what we believe
Love Demands Inclusion
ALL ARE WELCOME HERE.
NO KIDDING!
NO EXCEPTIONS.
Union Church is progressive, ecumenical, multi-denominational church community. We do not have a traditional list of doctrines to which one must subscribe in order to be a member. That doesn’t mean we aren’t united in Christian practices and beliefs, but it does mean that we affirm that there are many paths, many questions, many “right ways” to be close to God. We strive to accompany each other and serve the world, following in the way of Jesus.
Our founder, Rev. John Gregg Fee, believed that “the division of Christians into sects and denominations is contrary to the letter and the spirit of the Gospel, a hindrance to reforms, and to the greatest progress of Christ’s kingdom” [from Fee’s Autobiography, held at Berea College, p. 189.]
We embody this, we to aspire to live by these fellowship principles that date back to when we first gathered. It’s spoken by all of us each time we welcome new members, and affirmed in the ways we work together. It reads:
Union Church welcomes all followers of Christ and works with all who work with him, working by love, respecting each person’s conscience, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
more about inclusion
Union is Committed
Our Mission
To boldly and creatively embody the life and ministry of Jesus, serving all as love demands.
How do we do that? Read on!
No Discrimination
We at Union Church believe love demands inclusion. God created everybody, Jesus called to everybody, and the Spirit is willing to fill anybody who desires to be filled.
Our History
Union Church was founded as an in intentionally ecumenical faith community in 1853, dedicated to ending slavery.
We take this seriously. Absolutely anyone at all is welcome to attend here, no matter what they do or do not believe.
However, those who choose to officially join Union Church commit to the following seven statements.
Welcome all.
There are no door keepers at Union Church. Every person who walks in the door is a beloved member of the community, even if only for that day.
Follow Christ.
This might mean that you believe Jesus of Nazareth was and is the literal Son of God, fully God and fully man. Some of us believe that. Or it might mean that you believe he was an inspired human being who followed and taught God’s way of love. Some of us believe that. Following Christ means to love the one who disagrees with me, as Jesus loved even those who would murder him.
Work with those who work with him.
Mission at Union Church is most often led by individuals or small groups who feel a call to a particular action. The church has a list of ministries that are taken on by particular staff or groups or boards, but its ministry by no means ends there. Everything from creek clean-up to protest marches to feeding one or a hundred hungry persons might be taken on. Work with Christ as you are called to do. You are likely to find one or more at Union Church who would like to work with you. Or you could choose to work with a mission or ministry already in place.
Work by love.
We believe that whatever you are called to do you will be more effective if you do it with love. This means listening to others, including those with different ideas and viewpoints, as well as honoring and standing for one’s own beliefs and ideas.
Respect each other’s conscience.
At Union Church, we have members of many different denominations and of no denomination. We have had Jews, Muslims, and atheists with us. We are expected to be true to who we are and to our own faith traditions, and we are expected to respect the conscience of each one around us, leaving it to the Spirit to lead.
Maintain unity of the Spirit.
We are “one in Spirit, many in thought and deed.” At Union Church, we know that unity and uniformity are pretty much opposite ends of a spectrum. We are all different in how we look, how we think, what we do, even what we believe, and we celebrate that diversity. We believe that the universal Spirit of God is big enough to hold everybody.
Maintain the bond of peace.
All of the above is all very beautiful and touching… but tricky! So many different people with so many different backgrounds and worldviews and ways of thinking and opinions about what’s best to do…well, peace is not the obvious first outcome! So we strive to maintain—that means cultivate, take care of, and mend when necessary—the bonds of peace that hold us in unity in the Spirit.
join us
Membership at Union
You may find yourself wanting to join the family in a more official way. If you ever want to know more about becoming a member, there are lots of ways to do that. You are taking the first step right now, just by surfing around our website.
New members are usually welcomed on the 3rd Sunday of a month. YOU are welcome to join!
what we stand for
Here are some more general principles we subscribe to:
We do not use gendered pronouns for God.
We honor all races, ethnicities, genders, and persuasions and work unceasingly toward justice and safety for refugees and immigrants.
We speak respectfully to each other (and apologize when we don’t).
We consider each person in the church, young or old, as a minister in their own way.
We care for God’s creation in every way we can, both at the church building (which uses solar power as much as possible), and in our individual homes.
