312 FILLMORE STREET, STATEN ISLAND, NY 10301    PHONE: 718-447-2204
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Reverend Emily DeTar Birt, Minister of the Unitarian Church of Staten Island.
Information About Reopening our Church this Fall
The UCSI COVID Taskforce, staff and Board of Trustees have been hard at work planning how to safely reopen our church this fall. Therefore, with good science and following our Unitarian Universalists values, we put forth the following values and policies:
Please see our values and guidelines here. These guidelines will be followed for any in-person events we host.

An Important Message About the Delta Variant
Over the last several weeks, the Delta variant has spread across NYC and especially Staten Island, leading to high positive test rates in Richmond County.
This means we will not be able to safely host in-person services by Sunday, September 12th.
Of course, we hope to reopen the church for in-person services as soon as it is safe to do so. If positive cases decrease to below the 3% positive test rate threshold, we will be excited to move forward with in-person services. But if cases of the variant continue to fall above the threshold, we will continue online services. Please stay tuned as we find out more.

​Welcome to the Unitarian Church of Staten Island, where we treasure the wisdom of the great religious and ethical traditions of the world.  We find nourishment in religious exploration and fellowship, and invite you to join us. The spirit of Unitarian Universalism is not new—since the first century, people have aspired to freedom of thought in the face of dominant religious beliefs. We count those free thinkers and heretics as our ancestors. We are the only Unitarian Universalist congregation intentionally founded by Transcendentalist Abolitionists. In that tradition we invite members to engage the world through spiritual growth and personal transformation. Speak with any member during coffee hour after the Sunday service, contact the office or our minister, Emily DeTar Birt, via email or phone.​

Rev. Emily DeTar Birt reminds us, "There is a love so much greater than us that connects all of us  to each other. We are powerfully full of connection, held in the grace of our interconnected lives, and held by all the threads of relationship that keep us thriving." 

The Unitarian Church of Staten Island is a Member of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
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Anti-war activist and Muslim Ghanim Khalil, in dialog with Rabbi Michael Howald.


​INTRODUCTION

The Unitarian Church of Staten Island (UCSI), dating from 1852, is the only Unitarian Universalist congregation founded by Transcendentalist Abolitionists, including nationally recognized political and intellectual leaders.  We've met in our current building since 1895.  Learn more about our history >

Our sermons (listen here), music, and readings are drawn from the world's religions, current events and the arts, with themes that focus on human dignity, social justice, and ecological responsibility.


OUR uCSI mission

Our mission, as a church in the community of Staten Island is:
  • To open our hearts and home in order to enrich our community.
  • To extend ourselves to help make the world a better place.
  • To support and nurture people as they search for their own truth.
  • To share the responsibility for sustaining our cherished home!
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Our historic Arts & Crafts building, located one block from Snug Harbor Cultural Center.


our uua seven principles

The Seven Principles guide all member churches of the Unitarian Universalist Association: 
  • First Principle: The inherent worth and dignity of every person.
  • Second Principle: Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.
  • Third Principle: Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.
  • Fourth Principle: A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
  • Fifth Principle: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.
  • Sixth Principle: The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.
  • Seventh Principle: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
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Our members table at the Annual PrideFest, which is celebrated at Snug Harbor Cultural Center.

our six sources

We affirm and promote these six sources of spiritual and ethical wisdom:
  • 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 power of love.
  • Wisdom from the world's religions which inspire 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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We are handicapped accessible.