Early Roots
Gathering in the mid-1980s
The earliest records show Unitarian Universalists gathering in Fayetteville in the mid-1980s. In 1985, a group began meeting at 803 Bonanza Drive. In 1986, Articles of Incorporation were filed, and in 1987 the UU Fellowship of Fayetteville received a welcome letter from the Unitarian Universalist national office.
By 1988, the fellowship was meeting at St. Pauls-in-the-Pines and welcoming a wide range of speakers, ministers, and lay leaders. Records from the late 1980s and early 1990s show services and programs exploring peace, deployment, race, religious traditions, scripture, tolerance, personal growth, and the questions of the wider world.
Transition
A presence that did not disappear
Through the early 1990s, the fellowship continued to gather for worship, discussion, and community. By the mid-1990s, the earlier fellowship was no longer meeting in the same way, and in 1997 the UU Fellowship of Fayetteville was officially dissolved.
But the desire for a Unitarian Universalist presence in Fayetteville did not disappear.
A New Beginning
UUCF is established
In October 1999, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fayetteville was officially established. That year, membership grew from 6 to 13 people.
In the years that followed, UUCF continued to develop its identity, leadership, and sense of community. The congregation met in different locations, including 404 Hope Mills Road and later 108 Hay Street. By 2004, average attendance had grown to around 30 people.
Growing Community
Visibility, connection, and local life
The mid-2000s were a period of growth, visibility, and connection. UUCF welcomed new members, explored ways to reach more people in the wider Fayetteville community, and participated in local events such as Fourth Friday and the Dogwood Festival.
The congregation also connected with other Unitarian Universalist communities in North Carolina, including youth activities with Outlaw’s Bridge UU and members from Moore County who would later help form UU Sandhills.
Recent Chapters
Still being gathered
The years since 2009 have brought new chapters in UUCF’s story. The congregation has continued to grow, change, and respond to the needs of its members and the wider Fayetteville community.
Across these years, UUCF has been shaped by worship, religious exploration, social action, community care, lay leadership, changing spaces, new technologies, public witness, and the ongoing work of becoming more welcoming and more connected.
This part of our history is still being gathered. We know that many important stories live in the memories, photographs, documents, and experiences of longtime members and friends.