Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ligonier
Valley.
Ligonier, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
http://ligonieruu.freeyellow.com
1. Location:
We meet in our own building which we recently acquired.
Our inaugural service was on Christmas Eve, 2002.
It is located about 1.5 miles east
of the town of Ligonier, Pennsylvania on US Route 30.
We have a paved parking lot in the front with 18 parking spaces
and a gravel lot in the rear which has at least 20 places.
The location is highly visible and is handicapped accessible.
We are located next to a public swimming pool
and there are a good many summer cottages
and permanent residences nearby.
Previous we rented space on the second floor of a theater.
The town of Ligonier has about 2,500 residents
and the entire Ligonier Valley has about 10,000.
The area we serve is primarily within a 20 mile radius of Ligonier
and includes the major towns of Johnstown, Greensburg, and Derry.
2. Description:
We have 50 members. Most are middle aged or older.
Eleven are current or retired educators.
Six are in health professions or social work.
Three are lawyers. Two are engineers.
Two are merchants. Two are helicopter pilots.
Others include a computer programmer,
a graphic arts manager, an Army intelligence officer,
a marketing manager, a wetlands manager, a sales person,
a landscape architect,and a retired art gallery director.
We have only a few children.
But since moving into our new building,
we have re-started our dormant RE program.
We have RE classes for pre-schoolers on the first and third Sundays.
And pre-teen classes on the second and fourth Sundays.
Our new building's location and a very enthusiastic RE committee
are making a success of this program.
We have had as many as 9 children on a Sunday morning.
We are lay managed. Our only paid regular employee is a piano player.
Our services are lay led by members of the congregation,
but most of the sermons are delivered by paid
visiting UU ministers or other professionals.
We have an excellent six member choir
which always sings at special
services and occasionally at other services.
We meet at 10:30 Sunday morning year round
except for a few Sundays in the summer.
3. History:
Our congregation celebrated its Fifteenth Anniversary on December 24, 2002.
We originally met in a private school.
Then we rented space in the Y.M.C.A. for about five years.
Following that we rented three rooms
on the second floor of the local theater for nine years.
We recently purchased our own building.
Our membership has ranged between 40 and 60.
When economic times have been tough
we have lost members due to job losses or transfers.
When times are stable, we tend to grow.
4. The Future:
Our local area is losing some population, so growth is not easy,
but we are growing with our new, highly visible building.
We previously offered coffee houses to the community
and they were so popular that they outgrew our theater location.
Now we intend to begin them again with our new space
which is about twice as large as our old location.
We have begun sponsoring other kinds of events for the public.
Concerts, lectures, travelogues and other cultural programs are on our agenda.
These are very visible kinds of happenings
and with them we are beginning to attract younger people again.
We also sponsor a monthly book discussion club.
This appeals to older folks
and attracts some community members who aren't members.
5. Current Events:
For up-to-date information, go to our web-site:
http://ligonieruu.freeyellow.com
6. Contact:
Jack Thorne, President
UU Fellowship of Ligonier Valley
P.O Box 692
Ligonier, PA 15658
Telephone: 724-238-7797
Email to Charles Henry
charles@numediadesign.net
This profile revised by Charles Henry, November 2003.