Perhaps not rent. But the following list is of churches in the Unitarian Universalist Association I identified that meet other people’s space. This is temporary-use space; I’m not including rented storefronts. In part, I wanted to know if the old stereotype of Unitarian-era fellowships meeting at the Y hold true — I’ve preached in one! — and to see if any of the home-based fellowships have survived. (One has; I’ve written about it before, but even they rent space occasionally.) I also to see what kind of space might be available for new churches.
Here’s the list of key words I used — yes, grep -f, for those who know. The first ones are searching for synagogues; the one at the end assume negation (i.e. “not fixed” “no permanent address”). Then I had to hand-filter false positives, like the various Community Churches and churches in towns named Templeton and Bethel.
temple|sinai|b’nai|beth|israel|ymca|ywca|home|homes|center|community |senior|theater|theatre|hall|building|presbyterian|methodist|lutheran |club|school|library|room|rooms|fixed|permanent|moves
I would appreciate notes of corrections and additions. I will also add links to those congregations that have websites, as time permits. Active website links up. Have noted a couple of location changes. Now, sites for the hosts, where available. The best links I have found are up.
| Juneau UU Fellowship | Temple Sukkat Shalom 211 Cordova St | Juneau | AK |
| Kodiak UU Fellowship | Allegro Arts Center 1220 E Rezanof Drive [map] | Kodiak | AK |
| UU Fellowship of Jonesboro | Temple Israel [info] Fellowship Hall 203 W. Oak | Jonesboro | AR |
| Sedona UU Fellowship | Sedona Creative Life Center 333 Schnebly Hill Rd | Sedona | AZ |
| UU Fellowship of Yuma | First Presbyterian Church 598 S. 7th Ave. | Yuma | AZ |
| Live Oak UU Fellowship | 1300 Grand Street (in the Home of Truth Spiritual Center) | Alameda | CA |
| Mission Peak UU Congregation | First United Methodist Church, 2950 Washington Blvd. Cole Hall | Fremont | CA |
| UU Community of Lake County | Kelseyville Senior Center 5245 Third Street [street view] | Kelseyville | CA |
| UU Fellowship of the Mendocino Coast | Mendocino Community/Rec Center School and Pine St. | Mendocino | CA |
| UUs of Santa Clarita Valley | Santa Clarita Valley Senior Ctr. 22900 Market Street | Newhall | CA |
| UUs of Petaluma | Petaluma Woman’s Club 518 B St. | Petaluma | CA |
| UU Congregation of Whittier | East Whittier YMCA 15740 Starbuck | Whittier | CA |
| UU Fellowship in Alamosa | 330 San Juan Avenue (north unit of the Presbyterian Church) | Alamosa | CO |
| High Country UU Fellowship | Summit County Comm & Senior Ctr. Peak One Boulevard | Frisco | CO |
| Namaqua UU Congregation | Ferguson High School 1101 Hilltop Drive | Loveland | CO |
| Prairie Crossing Elementary School 11605 S. Bradbury Ranch Dr. | Parker | CO | |
| UU Fellowship of the Farmington Valley | The Ethel Walker School 230 Bushy Hill Rd. | Simsbury | CT |
| UU of Central Delaware | Congregation Beth Sholom 340 N Queen St | Dover | DE |
| UU Congregation of Lake County | The Woman’s Club [Wikipedia] 227 N. Center St. | Eustis | FL |
| Buckman Bridge UU Society | Mandarin Community Club 12447 Mandarin Rd | Jacksonville | FL |
| Community U U Church | Dudley’s Memorial Chapel 1108 North Dixie Highway (US Rt. 1) | New Smyrna Beach | FL |
| UU Fellowship of Sun City Center | Temple Beth Israel 1115 Del Webb East | Sun City Center | FL |
| North Idaho UUs | Harding Family Center 411 N 15th | Coeur D’alene | ID |
| New Garden Community Church – Unitarian Universalist | United Electrical Workers (UE) Hall 37 S Ashland [street view] | Chicago | IL |
| All Souls Free Religious Fellowship | Culltural Center 9351 Michigan Ave [street view] [residential?] | Chicago | IL |
| Gaia Community | Shawnee Mission UU Church 7725 W. 87th St. | Overland Park | KS |
| UU Community of Frankfort | 3rd Floor, Mc Clure Building 306 West Main St [possibly] | Frankfort | KY |
| UU Meeting of South Berkshire | Claire W. Teague Senior Center 917 S Main Street [street view, but more tree view really] | Great Barrington | MA |
| Channing Memorial Church | Northfield Elementary School 9125 Northfield Road | Ellicott City | MD |
| UU Fellowship of Southern Maryland | Chesapeake Charter School 20945 Great Mills Road | Lexington Park | MD |
| Midcoast UU Fellowship | Skidompha Public Library 184 Main St | Damariscotta | ME |
| Community Unitarian Universalists in Brighton | Brighton Education Community Center (BECC) 125 South Church Street [map] | Brighton | MI |
| Keweenaw UU Fellowship | BHK Head Start Center 700 Park | Houghton | MI |
