Welcome, Welcome, we have been getting ready for you!
Visitors and newcomers are very welcome at the Unitarian Church of Lincoln. We make it our special mission to welcome you warmly, to give you information about who we are and to invite you into our congregation and the programs that we offer. Just about all of us were newcomers at one time in our church lives. We look forward to offering you our friendship and providing you the opportunity to find your own spirituality while you worship with us.
You will find that very few of us were born Unitarian Universalists. Most of us were raised in families who worshiped in the Protestant, Jewish, or Roman Catholic faiths. It is only as adults that we have found this church home.
We are a family of people with diverse spiritual orientations. We seek to share a journey of spiritual growth, and work together to find ways to live our faith in the world, while respecting the right to freedom of individual beliefs.
Please take time to explore this website to find out more about who we are and what we do. We periodically hold discussions about the book A Chosen Faith which may help answer some of the questions you have. If you would like to be contacted about those discussions, please contact the church office.
We hope that we will meet you in person soon and that you will join us as we create and grow a diverse, justice-seeking, spirit-growing community.
Your First Visit
Not sure what to expect from a Unitarian Universalist worship service? Here are some common questions newcomers ask before attending a Sunday service at our church.
What should I wear?
When does the service start?
Where do I park?
What happens during the worship Service?
What are the sermons like?
Can I bring my children?
Will I be welcome?
What if I’m part of an interfaith family?
Will I be welcome if I’m agnostic or atheist?
What holidays are celebrated?
Will I be pressured to join or convert?
What should I wear?
Dress is generally casual. Please wear whatever makes you comfortable. Men generally wear casual slacks and sometimes jeans. Very rarely do you see a tie, except on our minister Fritz Hudson. Women wear dresses, skirts and blouses, jackets/sweaters and slacks. Children usually wear comfortable clothing such as jeans and sneakers although some enjoy dressing up on occasion. There is a playground and in good weather children usually head for the playground after church.
When does the service start?
Our church year begins at the end of August and continues through to the following summer. Our services begin at 10. Services usually last for one hour. On occasion they do stretch to one hour and fifteen minutes.
Where do I park?
There are several places in which to park. We have a small parking lot on the church grounds. It is located on the NE corner of Eldon Dr. and A St. Across Eldon Dr. to the West there is the parking lot of Catholic Social Services. They allow us to us their lot on Sundays and in the evening. There is also parking on the street. Please enter by the West entrance which is on the side of the building facing the church parking lot. The first door you encounter leads to the Religious Education wing of the building and will be locked. Take the long walkway to the far entrance on the West side. Door greeters will be on hand to greet you and to show you to the Newcomer table where you will be invited to put on a name tag. You will be offered a newcomer packet of information that will tell you more about our church and the programs that we offer.
What happens during the worship service?
As you enter the building you will be in our Fireplace Room. The sanctuary or auditorium is off to the left or East as you face the fireplace. After you put on your name tag proceed to the Sanctuary. Ushers will greet you and hand you an order of service. If you would like to sit with a church member please mention this at the newcomer table when you pick up your name tag and we’ll introduce you to a church member who will sit with you. We ask that if you have small children that you seat yourselves at the back of the Sanctuary so that if need arises you can take the children into the Fireplace Room where you can listen to the church service and they can play. Or if you prefer you may take your children to the preschool room where we have several adult childcare providers available to look after the children.
During the church service, after the Board of Trustees member finishes the announcements, newcomers are invited to introduce themselves. If you feel comfortable introducing yourself to the congregation please feel free to do so. We will welcome you warmly. If you prefer to remain anonymous, that is okay too.
After the church service we gather in the Fireplace Room to have coffee, tea and conversation. Please plan to stay and visit with church members. If you take a red mug for your coffee or tea members will know that you are a newcomer and invite you into conversation.
On the first and third Sundays of each month we offer a Sunday Chat which is specifically for newcomers. There is a short DVD that will help you to understand Unitarian Universalism. We will tell you a little bit about we became members and we will ask you to introduce yourselves too. The chat lasts for 30 minutes. It begins at 11:15 a.m. in the library which is located in the Religious Ed. Wing of the building. If you prefer you may pick up your children from their classes and bring them with you to the chat.
