The Membership Covenant
We all yearn for a meaningful life, to express ourselves fully, to make a difference in the world. Yet, many people feel something is lacking in their lives. Often what is missing is belonging to a spiritual community, the kind of loving, caring and supportive community we have here at the Unitarian Society of Germantown.
At USG, membership involves mutual commitment. It is something that should be undertaken only after considerable thought and a firm conviction that one can and will embrace the membership covenant. If you have questions about the covenant or about membership, please contact Membership Chair Betsy Gabriel at bsgabriel47@msn.com
Our church community commits to provide for members:
• Excellent worship experiences• Caring and outreach
• Faith development opportunities
• Opportunities for service
• Spiritual education for all ages
Individual members commit to provide the community with their:
• Regular attendance at worship services• Work on personal faith development
• Financial generosity
• Volunteer service to USG
• Service to the larger community
Membership in our church brings with it responsibilities and expectations. A community is only as strong as its members and that strength comes from participation, service, gifts of time and money, individual growth, and caring and support of each other.
Our Members’ Covenant to USG:
Attending church regularly
Communal worship is extremely important to the life of our church. If you do not partake of it often, you are less likely to feel connected to the spiritual heart of the church.
Working on your own spiritual development
Unitarian Universalists have no dogma. We believe that each of us is capable of discovering religious truth as it is revealed to us in our lives and within our church community. We each take responsibility for our own spiritual well being with the support of the church.
Financial Generosity
We don't require a specific level of giving, but we do expect a member’s generous, regular financial support of the community. Generosity in a caring community is essential to the life of the congregation. Some members give according to a Suggested Share giving guide, which calls for between 2% and 4% of household income. Others embrace the concept of charitable tithing, and devote 5% of their resources to the church and 5% to other charitable causes. These are ambitious goals and some members have committed to reach these goals over time. Some members who have significant financial demands contribute less. Those who have greater means contribute more.
Serving the Church
Many tasks and activities of the church community are not done for us but by us. These tasks vary from being an usher at Sunday services to serving on the Board of Trustees. The church community needs hands, hearts and minds.
We practice congregational polity, which means that members are the church's final authority. We have annual congregational meetings and special meetings during the year. Participation is important.
Serving the Community
We commit our faith to action and express our beliefs through our actions. The church provides many opportunities for social action. Acts of caring are an essential part of belonging to a faith community.
In addition, our neighborhoods offer opportunities to express our faith through social action. We recognize that we are part of something bigger than the local church community. Members are deeply involved in city, state or national issues.
Honoring and celebrating the diversity of our community
Our church community seeks to be diverse, inclusive of all ages, races, sexual orientations, abilities, and economic circumstances. This is a strength that we all share.
USG’s Covenant to Our Members
Opportunities for growth
USG commits to providing excellent worship services, social, educational, and spiritual outlets and opportunities to broaden friendships and self-understanding.; to challenging us in our theological assumptions, nudging to explore beyond the accepted and everyday religious "sound bites," urging to deepen and celebrate our spirituality, and to be supported in our search for a meaningful faith. Through classes such as Articulating Your UU Faith and Small Group Ministries, we can learn about Unitarian Universalist history and theology as well as regular spiritual disciplines.
Support and comfort
Members can expect a community that will support and comfort them during personal and family transitions and passages.
Tolerance and Acceptance
USG will be a home for free-thinking religious liberals who place great value on freedom, reason and tolerance. We encourage and promote various theological perspectives within our community.
Religious Education for Children
USG will provide an environment and programs for our children that will support them in their own questioning and searching.
USG Vision and Mission Statements
Vision Statement
We are a liberal religious community using our combined resources to demonstrate faith, caring and love; exploring spiritual frontiers; and sharing in the struggle for truth, justice, equality and humanitarianism.
Mission Statement
The Mission of the Unitarian Society of Germantown is to meet the spiritual aspirations of people of a free faith through inspiring worship and music, supporting multigenerational life-long religious education, providing a loving, caring, welcoming, and diverse community, and creating opportunities to put the Unitarian Universalist principles into practice in our local community.
