The Keene Unitarian Universalist Church joyfully welcomes Rowan Van Ness as our half-time minister!
The Ministerial Search Committee has these words to share: “[Rowan] has a warm and inviting spirit, quickly making one feel comfortable and at ease in her presence. . . . She has earned a Bachelor’s degree from Smith College and a Master’s degree from Harvard Divinity School. Her ministerial experience ranges from leading spiritual exploration with children and youth to working interdenominationally as a chaplain and in clinical pastoral settings in hospitals and elder care facilities. Her ministry internship was at First UU Society of Burlington, VT where she later returned in the role of Director of Youth & Emerging Adult Ministries.”
To schedule an appointment with Rowan for pastoral care or another matter, email her at
What is Unitarian Universalism?
IN UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM, you can bring your whole self: your full identity, your questioning mind, your expansive heart. Our SEVEN PRINCIPLES and SIX SOURCES Support the Free and Responsible Search for Truth and Meaning. For more information, http://www.uua.org/beliefs/what-we-believe
To watch a video, https://www.uua.org/beliefs/who-we-are/video/use-video
OUR SIX VALUES, WITH LOVE AT THE CENTER
Unitarian Universalism is a living tradition that learns and adapts to meet the needs of each generation. It’s been nearly 40 years since a comprehensive review and revision of Article II. The digital age has shifted our interactions with community and truth. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted our interdependence, and where individualism falls short. There is a rise in global autocracies and attacks on democratic institutions, and climate catastrophe and mass extinctions threaten the delicate balance of the web of life. These are just a few of the major struggles our living tradition must face today and in our future. With the articulation of our shared UU values, we can be better equipped to make values based decisions in facing these new and evolving realities. (From the UUA website)
THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES
1st Principle: The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
2nd Principle: Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
3rd Principle: Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
4th Principle: A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
5th Principle: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
6th Principle: The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
7th Principle: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
THE SIX SOURCES
These are the six sources our congregations affirm and promote.
- Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
Words and deeds of prophetic people which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;- Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
- Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
- Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit;
- Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.
WHAT OUR MEMBERS SAY
Read some personal testimonies from our current members.