Unitarian Universalism is unambiguously, unapologetically, progressive. This church affirms the inherent worth and dignity of all people through antiracism, anti-oppression, supporting the LGBTQIA+ community, working for reproductive justice, voting rights and others issues as needed. We seek to build Beloved Community not only here but in our surrounding area.

Ours is a religion that, rather than revolving around shared belief, instead is centered on the promises that we make to one another to support each other’s spiritual journeys and to work to make the world better. We call our promises “covenant.”

As individual members of Live Oak, we agree to this covenant:

We, the members of Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church, affirm a welcoming, vibrant, caring community for all ages.

We embrace UU values, humor, and community growth on our shared spiritual journey.

We covenant with one another to create relationships that are inclusive, open-minded, sensitive, and celebrate the differences within our community.

We will accept, support, and appreciate one another, keep our commitments, maintain healthy boundaries, and use constructive communication.

We will be accountable to one another in a helpful, non-judgmental, peaceful environment, with integrity, respect, and love.

The Shared Values of Unitarian Universalism

Unitarian Universalism has adopted the following Values and Covenant in 2024 under Article 2.

As Unitarian Universalists, we covenant, congregation-to-congregation and through our Association, to support and assist one another in our ministries. We draw from our heritages of freedom, reason, hope, and courage, building on the foundation of love.

Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values. We are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love.

Inseparable from one another, these shared values are:

Re-examine all that you have been told… dismiss that which insults your soul.

Walt Whitman, poet and Unitarian

History of UU

Unitarian Universalism is non-creedal, which means there’s no required doctrine you must profess in order to belong. We do have a rich and long history, and the writings and understandings of theology continue to influence us today. Theologian James Luther Adams summarized some of our key values in “The Five Smooth Stones of Liberal Religion”:

• “Religious liberalism depends on the principle that ‘revelation’ is continuous.” Our religious tradition is a living tradition because we are always learning new truths.

• “All relations between persons ought ideally to rest on mutual, free consent and not on coercion.” We freely choose to enter into relationship with one another.

• “Religious liberalism affirms the moral obligation to direct one’s effort toward the establishment of a just and loving community. It is this which makes the role of the prophet central and indispensable in liberalism.” Justice.

• “… [W]e deny the immaculate conception of virtue and affirm the necessity of social incarnation.” Agency: Good things don’t just happen, people make them happen.

• “[L]iberalism holds that the resources (divine and human) that are available for the achievement of meaningful change justify an attitude of ultimate optimism.” Hope.

from: “Guiding Principles for a Free Faith” in On Being Human Religiously: Selected Essays in Religion and Society, Max Stackhouse, ed. Beacon Press, 1976, pp. 12—20.

To learn more about Unitarian Universalism, visit the Unitarian Universalist Association website.