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    Our Congregation has voted to change our name to Unitarian Universalists of Mt. Airy   

Contact Tracing Protocols: We do not have any reason to think that someone was sick, this will be the routine procedure, to cover our bases. Sorry for any confusion from the unclear language!

This is our first opportunity to test out basic contact tracing protocol. You were present in person on Sunday Sept 26, for our service.

This is not in response to a confirmed exposure. We don't have any reason to believe that there was any exposure as of today. Out of an abundance of caution and commitment to covenant... we will use this protocol every week!

If you feel sick in the next two weeks, please let us know so we can alert everyone who was in person and unmasked at service this Sunday.

If you feel ill, please get a test done ASAP and report your results to help us make sure everyone is as safe as possible. Contact a member of the Board, our admin assistant, or the Minister

The two week countdown starts yesterday and will be revisited Oct 10th.

Re-opening Guidelines: CLICK HERE for specific information about attending services.

Mask Mandate Reminder: In line with policies, we are mandating mask use on church grounds, both inside and outside. If a small group is together and covenants to hear from all parties and feels comfortable to remove masks, you may do so. Without covenantal discussion and consent, masks should be worn over your nose and mouth for everyone over age 2 who is on church property. This includes RE, small groups, choir, etc. Please help keep your neighbors safe. This policy will be revisited often, and may change. Please look to newsletters or ask Board members for updates.

COVID Protocols: At the Re-Opening Task Force meeting, a grid that specifies our protocols for different levels of COVID risk was developed and finalized. CLICK HERE to see the grid with what our guidelines are about masking, the choir singing, food at Social Hour, where we can gather, social distancing, etc. Final decisions about the risk level at any moment will be the

responsibility of the Moderator, Assistant Moderator, and Minister, in consultation with the Board. The risk level could go up, even jump several levels, at any time (corresponding to a greater risk), but if it goes down, we would expect to only drop 1 level at a time, and to try two weeks on each level before shifting again.
The guidelines suggest that we are at Level 3 (Medium Risk) at the moment.

This Sunday we can have 25 people total in the Sanctuary, all with masks. The Choir will not be singing. As before, congregants should be socially distanced at least 6 feet apart (although household members can be closer to each other). For hymns, congregants can hum (through masks), but should not sing at this level of risk. We will not be serving food or drinks, so please bring water or whatever you need to stay hydrated.

Because of Rev. McKinley, 2 ushers, a Worship Associate, and leaving a few spots for vaccinated newcomers and our most at-risk vaccinated members and friends, we are likely to have perhaps 18-20 spots in the Sanctuary for other vaccinated members and friends for this Sunday determined (chronologically) by those who email or phone on Friday before 3pm. When the Choir is not singing, we will again have twice that number of spots in the Sanctuary in future weeks (like last week). We ask that everyone let others have a chance to be in the Sanctuary before signing up for a second time in the future. Others can be in Fellowship Hall, with a screen showing what is going on in the Sanctuary and a live feed of the audio.

For details of the Protocols recommended by our Re-Opening Task Force, CLICK HERE.

Services: Services are available on Live Stream. Just click the button with the blue arrow on our HOMEPAGE at 11:00 on Sunday morning to watch and listen.

  • We'll live stream the service via the usual method, as well as Zoom and Facebook Live on Sunday.
  • I'm available to meet in person on 1-1 basis, unless I have confirmed contact with COVID, but I'm actively monitoring my email and voicemail and happy to chat however you feel comfortable.
  • We'll get through this together. Wash your hands, and stay home as much as possible!
Thank you!
The Reverend McKinley L. Sims, M.Div.
Minister (he/him)

Who Are We?


Some of us after coffee hour on a sunny Sunday. CLICK HERE for an enlargement.

