we move into the new space.  Contact Penny Hooper or Martha Kenworthy.

Worship – Our weekly UCF worship services are what bring us together, even from across the country!  The creative and thought-provoking topics and interesting guest ministers/speakers make our church a truly unique space.  The creation, preparation, and timing of worshipful services, down to coordinating music with the message, is the ongoing inspiration of this important committee.  They deserve our thanks every Sunday!  Contact Rev Leslie for more information.

Children and Family Ministry Committee – We invite our kids to learn, play, and join us in worship, singing, performing, and growing into compassionate and informed young citizens. We use Spirit Play, a Montessori-based non-hierarchical model of religious education to guide children’s exploration of different faith traditions and Unitarian Universalist values of justice, transformation, generosity, interdependence, pluralism, equity, and love. This committee helps our Religious Educator plan and organize the child and family activities. Read about our current activities in posts on this website. Parents, Guardian,s and Grandparents are especially encouraged to join us in our planning and lessons, and are encouraged to volunteer occasionally in the Nursery.  Contact Religious Educator, Sarah Grenier, at [email protected]

Adult Spiritual Enrichment – This committee strives to provide members and friends of the fellowship with many opportunities for faith development, spiritual growth, and fellowship through a variety of classes and activities. Some classes use published UUA curricula, while others are planned and facilitated by members, in their particular area of expertise or interest. Examples of our current activities include weekly meditation classes, a monthly Book Club, and weekly meetings of the Mental Health Family Support Group. Adult SE, often in cooperation with the Social Justice committee, provides and discusses films relevant to community and world issues.  The ASE Committee also organizes and provides the topics for our small group ministry called “Thoughtful Gatherings”.  We are always glad to have new committee members and new ideas.  Contact Susan Roberts for more information.

Finance – This committee meets monthly and oversees the annual pledge campaign as well as putting together the annual budget for UCF.  Our focus is on anticipating the upcoming needs of the church and creatively finding the funding to support UCF. We help the Treasurer and fundraising teams put together mailings to the congregation and advise the Board of Trustees when called upon.  We maintain a financial calendar of events that helps guide our planning.  This might sound dull, but we really are a fun group, and we come up with some creative ideas for fundraising, as well as supporting our various committee fundraising opportunities. Join us for a meeting, just to see what we do, and help us help UCF grow!  For more information, contact Jo Ellen Essex.

Social Justice – The Social Justice Committee, unlike many other UCF committees, has a fluid membership and welcomes anyone who has an interest in addressing social justice issues through service and activism.  We meet quarterly and work on many projects. We welcome anyone who has a social justice passion they would like to bring to our attention.  Contact co-chairs Harriet Altman or Barb Thomas to get on our email distribution list so you can participate in social justice activities you are interested in.

The Social Justice Committee has three active sub-committees:

1. Racial Justice Team – This group meets as needed and developed from an Anti-Racism reading group.  They work to actively fight institutional racism and often work in conjunction with the Environmental Justice Team.  See Penny Hooper or Susan Roberts if you are interested
2. Environmental Justice Team – This group develops activities related to our environment, including beach cleanups, showing films about climate change and other environmental issues, and UUA programs like the 2-day Climate Revival that was held in fall of 2024.  See Penny Hooper or Harriet Altman for more information
3. Welcoming Congregation Team – This group provides activities to address external and internal issues relating to LGBTQ+ justice.  They meet as needed to plan activities that support UCF’s LGBTQ+ members, as well as local LGBTQ+ groups.  They make sure that we meet the criteria to renew our UUA “Welcoming Congregation” certification each year. See Amy Jones or Barb Thomas for more information.

Committee on Ministry – This committee helps us look at the vision and mission of all UCF committees, and gives us a yearly evaluation of our goals for the future.  It helps us to look back, in order to envision our future more clearly.  Contact Martha Kenworthy.

Choir – Our UCF choir is a vibrant, integral part of our Sunday services.  We practice on Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00, September through May and we sing for Sunday services once a month. Our choral selections range from simple chants to intricate rhythms and harmonies, many written by UU composers. The choir also participates in the Southeast District Choral Festival, joining with up to 130 other voices from 6-8 regional choirs for an inspiring Sunday service.   From time to time, we join our voices in song with choirs from nearby UU congregations. The choir welcomes any teenager or adult who enjoys singing.  If you would like to sing with us, please contact our Choir Director, Karen Baggott.

Building and Grounds/ Facilities – Do you like puttering in the yard and fixing stuff around the house?  Well, “our house” needs you!  It may only be for an occasional work party, or maybe you have a special skill to offer that would save us time and money.  We’d like to add your name to our list, particularly for work days.  We began meeting in July 2022 to organize manuals and other documentation relating to our facilities, to list and schedule maintenance for the buildings and equipment, and to discuss budget and policies for our facilities.  If you are interested in helping out and joining this group, please contact Miriam Green.  

Pastoral Care Team – The purpose of the UCF Pastoral Care Team is to extend care to the congregation through one-to-one caring and helping activities by lay members of the congregation to those who are in special need.  Activities vary depending on the needs of the individual.  Learn how you may benefit from this effort. Contact the team at [email protected].

Audiovisual Tech Committee – This is a group that rotates to run our sound system and our Zoom broadcast at Sunday morning services. We need two volunteers for each service — it is not difficult and training and shadowing will be provided. We would like to get enough people so that each of us would only have to do this once a month. If interested, contact Barb Thomas at [email protected].

The Communications Team – The Communications Team conveys information about UCF’s events, programs, and its inclusive values and mission through creative channels such as digital newsletters, our website, flyers, social media, bulletin boards, and community outreach and publicity. Our efforts support and promote our congregation’s activities by building awareness, inviting visitors to our website, and engaging in-person at our services and events. Not only do we communicate with our past, current, and prospective congregants, but we also partner with community and other allied organizations, providing an interesting way to meet people of various backgrounds.

Thank you to all who freely give of their time and their talent!