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PRINCIPLES AND PURPOSES
Our local UU church formed in 1909. In 1962 it moved from 11th and Ferry to its current location on three acres of an oak forest in the south hills of Eugene, Oregon. We are preparing now to move to a much larger building.
Mission Statement
We, the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene, are a compassionate, welcoming community that promotes spiritual growth, ethical living, and social justice in our church and in the world.
UUA website
Unitarian Universalist Association
PURPOSES
The Unitarian Universalist Association shall devote its resources to and exercise its corporate powers for religious, educational and humanitarian purposes. The primary purposes of the association are to serve the needs of its member congregations, organize new congregations, extend and strengthen Unitarian Universalist institutions, and implement its principles.
PRINCIPLES
We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote:
The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
Acceptance of one another and encouragement of 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.
Our Living Tradition 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 women and men 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.
Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. As free congregations, we enter into this covenant, promising to one another our mutual trust and support.
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.
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The Principles in a children's version
(Sung to the tune of Do-Re-Mi)
• ONE — Each person is important
• TWO — Be kind in all you do
• THREE — We're free to learn together
• FOUR — And search for what is true
• FIVE — All people need a vote
• SIX — Build a fair and peaceful world
• SEVEN — We care for Earth's lifeboat
• That will bring us back to me and UU... (repeat)
Small as is our whole system compared with the infinitude of creation, brief as is our life compared with the cycles of time, we are so tethered to all by the beautiful dependencies of law that not only the sparrow's fall is felt to the uttermost bound but the vibrations set in motion by the words that we utter reach through all space and the tremor is felt through all time.
~ Maria Mitchell
Ritual opens human life to ‘marked time’ - the sacred times of special seasons, events, and relationships.
~ Creek wisdom
Our differences expand what we can perceive; our differences make more options available to each of us. Let's celebrate those differences.
~ M. Osgood
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has.
~ Margaret Mead
"When the kings had died, a pauper, barefooted and hungry, came and sat on the throne. "God," he whispered, "the eyes of man cannot bear to look directly at the sun, for they are blinded. How then, Omnipotent, can they look directly at you? Have pity, Lord; temper your strength, turn down your splendor so that I, who am poor and afflicted, may see you!" Then--listen, old man!--God became a piece of bread, a cup of cool water, a warm tunic, a hut, and, in front of the hut, a woman giving suck to an infant. "Thank you, Lord," he whispered. "You humbled yourself for my sake. You became bread, water, a warm tunic, my wife and son in order that I may see you. And I did see you. I bow down and worship your beloved many-faced face!"
~ Nikos Kazantzakis, The Last Temptation of Christ
Make of yourself a light.
~ Buddha
Unitarian Universalists believe personal experience, conscience, and reason should be the final authorities in religion. There is no creed with which you must agree. Religious insight may come from a book, a person, or an institution, but religious authority does not. Religious authority is within ourselves. Religious insights are tested in our individual hearts and minds. It is a free faith.
It is a liberal religion born of Jewish and Christian traditions, but religious wisdom is ever changing. Human understanding of life and death, the world and its mysteries, is never final. People should think for themselves. We differ in opinions and lifestyles, and those differences generally should be honored. Everyone has worth. Ethical living is the supreme witness of religion. Our relationships with one another, with diverse peoples, races, and nations, should be governed by justice, equity, and compassion.
U, U, & UU Anti-Racism Timeline
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