We have structured United Parish around four directions or ways we believe the Holy Spirit is directing us. Activities and ministries of our church are spirit-driven rather than the product of habit or convention. We seek to be and do church rather just go to church.
We seek to celebrate the beauty and complexity of God’s creation in multiple ways. Liturgy, sacred music and art form a core experience of our life together. In our worship, we engage the mystery of the transcendent and find ourselves nourished, challenged, and inspired.
We want to deepen our personal conversations with God and with one another, since we know that authentic connections sustain the Spirit in us. We value curiosity about the wonders of faith, even as we affirm our Christian traditions. We want to equip ourselves and the children among us for life-long spiritual journeys. We find meaningful encounters with God and one another in worship, prayer, study, dialogue in small groups and other spiritual practices.
We strive to create a sense of home in our community by offering extravagant welcome to any and every human being, including all ages, races, ethnicities, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientations, genders, economic means, as well as doubters and believers, the churched and the unchurched, people from many faith backgrounds. We feel called by God to be a shelter in the storm, embracing together the joys and burdens of the world.
We expect our church to make us less complacent, to help us follow the way of Christ by serving others—in our parish, the surrounding community, and in the world. Faced with the distractions of modern life, we trust United Parish to help us focus and stretch ourselves so that we may become better servants of and advocates of God’s love, justice and mercy.
We recognize that God and our forebears have entrusted us with buildings and grounds, financial and human resources. We strive to steward these gifts responsibly, faithfully and equitably, so that God’s love and the radical ministry of Jesus Christ can shine boldly among us, now and for generations to come.