As custodians of the church’s archives, the Church History Ministry Team catalogs and preserves historical documents and other items related to the congregation and its antecedent churches.  It also promotes awareness of the history of the congregation and that of Unitarian Universalist thought and institutions.

 

Many people think Unitarian Universalism is a new religion that might have had its start in the last 100 years or so. The fact is that Unitarian Universalism has roots that go back to the founding of Christianity. This congregation has roots that go back to the first settlers of Lynn and Swampscott by Europeans in the 16th century. These sections of the website will tell you a little bit about this rich history:

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• History of this Congregation: Our church can trace its roots to the very first church established in Lynn in 1629. Learn about the nearly 300 years of history of this congregation.

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• History of Unitarian Universalism: Our faith tradition is actually the merger of two faith traditions that occurred in 1961. However, Unitarianism and Universalism goes back to the very early days of Christianity and played a key role in the founding of this country.

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Anyone in interested in helping to preserve, organize, and make available pertinent materials relating to our church is welcome to the meetings.

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Our Faith Development Ministry Team works with the Minister of Community Life and Learning to fulfill the mission of Lifespan Religious Education. This includes Sunday programming for children and youth, Our Whole Lives (OWL) sexuality education, and classes for adults. The team also coordinates special events designed to support and connect families throughout the year.

 

Lifespan Religious Education is rooted in our Unitarian Universalist tradition that respects the individual conscience of each participant and seeks to provide support  and resources for the discovery, emergence and cultivation of the individual and collective spiritual journey.

An important principle of Unitarian Universalism is “respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” Because of this principle our church organized a ministry team to discuss how we as a church might better follow this principle both as an organization as well as in our individual lives.

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The Green Sanctuary Ministry Team is committed to building awareness of environmental issues and generating an interest for personal lifestyle changes among our fellow UUs as well as the general community. Its members strive to build a sustainable world as well as a connection between spiritual practice and environmental consciousness.  

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To accomplish these goals, among other things, the Green Sanctuary does the following:

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• Collaborates with the Properties Ministry Team to ensure that use of our buildings and grounds is done in such a way as to lessen our impact on the earth.
  Accomplishments have included converting to high-efficiency lights throughout the church, eliminating in-ground sprinkler watering of the lawn, and reducing our air conditioning use.

• Chooses a yearly theme to focus the work of the team. We are currently continuing with our theme “Faith and Climate Change.” To educate the congregation and community members on the theme, the Green Sanctuary hosts many events, educational opportunities, and leads an Earth Day worship service.

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In 2014, UUCGL was formally accredited as a “Green Sanctuary” by the national Unitarian Universalist Association. For more information see the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Green Sanctuary Program.

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Visit our webpage and resource list on this website!

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Because our congregation has historic roots in the city of Lynn, we are particularly dedicated to having a supportive presence with other faith communities and community organizations in that city. We feed hungry folks in partnership with food pantries in Lynn and Swampscott, prepare and serve a special holiday meal every year for My Brother’s Table, support literacy programs for children through financial and volunteer involvement, and participate in the many initiatives of the Essex County Community Organization (ECCO).

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In past years we have worked with partner organizations to advocate for the rights of immigrants, a higher minimum wage, earned sick time for all Massachusetts workers, and to support the concerns of the Black Lives Matter movement.

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We are a Welcoming Congregation with gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual and transgender members.

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We believe that, in the words of Cornel West, “Justice is what love looks like in public.”

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You are welcome to join with us, or participate in any of our sponsored activities. You can keep up with our events and volunteer opportunities by signing up for the Weekly Update newsletter and checking the our page on this website.

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Helpful Links:

Social Justice Page

Congregation-wide Anti-Racism Initiative

Anti-Racism Resources

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Every member of our community is on the Pastoral Caregivers Ministry Team!

Reaching out to support one another is one of the most important commitments we make to each other as a church. Our special spiritual friendships here invite us to move beyond small talk and into closer relationships. Every week in our worship service, we are invited to share our joys, sorrows and milestones with the congregation. At this time, we may find out about the need for cards, calls, visits, rides or meals. Everyone should expect to both give and receive within community.

If you have a pastoral need or know someone who does, please email the pastoral caregivers.

 

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