Our Mission

Our mission is to provide a forum for liberal religious expression in an atmosphere which encourages spiritual growth and ethical living.

Worship Services

Join us for worship services at 10:00 on Sunday mornings!

From September through June, we meet at our Athens building at 112 North Main Street, Athens. In July and August, we meet at our historic Sheshequin Church on Sheshequin Road in Athens Township.

Please check the "About Us" and "Newcomers" pages for additional information you may find helpful.

When we are in the Athens building, which is equipped with a kitchen, we have a social time with coffee and snacks immediately after every service. On the last Sunday of each month, we host a "Bring A Friend Sunday Potluck." Please check News & Events for a complete list of events.

If you have any questions during your visit, please speak with anyone who is wearing a nametag!

Ours is a friendly congregation. We hope you will visit us this Sunday.

Our Unitarian Universalist Principles

We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, convenant 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 in our congregations and 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 a part.

About our Minister: Rev. Darcey Laine

I grew up in Pennsylvania in a family of musicians. Our old Victorian house was being used as a ballet studio when my parents bought it and converted it into a music studio. There were children practicing scales from most rooms in our house most days after school; I myself played violin, oboe, harp, flute and piano before settling on voice. I spent my high school years acting in school plays and listening to Renata Tebaldi, dreaming of one day becoming an opera singer. I was also a die-hard member of our UU youth group, and signed the membership book as soon as I turned 16.

I went to college at Indiana University (Bloomington) where I majored in Voice Performance, and took a class in "feminist hermeneutics" that blew my mind. Subsequently I moved to Baltimore, Maryland to begin a Master of Music degree at the Peabody Conservatory. Unfortunately, it became increasingly clear that becoming an opera singer was not the right path for me. After a time of soul searching, my husband, Eric, and I moved to California so I could attend Starr King School for the Ministry and pursue a path toward the Unitarian Universalist Ministry.

After I graduated and was ordained I served as a youth minister in the Central Valley, and as Director of Religious Education at the UU church in Stockton. In 2000 I was called to serve as Minister of Religious Education at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto, and shortly after became a mother to my son Nick. I spent the next seven years as minister and mother in that community, working to create "intimacy and Justice" with the 5 generations of people who came together in that church.

Right after school ended in the summer of 2007 my family and I moved to Ithaca New York to lead a more family-centered life. We spent our first year enjoying living downtown after so many years of living in suburbia, and introducing our son to the joys of snow and a warm home on a cold day. I served for one year as a housing caseworker for low income families, before being called to serve as Parish Minister of this congregation.