In a little-known community exists a diverse crowd of familiar faces.

A glance inside the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames, 1015 N. Hyland Ave., on a typical Sunday morning would reveal a number of professors, secretaries, department heads, computer lab monitors and other university employees, coming together to honor or worship principles of humanity they deem important.

Nearly half of the fellowship’s 270-person congregation are ISU employees, said Cindy Scholten, UUFA membership chairwoman. Members of the fellowship, both from the university and outside of it, have several possible explanations for such a high concentration of academics within the congregation.

“So much of Iowa State is science,” Scholten said. “And some of our teachings are Earth-centered, which instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.”

Rev. Brian Eslinger, minister of the fellowship, said a distinct characteristic of this religion is its non-creedal status. Understanding the way a group of socially active people manifests its beliefs together without dogma contributes to understanding its demographic, he said.

“We are continuing to explore the important questions in life and keeping our minds open,” Eslinger said. “I think that exploratory aspect is appealing to those for whom that’s their life’s work.”

This element of open-mindedness best represents the recurring theme members of the congregation said they could relate to.

“Faculty members don’t just stand there like toadstools,” said Donald Roberts, emeritus professor of nuclear engineering, who has attended the fellowship since he arrived in Ames in the 1960s. “They’re constantly changing. The people who are involved at the university are usually ready to accept other ideas.”

Having been a part of the local assembly of Unitarian Universalists for so long, Roberts said, he knows about the dynamic history of the group.

“What worked 10 years ago might not work today, and what works today might not work 10 years from now, and we’re OK with that,” he said.

This evolutionary approach and reluctance to declare absolute truths is viewed by many members as one of the religion’s strengths, and was part of what drew Roberts and his wife to the faith half a century ago.

“When I came to Ames, one of the considerations was whether or not there was a Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in the neighborhood, and there was,” Roberts said.

Some of the members are hesitant to call the fellowship unique in regard to the high proportion of ISU staff who are fellowship members. UUFA President Brenda Witherspoon, lecturer of journalism and communication, said she thinks the congregation is representative not merely of the university, but of Ames as a whole.

“It’s like my kid’s soccer team,” Witherspoon said. “Half the kids’ parents are faculty there, too, because half the adults in Ames are ISU faculty.”

Lisa Larson, professor of psychology, said it would be difficult to draw conclusions without knowing the number of ISU employees found in every other religious assembly.

“It’s a liberal congregation, and it’s an intellectual congregation, so it’s likely going to attract faculty,” said Larson, who has been a Unitarian Universalist for 19 years. “No one is telling you what you believe. You have to find the way yourself. For most of us making that religious journey, we don’t like to make it on our own. We like a shared journey — a fellowship.”