UUFR Covenant
As members of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Rappahannock (UUFR), we come together to create a welcoming and inclusive community of diverse individuals seeking spiritual meaning in our lives. We listen deeply to one another, speak our truths with integrity, and honor ideas and beliefs that differ from our own. We take responsibility for our words and actions, striving always to live with compassion and love—for ourselves and for others. We are committed to promoting social justice and serving all members of our wider community.
Our Members
Our Fellowship is home to people from many backgrounds and spiritual paths. All who wish to explore their personal journeys in a spirit of mutual respect for differing beliefs and ways of life are warmly welcomed here.
We are a Welcoming Congregation, dedicated to the full inclusion of every person. All are welcome—regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or economic circumstance.
The Seven UU Principles
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Rappahannock affirms and promotes these Seven Principles:
- The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
- Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations;
- Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth;
- A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
- The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process;
- The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
- Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
Our Shared Values
Our Unitarian Universalist Shared Values are centered around Love: Equity, Generosity, Interdependence, Justice, Pluralism, and Transformation
- Equity. We respect the inherent worthiness and dignity of every person and build inclusive communities.
- Generosity. We practice gratitude and share our presence and resources;
- Interdependence. We honor, protect, and heal the interdependent web of all existence;
- Justice. We work to dismantle racism and oppression, co-creating a socially just world that works for everyone;
- Pluralism. We celebrate and learn from diverse cultures, theologies, and experiences in our free, responsible search for meaning;
- Transformation. We are open to experience and growth.
Love holds us together
as we constantly
align our actions and values.
Our Principles and Shared Values are the backbone of our UUFR Fellowship.
For more information on Unitarian Universalism click here.
Our History
Before 1997, there was no Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in the Northern Neck. A recent arrival, David Daugherty, wondered whether there were Unitarian Universalists in the area who might be interested in meeting together. He obtained a list of local members of the Church of the Larger Fellowship and contacted them. As a result, he met with Susan Fallin, Ina Fuller, and Janet Sutton. Beginning in October 1997, the group held home-based meetings every other Sunday.
In the spring of 1998, the group began meeting at the Lancaster Community Library. Linda Lane-Hamilton and David Hamilton, from the Williamsburg Unitarian Universalist Church, met with the group for several development sessions. Afterward, members decided to meet every Sunday, to form a Fellowship, and to adopt a name that reflected the region they hoped to serve. Thus, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Rappahannock (UUFR) was founded.
The Fellowship held its first meeting in its new home—the White Stone Woman’s Club—on the first Sunday of August 1998. Charter Sunday followed on May 2, 1999, with Roger Comstock, President of the Thomas Jefferson UU District, as guest speaker. Our first president, Andrew Kelsey, presided and identified “A Home of Our Own” as an important long-term goal. The UUFR was accepted into the Unitarian Universalist Association and continued as a lay-led congregation, with guest speakers twice a month and members speaking on the remaining Sundays.
In June 2000, President Bob Weekley initiated a search for a long-term rental or property purchase to establish a permanent home for the Fellowship. Extensive planning and effort led to a groundbreaking ceremony on June 3, 2007. The first Sunday service in the not-yet-finished building was held on August 17, 2008, and the building was officially dedicated on November 16, 2008.
Once settled into its own home, the Fellowship strengthened its mission to inspire intellectual and spiritual growth through informal and thought-provoking services led by both members and visiting speakers. The Fellowship also continued to participate in community programs. Our “Kids First” initiative—supporting high-quality pre-K programs in four local county schools—was implemented in Lancaster and Middlesex, with discussions underway in Matthews and Northumberland. We also developed a butterfly garden, a labyrinth, and a memorial grove. In June 2018, we hired our first part-time minister, and the expansion of the building was completed.
In March 2024, our first minister retired, and we began the search for a new minister.
While we continue our search for a credentialed minister, in November 2025, we welcomed one of our own – Marlie Avant – as our interim lay minister. On November 30th, the congregation formally celebrated Lay Minister Marlie stepping into this role.
UUFR Vision & Mission
- Our vision is to promote a welcoming, inclusive, and diverse community throughout the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula.
- Our mission is to be a covenantal community that lives out and advances the Unitarian Universalist principles in our personal lives, our Fellowship, and the wider world.
Unitarian Universalist
Fellowship of the Rappahannock
366 James Wharf Road
White Stone, VA
Mailing Address
PO Box 1266, White Stone VA 22578-1266