We are a religiously diverse, LGBTQ+ embracing, intentionally multiracial and multicultural Unitarian Universalist faith community. In our congregation, we journey together in Love toward restoring spiritual wholeness. We were founded as a Universalist church in central Philadelphia in 1820 and relocated to the Mount Airy neighborhood in 1938. Join us for Sunday services each week in our air-conditioned sanctuary at 11 am and for our coffee hour afterward. Sunday school and child care are available. Summer services are followed by a potluck coffee hour.

We welcome people from any religious background who seek personal and spiritual growth in an extended family atmosphere.

Our denomination has no creed or doctrinal tests. All who are in sympathy with our beliefs and are willing to join us in supporting the goals of this church and the principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association are welcomed into membership.

Our building is now accessible to people with disabilities! It features a ramp to the main sanctuary and a wheelchair lift to the Social Hall beneath. An accessible restroom has been created on the lower level to make our Fellowship Hall more accessible to our congregants, visitors and renters. CHECK HERE for photos.

From our Minister, The Reverend McKinley Sims —

Read about Reverend McKinley
Welcome from all of us here at UUs of Mt. Airy, located in the historic sanctuary of the Universalist Church of the Restoration of Philadelphia! We are a proud Unitarian Universalist congregation, commited to build Beloved Community by embracing all souls and nurturing wholeness in everyone who stops by in person or online We are always learning from our ancestors and elders like Alice Walker, Mary Oliver, Rumi, Jesus of Nazareth, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Thich Nhat Hanh. We worship every Sunday and draw from all kinds of literature and sacred scripture. Dress is casual, but know that we are celebrating our 200th Anniversary from 2020 to 2023, and we’re striving to build a better here and now, based on our progressive church’s legacy of social justice activism and racial integration. We believe that many faiths can worship together under one roof, and whether you believe in God, identify as a Humanist, pray through meditation or by donating your time to nonprofits or volunteerism, we want you here. We are Open and Affirming, part of the Welcoming program of the UUA. In September, we explore the theme of Exploring Possibility! Join us for explorations into telling and hearing each other’s stories about family, values, music, and diversity!
PLEASE NOTE: Our services will be livestreamed on our public Facebook Page and via our “Livestream” button here on this homepage! You can also watch via Zoom, which allows for more interaction from congregants. Please be mindful of these precautions as we move into uncharted territory. We are looking to resume more in-person services this Fall, but masks and/or vaccinations will be required to be in our buildings. We will continue to have excellent online worship services and committee meetings, even after we resume in-person. Regardless of how we’re in contact with you in the coming weeks, our hope is that UU Mt. Airy place will be a new kind of Sanctuary in the city of brotherly love, sisterly affection, and sibling service. Amen!

The Reverend McKinley L. Sims, M.Div.
Minister, (he/him)
Play Hard. Never Stop. Have Faith    posted: 08/24/2021

The Greater Philly UU Cluster (GPC) represents 14 nearby UU congregations and is actively connecting these congregations to share our message, grow our faith and strengthen congregations. Check out our Annual Reports to learn more about what we've been doing. As we look ahead, GPC will play a larger role for our congregations as the UUA regionalization moves forward.

Check out our GPC google calendar to attend events at the other cluster congregations. For more information...

We are a Social Justice
Loving Congregation!

Social Justice has been a long tradition, going back to the 1960s when the congregation worked with other community groups to fight "redlining" in Mt. Airy. As we work actively in the Black Lives Matter movement, we maintain a strong, spiritual commitment to love and justice. We recently voted to become a member of POWER Philadelphia and we have long participated in the work of UUJusticePA.

If you shop at Amazon, here's a new way to give to your congregation. Amazon will now donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases when you shop at AmazonSmile (https://smile.amazon.com/) to the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Restoration.

Register at the Amazon website.

GoodSearch.com is a search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

Use the button link on the right, or go to https://www.goodsearch.org/ and be sure to enter the "Unitarian Universalist Church of the Restoration" as the charity you want to support.

If you would like to know more about our denomination, please click on this Unitarian Universalist Organizations link.

Chalice Design by Gary Sobolow   

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