312 FILLMORE STREET, STATEN ISLAND, NY 10301    PHONE: 718-447-2204
Picture
Reverend Emily DeTar Birt, Minister of the Unitarian Church of Staten Island.
The Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Church of Staten Island is examining ways to return to in-person Sunday Services while retaining an online option when our 2021-22 Church Year begins in September. Our traditional Summer Sunday hiatus begins in mid-June. During the summer months we offer a Summer Series of gatherings and events on Sundays.  Information about these weekly events will be published on our Facebook page (click the icon on the upper right on this page) and in our weekly newsletter.
​
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
Picture
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!
​
Picture
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.
Picture
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.
Picture
We are handicapped accessible.