Who We Are
Hello!We're a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Jamestown, North Carolina. We come together to connect in spirituality and service, to care for each other and the world, and to create loving community. That line is the heart of what we say every Sunday when we light our chalice.
If you're trying to figure out whether you'd fit here, the short answer is almost certainly yes. This page is the fuller story of who we are and what we believe (or, more accurately, how we hold belief together).
What is Unitarian Universalism?
Unitarian Universalism is a religion with no required creed. We don't ask anyone to sign onto a fixed statement of belief. What holds us together isn't a single answer about God or the universe; it's a shared way of being together and a commitment to keep searching, honestly and in good company.
Our roots run through two older traditions, Unitarianism and Universalism, that merged in 1961. We draw wisdom from many sources: the world's religions, science and reason, the natural world, and direct human experience. Out of all that, one idea runs through everything we do: it matters less what you believe than how you live, and how you treat the people around you.
In our chairs on a given Sunday you'll find humanists, atheists, agnostics, Christians, Jews, pagans, Buddhists, and theists, sitting side by side. That's not a compromise we tolerate. It's the whole point.
The flaming chalice
You'll notice a flame burning in a cup at the front of our sanctuary. The flaming chalice is the symbol of Unitarian Universalism. It dates back to the early 1940s, when an Austrian artist named Hans Deutsch designed it for the Unitarian Service Committee, an organization helping refugees escape Nazi-occupied Europe. In those days it was almost a secret mark, a sign that meant safety and help. Today you'll find one in nearly every UU congregation, and we light it at the start of each service to set apart the time we spend together.
These are the words we say as we light it:
We light this chalice, symbol of our Unitarian Universalist faith, to remind us to connect in spirituality and service, to care for each other and the world, and to create loving community.
Our shared values
Unitarian Universalists across the country share a set of values, with Love at the center. (These were recently adopted as the heart of our faith's covenant, taking the place of the longstanding "Seven Principles" many UUs grew up with.) These are ours:
-
Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values. We are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love.
-
We honor the interdependent web of all existence and acknowledge our place in it.
-
We are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology.
-
We work to be diverse, multicultural Beloved Communities where we all feel welcome and can thrive.
-
We adapt to the changing world
-
We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.
-
We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion.
““I have to tell you that none of us are free until we are all free.””
Our covenant
Because Unitarian Universalist congregations are self-governing and aren't bound by a shared creed, each one writes its own covenant: a set of promises about how we treat one another. A covenant isn't a list of beliefs. It's a list of commitments. This is ours.
We, the members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greensboro, do covenant to:
Promote a search for personal meaning, respecting the individual truth in a community process of quest.
Speak and act with caring, courtesy, and love, thereby maintaining emotional, physical, and spiritual safety for all.
Support UUCG and denominational efforts with our resources.
Combat injustice while promoting equality.
Nurture our children on their spiritual journey.
Hold ourselves to this covenant, especially during times of conflict and disagreement.
A Welcoming Congregation
We are a Welcoming Congregation, which means our commitment to LGBTQ+ people is explicit and official, not just implied. We invite everyone into our community without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity, race, age, national origin, socioeconomic status, marital status, or disability.
Carrying it with us
We close every service the same way we'll close this page, by extinguishing the chalice with these words:
We extinguish this flame but not the light of truth, the warmth of community, or the fire of commitment. These we carry in our hearts until we are together again.
Get to know us further
Want to learn more about the wider movement? Visit the Unitarian Universalist Association at uua.org.