Our Congregation

Mission
The mission of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community.

UUCJ Congregants - in solidarity with the YWCA's Stand Against Racism, April 2021

---

Covenant
Understanding that the promises we make to each other form the foundation of congregational life, we, the members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown, enter into covenant with one another to ensure the wellbeing of all members as we live out our mission and our Unitarian Universalist principles.  Recognizing that we are not perfect human beings, we may, from time to time, break our promises, but in the spirit of this document, we forgive one another and begin again in love.

• We strive to listen to one another without judgment or bias.  We respond with courtesy, using language that is positive and supportive.
• Understanding that everyone’s reasons for belonging to UUCJ are valid, we remain open to ideas that may be different from our own.
• Following the “platinum rule”, we treat others not as we want to be treated, but as they want to be treated.  This requires being respectful of one another and each other’s differences.
• We acknowledge and celebrate our individual talents and contributions, including those who lead our services, and strive to support rather than challenge; to affirm rather than contradict.
• We embrace our future together and commit to remaining flexible, open, and willing to change.
• We value kindness in our interactions with one another and demonstrate care and concern for each other as a cornerstone of our congregational life.

---

Home Base

UUCJ owns and maintains a building at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown, New York.

---

History

A Part of the Community Since 1885
​The First Unitarian Church was organized by Rev. J. G. Townsend as an Independent Congregational Church in 1885, its church property at the junction of East Second and Chandler streets in Jamestown, New York.

​While the congregation has changed names and locations over the years, it remains the seat of liberal religion in the Jamestown area.

---

---

Our Religion

Seven Principles
​
Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote seven Principles, which we hold as strong values and moral guides.

1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
2. Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
3. Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
4. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
5. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
7. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.​

---

Six Sources

The seven principles are drawn from six Sources.

1. Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
2. Words and deeds of prophetic people which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
3. Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
4. Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
5. Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit;
6. Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

---

For a more thorough understanding of Unitarian Universalism, visit uua.org/beliefs.