Welcome from Our Board President
Dear Friends,
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo is at an exciting crossroads. We are a church with a rich history, dating back to before the City of Buffalo was incorporated. The Universalists first started organizing in Buffalo is 1816 and both the Unitarian and Universalist churches were organized within a year of each other in 1832. Over the years members of our congregation have worked on the major issues of their day from war and peace to civil rights to concerns for the environment.
We now have a great opportunity to build on our historic legacy. We are living in a city that is undergoing a renaissance. Buffalo is suddenly being recognized as a place for young people to move to make their way into the new economy. It has an infrastructure built for a city twice its current size along with one of the best inland waterfronts in the country. It’s also the home of the flagship campus of the State University of New York, and the Buffalo Niagara metro area boasts a total of 23 colleges or universities. Our church is situated in the heart of the Elmwood Village, an area recognized as one of the most livable urban areas in the country.
In the past four years we have been re-energized with a new sense of mission. Buffalo is known as the City of Good Neighbors. As a transplant from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, I can personally attest to the warmth of her residents. Our church has taken seriously this identity and has been making great strides to welcome all who enter its doors. Both within our congregational culture and extending well beyond the physical walls of our building, we are opening ourselves to the power of transformative love as we make our vision a reality.
Opportunities abound for church members to participate in a wide range of activities and groups. We have an active covenant group program. We also have various support groups including a grief and renewal group and many twelve-step programs that meet at our church. People meet to meditate, to folk dance, and to hear speakers from the wider community tell us about their work.
We also offer many opportunities to serve the wider community. We are part of an interfaith effort that provides shelter for homeless families. Young activists use our kitchen weekly to prepare food for the hungry which they distribute downtown. And we provide resources to members and friends working with refugees and on issues around climate change.
But we are much more than the programs we offer. We have a thriving culture of learning and creativity. We have 130 children in our religious education classes and a seasoned core of staff members and teachers working with them. We also have study groups around issues both timely and timeless and offer classes on music and the arts. Our music program is led by extremely talented young people who work with the 40 plus members in our choir; the repertoire includes major sacred works as well as music from other cultures in diverse music genres.
Sincerely,
Philip Nicolai
President, Board of Trustees
Dear Friends,
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo is at an exciting crossroads. We are a church with a rich history, dating back to before the City of Buffalo was incorporated. The Universalists first started organizing in Buffalo is 1816 and both the Unitarian and Universalist churches were organized within a year of each other in 1832. Over the years members of our congregation have worked on the major issues of their day from war and peace to civil rights to concerns for the environment.
We now have a great opportunity to build on our historic legacy. We are living in a city that is undergoing a renaissance. Buffalo is suddenly being recognized as a place for young people to move to make their way into the new economy. It has an infrastructure built for a city twice its current size along with one of the best inland waterfronts in the country. It’s also the home of the flagship campus of the State University of New York, and the Buffalo Niagara metro area boasts a total of 23 colleges or universities. Our church is situated in the heart of the Elmwood Village, an area recognized as one of the most livable urban areas in the country.
In the past four years we have been re-energized with a new sense of mission. Buffalo is known as the City of Good Neighbors. As a transplant from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, I can personally attest to the warmth of her residents. Our church has taken seriously this identity and has been making great strides to welcome all who enter its doors. Both within our congregational culture and extending well beyond the physical walls of our building, we are opening ourselves to the power of transformative love as we make our vision a reality.
Opportunities abound for church members to participate in a wide range of activities and groups. We have an active covenant group program. We also have various support groups including a grief and renewal group and many twelve-step programs that meet at our church. People meet to meditate, to folk dance, and to hear speakers from the wider community tell us about their work.
We also offer many opportunities to serve the wider community. We are part of an interfaith effort that provides shelter for homeless families. Young activists use our kitchen weekly to prepare food for the hungry which they distribute downtown. And we provide resources to members and friends working with refugees and on issues around climate change.
But we are much more than the programs we offer. We have a thriving culture of learning and creativity. We have 130 children in our religious education classes and a seasoned core of staff members and teachers working with them. We also have study groups around issues both timely and timeless and offer classes on music and the arts. Our music program is led by extremely talented young people who work with the 40 plus members in our choir; the repertoire includes major sacred works as well as music from other cultures in diverse music genres.
