About Us
We believe in:
- The inherent worth and dignity of every person.
- Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.
- Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our fellowship.
- A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
- The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our fellowship and in society at large.
- The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.
- Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
Love is the spirit of this fellowship, the quest for truth is our practice, and service is our aspiration. To dwell together in peace, to seek knowledge in freedom, and to serve others in community: this is our covenant with one another.
Will You Like It Here?
Provided with permission by the Church of the Larger Fellowship
https://www.questformeaning.org/wp3/welcome/top-ten-reasons-might-like/
1. The mystery of God
In this community, we're not really focused on "settling" things. You're more likely to hear words like exploring, questioning, wondering, learning, growing... And we don't hold that there are particular words that God wrote and others that God didn't. You're as likely to hear poetry by Rumi, contemporary musicians, or names in the newspaper cited as you are Christian or Jewish scriptures. In fact, not everyone here believes in God at all!
2. No wrong/right way to believe
We are a community of atheists, Christians, Buddhists, earth-based and pagan folks, humanists, agnostics, people who celebrate multiple religious traditions...we are a community of journeyers and spiritual adventurers. None of us is seeking "The Truth" so much as we are seeking a dance with the mystery, with the holy, as our daily practice.
3. Daily acts count
We believe that faith is, ultimately, to be experienced in how you live. We have no creeds or dogmas, but we do invite one another to reflect on how our lives hold up when looked at through the eyes of our values, love being central among those values. Are our actions creating more love on the planet? Are we helping each other? Are we kind? Are we making the world more just?
4. Everyone is worthy
We believe that no God would create people in order to damn them, that the chance to wake up exists throughout life for all people. We're not chumps or fools; we understand that people do some truly rotten things. But we believe that the limitations on loving those people are our own, and not to be attributed to some external force called God or any other name.
5. Personal accountability
Though we have as many opinions on the subject of what happens after death as we do on anything else, you won't find many people here who talk about hell. We believe that most hell is suffered here on this planet, and it is our task to hold each other accountable for the hell we create for others.
6. Community of activists
Of course, we don't get into the business of electoral politics or supporting candidates, but we are a community of activists related to our values: supporting marriage equality; protecting the earth from degradation; standing up for human rights for people regardless of economic status, immigration status, physical and mental ability, gender identity, race, and every other descriptor used to dehumanize or ignore people. You'll find a disproportionate number of activists here.
7. Love is for everyone
We think the universe is a complex place, and that gay and lesbian couples, feminist men and women, transgender and bisexual people, multiracial and multicultural families, are part of the great gift of human diversity that makes life interesting. You will find members of this community from all walks of life, who experience love in their families in very different ways.
8. Web of existence
We talk a lot about something we call "the interdependent web of all existence." That is to say, we understand ourselves as completely inseparable from and bound up with the earth, as dependent on it as we are on the air that fills our lungs. Far from having dominion or controlling it, we believe that we need to be grateful for this wonderful gift and show our gratitude through good care and respect.
9. Relinquish privilege
The areas where we live in the majority and hold privilege (of race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, economic status, ability, age, or other areas) are frequently areas of unconsciousness. Living a spiritual life means interrogating our unconscieous areas and working, always imperfectly, to make them conscious. We believe that awakening will be uncomfortable, sometimes even painful, but ultimately joyful. When privilege is relinquished, deeper joy and connection is made.
10. Everyone has something to offer
We are interested in your journey and your story. We believe that you bring unique wisdom and gifts, just the ones we have been waiting for! We are happy to share with you, and understand you might feel shy for a while, but we're going to want to know you. We encourage you to start small and get to know a few people. We hope you will find this to be a safe, nurturing community where you can be your most authentic self.