312 FILLMORE STREET, STATEN ISLAND, NY 10301    PHONE: 718-447-2204
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Our historic Arts & Crafts building, located one block from Snug Harbor Cultural Center. Photo courtesy of Aisha Arcangel
There is nothing like a UU congregation
I retired in June of 2019 and until this fall I was not an active UU near a congregation for the first time since 1971. I was surprised at how much I missed the connection. I made friends and became active in useful organizations, but nothing replaced UU. What was missing was community.

In society, community is a vague concept and a thin reality. UUs have a commitment to a standard of behavior toward each other, and toward the truth, that supports the best in people, even if our behavior sometimes falls short. Therefore, my parting message is that our congregation, whatever form it takes, has both an historic and urgent obligation to its future. We must not forget how important our congregations are to the greater community.

Our numbers are small, but we have many “deep-well UUs,” seasoned members who know how to lead and how to follow, what they believe and how to transform belief into action. It is my professional and personal opinion that UCSI will create a future for itself even stronger than its past.
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-- Rev. Darrell Berger
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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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Church Interior: The Rose Window in our Sanctuary



our seven UU 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.