ALL are welcome!
At Community Church Unitarian Universalist, we gather in faith as a community of compassionate, thoughtful people. We courageously fight for equity and caring for one another and the world. We explore diverse spiritual paths in our beautiful, difficult lives, together.
Minister
We are delighted to share the joyful news that Community Church Unitarian Universalist has welcomed Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey as our new minister!
Reverend Bailey comes to us from Burbank, California where he was the minister at Sepulveda Unitarian Universalist Society. He earned his Master of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC and has served various ministry positions at UU congregations in Glendale, California; Orange, New Jersey; Washington, D.C.; Pomona, Garden City, Utica, Oneonta, and New York City, New York; and Las Vegas, Nevada. We are excited about the
vision and energy he will bring to our congregation and community.
Reverend Bailey can be contacted directly by email at minister@ccuunola.org.
Staff
Charlotte Klasson
Office Administrator
admin@ccuunola.org
Valentine Orgeron
Communications Manager
comms@ccuunola.org
Paige Breaux
Bookkeeper
bookkeeper@ccuunola.org
Board of Trustees
Elizabeth Trotter
President
president@ccuunola.org
Jolie Bonck
Treasurer
treasurer@ccuunola.org
Elyce Picciotti
President-Elect
board@ccuunola.org
Trustees at Large:
Helen Stavros
Jane Powell
board@ccuunola.org
Cathy Larimer
Finance Vice-President
finance@ccuunola.org
Rebecca Broome
Secretary
board@ccuunola.org
Our History
Present
In 2011, we held our first service in our beautiful solar-powered church, hired a Director of Religious Education, and our social justice ministry grew by leaps and bounds.
In 2017 Rev. Jim retired and the Board contracted with the Rev. Darcy Roake. Rev. Darcy was our marvelous minister until 2021.
We are flourishing once again with great Religious Education, Music & Worship Programs and wonderful Ministries!
We welcome all who wish to join us!
Early History
Community Church Unitarian Universalist (CCUU) was founded in 1958 by a group who departed from First Unitarian Universalist Church.
In 1968, CCUU merged with another UU Community, the West Bank Fellowship. They called their first minister in 1970, the Rev. Jim Jones, and soon found a property at 6690 Fleur de Lis. The church held its first service in its own building in 1973, with a sermon by the Rev. Matthew McNaught, who remained CCUU’s Minister for five years.
The church continued to grow over the next decades with two more ministers. In 2002, we welcomed our fifth minister, the Rev. Jim VanderWeele. Under his leadership, things were looking up.
Hurricane Katrina
in August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck. The church was destroyed and we lost half of our congregation, scattered to the four winds. Once able to return to the city, we held joint services with First UU, and then wandered as a “church in a box” – renting a chapel at UNO and a synagogue in Metairie.
Rev. Jim remained steadfast and we moved back to Lakeview to help the neighborhood recover and to reestablish ourselves. We bought the house adjacent to the former church, and held our first service there in July 2007.
A Building Committee soon drew up plans for a new, environmentally friendly church. With help from churches and UUs around the country, we joined forces with First UU and the North Shore congregation to form the Greater New Orleans Unitarian Universalists (GNOUU).
GNOUU implemented a national capital campaign for Church recovery and established the Center for Ethical Living and Social justice Renewal, a non-profit that works with community partners.