Western Carolinas Cluster

Our Cluster began with a desire to improve and increase contact between the congregations in our region. We kick-started that contact with our first Gathering, a one-day event designed to make workshops, training and networking available to people who cannot travel to district and national events. The success of that first Gathering ensured that it would become an annual event. The next Gathering will take place March 22 2008, in Spartanburg, SC.

An action point that came out of that first Gathering was to form a Cluster Steering Committee to explore other ways for the Western Carolinas congregations to work together. The Steering Committee meets quarterly, and the delegates to the Committee are their congregations' contact points for networking within the Cluster. At the same time and place as the quarterly Steering Committee meetings, and on a rotating basis, separate meetings of representatives from a particular area of church life (Social Action, Membership, Finance, Worship, etc.) are held.

Another early effort of the Steering Committee was the development of a list of speakers willing to travel to other congregations in the Cluster, and many congregations are now enjoying the benefits of sharing speakers. An ongoing initiative is that of pooling our congregant's public radio contributions to purchase day sponsorships, raising public awareness of our presence in the region.

As more and more of us experience the benefits of contact and cooperation, additional ideas for fulfilling our mission will certainly be developed.

• Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville, Asheville NC
  
  
• Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Swannanoa Valley , Black Mountain NC
  
  
• Boone Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Boone NC
  
  
• Unitarian Universalists of Transylvania County, Brevard NC
  
  
• Unitarian Universalist Church of Charlotte, Charlotte NC
  
  
• Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church, Charlotte NC
  
  
• Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clemson, Clemson SC
  
  
• Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Franklin, Franklin NC
  
  
• Greenville Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Greenville SC
  
  
• Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hendersonville , Hendersonville NC
  
  
• Unitarian Universalist Church of Catawba Valley, Hickory NC
  
  
• Unitarian Universalist Church of Spartanburg, Spartanburg SC
  
  
• Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Tryon , Tryon NC

• Steering Committee Coordinator
  
  
• Gathering Chair
  
  
• Webmaster