Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist Judicatories
Argentina
Paz y Harmonia (Peace and Harmony)
There is an emerging fellowship in Argentina that has flourished as a result of contact with Unitarian Universalists. This group is located at the southernmost point of South America, on an island called Tierra del Fuego, or "Land of Fire." Although Argentina is known as being a traditional Christian country, many Argentineans are looking for an alternative answer for their spiritual needs. In 2002, Dr. Lilian Burlando founded the Center for Study and Meditation (Centro de Estudio y Meditacion) in Ushuaia where worship, meditation and other activities take place. The fellowship meets twice a month, the second and last Sunday of each month from 11 a.m. to noon and the first Wednesday of each month from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Besides worship meetings (here called meditation) the Center promotes other activities such as frequent open meetings for people going through the bereavement process. Also workshops focusing on topics such as "Love and Sexuality," "Analyzing Our Own Values and Beliefs," "Simple Living," "Burnout," and "World's Religions." The Center offers a place for people interested in the study of philosophy, theology, and psychology. UU authors and other writers such s Paul Tillich, Thomas Merton, and Thich Nhat Hanh are studied and discussed. It is a place to share opinions while providing basic nurture for our souls, through meditation. Paz y Armonia Center seeks and encourages contact and visits from UUs around the world.
Dr. Lilian L. Burlando
Del Tolkeyen 976
(9410) Ushuaia-Tierra Del Fuego
Argentina
Phone: 54-2901 445294
lburlando @ uolsinectis.com.ar
ushargentina @ yahoo.com.ar
Iglesia Cristiana Unitaria de Argentina (Christian Unitarian Church of Argentina)
iglesia.unitaria @ argentina.com
Australia and New Zealand
Australia and New Zealand Unitarian Universalist Association (ANZUUA)
ANZUUA was established in 1974 to succeed the Australian Assembly of Unitarian and Liberal Christian Churches. The three Australian churches (Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne) were founded in the 1850s and the Auckland church in New Zealand was founded in 1897. Fellowships in Blenheim, Nelson, Wellington and Christchurch, New Zealand, and in Brisbane and Perth, Australia, have been formed more recently. Total membership is approximately five hundred people. All groups, and the association itself, maintain connections with the British General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches.
The churches in Adelaide, Australia and in Auckland, New Zealend, are member congregations of the UUA. ANZUUA is a member of the ICUU and IARF. The congregations publish their own newsletters and some of them have groups for youth and women.#
Derek McCullough, President
4 Hatherly Lane
Christchurch 8
New Zealand
Phone: 0064 3 384 9099
unitarianz @ radionet.net.nz
Bolivia
Grupo Unitario Universalista Boliviano
A group has been organized in La Paz as part of the Federation Latino Americana. They participate in activities of the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU) and expect to become an ICUU "emerging group" in 2009.
Olga Flores Bedregal
Casilla de Correos No. 499
La Paz
Bolivia
Phone: (592-2) 2443491
olgafloresb @ yahoo.com
Brazil
Sociedade Unitária de São Paulo
A developing Unitarian community in Brazil which actively participates with the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists. ^
Bruno Maroneze
maronezebruno @ yahoo.com
Associação Unitarista Brasileira (Brazilian Unitarian Association)
Founded in 1935 by Rev. Charles Phelps, minister of the Unitarian Church of Recife, Associação Unitarista Brasileira (BUA) formed to promote the Unitarian faith, educating the members and public about Unitarian values and traditions. Committed to liberal theology, the majority of its membership is liberal Christian, influenced by certain aspects of Quaker testimonies.
The guiding values of this Association are Freedom, Reason, Tolerance, and Peace. With a diverse membership, the BUA has particularly seen recent growth in the participation of the LGBT community.
