Congregational Profile
Eighty percent of our members have been with us six or more years and are over fifty years old. Females were 64% of survey respondents, males 34% and 2% non-binary. Eighty-five percent identify as heterosexual and 61% are married. We have limited ethnic diversity with 93% of us identifying as white. We are a highly educated group with 88% having at least a bachelor’s degree. Eighty percent of our families earn over $50,000 per year, but notably, 6% earn less than $25,000 annually.
UCH members are involved in various social justice projects, such as the state UU legislative advocacy network (UUPLAN), environmental groups such as Green Sanctuary, LGBTQ rights activism, Racial Justice Task Force, and the newly formed We March.We Act. (WMWA) lay led ministry that recently conducted a vigil at the Berks Detention Center to raise awareness and show support for the undocumented immigrants detained at the facility. For 14 years, members have been supporting incarcerated individuals through Helping People in Prison and Their Families.
We gather throughout the week for a variety of activities from Amrit yoga on Monday nights, Mindfulness Meditation on Tuesdays, various support groups on Wednesdays, choir practice or QueenSpirit on Thursdays and monthly Clover Lane Coffee House concerts on third Fridays.
UCH has both an urban and a suburban campus. Although some tensions exist between some members who identify more strongly with one of the two campuses, we have actively engaged in activities, such as Healthy Congregations workshops, to listen respectfully, heal rifts, and unify our church. For example, a single choir, UCH Choir, has replaced the two separate choirs that existed a few years ago. Most recently, worship services have been standardized at the two campuses; the same order of service is followed at both sites- 9:30 am at Market Street and 11:30 am at Clover Lane.
The Market Street campus is home to Gather the Spirit for Justice (GTS), a 501 3C non-profit organization launched by UCH members and friends in 2014. GTS programs offer hope and dignity to members of the Allison Hill community with once-a-month breakfasts serving hundreds of people, as well as Community Hours three mornings a week, which offer area residents a place to gather in safety and receive limited social services. Some congregation members envision even greater UCH involvement in the Allison Hill neighborhood, whereas others yearn for a simpler existence when members engaged in worship and community at a single suburban campus with fewer building and financial concerns.
In summary, we are a congregation with a variety of ways of expressing our spirituality as UUs and our shared concerns for social and economic justice that is eagerly awaiting the next chapter of our community life with a new settled minister.
