About Us

A LIVING TRADITION

We are a Welcoming Congregation.

Today’s Unitarian Universalist congregations fulfill a heritage that goes back hundreds of years, to courageous people who struggled for religious freedom.

The Mid-Columbia Unitarian Universalist Fellowship was incorporated on June 4, 1987, in White Salmon, Washington. See history timeline of MCUUF.

Unitarianism in North America began with some of the original congregations in Puritan New England. When 18th century evangelicals sought to reassert doctrines of sin and damnation, people who believed instead in free human will and the loving benevolence of God split from their neighbors to form Unitarian congregations.

The Universalists believed in a God who embraced everyone, and this eventually became central to their belief that lasting truth is found in all religions and that dignity and worth are innate to all. From its origins in rural areas of the United States in the 1700’s, Universalists challenged its members to reach out and embrace people whom society often marginalized. They were the first denomination in the U.S. to ordain women and welcomed all to membership, regardless of race.

In 1961, their many shared values resulted in the merger of the Universalists and Unitarians. This joining formed the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) of Congregations, of which we are part, and we are one of more than a thousand congregations in the U.S. and Canada. The Mid-Columbia Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, joined the National Unitarian Universalist Association of congregations in October 1987.

You may learn more about the history of Unitarian Universalism here and if you would like to find a congregation near you, please visit UUA congregations.

What We Believe

The Mission of the Mid-Columbia Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is:

We come together as a welcoming religious community that nurtures our spiritual growth, broadens our minds, and supports us in service to the wider world.

As members of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, the MCUUF covenants to affirm and promote and principles and the living traditions proclaimed by the UUA.

UUA Principles

We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote

  • 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 congregations;
  • A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
  • The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations 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.

The living tradition which we share draws from many sources:

  • 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;
  • Words and deeds of prophetic women and men;
  • Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
  • Jewish and Christian teachings;
  • Humanist teachings ;
  • Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions.

Further, the members of the MCUUF pledge the following:

WE BELIEVE that personal experience, conscience, and reason should be the final authorities in religion.

WE AFFIRM the worth of all people. We celebrate and honor diversity in opinion, religious belief, and life choices.

WE SEEK to act as a moral force in the world, believing that ethical living is the supreme witness of religion.

WE KNOW that our relationships with one another and among all people should be governed by justice, equity, and compassion.