Unitarian Universalism
The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA) is a religious organization that combines two traditions: the Universalists, who organized in 1793, and the Unitarians, who organized in 1825. The two traditions consolidated into the UUA in 1961.
Both traditions trace their roots in North America to the early Massachusetts settlers and to the founders of the Republic. Overseas, their heritages reach back centuries to pioneers in England, Poland, and Transylvania.
Today, Main Line Unitarian Church maintains an ongoing relationship with the Unitarian church in the Transylvanian village of Várfalva, Romania, as part of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Partner Church program.
Governance
Each of the 1,041 congregations in the United States, Canada, and overseas are democratic in polity and operation; they govern themselves. They unite in the Association to provide services that individual congregations cannot provide for themselves. The Unitarian Universalist Association is composed of nineteen Districts, whose mission is to serve as a resource for local congregations and to help extend Unitarian Universalist influence in the larger community.
Main Line Unitarian Church is a member congregation of the UUA and one of 67 congregations in the Joseph Priestley District. These congregations are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Northern Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
Each District is represented by its own Trustee on the Unitarian Universalist Association Board of Trustees. In addition to the nineteen District Trustees there are three Trustees-at-Large and a Moderator. The Moderator’s chief role is presiding at General Assemblies and at meetings of the Board of Trustees. The current Moderator, Gini Courter, was elected by delegates of member congregations at the 2009 General Assembly.
The President of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations is the chief executive officer of the UUA and is responsible to the UUA Board of Trustees for the administrative policies and programs of the Association. The President is also the chief spokesperson for the UUA. The current President, Peter Morales, was elected by delegates of member congregations at the 2009 General Assembly.
Learn more about Unitarian Universalism and the many programs of the UUA.
