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Our Purpose and Covenant
Our church is based on a shared covenant and the liberal religious traditions of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
The Purpose of the Church is to promote liberal religion; to ensure for all, individual freedom of conscience and to restrict no one in his/her belief with creedal or doctrinal confessions. We unite to strengthen the bonds of kinship among all persons; to promote human dignity and increase reverence for life's creating, sustaining and transforming power through worship, study and service.
Covenant of the Unitarian Universalist Association We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, 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.
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The living tradition that 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 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.
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Grateful for the religious pluralism that 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.
Our History
From a small gathering of 18 adults and 34 children in 1956 to a strong and growing church of over 300 members and 200 children today.
Our Beginnings
Our congregation of 18 members first gathered in the fall of 1956 as the Countryside Universalist Fellowship. In 1963, the word "Unitarian" was added. The congregation called the Reverend Dr. Ruppert Lovely, a student minister at the time, to the pulpit in 1965.
Through the years, as we grew, we met in various rented facilities until 1976, when we purchased the old Palatine Public Library on Broackway Street. The space was renovated to house the Countryside Unitarian Universalist Church and its programs. During the 80's we enlarged our professional staff to include a Religious Education Director, a pianist and a music director.
In 1993, with an adult membership of 150 plus 91 young people, we dedicated our current building on Smith Road. The congregation voted in 2001 to expand our building to accommodate our growth, providing for additional classrooms as well as increasing the social space. The new wing was dedicated on June 1, 2003.
Following the retirement in June of 2001 of Dr. Lovely our settled minister of 36 years, the church was served by a series of interim ministers while a search committee implemented a UUA process to obtain a new minister. The Rev. Julie Denny-Hughes was hired in August of 2004 as our settled minister. She served through December 2006 when she resigned to pursue a career in community ministry.
On June 6, 2007, Countryside received official designation as a UUA Welcoming Congregation. This designation means that the members, after engaging in a process of
self-examination, education and discussion, in accordance with the Welcoming Congregation Guidelines of the Unitarian Universalist Association, declared ourselves to affirm bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender persons, to be responsive to their concerns, and to celebrate and be inclusive of bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender persons as members of our church community and our community at large.
Countryside Today
Countryside Church currently enjoys a diverse membership of approximately 300 adults and 200 children mostly from the Northwest Suburban towns of Palatine, Arlington Heights, Barrington, Inverness, Mt. Prospect, Schaumburg, and surrounding neighborhoods.
We have a full time staff of a Minister and Director of Religious Education, and a part time Pianist/Music Director and Office Administrator. The congregation is served by an interim minister while a search committee is seeking a settled minister following the UUA process of interviewing candidates and inviting a selected candidate to be voted on by the congregation. We hope to complete this process in the Spring of 2008.
We are also currently working through the UUA processes of affirming that we have a ‘Green Sanctuary’. A Green Sanctuary is one respectful of our environment and attempts to implement all possible practices of sustainability.
Our Future
We have completed a long range plan or vision of our mission and goals for the next 5-10 years that we collectively refer to as SpICE, an acronym for: Spirituality, Involvement, Communications, and Education--each important dimensions to our work. Each year, the leadership of the church gather in a retreat to assess progress against our goals, learn from our successes and failures, and to establish new goals for the coming year.
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About Us