Photo courtesy Matthew Cohen Photography
Channing Memorial Church
Unitarian Universalist
Rev. John H. Nichols, Interim Minister
135 Pelham Street, Newport, RI 02840-3131
Church Office Hours:
Mon. - Fri., 9 am -1 pm
Church Administrator: Michele Dubuc (401)-846-0643 administrator@channingchurch.org
Director of Religious Education:
Halcyon Westall dre@channingchurch.org
Music Director: Janet Grant music@channingchurch.org
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Information about the Church
Channing Memorial Church is a Unitarian Universalist congregation located across from the Olde Stone Mill on Historic Hill in Newport, Rhode Island. Religious Education (church school) and Church Services are held at 10:00am on Sunday mornings. The church is available for public meetings for worthwhile causes and for weddings - unions.With active lay participation, and professional ministry by the Reverend John Nichols, Interim Minister, Channing's Officers and Chairs provide leadership in the church's spiritual, intellectual, social action, fellowship, and business activities. Various committees form the working units to carry out the church's ministry. The Church's monthly newsletter, The Catalyst, provides information on current church events.Channing is democratically run, with a lay-led Governing Board. All are welcome to participate in church activities, regardless of membership status. All meetings are also open. A wide variety of programs are offered, and suggestions for new or alternate programs are continuously sought and encouraged. At its Annual Meeting in the Spring of 2003 the Channing congregation voted unanimously to become a Welcoming Congregation. If you have a special talent or interest you would like to develop, or if you would like to meet a group of people who value individual freedom of belief, we invite you to visit with us.
Directions
The Church is located on Pelham Street, near the intersection of Bellevue Avenue and Memorial Blvd. From Memorial Blvd. (Rte. 138A), turn onto Bellevue Avenue heading north (away from the mansions). The third street on the left, across from the Newport Art Museum, is Pelham Street. If you are not familiar with Newport, use our map pages to find your way.
Unitarian Universalism
See the video "Unitarian Universalism: You're a Uni-What?" on You Tube!
"We Are Unitarian Universalists", written by UU minister, Rev. Marta Flanagan, is a succinct description of our faith. In general, Unitarian Universalism expects its participants to develop their own theology or philosophy of life. Many Unitarian Universalists find inspiration in world religions and nature. The concepts of compassion, tolerance and religious liberty play a big role in the development of our faiths.Unitarian Universalism has been influenced by humanism, feminism, free-thought and paganism. One of the widest known Unitarians was Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson's essays, like "Self-Reliance" and "The Oversoul", are expressive of many of us. Other well-known Unitarians and Universalists include John Adams, Clara Barton, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Louisa May Alcott, and Susan B. Anthony.What are the origins of Unitarian Universalism? Unitarianism in America takes as its staring date 1819 when William Ellery Channing preached a sermon in Baltimore entitled "Unitarian Christianity." Channing was the leading minister in Boston of that day and his sermon represented the development of faith among the successors of New England's Puritans. It is in his honor that Channing Memorial Church was built in 1880 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth.Today there are over a thousand Unitarian Universalist churches affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association in Boston. Globally, Unitarian Universalists participate in the International Association for Religious Freedom. The IARF includes liberal Christian, Buddhist, Shinto, Hindu and Muslim groups. A compendium of Unitarian Universalist Resources is maintained online by the UU Historical Society. A history of Channing Memorial Church has been compiled by Caroline P. Brainard.
A statement of the "Principles and Purposes" of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) can be found on the World Wide Web. Channing Memorial Church is a member of the Ballou Channing District of the UUA, which serves 50 Unitarian Universalist churches in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts.