I left the church I grew up in when I no longer felt included in anything the minister was preaching. Friends introduced me to their UU church, where I immediately felt at home with the seven principles – and appreciated that they were not commandments, but guidance for living responsibly. After finding a job in Dubuque, I was concerned about how Catholic the city seemed to be, and I was relieved to find the UUFD here. My children got to learn about world religions, while I was able to spend time with open-minded, spiritually seeking people – my people!

There is a warmth to this congregation and a wide-ranging array of topics addressed on Sunday that fill my need for spirituality without dogma or supernatural beings. I am an atheist, but I appreciate and enjoy the fact that other fellowship members have widely varying beliefs. It is a truly welcoming church, extending a warm invitation to speakers of many faiths and persuasions (including Muslim and Jewish leaders, and people with backgrounds in science, philosophy, sociology, and the arts) to help us to question and understand many ways of encountering the world. Having grown up in a Protestant church, I appreciate the hymns and rituals, all of which have much more meaning than what I encountered as a child.

I have attended UU churches in New England, Denver, Davenport, and Omaha, but always like returning to the fellowship in Dubuque. While we are small, this means we all have opportunities to lead, to give a “sermonette” (as I call them) on Sunday, to be involved in social action around our community, and to live out our convictions in meaningful ways. This is a church I attend not because I “have to,” but because I choose to.

Pam Kress-Dunn

 

My family joined the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Dubuque several years ago when our daughter wanted to attend the religious education with a friend. She learned so much about world religions and other topics that expanded her world view. The same wonderful teacher is still teaching religious education.

The fellowship has become an integral part of our lives. The Sunday programs are varied and always enlightening. The fellowship comprises a great group of people who are committed to being active in the community in relation to Unitarian Universalism’s seven principles.