Getting Involved
Congregational Life

​​​​​Groups, teams, and committees are at the heart of congregational life. It's one way we connect with eachother and how we all share in nurturing and sustaining this place that we love.  

 

Some committees and teams meet monthly, others less frequently. All have ownership of some aspect of congregational life. For descriptions of our groups, please scroll down.

 

For more information or to connect with a group, please contact us using the form at the bottom of the page or send us an email. 

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Some of the many ways you can get involved --

Arts Committee

Book Club

Buildings and Grounds

Choir and Music Ministry  

Community Circles

Green Sanctuary

Inclusivity Team

Membership Committee

Pledge Drive Team and Auction Committee

Religious Exploration Advisory Council

Sharing and Caring

Social Justice Committee

Sunday Greeters and Servers

Wise Aging

Worship Committee​

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​​Arts Committee

The Arts Committee presents art exhibitions, hosts art activities, consults on aesthetics matters, and provides decorations for various events throughout the year. The committee endeavors to enrich the lives of members of the Congregation and others in our community, and to share the considerable artistic talent of our congregation and its friends. For more information, please see our page here.

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Book Discussion Group

The UUCHV Book Club is a place for members to read and share their views on books on a variety of subjects both fiction and non-fiction. They meet monthly by Zoom on the last Friday of the month. Each year the book club members recommend books that they have read previously for the group to read and discuss. The person who recommends the book leads the discussion. Discussions are lively and provocative and often expand on the book being read to the sharing of personal experiences inspired by the discussions. Get to know others and share the books that you love! Contact Group Leader Nenette Kress to learn more.

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​Buildings and Grounds

​Our Buildings and Grounds Committee is a dedicated group of members and friends who care for the physical space that we all share, inside and out. We do many of our own repairs and the seasonal jobs such as mowing grass and raking leaves and are always looking for more capable folks to join in the physical efforts! If you like working with your hands, figuring out the best way to get something done, or enjoy helping out and getting to know people better, join the B&G crew!

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Choir and Music Ministry Team

Our choir performs on occasion during Sunday services and meets for practice every Thursday evening at 7:00pm.  All are welcome to participate!  No experience required.  The Music Ministry Team enriches our experience of worship, of our space, and of our lives through the provision of music during worship, at special events, and through a concert series they offer each year. For more information, click here.  

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​Community Circles

These groups of 5-8 people meet monthly to discuss a monthly theme.  They are one form of adult religious exploration at UUCHV and are a way of both deepening one's spiritual understanding and connecting deeply and openly with a small group of others.  For more information, click here.

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Green Sanctuary

The Green Sanctuary Committee helps us live our value of honoring the interdependent web of all life and nurtuting sustainable relationshipsis with the world around us.  They work to promote environmentally responsible practices at our building and among our members through education and activities, from local clean-ups to green energy use to more responsible practices at UUCHV.

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Inclusivity Team

The Inclusivity Team works on fostering a welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ persons withing our community and undertakes related social justice projects.  To learn more click here.   

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Membership Committee

The Membership Committee supports connection within the UUCHV community from the moment someone first vists throughout their time here.  They also foster our connection to and involvement in our surrounding area towns.  The committee is involved in everything from educating new friends about membership in the congregation, to coordinating volunteers, to organizing programming such as Community Circles and Jazz at the UU, to maintaining our online presence, to planning our participation in local Earth Day events. Join in and help nurture our warm and welcoming community! Zoom meetings are on the 1st Monday of each month at 7:30pm. 

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​Pledge Drive Team and Auction Committee

UUCHV is a self-sustaining congregation meaning that we are financially self-sufficient, but even our fundraising is fun and social!  The spring pledge drive is a group effort involving participation from thoughout the congregation as we reflect on our beloved community and the ways that we can sustain it in the future.  Our annual auction night is a highlight of our social calendar, always memorable and entertaining and with a big turnout.  Both fundraisers require collaboration among volunteers who plan logistics, communications, decorations and food.  It's both rewarding and a chance to work closely with a core team of people on a project of limited duration.

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Religious Exploration Advisory Council

Children’s and Adult Religious Exploration foster intellectual, moral and spiritual growth using both experiential and classroom models. The R.E. Advisory Council, led by the Director of Religious Exploration, plans programming and events, especially for the children and youth of our community. For more information on the various offerings of Religious Exploration, click here.  

 

Sharing and Caring

The purpose of the Sharing and Caring committee is to stay connected with people during significant times in life -- to comfort members and friends of the congregation during trying times and to share in times of joy. To learn more, click here.  

 

Social Justice

​The Social Justice Committee (SJC) is committed to developing opportunities for our Congregation to live out our Unitarian Universalist principles in the broader community.  We strive to do these things in a way that is mindful and respectful of our diverse UUCHV membership, by increasing awareness and sensitivity to social and environmental justice issues and by promoting personal responsibility to become the change we want to see in the world. To learn more about getting involved click here.

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Sunday Greeters and Hospitality Teams

On Sunday mornings, Greeters are present to offer welcome to newcomers and long-time members alike. Serving as a Greeter is a wonderful way to get to know folks in our community.  ​After every Sunday service we have a Coffee Hour, a vital part of our Sunday morning experience as it builds community and gives us all a chance to visit with and get to know one other better. Hospitality Teams offer their time each Sunday to make sure that the coffee is made, the tables are arranged, and the snacks are put out.  

 

Wise Aging

This group meets monthly to share readings, discuss topics of interest, and to share support.  They meet both live and via zoom.

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Worship

The Worship Committee is responsible for Sunday worship services year-round.  They respectfully share and discuss services, musical offerings, readings, presentations, and seek to offer a worship experience each Sunday that is founded in covenant and based on our religious principles. They arrange for guest preachers and lay-led services and the committee is responsible for carrying out all summer services.