Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of New Bern
New Bern, North Carolina, USA
http://www.uufnb.org
1. LOCATION:
UUFNB meets in the former NASCAR store in a strip mall.
New Bern is a town of about 20,000 in eastern North Carolina,
a rural district that combines farming and boating.
UUFNB serves an area of three counties,
with some of the members driving 45 minutes to attend services.
UUFNB is not, strictly speaking, a rural church,
but we share many characteristics with rural churches
that we often think of ourselves that way.
We have three other UU Congregations within an hour or so of our fellowship,
and together we certainly represent the only liberal religious presence
in an otherwise very conservative area.
2. DESCRIPTION:
In 2002 UUFNB had 31 members.
In fall of 2003 we welcomed our 45th.
This may not sound like much,
but an increase of 50% is a sizeable chunk to digest.
We are an older congregation than many in the area,
with perhaps half of our membership still employed,
but none of us has children living at home.
One of our projects for this year is to attract parents
interested in a liberal religious education for their children.
The fellowship has met every Sunday morning since 2002
after many years of meeting every other Sunday evening.
With people traveling so far, we cannot meet any earlier than 10:30,
but with many members involved in sailing and boating,
we don’t want to meet any later than necessary, either.
In fall of 2003 we called our first minister, Alice Lane.
Alice is in the pulpit two Sundays a month.
The other Sundays we provide lay-led services
that reflect the diversity the congregation values so much.
As of this summer,
we also have professional music direction from Jimmy Merritt.
Thanks to Jimmy,
we now have a small, enthusiastic choir and some excellent music.
3. HISTORY:
UUFNB is a new congregation,
having been recognized by the UUA in 2000.
We began in 1995 with about 20 people
meeting around a dining room table.
4. THE FUTURE:
The New Bern area provides possibilities for growth for a liberal congregation.
It is an ideal place for retirement,
with superb water opportunities from sailing to kayaking,
good golf courses, very little snow and cold.
Some of the small towns of the area are like going back
to the pace of the 50’s where people actually care about each other
and smile and stop to talk.
We are in our present home for a while longer,
until we have grown to a size that will support our own free-standing building.
In the meantime we will work to become a recognized presence in the community.
We are regular and visible supporters of public radio,
Habitat for Humanity, peace and justice and other local projects.
5. CURRENT HAPPENINGS:
We look forward to creating a church year full of happenings.
We are the local meeting place for a meditation group,
the Americans United for Separation of Church and State,
the Peace and Justice Coalition.
6. CONTACT:
UUFNB
1120 South Glenburnie Road, Next to the Berne Restaurant
PO Box 13596, New Bern, NC 28561
phone: (252) 636-5111 (Answering Machine)
Contact: Ilona Forgeng, forgeng@yahoo.com
or UUFNB@yahoo.com