[Who Are We?]  [Unitarianism]  [What Do We Do at AUF?]  [Seven Principles]  [Our Mission]

Do you see your life as a journey?

Are you on a spiritual quest
to define the meaning of
your life and your understanding
of the world?

Do you seek a welcoming
community that will support
you on your journey?

Who Are We?

We are a progressive, liberal faith community in the Unitarian tradition. Among us are people of varying spiritual beliefs and practices.

Unitarians might be, among other things, Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Taoists, Pagans, Agnostics or Atheists. We are an inclusive spiritual fellowship that holds central, across our different beliefs, the value of a caring community.

We emphasize the importance of religious community as we believe that each individual’s journey or search for truth and meaning is facilitated by the conscious presence of others who both support and challenge us.

Unitarianism

Unitarianism is a vibrant worldwide religious tradition which developed from two streams: Unitarianism,
which traces its roots back to 16th century religious pioneers and reformers in Europe. Today, there are over 1000 Unitarian congregations in North America. The Canadian national organization is the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC).

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What do we do at AUF?

As a lay-led fellowship we receive inspiration from a variety of sources.

• We draw on the wisdom and insights of our members, invited guests, and visitors from other Unitarian congregations. Our services often include lively conversations where we share reflections on the day’s topic.

We collaborate on a broad range of social action projects to serve both the local community and the larger world.

• Past projects have ranged from Christmas giving campaigns to organizing public forums on social justice issues to sponsoring a family of refugees.

Our music program is an integral and dynamic aspect of our weekly worship services.

• Original songs, multicultural chants, and new and familiar hymns are woven meaningfully into our services.

Our lay chaplaincy program is an outreach service of the fellowship which provides assistance with life-cycle events and milestones in peoples’ lives.

• Our lay chaplains perform a variety of services for members and non-members alike, including marriages, funerals, memorials, child dedications, and house blessings.

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Seven Principles

Through our liberal faith, we affirm and promote the following seven principles:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

• Justice, equality and compassion in human relations;

• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth;

• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;

• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process;

• The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all;

• Respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are all a part.

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Our Mission

• We gather together to form a caring and compassionate community whose members nurture each other’s growth and support each other on life’s journey.

• We honour the inherent worth and dignity of every person and welcome diversity in our midst.

• We celebrate life, individual experience, openness to new ideas, wonder, and creativity.

• As part of our commitment to fair and democratic processes, we value participation and consensus when dealing with each other and with society.

• We promote social justice, and respect the environment and our kinship with all life.

• Everyone is welcome to join us in an ongoing search for truth and meaning in our spiritual home.

Elevator Speeches:

Brief (in the time it takes to ride an elevator) definitions of Unitarianism by AUF members 

“A Unitarian is a person who allows and accepts different beliefs. A Unitarian promotes and affirms same-sex marriage and is conscious of and promotes social justice in small and big ways.

Unitarians each have a faith of their own and allow others to express and develop a faith of their own. We come together as a community just as any church each Sunday.

Unitarians understand religious autonomy and freedom as beautiful and a necessary part of world peace.”
~ Tammy MacLeod, Member of AUF ~ 

“Unitarianism differs from other groups, as instead of defining or dictating ways to be, it celebrates individual beliefs.  The primary purpose of Unitarianism is to support and share a search for meaning and this includes all in the community.  It allows individuals to be as spiritual or as religious as they want to be - or not.  Each Sunday "service" or get-together is a thought-provoking presentation.”
 ~ K.E. Johnston ~ 

“If someone were to ask me about my religion I would say:
‘I am a Unitarian.  I attend a Fellowship on Sundays.  We are a liberal based faith group.  With the emphasis on liberal. We have no doctrine or creed as such but we have principles.  Also, we are charged with living a moral and ethical life.   

As Unitarians we support each other on our spiritual journey.  We do not tell you what to believe or not to believe.  We may draw inspiration from different belief systems such as Buddhism, Christianity, Humanism, Taoism, Hinduism and Earth-based spiritual practices, to name a few.  As Unitarians we believe in the diversity of human beings and we celebrate diversity.  We are a Welcoming Congregation and we welcome people of all sexual orientations.  As Unitarians we support each other on our spiritual journey.  We accept each other and our place on the journey.’
~ Diane Ryan ~

“Unitarians are a universal organization accepting of all people of any belief system or sexual orientation.  We get together to support the spiritual and social awareness of each and everyone on their own individual path of growth.”
~ AUF member ~

“Unitarianism is a religion that attempts to capture the essence of religious truths and spiritual meaning, based on all the experiences and sources of wisdom available to mankind.  We stress freedom of thought and tolerance of each other's religious views.  We aim to define and live an ethical life, and to work towards social justice in our communities and the world.  We aim to form caring congregations which welcome all people regardless of race, religious background, and sexual orientation.”
~ Dorothy ~

 "We seek to discover the connections we have with all human beings; by definition, to be human posits the capacity to try to understand others; even if we disagree with what they say, we try to discover those points that reveal our humanity.  How is it that we can grieve when others are denied their search for meaning? The essence of Unitarianism has to be rooted in our need for spiritual connections, answering questions that help to understand how we recognize our essential humanity.  We know instantly when we are denied choices which repress our search for connections.”
~ Louis ~

"Unitarianism is the idea that each person has a right to explore and articulate their own beliefs.  It allows people the freedom to think and speak and write about belief and faith from a personal point of view, while agreeing in a democratic consensus on a set of principles that should govern our conduct towards each other and other living things.  This means that it is a 'liberal' or 'free' religion."
 ~ AUF member ~

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For more information about Unitarian Universalism in Canada, please visit: Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) www.cuc.ca

We are a welcoming congregation, and fully support the right to same-sex marriage.