A bit more about us...
Does this look like church to you?
It does to us too. Taking spiritual strength from nature—and caring for our land and water– is a
basic tenant of Unitarianism. Which is why so many of us enjoy the great outdoors. Glacier
Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship is a community of caring and curious people who share spiritual
exploration with openness, freedom and respect. We leave it up to the individual to chart the
spiritual course right for his or her life, and we support each other in the universal quest to find
meaning in our lives.
We are part of a larger denomination, the Unitarian Universalist Association , whose headquarters
is in Boston. UUism is a 400 year old tradition, with roots over a thousand years older, and with
more than 100,000 current members in North America. (More on our origins, and our Principles
and Sources.) Our Fellowship also belongs to the Mountain Desert UUA and to a Montana cluster
group, the MAUUA , which is a number of small fellowships we like to think of as one extended
church.
It was late in the summer of 1964 about two years after the merger of Unitarians and Universalists
that the Glacier Unitarian Universalist Fellowship came into being. Earlier that year, three
individuals from our area contacted the UU Association in Boston about forming a fellowship in
our area. In answer to this appeal, the Boston headquarters sent a minister for an advertised
organizational meeting at a local motel. After a series of meetings that summer, the group drafted
the bylaws and the Glacier Fellowship was formally organized and subsequently recognized by
Boston. (To view a series of articles by Rod Bozarth, a pioneer member of GUUF, and an article
that explains how we managed to get into our building - click here. ) We meet at 1515 Trumble
Creek Road , Kalispell, MT.
SERVICES
We usually meet weekly at 10:00 a.m. Regular services are alternated with adult study groups and
a meditation Sunday in the mix. Our Program Committee plans both the services and the study
group topics, but all are invited to participate in this planning process. We frequently invite guest
speakers to our services and occasionally have a visiting UU minister. Children are included in our
regular services and there is also a religious education program for them. (See our Religious
Education page.) For details on future Sunday services, be sure to ask for our latest newsletter and
sign the guest book so that we can send you newsletters.
MEMBERSHIP
Unitarian-Universalists are reluctant to adopt the “hard sell” approach to membership in their
churches because they are convinced that the decision to join must be honestly voluntary if it is to
have meaning. Our membership book is open to those who are in sympathy with our purposes and
wish to lend their support. We believe that membership involves a commitment of time and a
financial contribution to the yearly budget agreed upon at the Annual Meeting, both of which can
only be determined by the individual in balancing personal obligations and Fellowship needs.
Formal membership allows one’s voice to be heard through voting for officers, budget items, and
Fellowship policy. If you would like to join us, please talk to a board member and sign our
membership book. (Also, you can look at our information for visitors brochure.)
We are a Welcoming Congregation!