Sincerely,
Philip Nicolai
President, Board of Trustees
Welcome, from our past Board President
Dear Friends,
The Buffalo Niagara region has undergone major restructuring of its economy as it shed tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs in the latter half of the twentieth century. Nonetheless, there is still a definite blue collar bias here and it can be seen, albeit to a lesser degree, even in our church. As with most things Buffalo, we had grown accustomed to the church operating on a laid-back, casual basis. This has begun to change during the current interim period, which might be characterized as an energetic period of determined introspection. We have adopted a new mission statement, we are working on substantial governance revisions, and we have adopted a more aggressive stance in our stewardship efforts. Although we recognized the need for these improvements/changes, a very conscious aspect of these endeavors was the desire to make UUCB more appealing to a potential settled minister.
I can honestly say that I never cease to be impressed by the remarkable and talented people who make up the core of active, dedicated members here. However, based on numbers, the largest portion of our members are “outliers” who have limited involvement but who may constitute an untapped resource. We recognize the need to do more to encourage their active participation, and to that end, we have hired a half-time membership coordinator.
We do not want to be known as a congregation of old white people. UUCB has a dynamic RE (lifespan faith development) program which is drawing in new families with children. Our congregants participate in social justice programs that assist homeless families and refugees. We have adopted a “share-the-plate” approach for our Sunday collections. Still, we recognize that we need to do more to be relevant in today’s society.
Our choir is very important to us, much more so than in a typical UU church of this size. It has been an inspiration to us for many years and we expect that to continue. We hope a new settled minister will be able to provide as much inspiration from the pulpit.
UUCB provides a safe, nurturing environment where people can be themselves. We are a Welcoming Congregation for people of all sexual orientations and all abilities (though it is probably time that we “refreshed” our commitment).
Finally, if you wonder why you would want to be a minister at UUCB, let me add:
You get a rush from being part of a congregation that is growing both in numbers and in depth.
Sincerely,
Richard Leimbach,
President, Board of Trustees (Term ended January, 2014)
The Buffalo Niagara region has undergone major restructuring of its economy as it shed tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs in the latter half of the twentieth century. Nonetheless, there is still a definite blue collar bias here and it can be seen, albeit to a lesser degree, even in our church. As with most things Buffalo, we had grown accustomed to the church operating on a laid-back, casual basis. This has begun to change during the current interim period, which might be characterized as an energetic period of determined introspection. We have adopted a new mission statement, we are working on substantial governance revisions, and we have adopted a more aggressive stance in our stewardship efforts. Although we recognized the need for these improvements/changes, a very conscious aspect of these endeavors was the desire to make UUCB more appealing to a potential settled minister.
I can honestly say that I never cease to be impressed by the remarkable and talented people who make up the core of active, dedicated members here. However, based on numbers, the largest portion of our members are “outliers” who have limited involvement but who may constitute an untapped resource. We recognize the need to do more to encourage their active participation, and to that end, we have hired a half-time membership coordinator.
We do not want to be known as a congregation of old white people. UUCB has a dynamic RE (lifespan faith development) program which is drawing in new families with children. Our congregants participate in social justice programs that assist homeless families and refugees. We have adopted a “share-the-plate” approach for our Sunday collections. Still, we recognize that we need to do more to be relevant in today’s society.
Our choir is very important to us, much more so than in a typical UU church of this size. It has been an inspiration to us for many years and we expect that to continue. We hope a new settled minister will be able to provide as much inspiration from the pulpit.
UUCB provides a safe, nurturing environment where people can be themselves. We are a Welcoming Congregation for people of all sexual orientations and all abilities (though it is probably time that we “refreshed” our commitment).
Finally, if you wonder why you would want to be a minister at UUCB, let me add:
You get a rush from being part of a congregation that is growing both in numbers and in depth.
- Our house of worship is an historic landmark and an inspiration in itself. And, it is located in the most vibrant part of our city.
- Our urban context provides us with many cultural amenities, as well as a laboratory where our social justice programs have room to grow.
- We are warm, inviting, and accepting. We will encourage and nurture a new minister.
- We will have gone through a four-year interim period, so we have done “our homework” to get this church on track, renewing our denominational connections.
- Our staff is “the best”! They are young and enthusiastic and all are fresh to their positions, so they are especially well-suited to work with a new minister.
- We are revamping our governance structure, so that the Board of Trustees is policy oriented and the minister deals with the day-to-day operations of the church.
- There is a new dynamic at work in Buffalo in Buffalo and it is evident at UUCB, too. (Who knows, someday, the Bills may even WIN the Superbowl!)
Sincerely,
Richard Leimbach,
President, Board of Trustees (Term ended January, 2014)