Mission Statement:  

We are an inclusive religious community that supports its members in their search for truth and that works to bring love and justice to the larger world.   published 2/5/23

Mission of Our Fellowship:

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Chico is a loving community, embracing and celebrating the great diversity of people on their spiritual journey.

  • Our community is based upon shared values derived from the UU Principles and a wide variety of religious sources.
  • We offer a nurturing and spiritual haven for individual growth.  
  • We work together to promote love, justice and freedom through spiritual enrichment and ministry.
  • We offer opportunities for lifelong religious exploration.
  • We rely upon love and reason as our guide, we seek to grow in understanding and in service to ourselves and others.
  •  We amplify the voices of the oppressed.
  • We work to improve public policies for the betterment of all.
  • We do this all in a spirit of love, caring and respect.        published 2/5/23

Five Year Vision of Our Fellowship:  approved by the congregation on ___________

The vision of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Chico is to be a vibrant, thriving, welcoming community, grounded in love and our UU values.  We will become a beacon of hope in our beloved community.

We will be a place of inspiration, where we care for one another in a community of mutual respect, love and support.  In small and large groups, we will develop a growing number of options for personal growth and spiritual exploration.

We will offer opportunities for service and strengthen our connections with care and love for one another throughout life’s events.

We will foster spirituality and community through engaging and inspiring Sunday services and active Fellowship programming. 

To create a larger presence in the greater community, we will act collectively, living out and demonstrating our UU values as we work in social justice, community service, and with other religious institutions.

We will draw on the talents of our members, mobilize our financial resources, and nurture the professional staff to be good stewards of our UU heritage.

Vision Task Force members: T.W. Theodore, Chairperson; Meg Brady, Angela Risdon, Pam Sachs, courtney singer and Sydney Wilde.

UU Principles and Sources

As Rev. Barbara Wells ten Hove explains, “The Principles are not dogma or doctrine, but rather a guide for those of us who choose to join and participate in Unitarian Universalist religious communities.” They are:

  1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
  2. Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
  3. Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
  4. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
  5. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
  6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
  7. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

We live out these Principles within a “living tradition” of wisdom and spirituality, drawn from sources as diverse as science, poetry, scripture, and personal experience:

  1. 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;
  2. 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;
  3. Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
  4. Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
  5. 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;
  6. 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.

These seven Principles and six Sources grew out of the grassroots of our tradition, were affirmed democratically, and are part of who we are. Learn more at the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).

COVENANT OF RIGHT RELATIONS:

We, the members of UUFC, covenant to: 

  • Respect others: their person, ideas, and spiritual/theological beliefs
  • Speak the truth with love, care, and sensitivity
  • Listen carefully
  • Respond with respect
  • Act with kindness

The Board of Trustees adopted a Covenant of Right Relations for the congregation in March 2023 for one year. These simple principles, which guide all groups and individuals in how we speak and listen to one another, will then be reviewed and hopefully formally adopted  by the Congregation.