Based in Pernambuco, the BUA was granted Emerging Group Status by the ICUU in October, 2008. %
Rev. Gibson da Costa, President & General Manager
gibsondacosta @ unitarista.net
congregacaounitarista @ yahoo.com
AC Central Av Guararapes, 250, Caixa Postal 20
Recife, PE 50010-970
Brazil
Burundi
Assemblée des Chrétiens Unitariens du Burundi (ACUB)
A Unitarian Church meeting bimonthly in Bujumbura, Burnundi.%
Fulgence Ndagijimana, Minister
P.O BOX 6657
Bujumbura, Burundi
librefulgence @ yahoo.fr
Canada
Canadian Unitarian Council/Conseil Unitarien du Canada (CUC)
The CUC (1961) is the national association of Unitarian and Universalist societies in Canada. The CUC is an organization of Unitarian and Unitarian Universalist member congregations and individual members acting to enhance, nurture, and promote Unitarian and Unitarian Universalist religion in Canada. The CUC provides tangible support for religious exploration, spiritual growth, and social responsibility. It represents our faith in the larger social and religious environments. The CUC is affiliated with the ICUU, the UUA, the British General Assembly, and the IARF. #
Jennifer Dickson, Executive Director
018-1179A King Street West
Toronto, Ontario M6K 3C5
Canada
Phone: (416) 489-4121
jennifer @ cuc.ca
Congo
Assemblée des chrétiens unitariens du Congo (ACUC)
A Unitarian Church meeting in Congo (Brazzaville).%
Alain. P. Yengué, President
yengapat @ yahoo.fr
Croatia
Zagreb, Croatia
A new and developing Unitarian community in Croatia. ^
Cuba
Unitarian Universalist Church of Cuba and the UU Religious Society of Cuba
Over one hundred Cuban UUs meet in more than a dozen congregational groups. %
Czech Republic
The Religious Society of Czech Unitarians
The RSCU was founded on June 30, 1930 and recognized by the government on the same day. The founder and first minister, Rev. Norber F. Capek, died as a martyr in a Nazi concentration camp in 1942. Dr. Capek, writer, lecturer, and composer of over 200 Unitarian hymns, may also be known to many Unitarian and Unitarian Universalist Churches all over the world. The flaming chalice is also f Czech Unitarian origin. The RSCU is a member of the IARF and a founding member of the ICUU and has a long-standing relationship with the UUA. Previous to the Second World War, the Prague congregation was the largest Unitarian congregation in the world. Currently the Prague congregation has about 450 members. Brno, Plzen and Liberec also have Unitarian congregations. #
Jiri Gabriel
The Religious Society of Czech Unitarians
Karlova 8
110 00 Praha 1
Czech Republic
Phone: 420-222 221 049
unitaria @ unitaria.cz
Denmark
Unitarian Church of Denmark
Unitarisk Kirkesamfund is the Danish Unitarian Church founded by Rev Uffe Birkedal in 1900. Since 1966 the organization has operated as a fellowship with lay leadership for a congregation that currently claims 80 members. The church is a founding member of both ICUU and the IARF. Being the only Unitarian church in Denmark, the theology is as broad as possible. Celebrations include solstices, equinoxes, and Christmas Eve. Unitaren is a bi-monthly periodical published by the church. #
Lene Shoemaker, Vice President
Unitarisk Kirkesamfund
30 Dag Hammarskjölds Alle
Copenhagen 2100 OE
Denmark
Phone: +45 35 26 17 71
post @ unitarisme.dk
Europe
European Unitarian Universalists (EUU)
The European Unitarian Universalists (EUU), founded in 1981, is a support network and community for Unitarian Universalists in Europe. About half of the over two hundred EUU members belong to local lay led fellowships, which share resources and programs, including religious education. Fellowships are located in Belgium, the Netherlands, Paris, Heidelberg, Kaiserslautern, and Wiesbaden, Germany. The EUU helps its members establish new fellowships and fosters contact between Unitarian Universalist and other liberal religious groups. It publishes a quarterly newsletter, The Unifier, and sponsors twice yearly retreats in various locations. The Paris Fellowship is a member congregation of the UUA. The EUU is a founding member of ICUU. #
