The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon (UUFCO) has announced the Groundbreaking celebration for its first church home on Sunday, September 15, at 1:30 PM. The event will be held on the building site at the intersection of Skyliner’s Road and Skyline Ranch Road. The building is expected to be completed by 2015.
Architect’s rendering: UU Fellowship of Central Oregon (Bend, OR)
UUFCO is one of the fastest growing congregations in the UUA Pacific Northwest, having more than doubled in 10 years. It now counts more than 160 members. The congregation, founded in 1958, has met in a number of locations around town, and currently meets in leased space in the Old Stone Church.
As the congregation grew, it identified the need for additional space for religious education classes, events and gatherings, administrative offices and a full-time worship space. The search for an affordable building to purchase and renovate continued to be elusive over several years. In 2011, an anonymous family offered a gift, including a 22-acre parcel of land identified by UUFCO as meeting their criteria. Less than three miles west of downtown Bend, the church will be an asset to the greater community as well as the congregation. The congregation was supported in structuring the matching grant and capital campaign by the UUA Office of Stewardship and Development.
UUFCO New Home Vision:
Our new Unitarian Universalist spiritual home will be a warm, inviting and welcoming space. We envision our new home as being respectful of the land with a strong connection to nature. It will be a green, sustainable, energy-efficient, low maintenance building — a model for the community.
As an inter-generational liberal religious community open to all, UUFCO values lifelong learning, freedom of belief, caring fellowship, spiritually meaningful services and engaged social action. Our new home will be a living space–not just on Sundays, but throughout the week, and will be an asset not only to our own congregation, but also to the greater community.