User:RoseyCat/First Unitarian Church of Memphis

First Unitarian Church of Memphis is a Unitarian Universalist church located at 292 Virginia Avenue West in Memphis, Tennessee.

The History of the First Unitarian Church of Memphis
The First Unitarian Church is rooted in the Judeo-Christian heritage and came into being during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. Church members are not required to follow any particular creed, but must affirm the 16th century statement of the Unitarian minister Francis David, "We need not think alike to love alike." Members also affirm the Protestant notion of the priesthood of all believers by asserting that final authority for religious faith should rest in the conscience and experience of the individual. Though the congregation exhibits a wide spectrum of religious thought, the members agree that faith involves inquiry. Thus, the church exists to institutionalize religious freedom.

The First Unitarian Church of Memphis is Located on the Banks of the Mighty Mississippi River
The First Unitarian Church of Memphis was organized in 1893 and moved to the river bluff in 1966 where it became known as The Church of the River. They are a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association, formed in 1961 by the merger of the American Unitarian Association, founded in 1825 and the Universalist Church of America which was founded in 1778. They bring together the historic Unitarian affirmation of one God, with many ways of worship and the Universalist belief that no person is beyond the saving power of redemptive love.

About the Covenant of the First Unitarian Church of Memphis, known as The Church of the River
Contemporary Unitarian churches have no creeds to which members must agree. Each congregation has its own covenant, sometimes called a bond of fellowship or statement of purpose, which describes the spirit of how members are united in religious community. The covenant of the Church of the River affirms:

The purpose of this church shall be to promote the high ideals of a rational, progressive, and exalting religion, in the love of God and service to humanity, and to hold regular church services in this community. To this end, all activities of the church shall be conducted without distinction related to race, color or previous religious affiliations; and the right of private judgment and the sacredness of individual conviction shall be recognized in all things. To join this church is to walk with other members of the congregation in the spirit of their covenant.