Tina Huesing, President
Phone: +49 89 4570 8770
president @ europeanuu.eu
Finland
Unitarian Universalist Society of Finland
The twenty-two members of the UU Society of Finland meet once a month in Helsinki. ***#
France
Assemblee Fraternelle des Chretiens Unitariens (AFCU)
The Unitarian Christian Church of France. %
Association Unitarienne Francophone
20 rue de nancy
54280 Brin-sur Selle
France
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Paris
B. Stein
233 rue de Charenton
75012 Paris
France
Phone: (33) 1 30 82 75 33
info @ uufp.info
Germany
Deutscher Unitarier Religionsgemeinschaft (German Unitarians)
Deutsche Unitarier Religiongemeinschaft is a lay-led community of about 1100 members and 500 "friends" organized in 23 congregaions and a cooperative but independent youth fellowship (Bund Deutsch-Unitrischer Jugend). Both are organized according to democratic principles. The community descends from the Free Protestants, a private association in the Palatinate founded in 1876, and legally changed its name in 1950 to Deutsche Unitarier Religionsgemenschaft (German Unitarians). The movement considers the religiousness of every person to be derived from one's autonomy and capability of fulfilling one's life in a meaningful and responsible way. It tends toward scientific and philosophical humanism while acknowledging other faith traditions as well. Within this framework, the members recognize the liberty of shaping and developing their individual beliefs, and they agree on a number of (democratically resolved) basic ideas about religion, belief, human beings, life, and living together. The community runs a medium-sized conference center at Klingberg near Hamburg and publishes a bimonthly newsletter, Unitarische Blatter fur ganzheitliche Kultur. #
Antje Paul
Rue de Trebes 12
34298 Helsa
Germany
mja.paul @ helsanet.net
Deutscher Unitarier Religionsgemeinschaft
Reuterkoppel 15
24223 Raisdorf
Germany
info @ unitarier.de
Berlin Unitarian/Free Religious Church (Germany)
An independent Unitarian Church in Berlin, Germany. ^
Free Unitarian Fellowship, Frankfurt-am-Main (Germany)
An independent Unitarian congregation in Frankfurt-am-Main. ^
Great Britain
General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches (UK)
There are 184 ember congregations of the General Assembly in Great Britain. A sister church, the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland, has 33 congregations, mainly in Ulster. Total members of Unitarina congregations in Great Britain is roughly 5000. #
Essex Hall, 1-6 Essex Street
London WC2R 3HY
United Kingdom
Phone: 44 20 7240 2384
ga @ unitarian.org.uk
Hong Kong
Unitarian Universalists Hong Kong
Unitarian Universalists Hong Kong is the first Unitarian Universalist society in Hong Kong. They are translating UU materials into Chinese language and they meet biweekly on Fridays. ***^
Alex Szeto
To Kwa Wan PO Box 87266
uuhongkong @ gmail.com
Hungary
Unitarian Church in Hungary
The thirty-three Unitarian churches and fellowships in Hungary share the 16th century roots of the Unitarian Church of Transylvania (Romania). #
Mr. Botond Elekes, President
1055. Budapest, Nagy Ignac str. 2-4.
Hungary
Phone: 36-(1)-311-35-95
mue @ unitarius.hu
India
The Unitarian Union of Northeast India (UUNEI)
The Unitarian Union of Northeast India is located in the Khasi Hills where there re 35 Unitarian congregations and 8 Unitarian Fellowships with a total membership of approximately 9,900 members. These Unitarian congregations provide the leadership and educators for 25 Unitarian schools n the state of Meghalaya. The UUNEI publishes a monthly magazine in the Khasi dialect entitled U Nongwad. The Unitarian movement in the Khasi Hills was started on September 18, 1887 by Hajom Kissor Singh, who was raised by Calvinist Welsh missionaries. #
