About

LUF Mission Statement

Together in liberal religious community we grow in spirit, nurture inclusive relationships, and act for a just and sustainable world.

Who We Are

The Lakehead Unitarian Fellowship (LUF) has met continuously since 1958. Its format and locale have undergone many changes, but it remains a focal point for those exploring ways toward personal spiritual growth and social justice, in a non-creedal liberal religious community. Its officers are elected annually, and the Fellowship’s activities are conducted by lay volunteers and members of the community.

Welcome To This Religious House Of Many Rooms

Unitarian Universalism is a religion that is like a house with many rooms. We are a diverse group of people who celebrate our faith in many ways. We are Christians, Post-christians, Buddhists, Pagans, Theists, Non-theists, Humanist-agnostics, and Atheists. Many of us have a variety of interests and may spend time in the Buddhist room, the Pagan room, or the music room. Sometimes we may wander back to the room of our heritages: Christian, Jewish, or Moslem. Eventually, whether at the end of the day, or whenever the time is right, we may find ourselves in the room that is most comfortable to us, that feels most true to our souls and satisfies our personal spiritual needs.

In the “common” room, or perhaps “living” room, we meet with our minds and hearts to affirm the seven principles and purposes that are so generic, so obviously true for all of us in our religious home, that diversity blends into unity. In this “living” room these principles of Unitarian Universalism are standards that we try to meet for ourselves every day, in every room, and especially as we go out of our religious home into the world.

Unitarian Universalists are social workers, office workers, managers, medical practitioners, artists, artisans, and musicians. We are employed in every area of life. We are unemployed. We are people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions. We are single and partnered. We are mothers, fathers, children, and friends. Adapted from service opening words written by Jean Armstrong

Canadian Unitarian Council Vision Statement

As Canadian Unitarian Universalists, we envision a world in which our interdependence calls us to love and justice.

As Canadian Unitarian Universalists:
Seven principles guide our choices, Six sources nourish our spirits, Five aspirations help us grow.

As Canadian Unitarian Universalists, we aspire to be:

• Deeply Connected: We strive to foster healthy relationships amongst and within UU communities, with the broader world and with all life. 
• Radically Inclusive: We strive to create hospitable, diverse, multi- generational communities.
• Actively Engaged: We strive to work joyfully for a just and compassionate society, experimenting with new forms of community. 
• Theologically Alive: We seek to be ever-evolving in our understanding, open to new knowledge. 
• Spiritually Grounded: We seek transformation through personal spiritual experiences and shared ritual. 

Canadian Unitarian Council – Principles and Sources of Our Religious Faith

Principles

We, the member congregations of the Canadian Unitarian Council, covenant to 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.
• individual and communal action that accountably dismantles racism and systemic barriers to full inclusion in ourselves and our institutions.

Sources

The living tradition which we share 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 neighbours 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-centred traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. As free congregations we enter into this covenant, promising to one another our mutual trust and support.