About Us
Hope Unitarian Church is a progressive religious community in south Tulsa. We are nestled in an oasis of nature atop the highest point in the city at 84th and Sheridan. We invite all ages to join us on Sunday mornings and for our activities!
We walk diverse paths to find meaning and purpose, united by our belief in the worth and dignity of all. We accept the obligation to express our faith through acts of justice and compassion. Join us as we create a lively community seeking truth in love while being true to our name: Hope!
Our Beliefs
What is a Unitarian Universalist?
Unitarian Universalists (UU) affirm the individual conscience in matters of religion and the search for truth. We proclaim the center of religious life is the local church, governed by congregational democracy. We affirm deeds not creeds, the use of reason in religion and covenant as the basis for religious community. We recognize the scriptures of all religions as human attempts to understand the divine and as such subject to interpretation and critique on the same basis as other human literature.
We believe the purpose of the church is not to require people to believe alike, but to create a Beloved Community where human souls are knit together, where people can laugh and cry with one another, sharing with and supporting one another through the best and the worst of times. We welcome all who come to our door, regardless of race, ethnicity, ability, gender or gender/sexual orientation.
Our church is not unique. Our tradition finds its roots in the Pilgrim and Puritan traditions of New England and the Universalist Church of America. The Pilgrims and Puritans were neither Unitarian nor Universalist, but they rejected creeds in favor of covenants and insisted on the right of individual conscience and congregational polity–the belief that the local church was the highest authority and that it should be ruled democratically. They also insisted on education for both their ministers and their laity.
Over time the Pilgrims and Puritans evolved into Unitarians and played a pivotal role in the beginnings of the United States with three of the first six Presidents being members of Unitarian churches (John Adams and John Quincy Adams) or Unitarian in their personal theology (Thomas Jefferson). The Universalist side of our tradition comes from the Universalist Church of America that rejected the hell fire and brimstone tradition of early American evangelists and insisted instead on a doctrine of love.
Hope Unitarian Church is a proud member of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.
A flaming chalice, symbolizing religious freedom and those who have died for it, is lighted at the beginning of each worship service.
Our Covenant
Love is the spirit of this church, and service is its law; this is our great covenant: to dwell together in peace, to seek the truth in love, and to help one another.
James Vila Blake, 1894
Our Congregation and Building
LGBTQ Welcoming Congregation
We are a Welcoming Congregation, recognized by the Unitarian Universalist Association. This means we affirm and include people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer at every level of congregational life—in worship, in programs, and in social occasions—welcoming everyone as a whole person.
As a Welcoming Congregation, we pledge to:
- honor the lives of all people and equally affirm displays of caring and affection without regard for sexual orientation.
- celebrate diversity by using inclusive language and content in worship.
- incorporate an understanding of the experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer persons throughout all of our programs, including religious education.
- affirm and celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues and history.
- affirm marriage equality and conduct same-sex weddings.
- advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, promoting justice, freedom, and equality in the larger society. We speak out when the rights and dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people are at stake.
Green Sanctuary
Hope Unitarian Church is an accredited Green Sanctuary through the UUA Green Sanctuary Program.Our passion for environmental justice includes the forest surrounding the church on its hill. Issues through out our community and state matter deeply to us.
Priorities for the program include environmental education for all ages, reducing church energy and maintenance costs and to advance awareness of how Hope Church can be an example of a religious community that has a commitment to environmental sustainability.
The congregation takes part in many ways, including:
1. Building awareness of the significance to the church and to the surrounding community of cost savings and recycling opportunities and the importance to the environment of a Green Sanctuary Church program.
2. Encouraging lifestyle changes at home.
3. Advocating energy conservation and environmental sustainability in the community by publicizing what the church has done, providing cost savings reports, and showcasing examples of building and grounds best practices.
“An authentic life is the most personal form of worship. Everyday life has become my prayer”
~ Sarah Ban Breathnach