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A Message From Our Minister
We are happy to welcome you, a fellow seeker on the spiritual path, for we are all seekers after truth and meaning. You may have decided to investigate Unitarian Universalist congregations because you have heard that we are a religious movement without a creed, without doctrine and without any requirements for "conversion." However, are you familiar with what Unitarian Universalists do embrace?
We are a theologically diverse community which embraces personal freedom in the religious quest. Like our forebear, William Ellery Channing, we believe that each individual is blessed with an intellect in order to determine for him or herself what is spiritually true and ethically right. This means that we are always willing to consider new wisdom from various sources. In fact, Unitarian Universalists embrace the belief that ultimate truths can be expressed through many different traditions.
What makes us a liberal religious community?
For one thing, we embrace rather than merely tolerate diversity. Imperfect as we are, we strive for an honest acceptance of one another within strong ethical boundaries. Along with our Unitarian forebear Ralph Waldo Emerson, many of us agree that "a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds," and so we endeavor to keep our minds and hearts open to new ideas and fresh perspectives. While admiring the sages of the past and seeking to learn from history, we affirm that revelation is an ongoing process, not sealed at some distant point in the past. We know that we are called to keep co-creating the world along with God, and we support each other in that awesome responsibility. Many of us work hard for social justice causes that tug at our hearts and conscience. Historically Unitarian Universalists have been strong proponents of separation of church and state, and have worked tirelessly to secure full civil rights for women and racial and sexual minorities.
How and what do we worship?
It is fair to say that the typical Unitarian Universalist is constantly growing in faith and adjusting his or her ideas of what is holy or divine. We use a variety of language to describe and address God, the ultimately indescribable. With a particular devotion to Jewish and Christian themes and sources, our worship services are a sacred time during which we pause to express praise and thanks for life's many gifts, acknowledge the painful aspects of life, share our burdens and our joys, and commit ourselves anew to work toward peace and justice within our families and our world. We may sing old hymns or more contemporary songs; our sermons may quote from sources as varied as Hebrew or Christian Scripture, Shakespeare's plays or the poetry of Mary Oliver or Rumi.
I am a life-long Unitarian Universalist. I believe that this religious movement is truly a blessing for the creative soul who yearns for a radically free environment within which to grow in faith and develop a personally meaningful and sustaining theology. Won't you join us and feel it for yourself?
In faith, hope and love,
Rev. Victoria Weinstein
Click here for a Biography of Rev. Weinstein.
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