Our Values
At First UU, we celebrate our liberal religious tradition and our rich diversity, inspire authentic relationships and spiritual growth, and we work for a more just, loving, and compassionate society. Our work is to practice responsible social action, promote liberal religious education, and encourage spiritual and intellectual growth. The core beliefs in the Unitarian Universalist tradition support and inspire us on this journey.
Unitarian Universalists do not abide by a creed. Instead, our congregation embraces individuals from a wide range of spiritual beliefs and practices, united in acceptance and support for each other as everyone seeks their personal spiritual meanings. Part of what unites us in our faith is our shared commitment to affirm the Seven UU Principles and to draw spiritual practices from many religious traditions, known as our Six Sources. Our beliefs play a role in our Sunday services, but they also shape the way we live our lives, both within our church and in the greater community. We are dedicated to the causes of hope, love, and justice.
One thing is certain…whoever you are, wherever you are on your faith journey, you will be welcome at First UU.
8th Principle Update
When the congregation voted on May 21, 77% of the votes were cast in favor of adopting the language of the 8th Principle. We had company that day as 12 other congregations also voted in favor of adoption.
We, a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.
Our Purpose
The purpose of this Church is to foster liberal religious living through worship, study, service, fellowship and to cherish and celebrate its Unitarian Universalist heritage.
Our Vision
The vision of this church is to create a welcoming community, promoting free thought and spiritual development while searching for truth and meaning in a liberal religious environment.
Our Mission
Invite all into caring community,
Inspire spiritual growth, and
Involve everyone in working for a peaceful, just, and free world.
Our Covenant
Love is the doctrine of this church, the quest of truth is its sacrament, and service is its prayer. To dwell together in peace, to seek knowledge in freedom, to serve humanity in fellowship, to the end that all souls shall grow into harmony with the Divine—thus do we covenant with each other.
Our Community Agreement
In order to establish and maintain a sanctuary of safety and trust, these aspirational guidelines for our behaviors with each other have been created from our own experiences and for our own benefit. It is understood that our commitments may be made, broken and restored as a part of our process of growth.
Support our mission:
- Model kindness to promote justice, equity and compassion
- Share time, talent and treasure
- Honor our past, embrace change, and celebrate successes
Communicate thoughtfully with others:
- Practice patience and look for good intentions in each other’s action
- Learn from and listen to each other
- Speak honestly from our own experiences and perspectives
- Respect the personal nature of comments that others may share
Honor differences:
- Resist making assumptions about one another
- Work toward forgiveness whenever we fall short of expectations
- Speak directly to each other or request mediation to negotiate misunderstandings
- Welcome the diversity among us with curiosity, acceptance and empathy
Adopted by the Board of Trustees and accepted at the May 2021 Congregational Meeting.
Our Principles
The Principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) express the shared values that UUA member congregations affirm and promote. Many Unitarian Universalists find rich personal and theological meaning in these principles:
- The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
- Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations;
- Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
- A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
- The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
- The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
- Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
- Journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.
Our Sources
Unitarian Universalism draws from many sources:
- Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
- Words and deeds of prophetic persons which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
- Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
- Jewish and Christian teachings, which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
- Humanist teachings, which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit;
- Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions, which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.
These principles and sources of faith are the backbone of our religious community
For more information on the Unitarian Universalist denomination, visit the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee websites.