Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Encyclopedia
The Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (ERUUF) is a Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregation located in Durham
, North Carolina
. In 2007, over five hundred people were members of ERUUF. It sponsors the UU campus ministry program at Duke University
, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship @ Duke.
The Eno River Buddhist Community, founded in 1992, is affiliated with and meets at ERUUF. The group, which draws upon a variety of Buddhist
traditions, but especially the Insight Meditation (vipassanā) tradition, "considers itself ecumenical."
One of the ministers of ERUUF, Mary Grigolia, serves on the steering committee of the North Carolina Religious Coalition for Marriage Equality
. The ERUUF is a Welcoming Congregation, which is a specific designation within the Unitarian Universalist Association
for congregations that have undergone a program to increase inclusion of lesbian
, gay
, bisexual, and transgender
people and understanding of LGBT
issues.
fellowship opened in the Durham/Chapel Hill
area. In 1966, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Durham and Chapel Hill opened; it changed its name in 1978 to Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
ERUUF has been a recipient of the O. Eugene Pickett Award, which is given annually by the Unitarian Universalist Association "to the congregation that has made an outstanding contribution to the growth of Unitarian Universalism".
Members of ERUUF represent a range of beliefs and interests. In addition to the Buddhist Community, groups include a humanist
group, a meditation group, a depression
support group, a West African drumming group, A Course in Miracles
, and a Taoist
t'ai chi group, among others. ERUUF is inclusive of different theologies; many pagans are members. According to Rev. Arvid Straube, "We are a broad umbrella. Freedom of belief is our main tenant."
services twice a month during the school semester.
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. In 2007, over five hundred people were members of ERUUF. It sponsors the UU campus ministry program at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship @ Duke.
The Eno River Buddhist Community, founded in 1992, is affiliated with and meets at ERUUF. The group, which draws upon a variety of Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
traditions, but especially the Insight Meditation (vipassanā) tradition, "considers itself ecumenical."
One of the ministers of ERUUF, Mary Grigolia, serves on the steering committee of the North Carolina Religious Coalition for Marriage Equality
North Carolina Religious Coalition for Marriage Equality
The North Carolina Religious Coalition for Marriage Equality was an interfaith same-sex marriage advocacy group composed of religious leaders in North Carolina. The group's headquarters were at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh which has hosted speeches with James A. Forbes of the...
. The ERUUF is a Welcoming Congregation, which is a specific designation within the Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association , in full the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in North America, is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalist congregations formed by the consolidation in 1961 of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of...
for congregations that have undergone a program to increase inclusion of lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, bisexual, and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
people and understanding of LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
issues.
History
Between 1900 and 1925 Universalists had been active in Durham, and, in 1949, a UnitarianUnitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
fellowship opened in the Durham/Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
area. In 1966, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Durham and Chapel Hill opened; it changed its name in 1978 to Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
ERUUF has been a recipient of the O. Eugene Pickett Award, which is given annually by the Unitarian Universalist Association "to the congregation that has made an outstanding contribution to the growth of Unitarian Universalism".
Members of ERUUF represent a range of beliefs and interests. In addition to the Buddhist Community, groups include a humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
group, a meditation group, a depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
support group, a West African drumming group, A Course in Miracles
A Course in Miracles
A Course in Miracles is a self-study curriculum that aims to assist its readers in achieving spiritual transformation. The book describes a non-dualistic philosophy of forgiveness and includes what are meant to be practical lessons and applications for the practice of forgiveness in one's daily life...
, and a Taoist
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
t'ai chi group, among others. ERUUF is inclusive of different theologies; many pagans are members. According to Rev. Arvid Straube, "We are a broad umbrella. Freedom of belief is our main tenant."
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship @ Duke
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship @ Duke (UUF@D) is the Duke University UU campus ministry program. It is both sponsored by ERUUF and recognized as a student organization by the university. It holds vespersVespers
Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
services twice a month during the school semester.
See also
- LGBT-affirming churches
- Unitarian Universalist Buddhist FellowshipUnitarian Universalist Buddhist FellowshipThe Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship is a "Related Organization" to the Unitarian Universalist Association . Formed in the early 1990s, the UUBF exists to facilitate dialogue among UU Buddhists and other UUs interested in Buddhism and its practices...
Further reading
- Routh, Donald K., 1979, The Story of the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Durham, North Carolina, 21 pages.