Welcome!

The First Unitarian Universalist Society of New Haven member U.U.A.

It is very natural to wonder, "what do Unitarian Universalists (UUs) believe and what do they do on Sunday?" This is rather difficult to answer. UUs believe that there are many paths to an understanding of the sacred, and that while there are elements of truth in different religions and philosophies, UUs doubt that any one person or creed has the final or complete answer. We believe that it is important to have a place where we can support each other on our different religious paths. The process of how we search and how we support each other is more important to us than the details of our specific answers.

UUs may seek an understanding of the sacred through "mainstream" and "other-than-mainstream", Western and "non-Western" religious traditions, philosophy, music, art, and literature, as well as through social action, and our own experience.

You will find much diversity here. For example, Some persons believe in God, while others do not. Many are somewhere in between! You will find that some of us speak of attending services as "going to Church" others insist on using the word "Meeting House", or "Fellowship". You will also find that we use the term First Unitarian Universalist Society and First Universalist Society interchangeably (we were originally Universalist).

We know that this may be confusing to you, it confuses us too! However, confusing as it may be, embracing the diversity of our beliefs and practices can be invigorating, and sometimes even fun!

Our worship services (or meetings, if you prefer) reflect our diversity. Our services are coordinated by members or guests of the community. Some of these services include homilies or sermons, while others are mostly ritual or meditation. Some draw inspiration from obviously religious traditions, while others are inspired by the religious aspects of philosophy (or the philosophical aspects of religions), politics, or the arts.

Examples include:

• We have met in a park, observed and meditated on the scene about us and discussed our experience
• We have had sermons on lessons from the Hebrew and Christian religious texts
• We have welcomed the seasons through Earth-centered rituals
• We have celebrated Easter and Christmas
• We have shared the music of other cultures, read poetry, and explored the spiritual dimensions of dance
• We have had sermons on the need for social action and caring for others