Our minister, Fritz Hudson, will be in the Fireplace Room during the coffee hour too. You can have a short conversation with him as you leave the building.
What are the sermons like?
Our sermons may be quite different from what you are used to if you have been attending another congregation. Our sermons are not based on bible readings and we have no creed in Unitarian Universalist churches and fellowships. We believe that our members have a good sense of who they are and what we need to do as individuals to make our world a better place. We believe that any salvation that we find will come here on earth for 
the work that we do here. We have a set of principles that we use to guide our daily lives.
Our sermons range to a wide variety of topics and generally have a thought provoking message to them. We also feel free to engage our minister, and others giving the sermon, in conversation about the sermon topic. We believe that we learn more from one another when we dialogue together and agree to respect the opinions of other thoughtful people. Sermons are given by our minister Fritz Hudson on most Sundays. On other Sundays our Worship and Celebration Committee members provide the sermon. They may choose to invite a speaker from the community or they may choose to offer the sermon themselves.
Can I bring my children?
You and your children are very welcome to join us in the church service. Our children stay with their parents for the first fifteen minutes of the church service. There is a story for all ages during that time. After the story children have the option of staying in the sanctuary with their parents or going to their classrooms. On occasion, when special activities have been planned the children stay with the adults through the entire church service.
Our religious education classes “facilitate ethical and spiritual development in our children so that they will be empowered to become free-thinking individuals who know and respect themselves and others, contribute to their human and natural communities, and make informed decisions regarding their spiritual paths.” If you would like your child to visit our Church School, it would be helpful to come 15 or 20 minutes early so that you can sign your children into the class and to have a quick orientation provided by the Religious Education Director or others on duty. There is a special table set up in the Fireplace Room for registering children for class. Someone there will take you to see the classroom and orient you to the class activities.
We provide free childcare for toddlers and preschoolers, from 15 minutes before the start of the church service until 15 minutes after the church service is over. Should a problem arise with your child a childcare provider will come and find you in the Sanctuary. There is a nursery available where parents will find cribs, and a rocking chair. There are drapes at the windows for privacy. The room is set up with the sound system so that parents may listen to the church service while caring for their infants.
Will I be welcome?
Yes, absolutely. We believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We encourage our members and friends to accept one another and to seek spiritual growth. We have a rich heritage of encouraging individuals on their spiritual path wherever that may lead them. We respect and encourage all in their spiritual journey. We have members who are rich and poor, of all ethnic backgrounds, young, old, heterosexual, gay, and transgender. Our members come from many different occupations, cultural heritages and religious backgrounds.
What if I am part of an interfaith family?
Many of our church families choose to worship with us because we celebrate many religious traditions in our church services. We often use readings in our church services from other faith traditions.
Will I be welcome if I’m agnostic or atheist?
You are welcome. Within our membership are agnostics, atheists, humanists, theists, and pagans who revere the natural world. We offer people a safe place to explore and grow spiritually, wherever they start from and wherever they journey to. We provide religious education for their children, teaching them how to make informed and ethical choices. We provide a larger forum for making a difference in the world through social action. And we provide a vibrant social community.
What holidays are celebrated?
We celebrate many of the great religious holidays in some way that speaks to the Unitarian Universalist faith, including Easter, Passover, Summer and Winter Solstices, Day of the Dead, Chanukah, Christmas and Kwanzaa.
Will I be pressured to join or convert?
We strive to be friendly. We do not ask visitors to join our church right away. We offer classes to inform you of Unitarian Universalism beliefs and practices. You will make your own choice as to whether you would like to join us in membership. You are free to take part in most all of the offering that we have here whether you are a member or not. We would hope that after you learn more about us and find that you are comfortable among us that you will want to join us freely in the exploration of your spiritual life. 
The classes that are offered on a regular basis will give you background in our Unitarian Universalist history through a book discussion group where we use a book titled A Chosen Faith which is led by our Membership Associate, Karen Dienstbier. Minister Fritz Hudson also offers classes on Unitarian Universalist history, the Unitarian Universalist Principles that help to guide our lives, and on the history of this Unitarian church. The classes are free and will give you a good background in Unitarian Universalism and that should help to inform you and make your decision as to whether to join us in membership. People have been known to take years to decide whether to sign the membership book. You will be welcome here whether you sign the membership book or not.
