At the Gorge UU Fellowship
We understand that each of us is on a unique journey, and that not everyone experiences church in the same way. At the Fellowship, you are welcome just as you are—whatever you believe or don't believe, whomever you love, no matter the color of your skin or where you live or come from, we want you to share in the indescribable feeling of Love Beyond Belief.
Our Covenant
We are a Fellowship of “Deeds, not Creeds”. When we are together we create a force more powerful than one person or one belief system. Our beliefs are diverse and inclusive. Bring your whole self — your full identity, your questioning mind, your expansive heart, because e have no shared creed though we do share a covenant.
This is our great covenant:
To be kind, respectful, and honest;
To honor diversity in all its forms;
To support each other and be of service in the wider world.
LGBTQIA + and Immigrant Welcoming
and Supporting Congregation
We are a certified LGBTQIA+ Welcoming Congregation and an Immigrant Welcoming & Supporting Congregation. We celebrate the spectrum of human differences and see them as a source of enrichment in our lives. While “saying so doesn’t necessarily make it so,” an important reason we come together is to remind ourselves of what we value. And because we value diversity, we include the voices of all people–in our readings and music, our religious education classes, and our leadership.
Read the full text of the Immigrant Welcoming Congregation certification here.
Read about the guidelines for becoming an LGBTQIA+ Welcoming Congregation here.
Get To Know Us
After years of moving from one location to another, we have been meeting at the Rockford Grange, for more than a decade. Without the burden of a building, all our resources go into creating an inclusive community. We are known in the Gorge as the place to come on Sunday morning, if you are looking for a congregation that isn’t too churchy! Services are at 10 am with a time to socialize during our Coffee Hour from 11:30-1 pm.
Rev. Barbara Prose holds monthly “Get to Know Us” sessions on First Sundays from 12-1 pm. If you’d like to learn more about Unitarian Universalism or the Gorge UU Fellowship, please join us on First Sundays from 12-1 pm downstairs in the Gathering Space after service and coffee hour. You can also learn more about Unitarian Universalism here.
Planning A Visit
You can find us at the Rockford Grange at 4262 Barrett Dr, Hood River, OR on Sundays at 10 am. Please plan to arrive a few minutes before 10 am and stop at the Welcome Table, where you can fill out a visitor card, sign up for our newsletter and get a name tag. Don’t be surprised if someone also offers you a hug!
What To Expect
Liberating love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values.
We are people of all ages, of many backgrounds, and of many beliefs.
Our mission is to create a community where people can experience love beyond belief.
The rituals you’ll experience in our services include lighting a chalice, sharing joys and sorrows, listening to reflections from our Minister, and our Fellowship members, and speakers from the local community, singing songs together, and collecting an offering, half of which is shared with local nonprofit organizations, whose work reflects our values.
Accessibility
Both floors are accessible. Lower floor via back door; upper floor via side ramp. Wheelchair-accessible bathrooms are downstairs. Please contact the administrator if your chair is wider than 30".
Additionally:
Programs use larger fonts
Hearing technology is available upon request
Odorless candles and good ventilation are used
A pastoral care team provides support for those with disabilities
Grassy areas are available outdoors, for service animals. Please contact the administrator with any additional questions about bringing a service animal or visit our FAQ section for more information.
First Sundays
POP-UP Choir: We gather at 9 am on First Sundays to learn a song (led by a song leader) and perform it during that service that same day. All ages are welcome!
We also have prepared lessons for children & youth based on the monthly theme.
Getting Involved
Interested in getting involved with one of our teams? You are always welcome to attend a meeting to learn more about the Social Justice Team, the Care Team, Membership Circle or the Worship Team that organizes Sunday Services. Check meeting times here.
Reverend Barbara loves talking with people about where their passion meets the world’s and the Fellowship’s needs. Please feel free to email her to find a time for that conversation!
Can you lend a hand? Bring flowers, help with hospitality, greet others or explore all the ways you can lend a hand on Sundays. Fill out this form to get connected to the right person.
Additional Q&A
Visit our Frequently Asked Questions section to learn more.
Our Staff
Rev. Barbara Prose
Minister (Email)A former homesteader and home birth midwife, after receiving her Master of Divinity degree from Bangor Theological Seminary in 2009, Rev. Prose served the All Souls Unitarian Church of Tulsa Oklahoma from 2010 to 2023. As the Executive Minister of this 2,000 member congregation (one of the largest UU churches in the United States), she led a staff of 20 or more. Rev. Prose moved to Hood River in 2023 and has been enjoying living in community at Adams Creek Cohousing, as well as spending time with her granddaughters in Stevenson, WA. Rev. Prose also served as Executive Director of the Portland-based Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice (“IMIrJ”).
