The Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church holds up four statements about their community: the Covenant, the Clara Barton Guild Mission and Vision Statement, Our Pledge for Living in the Spirit of Community, and the Heritage Universalist Unitarian Land Acknowledgment.
HERITAGE UNIVERSALIST UNITARIAN CHURCH COVENANT
By this covenant we affirm that:
Love is the spirit of this church,
the quest for truth is its sacrament,
and service is its prayer.To dwell together in peace,
To seek knowledge in freedom,
To serve humankind in fellowship,
To the end that all souls shall grow into harmony with the Divine.
Thus do we covenant with each other and with God.
CLARA BARTON GUILD MISSION AND VISION STATEMENT
CREATE COMMUNITY
among sisters of all ages for radical inclusion and support in our personal and spiritual growth.
CELEBRATE LIFE
by sharing our joys, sorrows and creativity through friendship and fun.
SEEK JUSTICE
through compassionate service and action in keeping with the spirit of Clara Barton.
OUR PLEDGE FOR
LIVING IN THE SPIRIT OF COMMUNITYWe, the members and friends of Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church, seek, encourage, and support the continued spiritual growth of our diverse community.
In support of this pledge, I accept responsibility for my words and actions and seek to understand other’s concerns and viewpoints.
- I will listen actively to others, asking for clarification to avoid misunderstanding.
- I will express my thoughts and feelings in a non-judgmental way.
- I will seek to resolve significant conflicts directly in the spirit of loving-kindness.
- I will refrain from gossip and hurtful comments.
- I will be welcoming to visitors and others.
- I will honor confidences that have been shared with me.
- I will seek out the opinions of those who will be affected by my decisions.
- I will carry out my church responsibilities in a timely manner.
We, being human, may fail to meet our pledge many times. I will seek to heal the hurt in myself, and others, when I and they fall short.
Heritage Unitarian Universalist Land Acknowledgment
Today we stand on the ancestral lands of the Hopewell, Adena, Kaskaskia, Osage, Wyandotte, Shawnee, and Myaamia Nations and others whose names are not known to us. We honor those peoples who stewarded this land for countless generations.
Many nations were removed unjustly by the U.S. government. We continue to be the beneficiaries of that removal through the ongoing legacies of settler colonialism. Today’s indigenous peoples are actively striving to maintain and revitalize their traditional ways and language.
We affirm that Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church, as part of the Unitarian Universalist Association, has joined the growing list of faith communities who wholly reject the premise of the Doctrine of Discovery, which, from the 15th century to the present, provided a legal and religious framework for sanctioning the brutal conquest and colonization of indigenous lands and people.
We are committed to taking a deep look at the ways our society has justified colonialism, domination, slavery, and the genocide of indigenous people.
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