That's a great question! A lot of ink has been spilled trying to define what Unitarian Universalists believe. Simply put, Unitarian Universalism is a non-creedal, covenantal faith. That means that we do not have any one particular set of beliefs that all UUs are expected to abide by, but rather that we covenant (promise) to come together around shared values. Our shared values are: Love, Interdependence, Pluralism, Justice, Transformation, Generosity, and Equity.
Unitarian Universalism is descended from two radical Christian traditions, Unitarianism and Universalism. In the words of our minister, Rev. Esther, modern understandings of Unitarian theology might center around the belief that everyone is capable of encountering and embodying radical Love, and modern understandings of Universalist theology might center around the belief that there is a path for everyone to be able to make repair for harms done.
People in our church believe a lot of different things! We have folks from a wide variety of spiritual backgrounds in our congregation, who have chosen to practice in many different spiritual traditions.
Many of our members are former Christians looking for a new spiritual community, and some of our members are Christians who feel most at home in UU spaces. We also have many Jewish, Pagan, and Humanist members of our church, as well as people who have been UU their whole lives. We are excited to find out how your beliefs will weave into our tapestry of faith!
Yes! Recently, the Unitarian Universalist Association went through a process of re-invigorating and clarifying our values. UUCLC is a congregational member of the Unitarian Universalist Association, and as such, we covenant to support and assist other congregations and the UUA in our shared ministries.
As articulated by the UUA:
"Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values. The values we share include all the following, which we hold as inseparable and deeply interconnected:
Interdependence: We honor the interdependent web of all existence and acknowledge our place in it.
Pluralism: We are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology.
Justice: We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all feel welcome and can thrive.
Transformation: We adapt to the changing world.
Generosity: We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.
Equity: We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion."
We warmly welcome people from a wide variety of lived experiences and spiritual backgrounds. There is no singular type of person who is welcome in our space! We are excited to meet you and welcome you to our community.
UUCLC aspires to be a loving, diverse, and welcoming community. While our members hold a variety of different beliefs on many subjects, and we are always ready to extend a loving hand of fellowship to neighbors who are different from us, we do not welcome bigotry or bigoted ideologies that render our community members and neighbors unsafe. We ask that all participants in our community, both longtime members and newcomers, come to our services with a spirit of curiosity, care, and mutual respect.
While we are all welcome to share about our own personal spiritual journeys in a spirit of mutuality, we kindly ask that you refrain from proselytizing in our spaces.
Demographically speaking, UUCLC is an older congregation of mostly white folks. Many people in our congregation are members of the LGBTQIA community, and we have folks from a wide variety of income levels, vocations, and spiritual backgrounds in our church.
If you are wondering "Will I be welcome at UUCLC as a person of color/queer person/transgender person/disabled person/neurodivergent person/poor person/immigrant/etc.?," our answer is a resounding YES! We hope to warmly welcome you into our community, and we are always open to feedback on how we might create a more vibrant sense of belonging for those who come through our doors.
This is a little tricky for us to answer, because often there is not a "typical" Sunday at UUCLC! We like to vary our worship styles, and we always say that if you don't like the service one week, you should try coming back the next... things might be very different then!
If you join us on a Sunday morning, we will always have an Order of Service that will help guide you through our worship service that day. We host a wide variety of speakers and worship leaders, and most of our services feature ritual, singing, and a homily or sermon.
If you have been to a mainline Protestant Christian worship service, you might find that we have a similar flow on a lot of Sundays at UUCLC. And, sometimes services will feel really different than that, so you'll just have to show up to find out what we're up to on any given Sunday!
We typically have about 30-40 people at any given service, but sometimes our numbers are a little lower or a little higher than that. UUCLC definitely has the feel of a smaller, big-hearted community, and while no one is going to force you to socialize, a few folks will most likely want to greet you to welcome you to our space. If you are looking for a church where you can show up and be "anonymous," it's a little hard to do that at UUCLC.
Most of our services include gentle movement (standing up and down, forming a circle at the end of the service). You are always welcome to participate in any of our service elements to the degree that you are able and comfortable, and to tailor any movement to your own capacity.
UUCLC does not currently offer childcare or classes specifically for children and youth. We invite people of all ages to take part in our worship services, and the first Sunday of every month is an All Ages Service designed to be accessible and fun for members of our community in all seasons of life. Occasionally, we will also have All Ages services on other Sundays. Check out our schedule for up-to-date information!
We have a quiet room off our Fellowship Hall where parents may feed infants or hang out with overstimulated kids or youth who may need a break from our main service. We provide coloring materials at our Welcome Station and invite families to bring quiet toys or other play materials for children who may need the support of play during our worship services.
Because UUCLC cannot provide childcare for infants, children, or youth at this time, we do ask that a parent or guardian be present with children and youth at all times during our services. We hope to offer classes and programs for kids and youth soon. Stay tuned for more information!
We ask that you wear clothing to our services, but beyond that, we hope you dress in whatever you feel most comfortable wearing!
Yes, and!
We meet in an older church building. There is a wheelchair accessible ramp up to our front door, and our sanctuary, fellowship hall, and restrooms are all on the main floor of the building. One of the restrooms is wheelchair accessible.
Our sanctuary has one wide center aisle with wooden pews on either side, and narrower aisles on the outside of the pews. Ambulatory wheelchair users planning to attend services may wish to navigate down the center aisle in order to transfer to a pew. (You may also want to consider bringing a seating pad and/or back pillow if desired; the pews are fairly hard.) Non-ambulatory or full-time wheelchair users will probably need to plan on navigating down the center aisle and sitting next to one of the pews.
Our minister, Rev. Esther, is an ambulatory wheelchair user. If you have questions about the wheelchair accessibility of our congregation, please reach out to her at uulakeco at gmail dot com with the subject line "Wheelchair Accessibility Questions," and she will get back to you as soon as possible!
Please reach out to us at uulakeco at gmail dot com with the subject line "Accessibility Question," and we will get back to you as soon as possible!
Yes! The building where we meet has two single-stall restrooms on the main floor. One of them is wheelchair accessible.
Please reach out to us at uulakeco at gmail dot com or give us a call or text at (707) 533-4491. Please include your question(s) as well as your name and the best way to contact you. Someone will be in touch soon!