UUCSR Covenant and Mission

We pledge to seek unity in our diversity, to welcome and respect divergent opinions and beliefs, to listen to one another with open hearts and minds, to acknowledge our own shortcomings and be quick to forgive them in others, and to focus on our mission:

• Celebrating Life

• Empowering People

• Caring For One Another

• Helping to Build a Better World

UUCSR Vision

To live as fully as possible our Unitarian Universalist Principles and to nurture a liberal religious community in Sonoma County.

Our Shared UU Values

Unitarian Universalism is a living tradition that has changed in many ways from the original Christian roots of its Universalist and Unitarian heritages and continues to evolve today. 

In 2024, Unitarian Universalists voted through a democratic process to replace the language of Seven Principles and Six Sources with language describing Unitarian Universalism through a set of inseparable and deeply interconnected shared values, all centered around LOVE:

• Interdependence: We honor the interdependent web of all existence and acknowledge our place in it. With reverence for the great web of life and with humility, we acknowledge our place in it.
  We work to protect Earth and all beings from exploitation. We create and nurture sustainable relationships of care and respect, mutuality and justice. We will work to repair harm and damaged relationships.

• Pluralism: We are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology.
  We learn from one another in our free and responsible search for truth and meaning. We embrace our differences and commonalities with Love, curiosity, and respect.

• Justice: We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all feel welcome and can thrive.
  We work to dismantle racism and all forms of systemic oppression. We support the use of inclusive democratic processes to make decisions within our congregations, our Association, and society at large.

• Transformation: We adapt to the changing world.
  We collectively transform and grow spiritually and ethically. Openness to change is fundamental to our Unitarian and Universalist heritages, never complete and never perfect.

• Generosity: We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.
  We freely and compassionately share our faith, presence, and resources. Our generosity connects us to one another in relationships of interdependence and mutuality.

• Equity: We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion.
  We use our time, wisdom, attention, and money to build and sustain fully accessible and inclusive communities.

Our UU Inspirations

Direct experiences of transcending mystery and wonder are primary sources of Unitarian Universalist inspiration. These experiences open our hearts, renew our spirits, and transform our lives. We draw upon, and are inspired by, sacred, secular, and scientific understandings that help us make meaning and live into our values. These sources ground us and sustain us in ordinary, difficult, and joyous times. We respect the histories, contexts, and cultures in which these sources were created and are currently practiced. Grateful for the experiences that move us, aware of the religious ancestries we inherit, and enlivened by the diversity which enriches our faith, we are called to ever deepen and expand our wisdom.

For the full text of the current statement of our UU Values and Covenant as expressed in Article II of the Bylaws of the Unitarian Universalist Association, click here. 

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The previous wording of our UU Principles and Sources remain an important part of our history and heritage:

Principles

We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person

• Justice, equality, and compassion in human relations

• Acceptance of one another and encouragement for spiritual growth

• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning

• Freedom 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 all existence of which we are a part

Eighth Principle (adopted by our congregation on Feb 26, 2023)

We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote:  journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.

At a special congregational meeting on February 26, 2023, Unitarian Universalist Congregation Santa Rosa voted to adopt the 8th Principle, committing to the work of dismantling White Supremacy and bringing an end to racism and oppression.

We are committed to anti-racism and anti-oppression efforts, and to be actively engaged in the pursuit of a just and equitable society within and beyond its walls. These efforts include educational programs and discussions, incorporation of the 8th Principle into our worship service and religious education of children and youth, and much more.

Through opportunities for service, we empower one another, nourish our souls and deepen our connections with each other and beyond.

Sources

• 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.

• 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 inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life.

• Jewish and Christian 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 the results of science and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit.

• 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.