Mission, Vision and Covenant

Mission Statement

The Winchester Unitarian Society is a welcoming, caring community devoted to spiritual growth, social transformation, and environmental responsibility. Guided by the Unitarian Universalist principles and drawing on diverse faith traditions, we live our values through worship, reflection, connection, and service.

Vision Statement

As a congregation serving the Mystic Valley area of greater Boston, we are dedicated to:

Nurturing Spiritual and Personal Growth

We provide diverse and compelling ways for people of all ages to grow in spirit, conscience, and wisdom. Our worship services, educational programs, music, and service initiatives inspire children, youth, and adults to live with greater purpose, respect, and love.

Building and Enjoying Community

All newcomers and members feel welcome, comfortable, and appreciated for who they are. A wide variety of programs and activities help us deepen our involvement in the community, discover our shared passions and concerns, learn from our differences, and connect across generations and all traditional barriers.

Offering Mutual Care and Support

We comfort and assist each other through all of life’s stages and difficulties by offering small group ministries, pastoral care, and other formal and informal support networks.

Serving the Greater Good

We organize meaningful advocacy, outreach, and service work to express our common commitment to social justice and environmental responsibility. As a flagship congregation, other organizations and members of the community at large turn to us for guidance, support, and resources.

Sharing Ministry and Responsibility

A congregationally-run organization, our members democratically select our leaders and contribute substantial time, talent, and financial resources to the programs and ministries of the church.

Empowering Strong Leadership

We enjoy exceptional professional leadership in all major program areas, including worship, lifespan education, youth programs, and music. We support our professional staff and congregation members in building their capacity to lead.

Revitalizing our Beloved Building

We steward the historic beauty of our facilities and grounds and make them more functional, inviting, accessible, and environmentally sustainable for ourselves and future generations.

Incorporating Innovation

As an evolving faith, we welcome and integrate innovative ideas, technologies, and practices that will help us improve all that we do, especially our ministries, programs, and outreach.

Congregational Covenant

As a church that cares deeply about how we relate to one another, we covenant to:

  • Nurture a warm, open-minded, and welcoming community by spending quality time together and seeking deeper connections.
  • Communicate kindly, clearly, and honestly, making sure everyone’s voice is heard and listened to with respect and curiosity.  We are open to feedback and mindful of how our words and actions impact those around us.
  • Practice inclusivity, welcoming all and honoring different perspectives and cultures.
  • Show up for one another and care for each other.  We notice when others are absent or in need and we reach out.
  • Embrace fun, joy, and playfulness in our interactions with each other, encouraging creative engagement with the arts. 
  • Encourage and support spiritual growth and exploration in each other, sharing our questions, struggles, and journeys.
  • Stay in relationship through conflict and maintain respectful engagement even when we disagree.  We strive to understand each other’s perspectives and take responsibility for our actions.  We seek reconciliation if harm has been caused and offer forgiveness as we are able.
  • Take responsibility for the life of the church by stepping into volunteer and leadership roles, nurturing new leadership, and financially supporting the congregation, as time and space in our lives allow.
  • Build trust and strengthen the ties of community by honoring boundaries – our own and each other’s. We keep each other’s confidences when asked. We hold one another’s trust and vulnerabilities sacred.
  • Foster intergenerational engagement and commit to meeting the diverse needs of all ages in our congregation.