About Our Programs

To fulfill the mission and vision of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston (UUCR), the congregation's members engage in a variety of activities. Foremost is worshiping together as a community on Sunday mornings. Lifespan faith development, or religious education for all ages, helps us deepen our spirituality and our commitment to our UU principles and values. We offer a variety of classes, affinity groups, and leadership opportunities for adults, youth, and children. See our brochure for a complete listing.

Children and Teen Religious Education

Our goal at UUCR is to provide a safe community where children and adults explore religious ideas and ethical values, fulfill a commitment to social justice, build healthy relationships, and celebrate the joys of life. We recognize that all people, young and old, are spiritual beings who seek to reach for, encounter, and respond to the transcendent mysteries of life. In our ministry to children and families, we support and nurture such discovery. See Children and Teen Religious Education for more information.

Adult Spiritual Development

Adult Spiritual Development at UUCR is directed by the Chair of the Adult Faith Development Committee. Lay Ministers, members of the congregation, and the Minister lead classes or discussion groups. We aim to provide programming across a wide spectrum of interests, including UU history and theology, world religions, leadership development, spiritual practices, film and book discussions, and more. Hobby groups such as Knitters and Quilters provide opportunities for fellowship and charitable work at the same time.

The active leadership in Adult Spiritual Development by our Lay Ministers and interested members of the congregation enables UUCR to offer a rich program through the church year. The classes are offered with an open mindset, encouraging the development of everyone involved. although our members’ busy lifestyles can make it difficult for them to provide full support and participation. The Adult Spiritual Development page describes current offerings.

Music Ministry

The purpose of the Music Ministry is to provide opportunities to experience the holy through congregational singing and listening to music performances in worship and to create music through participation in music groups. Visit Music Ministry for more information.

Social Outreach

UUCR is committed to its Social Action and Social Justice programs. We are very proud of our annual Alternative Gift Market that helps local and international communities. In 2009, UUCR hosted the largest AGM in the DC area. Over the last five years, a yearly average of $29,000 was raised for these charities.  UUCR is very involved with Reston Interfaith (RI), which supports those in need in our local community in many ways throughout the year. Our ministers have served on the board of RI and have kept the church involved and informed about the ways in which we were helping those nearest to home. Currently, a UUCR congregant is on the governing board of Reston Interfaith.

UUCR is now directing most of its social justice efforts on Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE). This organization focuses on influencing Northern Virginia government officials and their bugets in the areas of affordable housing, access to medical and dental care, and immigration. VOICE  includes forty-five religious communities representing over 150,000 people.

UUCR became a certified Green Sanctuary congregation in 2008. We continue to live out our commitment to the Earth and environmental justice by helping members create sustainable lifestyles as individuals and as a faith community. The Green Sanctuary committee sponsors discussion courses, an environmental film series, watershed clean-ups, and an annual worship service.  

See Social Outreach for more information about all these activities. 

Lay Ministry

The Lay Ministers are UUCR members who have chosen to make a significant commitment of time and effort to serve UUCR in the ministry of their choice. UUCR ministers have trained each Lay Minister extensively in all areas of ministry, including worship, pastoral care, social justice, leadership, and religious education. This training has resulted in a cadre of church leaders with deeper understanding of church organization and growth, spiritual development, and other important aspects of church ministry. The program gave Lay Ministers a broad sense of the context within which the church life operates and stronger skills in providing caring support to our congregants.

Each Lay Minister has committed to serving our church for at least three years in one or more specialized areas. Although the Lay Ministers are not ordained, the congregation has formally invested them as part of a covenant between them and the congregation. Visit Lay Ministry for details of this program.

Pastoral Care

The UUCR Caring Circle helps members and friends of the congregation care for themselves and others. Members of the Caring Circle provide help during family emergencies or at other times of need, support the ministers in providing pastoral care (e.g., hospital visits), and provide transportation for visits to doctors or other services. They also coordinate memorial services and provide plaques for deceased members and friends and are in the process of creating the UUCR Memorial Book. The Caring Circle page has additional information.

Covenant Groups

Covenant groups meet once or twice a month, usually in members' homes, to form an intentional community. The format of meetings varies from group to group, but the process is always a sharing of personal experiences related to a theme that has grown from within the group or from a resource the group has chosen.  See Adult Spiritual Development for more information.

Fellowship & Fun

UUCR has a number of groups and activities that help build and maintain relationships among our members and friends year-round while also providing enjoyable ways to spend our time. These activities and groups include our Films on Friday series, monthly game nights, Souper Thursdays, Quilting and Knitting, and a Women’s Book Club. Visit Fellowship & Fun for details of our many activities.

Arts & Exhibitions

The Art and Aesthetics Committee sponsors visual arts activities in UUCR, including the display of art works in the church on a rotating basis. The committee serves as the focal point for creating and maintaining an aesthetic environment that enhances the spiritual and community activities that take place in the church building. See Arts and Exhibitions for details.