Unitarian Universalist Church of Utica

Unitarian Universalist Church of Utica Unitarian Universalist Church of Utica
10 Higby Rd, Utica, NY, 13501
Services Sunday 10:30am We are united by shared values, not by creed or dogma.

Unitarian Universalism is a caring, open-minded religion that encourages seekers to follow their own spiritual paths. Our faith draws on many religious sources, welcoming people with different beliefs. Unitarian Universalism combines two traditions: the Universalists, who organized in 1793, and the Unitarians, who organized in 1825. They consolidated into the Unitarian Universalist Association in

1961. (Taken from http://www.uua.org/ ) The Utica Congregation was founded in 1825 and moved to their current location in 1978. More History: The very first Universalist congregation in our area was established by the Reverend Nathaniel Stacy in 1804 in with a building at the corner of Genesee Street and French Rd, one block from our current location. Many years later, a new church, seating 420 people, was built on Seneca Street in 1851. It was named The Church of the Reconciliation. By 1887, the church was famous nationally as “the church with the tree in the tower.” A mountain ash tree had taken root in a pocket of soil on the north tower and grown to forty feet tall. . In 1906, the congregaton laid the cornerstone of a new building on the corner of Genesee and Tracy Streets. In 1978, the congregation moved to its current meeting place at 10 Higby Road. The congregation helped build a new structure that was smaller but more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

08/31/2026

Did you know there once was a second Universalist Church in Utica? It operated for less that 20 years and was gone by the turn of the 20th century.

“The services of the Second Universalist, or The Church of our Father began in May, 1888 in the Mary street school house. In October of that year a chapel was built on Bacon Street, where services were held in the afternoon by Rev C.E. Rice until 1889. In 1890-91 a lot was purchased on Bleecker street and the present church was erected thereon.” Our County and Its People -Daniel Wager 1896

The Church of Our Father would eventually be the home of The East Utica Baptist Church, later known as the First Italian Baptist Church, which by 1920 had replaced the small church with a bigger complex on Bleecker Street that included a community center complete with a gymnasium, bowling alleys and a men’s club.

This Sunday August 23rd at 10:30 AM, our guest speaker is Lara Po***ck daughter of Rev. Greta Worstell Crosby, the eldes...
08/19/2026

This Sunday August 23rd at 10:30 AM, our guest speaker is Lara Po***ck daughter of Rev. Greta Worstell Crosby, the eldest living former minister (1960-1961) of UU Utica. Lara will read the sermon, “Mobile Deity”, from her recently published book of Rev. Crosby’s sermons and writings. Here is a photo of Rev Greta taken March 27 1960, the day she was ordained as the first woman minister of our church. (From the left: The Rev Greta M Worstell (Crosby), Roe McBurnett, moderator; the Rev William P Jenkins, Rochester, minister of the First Unitarian Congregational Society; and Dr. Sidney E. Mead, Chicago, president of the Meadville Theological School.)

Ken Drake, UU Utica's Social Justice team chair, will be a presenter at the upcoming - "The Ideal Vs The Real." Oneida C...
08/14/2026

Ken Drake, UU Utica's Social Justice team chair, will be a presenter at the upcoming - "The Ideal Vs The Real." Oneida County NAACP will explore how our country was built, examine the ongoing struggle for civil and human rights, and discuss today's biggest threats to democracy. The event will be held at the Utica Public Library in the Library Gallery at 6:30 PM, Thursday Aug 20th. UPL is located at 303 Genesee Streeet in Utica.

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10 Higby Road
Utica, NY
13501

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