Rev. Helpme Mohrmen, General Secretary of the Unitarian Union Office
Unitarian Church Campus, Iawmusiang
Jowai 793150
Meghalaya
India
h.h.mohrmen @ gmail.com
Unitarian Christian Church of Madras
The Madras (Chennai) Unitarian Church was founded in 1795 by William Robert, who had been taken from India to England as a slave. While in England, Roberts learned about the Unitarian faith. Upon the death of his master, Roberts returned to Madras to start a new church which continues to this day. The church provides education and religious services oa devoted community. The congregaion's membership is composed of 220 adults and 80 children. Services are held at Puraswalkam, Madras-600 007, and convene from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sundays with Sunday classes offered 11 a.m. to noon. ^
Rev. G. Harrison Kingsley
No. 16, Azizmulk 4th Street
Thousand Lights
Madras 600006, Chennai
India
Phone: 044-28293661
kingslyprabhu @ yahoo.com
Indonesia
Indonesian Global Church of God (Unitarian)
Founded in 2000, there are approximately 200 people in 3 main congregations and 5 satellite congregations. #
Italy
Congregazione Italiana Cristiana Unitariana (CICU)
The Unitarian Christian Church of Italy. %
Japan
Dojin Christian Church—(Universalist)
A Japanese Universalist Church in Tokyo. ^
Hiroshi Kokado, Chair
Rev. Kiyohiko Tsuchida, Minister
3-10-9 Mejirodai, Bunkyo-ku
Tokyo 166-0012
Phone: 81 3 3943 1879
kokadoh @ md.neweb.ne.jp
Japan Free Christian Church - (Unitarian)
A Japanese Unitarian Church in Tokyo. ^
Rev. Shigeo Akashi, Minister
5-14-10 Kitazawa
Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 155-0031
Phone: 81 3 3466 8366
Unitarian Fellowship of Tokyo
An English-speaking Unitarian gathering in Tokyo. Meets every second Sunday of the month from September through June at International House. ^
Margaret (Peggy) Kanada, Chair
International House 5-11-16 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo 106-0032
Phone: 03-3470-4611
unitarianfellowshipoftokyo @ gmail.com
Unitarian Friends Circle
Yoshitsugu J. Konno
Koyama 2-11-23
Higash-Kurume
Tokyo 203-0051
Phone: 0424 76 5927
kon-uni @ air.linkclub.or.jp
Unitarian Contact in Japan
Dr. Gene Reeves, Special Minister
International Buddhist Congregation
201 Taiyoso, 1-17-4 Wada, Suginami-ku
Tokyo 166-0012
Phone: 81 3 3383 6831
reeves @ gol.com
Kenya
Kenyan Unitarian Universalist Council
Includes congregations in: Nairobi, Tena, Ruai and 5 congregations in Northern Kisii Province. %
Unitarian Universalist Council of Kenya (UUCK)
The UUCK consists of approximately 30 congregations in the Southern Kisii province of Kenya. %
Mexico
Unitarios Universalistas de Mexico
A small group of Spanish-speaking UUs living in Mexico DF and Cuernevaca. ***%
Nigeria
Ijo Isokan Gbogbo Eda (Unitarian Brotherhood Church of Nigeria)
The Unitarian Brotherhood Church was founded by a group of liberal religious people of different denominations in 1919. There are currently two congregations in Lagos: Unitarian Brotherhood Church and First Unitarian Church. #
Mr. Olufemi Matimoju
The Unitarian Brotherhood Church & First Unitarian Church
25A Bankole Street
Lagos Island
Nigeria
Phone: 08043265168
femmati @ yahoo.com
Norway
Bét Dávid Unitarian Church
The Norwegian Unitarian Church. ^
On January 1, 1895, Pastor Kristofer Janson founded the first Unitarian Church in Norway, the Church of Brotherhood. Many of hte early members were return migrants from the United States who had been influenced by ideas of liberal Christianity that they had encountered. From the 1930s to the 1990s there was no Unitarian Church in Norway. In 1998, a small group of people interested in Unitarianism started a Unitarian group. Since then that group has merged with other small groups of Unitarians in Norway to form the Unitarian Association of the Norwegian Unitarian Church. There is a small Unitarian publishing house in Norway, Francis David Publisher, which is registered by the Norwegian ISBN office.
