Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are your worship services like?
A: They will probably be familiar to you if you have attended Protestant-style services at other places. Most of our services are an hour long and feature a sermon topic delivered by a minister, guest speaker or lay leader in the congregation.
Stories, poems, music and readings from a variety of spiritual traditions are used. Many congregations also have a special time for expressing " Joys and Concerns" when members and visitors can share significant events in their lives or ask for prayers and support.
In many congregations, the worship service as an intergenerational aspect, in that children participate in part of the service. In a growing number of congregations, the service is tailored to accommodate the participation of children throughout the worship hour.
Q: What do you teach children?
A: We teach our children to think for themselves, while helping them develop moral, compassionate behavior. Our children are introduced to wisdom from the world's great religions and encouraged to form their own points of view about universal themes and questions. Programs are designed for every age level, including youths transitioning into young adulthood.
Q: What do you believe?
A: As a whole, we do not hold any beliefs in common and do not require members to subscribe to a set of beliefs. However, we are a covenanted community - we agree to be together in beloved community governed by principles of justice, equity, and compassion. We hold our seven principles as a standard of how we want to be in religious community and in the world. We strive to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every individual. We gather to share and encourage our individual spiritual journeys. We envision justice, equity, and compassion in human relations, with the goal of peace in our families, our communities and our world.
Q: What are the sources of your faith?
A: Unitarian Universalists draw wisdom from many sources, most especially our own individual direct experience of transcending mystery and wonder; words and deeds of prophetic women and men; wisdom from the world's religions, including the teachings of Judaism. Christianity, and Islam; humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the findings of science; and spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions.
Q: How are you governed?
A: Our individual congregations are self-governing, creating their own congregational polity and financing their own enterprise. The national organization of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA) was organized by the community of congregations and exists to serve their needs for resources and leadership development. Increasingly the congregations have developed the UUA to be a national voice for liberal faith in addressing the issues of our modern political world.
You are encouraged to explore Unitarian Universalism further, through this website at "About Unitarian Universalism."
We encourage your participation - every new face and viewpoint enriches the tapestry of our faith!