| UU Fellowship of Central Michigan | ArtReach Center of Mid-Michigan 319 S University St. | Mount Pleasant | MI |
| Northwoods UU Fellowship | Nisswa Community Library 5533 County Rd 18 [street view] | Nisswa | MN |
| UU Fellowship of West Plains | Yellow House Community Arts Center 409 W Trish Knight St | West Plains | MO |
| UU Congregation of Tupelo | Temple B’nai Israel 1301 Marshall St. | Tupelo | MS |
| UU Fellowship of Bozeman | Bozeman Senior Center. 807 North Tracy | Bozeman | MT |
| UU Fellowship of Lake Norman | Davidson College Tomlinson Res. Hall Conf. Room [info] Corner of Glasgow St & Patterson Count Cir | Davidson | NC |
| All Souls Church UU | Walltown Children’s Theatre 1225 Berkeley Street | Durham | NC |
| UU Congregation of the Sandhills | Pinehurst Executive Center 300 NC Highway 5 S Ste 7/8 | Pinehurst | NC |
| Thermal Belt UU Fellowship | Tryon Youth Center Route 176N | Tryon | NC |
| Kearney UU Fellowship | Campus Lutheran Ministry [map] 2715 9th Avenue | Kearney | NE |
| Dorothea Dix UU Community | Crosswicks United Methodist Church Intersection of Church St & Ward Av | Crosswicks | NJ |
| UU Congregation of the Palisades | Flat Rock Brook Nature Center 443 Van Nostrand Ave | Englewood | NJ |
| UU Ocean County Congregation | Holiday Mall Shopping Center 734 Route 37 West [street view] [storefront?] | Toms River | NJ |
| Eastern New Mexico UU Fellowship | Greyhound Arena, Classroom #7 Eastern NM University | Portales | NM |
| Brockport UU Fellowship | Brockport Exempts Club 248 West Ave [street view] | Brockport | NY |
| Hornell Alfred UU Society | Hornell Senior Ctr. 198 Main [street view] | Hornell | NY |
| Delaware UU Fellowship | Peale Chapel, Hamilton-William Center Ohio Wesleyan University | Delaware | OH |
| UU Fellowship of McMinnville | McMinnville Senior Center 2250 NE McDaniel Ln | McMinnville | OR |
| Wy’east UU Congregation | Hollywood Senior Center 1820 NE 40th Ave | Portland | OR |
| Upper Delaware UU Fellowship | Berlin Township Community Ctr. [map] 50 Milanville Rd. | Beach Lake | PA |
| WellSprings Congregation | The Montgomery School (Bell Hall) 1141 Kimberton Road (Rte 113) | Chester Springs | PA |
| UU Fellowship of Lower Bucks | Pen Ryn School 235 South Olds Blvd. | Fairless Hills | PA |
| Joseph Priestley UU Fellowship | Members’ Homes Lewisburg Area | Lewisburg | PA |
| UUs of Puerto Rico | San Juan Community Library Biblioteca BUCAPLAA Avenida Apolo at corner of Topacio Intersection of Rt 1 and Rt 199 | Guaynabo | PR |
| UU Fellowship of Beaufort | Wardle Family YMCA 1801 Richmond Ave | Port Royal | SC |
| Black Hills UU Fellowship | Canyon Lake Senior Citizens Ctr. 2900 Canyon Lake Dr. | Rapid City | SD |
| Foothills UU Fellowship | Everett Senior Center 702 Burchfield St | Maryville | TN |
| UU Fellowship of Murfreesboro | Center for the Arts N 110 West College Street | Murfreesboro | TN |
| The UU Fellowship of St John | St. John School Community Room Giftt Hill | St. John | VI |
| Cedars UU Church | The Island School 8553 NE Day Rd | Bainbridge Island | WA |
| San Juan UU Fellowship | Mullis Community Senior Center 589 Nash Street | Friday Harbor | WA |
The Dorothea Dix UU Community in Crosswicks, NJ is renting from a Methodist church but they will be moving into their own building in the next month or so. I served as their quarter-time minister for four years. Good group of folks who do not fit into the upper middle-class demographic that some think is our niche. DDUUC taught me better than any other congregation that factory workers or truck drivers can be Unitarian Universalists. God bless them in their new home.
First Parish in Brewster, MA, is meeting this year in a public school cafeteria — Stony Brook School down the street — while our historic building is undergoing preservation repairs.
Our congregation has three branch sites, two of which rent space from other churches.
http://uuabq.org/ourbranches.html
In Socorro NM, the UUs and another small congregation have become so integral to the host congregation that they have put the names of the renting congregations on their main sign.
you missed a new fellowship (emerging congregation in the Heartland District) in a northern suburb of Cincinnati, OH who rents space from a synagogue that keeps kosher so can only bring vegetarian meals or snacks: Harmony
http://www.harmonyuu.org/
We are a Lutheran Church in Hollywood, Fla., right outside of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. We are looking to rent out space to another congregation or organization that is interested. Please let me know if you’re interested.
Best,
Terry Danger
tmdanger@bellsouth.net
954-922-7565