Unitarian Universalism holds the radical position that you are worthy just as you are and that together we can create a more peaceful, loving and just world for all. Come and be radically welcomed by a most hopeful group of people who believe that all things are possible all will be well.

My religion is Unitarian Universalism. We believe in a beloved community of faith, where we are all free to follow our own spiritual paths. We embrace diversity and inclusiveness. We are not ruled by a religious creed. We believe in the worth and dignity of all persons and that all persons are saved. In the world at large, we stand for social justice.

Our church is a merger of the Unitarian and Universalist churches. Both churches have 500 year old roots as Christian churches that protested the excesses of dominant Christian churches. Since then, we have come to emphasize freethinking and we draw from many sources of spiritual wisdom. We challenge injustice, privilege, preconceptions, and the unreflected sense of certainty. We support a gently relentless pursuit of truth, meaning, and spirituality.

Our church is a religious community that cares more about how we are together, in this lifetime, than we do about the existence of gods, goddesses, or what happens after we die. We encourage each other towards meaningful and just lives and seek to be more comfortable with questions than we are with answers. This is a faith that summons and strengthens our courage to richly and deeply LIVE.

I believe there is one (Unitarian) life-giving force in the universe to which we are all (Universalist) necessarily connected.  Unitarian Universalists gather in community to celebrate this connectedness and to encourage behavior that respects and cares for all life and the environment upon which we depend.  We respect all the religious traditions that promote love and peace in the world, but we don’t believe any one of them is absolute truth.

UU is an approach to human life that emphasizes humans’ capacity for doing together. UUs view humans as learning agents who are 1) capable of working together to remedy the confounding moral challenges that they seem inclined to inflict upon each other and Spaceship: EARTH, 2) responsible, each to self and to the others, for allocating life, time, energy towards attending to such challenges, and 3) supportive of each other in such efforts.

We have a doctrine, a sacrament and a prayer, but they are all actions.  Love is the doctrine of my church.  The quest for truth is our sacrament.  Service is our prayer.  We try to dwell together in peace, to seek knowledge in freedom and to serve human need.  All the rest is commentary.

The UU church is a creed/dogma free church which promotes an independent approach to thinking in today’s religions.  It is forward thinking, providing a liberal approach to questions regarding life and spirit, with an emphasis on social justice.  It is a diverse church in that allows the individual to define their love, family in a caring and supportive environment.  It is a religion that requires participation to grow in spirit.

For many years, I attended services at the First UU Church.  I was attracted to their message because it is one of inclusion; everyone is welcome and everyone is part of the UU family. They make no judgments.  I was so impressed by the knowledge I gained about many other religions.  The church encourages understanding of other beliefs and some services actually draw from other faiths.  I am also drawn to the church because its members don’t just talk about injustice in the world, they actually form social action groups that pursue justice.  When the First UU church established an Animal Ministry, I immediately joined because they had found my passion.

Our church is like a deeply rooted tree amongst other trees in the forest of the living. I am a branch, respecting the space of other branches.  We are nurtured by the same soil. Wind, rain, sun and ice touch us differently.  We grow at our own rate, bearing beauty. At times stripped to our essence, we evolve into a new vibrancy. Trees are a wonder. The UU Church is a wonder. Each of us is a gift.

An activist, sometimes in compassion to correct inequities, sometimes in concern, seeking alleviation of outright wrongs, my spirituality was always a part of my activism; however, as one alone. This pursuit was within a mainline denomination. Now, as a retired widower, Unitarian/Universalism fits me extremely well.  From within the congregation, among fellow members/friends, I multiply my activism, my compassion.

The Unitarians believe in one God, not the trinity. The Universalists believe that salvation is universal. The two merged in 1961. We are known for welcoming LGBTQ individuals, families, and communities. We perform union ceremonies and marriages for couples regardless of gender. There is often truth in humor. On Prairie Home Companion, Garrison Keeler often poked fun at UUs. Listen and laugh along!

We teach our children a greeting: Welcome to Unitarian Universalism. We are the people of the open mind, the loving heart and the helping hands.  We value open-minded theologies without creeds or dogma but rather with questions and doubts. We love justice and work to be in respectful relationship with others.  With no claims to any definitive theological answers, we focus on making a hands-on difference here and now, reaching out to ally ourselves with others