What Do We Believe?
Outside of the main entrance of our building is a sign that states “One Church, Many Paths.” This sign states a belief that is central to our way of being religious. It recognizes that although individual members may hold different beliefs about the ultimate meaning of life, we are one congregation, committed to supporting and sustaining one another as individuals on this religious journey.
We are a non-creedal faith, which means we don’t ask our members to subscribe to a doctrinal set of beliefs. We are, however, a covenantal community; meaning that the promises we make about our commitments to one another are important. We do hold certain hopes and behaviors in common, best set forth in our Unitarian Universalist Principles, agreed to by representatives of our congregations.
About Unitarian Universalism
What makes West Shore Unitarian Universalist different from other churches? There is no test of creed to join. We are bound together by the idea expressed by one of the first Unitarians, Francis David, over four hundred years ago: we "need not think alike to love alike." In our Sunday School we do not teach our children what they should believe, but we encourage them to explore the world of religious thought and come to their own understandings in a supportive community.
Are you Christian?
We identify with a wide variety of beliefs. Unitarianism and Universalism grew out of the Protestant Reformation in sixteenth-century Europe, and is an inheritor of the congregational Christian style of church. We are often described as a Christian "heresy", because Unitarian and Universalist thinkers began to question the authority of creeds and dogmas. The name Unitarian comes from our denial of the canonical doctrine of the trinity. One might say, however, that UUs strive to follow the example of Jesus' life rather than the various belief structures that were created by men long after his death.
How does West Shore observe Christmas and Easter?
Joyously! We decorate the sanctuary and celebrate the holiday season in a variety of ways. We also honor and recognize other religious holidays that may occur on or around Christmas and Easter, such as the Winter and Spring Solstice, Hannukah and Passover, Buddha's Birthday and Enlightenment Day, Ramadan and Human Rights Sunday. On Christmas Eve, we enjoy two candlelight services, one intergenerational service at 5 PM and a 10 PM service with readings from the gospels and traditional carols.
Do you pray in your church?
Our services include a time for prayer or meditation, but the definition of prayer varies widely from person to person. We believe that prayer doesn't change things, but that prayer changes people and people change things.
There are seven principles which Unitarian Universalist congregations democratically voted to affirm and promote, along with a list of sources that have informed our faith. You can read our Principles and Sources by clicking here.