Our Purposes and Principles

We, the members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County, covenant to affirm and promote:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• Justice, equity and compassion in human relationships;
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregation;
• The free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
• The rights of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregation and in society at large;
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all;
• Respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part.

The living tradition we share draws from many sources:

Direct experience of that transcendent 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 inspire us to our ethical spiritual life;

Religious 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 truth 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.

We enter, freely, into this covenant, promising to one another our mutual trust and support.

These purposes and principles were voted upon by the congregation on October 20, 1985.