Pastor Knut Klaveness Heidelberg
pastor @ unitarforbundet.org
- Blog
- Quick Guide to the History of Nordic Unitarianism
- English Homepage of the Bét Dávid Unitarian Church
Pakistan
Unitarian Universalist Christians of Pakistan
The Pakistani Unitarian fellowship began in 1990 under the guidance of Minister Inderias Dominic Bhatti. #
Inderias Dominic Bhatti, National Director
94 Saroba Garden, PO
Ismail Nagir, Ferozpur Road
Lahore – 54760
Pakistan
Phone: 0092-42-5824934
inderiasbhatti @ yahoo.com
Philippines
The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines (UUCP)
THrough the deep-seated need to have religious education materials for his congregations in Negros Occidental, Rev. Toribio S. Quimada, Lay Minister of the Iglesia Universal de Cristo, acquired books through the Universalist Church in America. A self-educated Pentecostal minister and traditional farmer, Rev. Quimada preached that God is love and because of that love salvation is a gift to all. He defended his faith to the point of his excommunication. He requested the UCA to send missionaries to The Philippines to proclaim his newly-found faith and plant churches. Instead of sending missionaries over, the UCA provided moral support to Rev. Quimada in founding the Universalist Church of the Philippines, on April 25, 1955. In 1995, it became the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines, duly recognized by the Philippine Government. UU churches are widely distributed n Negros Island and there are new congregations in Bicutan and Manilla. #
Rev. Rebecca Sienes, President
065 Rovira Road, Bantayan
6200 Dumaguete City Negros Oriental
011-63-35-422-7882
info @ uuphilippines.org
Poland
The Unitarian Church in Poland
Unitarianism was born in Poland within the liberal and radical wings of the Protestant Reformation during the second half of the 16th century. Independent congregations of Polish Brethren known as Unitarians, or Socinians after Faustus Socinus (1539-1604), were formed during that period. In 1660 Polish Unitarians were banished but continued their activities in Holland, Transylvania, and Germany. Contemporary Polish Unitarianism was reborn in 1921. In 1996, an ICUU leadership council led to the merger of various religious communities within Poland into the Unitarian Church in Poland. The Unitarian Church in Poland was founded in 1936 and claims the only liberal religious magazine in Poland. %
Czeslaw Glogowski
00-950, Warszawa 1
P.O. Box 403
Poland
Phone: (+48 22) 618 88 20
c.glogowski @ uu.jest.pl
Puerto Rico
Unitarian Universalists of Puerto Rico
The congregation in Puerto Rico was originally founded in the 1950s but declined until recently due to lack of leadership. Since 2003 the group has begun to re-emerge. The membership strongly encourages Unitarians and Unitarian Universalists visiting Puerto Rico to join them for services. %
Donner Lohnes
Barrio Alturas de Mariana
305 Naguabo, PR 00718
Phone: (787) 874-3956
ayuda @ uupuertorico.org
Romania
Unitarian Church of Transylvania
The Unitarian Church n Romania traces its ancestry to 16th-century Transylvania and is the product of the Radical Reformation. Under the spiritual influence of Francis David, the founder of Transylvanian Unitarianism, the Diet of Torda proclaimed a law of toleration and freedom of conscience in 1568. Presently the number of Unitarian congregations with settled ministers is 125, and the total membership is over 70,000 individuals. The Unitarian Church in Romania has a three-level structure: congregations, six districts, and headquarters. Training for the ministry is carried out at the Unitarian Faculty of th Protestant Theological Institute. The Church publishes two periodicals: Kereszteny Magveto (Christian Sower) and Unitarius Kozlony (Unitarian Herald). #
Rev. Bálint Benczédi Ferenc, Bishop
Bd. 21 Decembrie Nr. 9
400105 Cluj-Napoca
Romania
Phone: 40-264-593-236
ekt @ unitarius.com
Singapore
Unitarian Universalists of Singapore
UU Singapore members are a diverse group of people; local Singaporeans, permanent residents (PR), ex-pats and visitors of different nationalities, ethnicities, belief systems and social backgrounds. ^
South Africa
South Africa National Assembly of Unitarians (SANAU)
The South African Unitaina community was established in 1867 by a former Dutch Reformed Church minister. The Cape Town congregation meets every Sunday at 10 a.m. and is led by Rev. Roux Malan. Please see the SANAU website for service times of the other congregations and Fellowships. #
Rev. Gordon Oliver
64 Hout Street
P.O. Box 419
Cape Town, 8000
South Africa
Phone: +27 21 712 6362
gordonroliver @ metroweb.ca.za
Spain
Society Unitaria Universalista de Espana / UU Society of Spain
Founded in 2000, the UU Society of Spain consists of two congregations in Barcelona and Madrid. #
Sri Lanka
Unitarian Universalist Association of Sri Lanka
There are approximately twenty-five members of the multi-ethnic Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) of Sri Lanka. ***#
*** from the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU) website
# ICUU Member Groups
% ICUU Emerging Groups
^ Worldwide Unitarian/Universalist Groups Not Affiliated with the ICUU
For more information contact international @ uua.org.
Last updated on Wednesday, November 11, 2009.
