First Time at our Church?

Welcome to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno

We are delighted that you are considering paying us a visit. We ask that you come down Willow and turn onto Alluvial to the church, which is located on the north side of Alluvial Ave. When you arrive at our church you'll find the parking lot to the right of the Sanctuary.

As you approach the church, walking up the Affirmation Path, the main entrance is through the double doors. When you enter the double doors you will see tables with information for visitors. There are greeters at that table who would like to welcome you to our church and give you a packet with information and a card you can fill out if you'd like to learn more. You can drop the card in the offering basket during service or leave it on the table at the end of service. The greeter will get you a name tag, which we hope you will wear. It's a nice way for folks to know you are new, so we can visit with you.

The ushers are also in the main entrance foyer, and they will give you the day's Order of Service and a hymnal. You may sit anywhere in the sanctuary. We have sound assistance instrumentation should you need it - just let the ushers know. If you take a look at the Order of Service you were given, you'll discover it has information about what will take place in service that day, as well as a listing of our Board Members, our church staff, and our church's mission statement and the principles and purposes of our parent organization, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). There will also be an insert with information about who is helping with the church service that day, as well as the lessons being given in our church school. There may also be an insert with song lyrics, and there is always our What's NUU Green Sheet - a list of ongoing social justice activities the church supports, as well as a list of upcoming church related or sponsored events.

If you have children they are welcome to stay with you, but we also have nursery care for your younger children, in the portable building behind the church. We have Church School for the pre-K – 6th graders following the Story for All Ages. For older children, we have both a Junior Youth Group (grades 7-8) and a Senior Youth Group (grades 9-12) which meet right at 11:00 each Sunday. Our Director of Religious Education is Aubree Smith; any usher or greeter can help you find her if you wish to discuss church school for your children.

Our church service begins with a greeting, usually by one of our Board Members, or by our Minister, Bryan Jessup, who will welcome all to the church, and make some announcements about upcoming events and invite visitors to identify themselves. If you feel comfortable doing so, by all means let us know you are here. We'd love to welcome you to our church! The “go-to” person for the service will also be introduced. This person will be available after the service should you have any questions, comments, or just wish a conversation.

After the greeting, the symbol of Unitarian Universalism, the chalice, will be lit, followed by the Prelude musical number. There will be opening words, and then we generally stand together and recite our church Covenant and sing our Song of Praise, both of which can be found in the Order of Service.

Next, the children will be invited forward to the Friendship Rug for the Story for All Ages. Most of our pre-K – Grade 6 kids do come sit on the rug but that is up to the comfort level of your own children. After the story, we sing the children off to church school.

Generally, we then have a time of sharing our joys and concerns, followed by silent reflection and spoken words, and perhaps a musical response to meditation. This is followed by our weekly offering, for the support of our church on the 1st, 3rd and 4th Sundays, and for a particular local social justice organization on the 2nd Sunday.

After the collection there will usually be a reading, after which we stand and sing and then listen to the main sermon of the day. The sermon is followed by standing for another song and a few closing words. We follow this by joining hands and singing a closing song together, ending with the words “Shalom, and A Salaam Aleikum” (“Farewell, and peace be upon you.”).

You are invited to stay for coffee and conversation, by the kitchen, following the service. Ask for one of the blue mugs so we know you are new and can welcome you! If you have further questions, please feel free to ask away, particularly feel free to seek out our “go-to” person for the service who will be happy to help you with any questions you might have.

How to dress: Clothes would be good! Other than that, we don't have a dress code. We welcome you just how you come and just as you are.

Who is welcome: Everyone! We fly the rainbow flag as our symbol of being a Welcoming Congregation.

What we believe: There is a link on the home page to details about our church's principles. In a word,

Love is the doctrine of this church.

Please know that you are always welcome!

For those interested in learning more about the structure of the church and those interested in joining the UU Church of Fresno, orientation meetings are held two to three times per year. Alternatively, please feel free to meet with our minister, Bryan Jessup, to discuss your desire for membership.