OUR VALUES
Belonging. Creativity. Transcendence. Justice.

These values are deep and abiding.  They guide and inform all that we do.  They are:

  • Belonging: a deep and joyous embrace of one another and the whole Earth community
  • Creativity: open in approach, fostering individual gifts and talents
  • Transcendence: transformation through experiences of the holy
  • Justice: restoring wholeness by challenging inequality and collaborating in creating peace
OUR MISSION:
As ancient as it is modern...

UUSGS is a free religious community.  We have the freedom and the responsiblity to organize ourselves around values and ideas that we define.  This expression of who we are -- and how we will be together -- does not come from anywhere, or anyone, else.  It is ours.  It is true.  It is part of our living tradition.

The mission of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Greater Springfield is to realize the free and unrestricted development of the human spirit for the good of all.

What does this mean?  It means we are all in this together.  It means that our freedom is forever bound up with the freedom of everyone else.  It means that we are deeply, interdependently, theologically interested in the well-being of others.  And it means that we have faith that the world is a better place when everyone can flourish.

OUR ENDS
Wait... your what?

ENDS, as opposed to means.  Ends are the end goal of our community... while means may describe the many paths, tactics, or approaches we may take to get there.  Ends describe the specific measurable differences we hope to make and for whom.  These Ends were written by members of the congregation and are renewed regularly:

 

Grounded within ourselves, among our congregation, and beyond in the larger world, we the people of UUSGS: 
  • Experience the sacred and transform as we create space for the emergence of our whole, authentic selves.
  • Develop spiritual practices that ground us in a world of constant change, seeking to find and keep our balance.
  • Articulate our living Unitarian Universalist faith identity, teach it to our children, and share it with others.
  • Support creative endeavors that transform and connect.
  • Challenge oppression and othering as we practice living in right relationship.
  • Nurture a deep and joyous connection to the interdependent web of life of which we are a part.
  • Act on our values, rooted in friendship, mutuality, and love.
  • Ask for, give, and receive care and support in times of joy, sorrow, and 
transition.
  • Practice radical inclusion and collective liberation.
  • Co-create the Beloved Community. 
We are committed to these Ends as we mutually endeavor to sustain our evolving congregation.