What's our congregation like?

Who are the people that make up the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Jersey Shore (UUCSJS)?

Our congregation includes liberal Christians, liberal Jews, Buddhists, Wiccans, Humanists, atheists, and others. We do not wear these labels conspicuously, but blend together, always curious and searching for meaningful ways to look at life and religious experience. We gather each Sunday morning to hear words of wisdom and speakers on interesting topics. We sing, reflect, and enjoy the warmth of our community. We tend to dress casually. We bring our children, who have a program of their own during the service.

We are teachers, waitresses, technical writers, carpenters, retirees, musicians, stay-at-home moms, social workers and psychologists, retail workers, nurses, librarians, motorcyclists, surfers, photographers, students, chemists, realtors, utility workers, house cleaners, and business owners. We are tall, short, thin, and plump; white, black, brown, and yellow; young, old, and middle-aged, soft-spoken and boisterous, lazy and energetic; some of us are native South Jerseyans and some have just moved here. There's room for ALL here, if we are what you are looking for!

Our attendance always includes many visitors, and also friends who have not joined as full members. Our full members number about 90. We are the only Unitarian Universalist congregation in the South Jersey shore area, and many members travel quite a distance to be part of our Sunday gatherings. We come from Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland Counties, and from places north of the Mullica River, such as Lower Ocean and parts of Burlington Counties.

We first met in 1999, in the Jordan Road School in Somers Point. We next moved to the Jewish Community Center and Jewish Family Services in Margate, then to the Catholic Campus Ministry Center at Richard Stockton College for a few years, and in February 2007 to our current meeting place at the Lions Center for the Blind in Absecon. We have bought land across from the North entrance to Stockton College (County Route 575), and are in the midst of plans to build our own facility.