Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values. We are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love.

These words introduce the newly adopted statement of principles and purposes found in Article II of the Unitarian Universalist Association by-laws.  The idea that Love is at the center of our Unitarian Universalist faith is a fairly new concept. Love was not mentioned in our previous principles at all.

But, after surveying and interviewing more than 10,000 Unitarian Universalists about the values that guide their lives, it became clear that Love is central to our faith, our living, and the mission of our congregations. Unitarian Universalists are guided by and centered in our engagement with all that Love requires. .

The Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt, the current president of the Unitarian Universalist Association says, Given everything our world faces today, having faith in Love is no small thing.  She believes that our pressing task now is to ask ourselves and each other how putting Love in the center calls us forward, individually and collectively. We may agree that Love is central, but what does that mean to us and what does it require of us?

It is in that spirit that the UUCC Sunday Services Committee has decided to devote this new church year to exploring how we can ground our daily personal and collective choices in Love, how we can become more kind and compassionate, and how we can create and maintain relationships that support and challenge us as we work to grow into our best selves.  Please join us for a year of Putting Love in the Center!