Our Mission, Vision, and Ends Statements
Our Mission: We are a caring community promoting and providing robust religious and intellectual exploration opportunities for children, youth, and adults. We offer creative and inspirational opportunities for worship. We nurture spiritual and personal growth and transformation, foster diversity by reaching out to different communities, and practice justice as individuals and as a community.
Our Vision: We are an inclusive religious community–lifting hearts, broadening minds and honoring the interconnected web of life.
Ends Statements – (revised and adopted Jan. 2021)
Ends are periodically identified by the Board as strategic short-term goals to meet the mission and vision. As short-term goals, Ends describe the destination, but not the map of how to get there. The specifics of how we ‘get there’ are entrusted to our staff and all of the congregants working in these areas. Ends do describe the difference we hope to make in the world.
In accordance with our Vision and Mission and the Values of Unitarian Universalism, BUUF has chosen to emphasize the following goals of particular importance at this time, striving to be a multi-generational, beloved Community which:
Cares for Each Other – Where we listen and support each other through joys and sorrows and reach out to each other and the world around us with meaningful care, hope, peace and joy.
Welcomes All – Where everyone – no matter their race, ethnicity, or religious background; no matter who they love; no matter where they are from; no matter how they identify – everyone is welcome and easily able to participate and feel valued.
Supports Children and Youth – Where children are nurtured in love, guided by our eight principles, and are an integral part of our congregational life.
Offers a Safe and Welcoming Home – Acknowledging that the land we now call “home” was stolen from those who lived here before European colonization, we cherish, preserve and enhance our buildings and outdoor sanctuary as stewards, that this may be a gathering place for all and serve our greater community.
Is Home to Vibrant and Inclusive Spirituality – Where the many paths to the holy are all respected and lifelong spiritual development is embraced and encouraged.
Has a Passion for Social Justice – Where we continually seek to become aware of unjust systems and structures in the world – Criminal, Environmental, Governmental, Income, Racial, Sexual and Power – working to change our own complicity in those systems and create a world that is more just, peaceful, and compassionate.
Works to Dismantle Systemic Racism and White Privilege – Where we thoughtfully question and change our assumptions and congregational governance, educate and change ourselves, and engage with the wider community as allies in anti-racist work.
Cares for Our Earth – Where we work to reverse Climate Change and its damaging effects, actively work to care for the earth and all of its inhabitants, and incorporate this care into decision-making for the congregation, our buildings, and our outdoor sanctuary.