The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Erie began in 1898 in Northwest Erie and was housed in the early days in a beautiful brick building on West 9th. Read about the early history here. In 1960 our Congregation moved to our current location at 7180 Perry Highway. A large addition came in 2000 with more updates in 2006.
At the entrance you will see a stone and metal Flaming Chalice sculpture in honor of longtime member Doug Russell in 2021.
The Flaming Chalice is the symbol of our faith.
Greeting you when you enter the building is a prominent message. Whoever you are we welcome you. These are the first two lines of a song often sung at the beginning of our Sunday Service by our choir.
Our Social Space, the Olympia Brown Room, named for the first woman ordained in America. It is where we gather for coffee and conversation after Sunday services and for a Potluck Lunch once a month. Many parties and wedding receptions have happened here.
A 45 foot Mural named “Our Culture, Our Commitment, Our Compass” was conceived and created in 2020-2021.
It reflects the history & mission of UU Erie.
Click here for a “walk through” of the mural
Our Sanctuary is octagonally shaped with a soaring wood ceiling. It features a lighted Chuppah in the center. Stenciled around the room are the 7 guiding principles of Unitarian Universalism.
Our Steinway grand piano fills the room with lovely sound.
Jackson Froman, our pianist, plays hymns, original music and cover songs.
We have a fully applianced kitchen with 3 ovens, gas range, refrigerator, freezer and dishwasher, we typically use it to facilitate catered and pot luck events.
The Library has a collection of hundreds of books available to borrow. It is a favorite meeting spot and also houses a bookcase and some art glass brought from our original church location on West 9th Street in Erie.
The wall above the lounging area features portraits of the ministers who have served our congregation over the past 125 years.
There are four Religious Education rooms for the many activities of our RE program for children of all ages.
Classrooms and Nursery are fully staffed. Sound from the sanctuary is heard in the nursery to accommodate parents that want to spend some time with their youngest ones.
The Chamberlain Memorial Garden is a beautiful terraced garden on the southwest part of the church grounds.
The garden borders the woods and is a lovely, contemplative spot. It is cared for by congregation volunteers. It was built in honor of Pat Chamberlain in the 1980s with a major improvement in 2003. It is a favorite summer meditation and meeting spot.
What is interesting about a parking lot?
Ours was installed with GeoWeb which allows for drainage through the soil which naturally cleans the water instead of adding to storm water run off.
