Blue Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Blue Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
About Unitarian Universalism

The Unitarian Universalist Association
Blue Hills UU Fellowship is part of the Unitarian Universalist Association, a group of about 1000 churches and fellowships throughout North America with continental headquarters in Boston. All UU societies are free societies, answering to no authority but the local congregation. The UUA was formed in 1961 by merger of the American Unitarian Association with its emphasis on the simple unity of God, with the Universalist Church of America, with its belief in universal salvation. Both have their roots in Christianity. Historically, Unitarianism was an alternative to the doctrine of the Trinity, and Universalism opposed the notion that only an elect few would be saved. Today, Unitarian Universalism is distinguished not so much by its opposition to other beliefs as by its affirmation of the free mind. Read the history of the Blue Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and how we became part of the UUA.

The Unitarian Universalist Association has created a variety of pamphlets that include short essays on UU history, children and religion, UU perspectives on traditional religious themes, and a discussion of the reasons that people of diverse backgrounds choose Unitarian Universalism. This PDF of 100 Questions about Unitarian Universalism has a lot of information about UUism.

At the opening of Unitarian Universalist worship services, many congregations light a flame inside a chalice. This flaming chalice has become a well-known symbol of our denomination. Read about what it represents.

International UU Principles
We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote

The inherent dignity and worth of every person;
Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;

Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;

Blue Hills Unitarian Universalist
Mission Statement

The mission of Blue Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is to be a multigenerational congregation, guided by the principles and liberal tradition of Unitarian Universalism, that promotes an environment of acceptance, inspiration, and action in order to create a sense of greater community.

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.

UU in Brief (Elevator Speeches)
When someone asks us "What is a Unitarian Universalist?" we could cite the Unitarian Universalist Frequently Asked Questions web page, but that's not a very appropriate response in a discussion. UUA President William G. Sinkford "always encourage[s] people to work on their elevator speech, what you'd say when you're going from the sixth floor to the lobby and somebody asks you, 'What is a UU?' You've got forty-five seconds." Great idea! Below are some great elevator speeches about UU:

The Unitarian side tells us that there is only one God, one spirit of life, one power of love. The Universalist side tells us that God is a loving God, condemning none of us, valuing the spark of divinity that is in every human being.
One God, no one left behind.
A Unitarian Universalist is a free spirit—free to seek his or her spiritual truth within a warm and supporting community of diverse truth seekers.
We try to leave the world a better place than it was when we were born. We don't give up on anyone. We see the world and the people in it as one place and one family. We connect faith with economics, politics, nature, technology, and society. We try to live deliberately and intentionally, as if the future depended on it. We see potential greatness in every human being in the world and try to elicit it. We hate being part of the problem, but love being part of the solution; if enough of us really become good people, then the world will become good. We think honesty, integrity, and activism are essential for the 21st century. We are staunch individualists—but we want to build a world community. The world is our home, its people our family. If the human race has a future, we must live as if we believed it.
We believe that your spiritual life is personal—a relationship between the individual and deity, however you define it. Rather than choose your path for you, we provide a safe place for you to discover and pursue your own path.
Most religions work to get people into heaven. Unitarian Universalists work to get heaven into people.
Unitarian Universalism grew out of Christianity, with the Unitarians believing in the unity of God and the Universalists believing in universal salvation. We have developed into a religion that draws spiritual wisdom from many different sources. It is a place where people come together to share and learn from each other's spiritual journey. We help each other in our search for God or the sacred, even though we realize that each person's vision of God or the sacred is different. We believe in the importance of individual conscience, spiritually and socially, as well as the responsibility towards the community and creation that comes with that freedom.
Being a UU means belonging to a community that accepts and understands doubts of the divine and the search for truth without imposing an unrealistic doctrine with a promise of unnecessary salvation.
To my mind, Unitarian Universalism is an inclusive metaphysical search party.
Unitarian Universalists believe that all life is sacred, all existence is interconnected, and that justice and compassion must be the foundation of our thoughts and deeds.
As an institution, UUism is concerned with this life and what can be done to make it better for the most people. In the theological or spiritual realm of the unprovable, it’s do-it-yourself: Your responsibility is to determine for yourself what speaks to you and what you need to believe.

Links of Interest

The Unitarian Universalist Association
UU Service Committee
New Prairie Star District Page
Twin Cities UU Web Site
Belief-O-Matic Answer 20 questions about your concept of God, the afterlife, human nature, and more, and Belief-O-Matic™ will tell you what religion (if any) you practice...or ought to consider practicing.