General Info

Rev. Valerie Wills was called to ministry by UU Church of Hagerstown on Jan. 17, 1999. She brings to her position, life experiences which enrich both her services for the entire congregation and her interaction with individual members. Before coming to UU Church of Hagerstown in 1997, she served at three other UU churches. Rev. Wills earned her Master of Divinity degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. Before her call to ministry, she taught for nearly 30 years in public and private schools. A third-generation Unitarian, she was active in her home church, especially in religious education. She actively volunteers for many community service organizations. What's in a Name? Who are Unitarian Universalists Our local church the Unitarian Universalist Church of Hagerstown is one of over 1, 000 Unitarian Universalist churches and fellowships in the United States which belong to Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA ). The UUA was created when two religiously liberal denominations, the Unitarians and the Universalists, merged in 1961.Because the Unitarian Universalist name is so long, we usually just refer to ourselves as UU. However, we are very proud of our double heritage. Both the Unitarians and Universalists arrived in America in Colonial times, but their roots go back to the early years of Christianity. The first Unitarians voted against the doctrine of the Trinity at the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. because they found no Scriptural evidence to support a three-natured God. Universalism developed as an alternative to the tenet that only an elect few would be saved. Universalists taught that a loving God would not eternally hurt anyone. Today, Unitarian Universalism has expanded beyond its original Christian roots to draw inspiration from many other spiritual sources. Some people think Unitarian Universalists don't believe in anything. That's completely wrong. We UUs strongly believe in the freedom of religious expression and the capacity of all people to conduct their own search for a meaningful existence and to develop their own religious convictions. We honor everyone's right to disagree and come to different conclusions. That's why Unitarian Universalist churches do not require assent to any creed for membership and do not state a formal position about many religious issues. Our church's role is to encourage individuals to develop their own personal theology by making available a wide variety of resources and perspectives. Spiritual ideas are so important to us that you'll usually find UUs lingering after the Sunday service for discussion of that day's sermon and other spiritual, political and social justice topics. Unitarian Universalist Principles Unitarian Universalism has no formal creed. However, the following principles, which are inherent in the Unitarian Universalist way of life, express the common ground for our activities: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. A Brief History of Unitarian Universalist Church of Hagerstown Unitarian Universalist Church of Hagerstown (UUCH ) was formed in April 1957. After meeting for years in private homes and rented spaces including the Hagerstown YMCA, members bought their first church building, a stately old home at 465 N. Potomac Street, in 1966. With the congregation growing and the old house needing major repairs, members decided to sell the building in 1997. After two more years meeting in rented space, this time Girls Inc in 1999 UUCH bought its present property on the Cearfoss Pike, 8-acres with a large brick house, a three-car garage, a barn, and enough open space for a future church building. To meet current needs, the congregation hired an architect and building contractor for the conversion of the garage into a meeting hall/sanctuary for worship services and large group events. The Martin House (named for the former owner who helped finance the church's purchase of the property ) is used for church offices, sma