Elona Trogub
Administrator + Tech (Email)As administrator for the Fellowship, Elona supports the smooth, day-to-day functioning of the community so members can focus on connection, growth, and shared purpose. Her background is in community organizing, in addition to having been a professional chef and organic farmer. She has a passion for herbalism, foraging, food systems and goats.
Love Beyond Belief
“We experience the sacred through relationships. Being genuinely seen, loved, cared for and accepted creates the conditions in which people can experience the ground of our being, ultimacy, and something fundamental about the structure of reality itself.”
The Columbia Gorge Unitarian history goes all the way back to 1905 when the First Unitarian Society began meeting in their new church on Ninth and State St. After eleven years, the congregation ceased to exist. It was another 70 years before Unitarian Universalists started meeting again in the gorge.
In March 23, 1986, a group gathered at the home of Michael and Pamela Morneault to organize. Dorothy Bartlett from the Pacific Northwest District Extension Committee attended, offering guidance and answering questions during a potluck brunch.
By April 1986, the group was meeting twice a month in the basement of the Rainier Bank in White Salmon, Washington. During that time Suzanne Swanell (Haynes), the Program Director, attended Leadership school along with Maureen Regalbuto. Linda Short and Bob Williams provided Religious Education for the children.
On Oct. 8, 1986, with the 20 signatures required, there was a membership party for the Signing of our Charter. We officially became a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association on Oct. 24, 1987. Joy Edgington was our first President.
On Oct. 4, 1988 we celebrated our first year anniversary with a turkey dinner.
Throughout the years the Fellowship moved to various locations, adapting to changes and challenges, as needed.
We moved to the old Frankton School in 1988 sharing the building with the Quaker congregation. During this time we held annual rummage sales to bolster our revenues. Our first Teen Program began in 1990 led by Seth Tibbott. Teachers were hired for our Children’s RE and Preschool classes. Our next move was to Coe Primary School in Jan. 1991, but we returned to Frankton School by the fall of that year. A significant event was a retreat held at Menunca Conference Center to give our Fellowship renewed direction.
Waucoma School (once a church on Country Club Rd) became our meeting place in Sept. 1992. We had a serious decline in membership by 1995 and a general meeting of six members was held at Juliana Sandahl’s home to evaluate the feasibility of continuing our congregation. We decided to order “Church on Loan” from the UU Association to provide us with resource material and also to move to the White Salmon Grange in 1995 which better fit our budget.
We began having monthly potlucks in addition to regular Sunday meetings. As we were gaining new members, we were able to move to the Hood River Art Gallery in 1998 offering a more central meeting place. By 2002, we had 33 members and needed more room for the children and moved to Brookside Manor.
We had three more moves: 2003 American Legion/new Community Art Center; 2005 Down Manor and the Center for Living before settling into the Rockford Grange in Aug. 2007.
The Rockford Grange has been our home now for a few decades, the longest we have stayed in any one place!
We began hiring ministers in the early 2000’s. First we hired just one sermon at a time, then a 12 sermon monthly series, then our first ¼ time minister was Craig Moro. Then followed Cathy Rion, interim minister Ken Jones, and Rev. Judy Zimmerman was called in 2014 as our half-time minister. Upon Rev. Judy’s retirement, the congregation navigated COVID successfully and hired Rev. Barbara Prose in 2024. Our membership has risen steadily, and is currently just under 90 adults.
In closing, some of the documented past presidents for these years are as noted:
1987 - Joy Edgington
1988 – Marilyn Smith
1990 – Maureen Regalbuto
1991 - Tom Hons
1995 - Juliana Sandahl
2004 - Cynthia Horton
2006 - Kristen Dillon
2008 - Scott Clements
2009 - Holly Harrel
2011 - Kristen Dillon
2015 - Stacey Campbell
2017 - Lori Golze
2019 - Ray Klebba
2022 - Kathy Jubitz
2024 - Dick Withers
2025 - Paul Blackburn
Presented in 2006 and updated in 2019 by Juliana Sandahl.
Our official name remains the Mid-Columbia Unitarian Universalist Fellowship but we call ourselves and welcome you to the Gorge UU Fellowship.