About Westside Unitarian Universalist Church

Westside Unitarian Universalist Church
Fort Worth, Texas

We are a young and thriving church just south of downtown Fort Worth, dedicated to providing a full program of activities that nourish the mind and spirit.

We are a community united by a covenant of mutual respect and care and the pursuit of spiritual freedom.

Who are Unitarian Universalists?

We are people of all ages, people of many backgrounds, and people of many beliefs. We are brave, curious and compassionate thinkers and doers. We create spirituality and community beyond boundaries, working for more justice and more love in our own lives and in the world.

Unitarian Universalism affirms and promotes seven Principles, grounded in the humanistic teachings of the world’s religions. Our spirituality is unbounded, drawing from scripture and science, nature and philosophy, personal experience and ancient tradition as described in our six Sources.

If you’d like to learn more about Unitarian Universalism, you might visit the UUA website.

Our Affirmation

Love is the doctrine of this church, the quest of truth is its sacrament, and service is its prayer.

To dwell together in peace,
to seek knowledge in freedom,
to work for justice through action,
to serve others in community,
to the end that all souls shall grow into harmony with creation.

Thus do we covenant with one another.

UU Values Image

Our Shared Values

As Unitarian Universalists, Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values:

  • Interdependence: We honor the interdependent web of all existence. With reverence for the great web of life and with humility, we acknowledge our place in it.
  • Pluralism: We celebrate that we are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology.
  • Justice: We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all thrive.
  • Transformation: We adapt to the changing world.
  • Generosity: We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.
  • Equity: We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion.
For the full statement of Unitarian Universalist values and covenants, click here.

Covenant of Right Relations

We covenant to build a religious community guided by compassion and sustained by respectful relationships. Believing that building healthy relationships is a spiritual practice, we aim to listen appreciatively, speak with care, express gratitude, appreciate our differences, and assume good intentions. We endeavor to communicate directly, honestly, and thoughtfully. When we hurt one another, we will actively seek reconciliation, make amends and reconnect in a spirit of love. We strive to build and sustain our community by sharing our minds, hearts, and helping hands. Thus do we covenant with one another.

Our Principles

There are eight principles which Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote:

  • The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
  • Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
  • Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
  • A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
  • The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
  • The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
  • Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
  • Journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.

Unitarian Universalism (UU) draws from many sources:

  • Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
  • Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
  • Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
  • Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
  • Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit.
  • Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

The Flaming Chalice

At Westside UU Church we begin each Sunday morning worship with the lighting of the flaming chalice. To learn more about the history of the flaming chalice, check out UUA: Flaming Chalice

About Our Chalice…

Our unique chalice was designed by noted local artist and Westside Church member Charlie Boren. This freeform rendering is also a symbol of our own fragile human lives. It is carved from mesquite, a common but hardy wood native to Texas. Like us, it is full of imperfections: knot holes, weak spots and places worn smooth by the years. And like us, it has been shaped into something beautiful and precious within a community of love and common faith.

The chalice was first designed for the ordination of our former minister, the Rev. Sam Schaal, and has subsequently been used in worship services.

© Westside UU Church