TEMPLATE: First Unitarian Society

Welcome!

You have reached the internet home of the Urban Hope Unitarian Universalist Community. This website is a work in progress.

Who We Are

Urban Hope is an active Unitarian-Universalist presence in a Cleveland inner-city neighborhood. Our Community consists of individuals who aim to live out Unitarian-Universalist principles of social activism, diversity and free spiritual growth in an urban environment. We are a welcoming lay-led group which participates in the neighborhood community through programs focused on community needs. We are guided in this work by the following Unitarian-Universalist principles:
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 congregation;
4. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
5. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregation 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.

Programs

1. Weekly services. We meet for services at 5 PM every Sunday in our store-front at 4241 Lorain in the Ohio City neighborhood. Services are informal and mostly lay-led, with frequent guest speakers active in various aspects of urban ministry and UU life. All participants have opportunity to speak of their personal concerns, spiritual viewpoints and neighborhood issues. Services are open to all. A potluck is served once a month.
2. During the growing season Urban Hope maintains a vegetable garden plot at the Kentucky School Community Garden and uses it to instruct children from a neighborhood school in gardening techniques and philosophy. A class meets with Urban Hope volunteers once each week during the school year. In the summer Urban Hope sponsors a weekly Garden Club for neighborhood children. Products of the garden are given to the children.
3. We also have a "drop-in" center at the storefront beginning at 2:30 Sunday afternoon.

Our Behavioral Covenant

1. We are intentional about making our meeting place a sacred place – neat, clean and welcoming.
2. We welcome and support all people, especially children.
3. We begin all service meetings by sitting in silence to insure that outside distractions are left behind. We create sacred time by being on time, turning off cell phones and being attentive.
4. We listen to each other, share speaking and listening time, and allow time to pass between comments.
5. We are open to new ideas and perspectives.
6. We respect everyone and are non-judgemental toward one another.
7. We disagree appropriately and respectfully, staying on issues without personal criticism.
8. We practice faith in action.
9. We are guided by our seven Unitarian-Universalist principles.

Website Design Credits

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons License.

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Site updated May 17, 2007