We are on our way!

On June 5 the Unitarian Universalist Church of the South Hills (Sunnyhill) broke ground for a $2.6 million expansion to meet the needs of our growing congregation. The addition to the church’s 90 year-old building will include offices, classrooms, and a sanctuary that will accommodate 200 people, more than twice the capacity of our current facility.

“A church is comprised not of bricks and mortar but of the people who gather together to care for each other and for the world,” said Sunnyhill’s minister Rev. Jim Magaw at the celebration of the groundbreaking. “A church is not a physical structure but a way of walking together. A church is not built in space as much as it is built in the human heart. This congregation is a growing, vital enterprise. We’re doing important, life changing work here, and it only seems fitting to do this work in a setting that better matches this growing energy and vitality.”

We want to ensure the presence of Sunnyhill in our community for generations to come. We’re building not as a tribute to our past, nor merely as a means to make things more convenient for now. Most of all we’re building a church for those who will come after us, people who will need Sunnyhill in ways we can’t even imagine right now.

Much of our growth can be attributed to our vibrant religious education program that teaches respect, kindness, love, and standing up for what is right. “We offer our children more than a comprehensive religious education program,” said Jen McGlothin, director of religious education. “We give them a sense of belonging, the power to question and the opportunity to wonder. Our children are encouraged to find their own values and are given the chance to express them. The knowledge and understanding we offer the children in our community is our legacy and the greatest gift we can leave behind. Our new space will allow us to provide religious education classes in an environment designed for that specific purpose.”