About Us
Our vision is a world and a congregation that embody justice, equity, and love. Our mission helps us work together toward making our vision a reality:
We affirm the fullness of the human experience;
We seek spiritual, ethical, and religious truth and meaning in our lives;
We act to dismantle systems of oppression;
We connect in celebration and service; and
We care for each other, our community, and our earth.
-adopted by the congregation on February 5, 2023
The practice of loving, civil behavior in our congregations is a central mark of our Unitarian Universalist principles and purposes. Yet, there are times when we find ourselves losing sight of “right relations.”
A behavioral covenant is an effective way to establish some “ground rules” to ensure right relations and to keep a steady course through times of change and chaos, diverse opinions and passionate discussions. A behavioral covenant is developed by lay leaders, agreed to and owned by the congregation, and practiced on a daily basis as a spiritual discipline. Our Behavioral Covenant was adopted by the congregation on February 5, 2023:
We, as members and friends of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington-Normal, covenant to:
Speak directly with honesty, respect and kindness;
Listen deeply with love and empathy;
Welcome each person’s uniqueness;
Practice a culture of consent by respecting physical and personal boundaries;
Accept that conflict occurs and address it with integrity and compassion;
When our covenant is broken, we will hold ourselves and each other accountable, make amends, and we will begin again in love.