ABOUT US
Welcome to Brighton Unitarian Church
Our church welcomes all who wish to worship in an atmosphere of mutual respect and freedom.
We are an inclusive and vibrant community and do not insist that each person has the same beliefs.
We do believe that each of us can flourish when we are enabled to find our own spiritual truth in the light of our own conscience and a loving, respectful community.
Our services are varied. We light a chalice to begin each one but this is our only ritual. Most services have readings from a range of different sources and we usually sing hymns. There is prayer or meditation and a quiet time for personal reflection. But the spiritual message and religious content of our service varies - depending on the service leader.
Our Christian heritage lives alongside other traditions, providing inspiration and insight but not dogma.
If you would like to know more about our community or Unitarianism have a look around our website or come to a Service.
OUR VALUES
OUR MISSION
We welcome all who seek a better life through spiritual and intellectual exploration. We have respect for all faiths, coupled with a modern religious outlook that encourages freedom of individual thought and conscience. We welcome all who believe that religion is wider than any one sect and deeper than any one set of opinions. We do not impose a particular creed on our members or ministers. We affirm the worth of all people regardless of age, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, ability or background. We seek to provide strength and encouragement for the spiritual journey and daily living. We believe that all life on our planet is interconnected. We believe that how a person lives is a measure of their faith.
Brighton Unitarian Church provides a caring environment, with spiritual depth, without dogma, offering a community resource to diverse groups in congruence with our values, promoting a diversity of Unitarianism nationally,
and with a concern for a more compassionate world.
Who are the Unitarians?
We are a spiritual community who encourage you to think for yourself and to nurture your own spiritual dimension.
We believe that...
Everyone has the right to seek truth and meaning for themselves.
The basic tool for this is your own life experience, your reflection upon it, your intuitive understanding and the promptings of your own conscience.
The best setting for this is a community that welcomes you for who you are – beliefs, doubts, questions and all.
We claim no exclusive right to knowing the truth. We do not believe that any creed, faith or individual has a monopoly on religious truth. The final authority for your faith lies within your own conscience.
People should enjoy individual liberty and private judgment in their spiritual life.
We are guided and inspired by:
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The example and spiritual insights of others
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Writings deemed “holy” and “sacred” by many and various faith traditions
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The creative work of artists, musicians and writers
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Scientific quests for knowledge and understanding
We hold important to us:
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Reverence for the earth and the whole natural system of which we are part
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Peace, compassion, justice and democracy in human affairs
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Mutual respect and goodwill in personal relations
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Inter-faith dialogue – constructive tolerance and openness towards the sincerely held beliefs of others
Our roots...
Lie in the Reformation of 16th Century Europe when people started to read and Interpret the Bible for themselves. The name Unitarian came initially from the belief in the ‘oneness’ of God Today it reflects belief in the divine unity of all things, of humankind and creation.
Locally we are…
A congregation who welcome people irrespective of their age, nationality,gender or sexual orientation. If we were to be defined as having one thing in common, it is perhaps that we are people with an individualistic bent who find support in a community of like-minded spiritual individualists.
What do we do?
Our services embrace a spectrum of spiritual and religious views, including Christianity, pre-Christian European faith (which some will call Paganism), Eastern religion, poetry, philosophy – and perhaps something one of us has read last week and found inspiring.
Our services also reflect the cycle of life – the seasons and the solstices, of birth, life and death – the world in which we are all spiritually rooted. A Minister leads many services, but members of the congregation themselves take services and lead discussions, bringing their own insights and perspectives to share with everyone.
Further Information
Please see the BBC for more information on Unitarianism.
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A faith worth thinking about
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Your first time at a Unitarian service
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Unitarian views of earth & nature
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Unitarian views of Jesus
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Where we stand (LGBT)
About Unitarians
"Our Unitarian Church offers a person the help and opportunity to develop the faith that is within. Not to find religion, to learn beliefs or to be given a faith, but to help a person live the faith that is meaningful to him or her." Rev Johanna (Jopie) Boeke, Unitarian Minister Emeritus