Click here to view or download our newsletter. Enjoy!

Click here to view or download our newsletter. Enjoy!

Click here to view or download our newsletter. Enjoy!

We were delighted to have two new members join our church family on November 1, 2015. The image shows the ceremony in which Reverend Linda Thomson of the CUC and Bill Baylis welcome Ray and Laurie Stone (standing on either side of Bill) into membership. Carabel Ringrose is seated at the piano. (Photo by Gord Taylor.)

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This church is founded on the faith that love is a more positive force for good than fear.

Welcome Visitor…

Welcome to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Olinda. We are an inclusive, caring, and questioning community of people who believe that you can find a place with us. As a congregation, we welcome people of all races, religious affiliation, cultural origins and sexual orientation. Our church, the Unitarian Univeralist Church of Olinda, is a community where freedom of thought and spiritual exploration are encouraged. Unitarian Universalism is a liberal and inclusive religion with roots in the Christian and Jewish traditions. Ours is a faith that is open to the spiritual questions people have struggled with over the course of time. We believe that personal experience, conscience, and reason are crucial to life and that ultimately religious beliefs lie not so much in a book or person or institution but within each of us.

Sunday Services at Olinda

We meet at 10:30 each Sunday morning (except in July and August) seeking fellowship and growth. Our minister, the Reverend Christine Hillman, preaches at most of our Sunday services. We also hear from members of the congregation and invited guest speakers from outside our community. The service topics range from traditional to the contemporary; and may include eithics, philosophy, world religions, creativity and science. Music, song and poetry may also add to our church experience. Following each Sunday service, we meet for fellowship and refreshments. We hope all visitors and church members will stay for this gathering to further discuss the service, meet others and renew friendships.

The Children at Olinda

Most Sunday services include a story for all ages, after which the children participate in a program designed specifically for them. Religious education (RE) has long played a significant role in our church. Many parents begin their association with Unitarian Universalism because they seek a community where children can experience critical thought and respect for all. Through the RE curriculum our children learn about world religions and develop an awareness of the natural world and the environment. In addition, they consider what it means to make moral and ethical choices, and, of course, they learn how their own Unitarian Universalist tradition responds to important societal questions. A supervised and well-equipped nursery is provided for the very young children.

Our Principles

We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote:

The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations;

Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;

A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;

The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;

The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all;

Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are but a part.

–The Canadian Unitarian Council

Sources…

The living tradition which we share draws from many sources:

Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openess to the forces which create and uphold life;

Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;

Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspire us in our ethical and spiritual life;

Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbours as ourselves; 

Humanist teachings which counsel us to head the guidance of reason and the results of science and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit;

Spiritual teachings of earth-centred traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

–Canadian Unitarian Council

Quotes from members…

“I am excited to discover that I am not without spirituality or belief. That I just needed to find a church where my spirituality is accepted and I am encouraged to discover what religion, belief and spirituality mean to me.”

“Open, accepting and welcoming. A sense and feeling of belonging without being directed on how or what to believe or feel.”

From the church as a whole…

“We believe that each person has a share of the truth and we need one another to become whole. Our differing gifts and strengths join together to make a vibrant, loving community. Once again, we welcome you to our congregation.”

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Olinda

Established 1880

Sunday Services at 10:30 AM

Sunday School and Nursery

Phone: (519) 326-4352

Website: www.mnsi.net/-janik

Blog Site: http://uuolinda.org

Address: 2953 Olinda Side Road

Off County Road 34

2 km. north of Ruthven

Ontario, Canada, NOP 2GO