Our Faith
Consulting Minister Rev. Dianne M. Daniels welcomes visitors to the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Storrs.
Our Sunday Service Traditions
SUNDAYS 10:30 – 11:30 am (A number of folks show up early to help set up, or stay late to help clean up. 
As the spirit moves them, people bring snacks for Social Hour after the service – there is always enough.) Our logo is a chalice. It symbolizes a shining light to help us see our way through life. At the beginning of every service, we light a chalice. The service itself includes a sequence of readings, songs backed by piano or guitar, perhaps poems, call-and-response readings, and sometimes a meditation.
About mid-service we have a custom called “Joys & Concerns” – during which any member may elect to come forward and offer a personal joy or concern. Sometimes people have several things to share, but our custom is short explanations rather than prolonged speeches. There is occasional laughter at Joys, and sometimes tears at Concerns. It’s all OK.
Next comes a traditional passing of the Donation Basket, and, simultaneously, anyone may bring forward durable foods for donation to a local food kitchen.
(A NOTE: During Joys & Concerns, and Donations, occasionally there may a little light banter and if someone makes a witty comment, light clapping and laughing is permissible. Sometimes someone sparks a little clever repartee. But we are generally not a raucous crowd, nor are we stern. Our services are casual and laid back, as is our clothing.)
Next comes the sermon. Usually about 20 minutes. Our minister is hired 1/4-time, so she preaches once a month. The other 3 Sundays a month, we either invite in other ministers, or public speakers, or, often as not, one of our members will hold forth on a thought-worthy spiritual topic. Our services are varied in topic and diverse in faith. We welcome all faiths – Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Humanist, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, atheist, agnostic, and more.
(A NOTE: Our Program Committee is very diligent about integrating the songs, poems, and readings with the theme of the sermon. We take pride in offering a well-crafted spiritual experience.)
When the sermon is over, a final benediction is rendered, the chalice light is extinguished, then there is a spirited stampede to the basement for wisecracks, wisdom, snacks and bracing coffee and tea.
Reverend Dianne's Sermons
Click HERE to visit the Sermons page!
Beyond Sundays – Supplementary Worship on the Last Tuesday of Each Month
The Common Read Sessions around the book “Social Change Now” were held in February 2026. The sessions were successful, and we thank everyone who participated in the rich discussions.
Keep checking this page as UUFStorrs plans for the next Common Read, to be announced later in 2026.
Our Shared Values
EQUITY: We affirm that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion.
GENEROSITY: We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.
INTERDEPENDENCE: We honor the interdependent web of all existence and acknowledge our place in it.
JUSTICE: We work toward justice, equity and compassion in all human relations.
PLURALISM: We are all sacred beings diverse in culture, experience, and theology.
TRANSFORMATION: We adapt to the changing world.
LOVE: This is the ESSENCE of our FAITH. LOVE is the power that holds us together, and is at the center of our Shared Values.
8 Principles
- To Respect the Worth and Dignity of Everybody
- To Promote Justice and Compassion for Everybody
- To Encourage Spiritual Growth in Ourselves
- To Search for Truth and Meaning for Ourselves
- To Employ the Democratic Process in our Decisions
- To Seek Peace and Liberty for Everybody
- To Tend the Interconnected Web of Existence
- To Oppose Oppression
Congregational Covenant
A “Covenant” is a “group promise”.
“To covenant” means for a group of people to make a promise to each other.
A covenant is formalized through group participation and group agreement.
Recognizing that we are individuals who need one another, we stand as a community held together by the promises we make and keep.
We promise to:
- Share the ministry of our congregation through our gifts of time, talent, and money.
- Celebrate our intentional diversity with joy and gratitude.
- Attend to our differences by refraining from judgment, by listening, and by being respectful of others in the congregation and of their ideas and values.
- Be steadfast in support of our community in times of need.
- Strive to live our lives according to our UU Values and Principles.
- Create a supportive environment where people feel cared for and safe.
UUFS Leadership promises to:
- Provide a safe and welcoming environment for services and events.
- Promote the UU Values and Principles and assist members in the daily practice of the UU Values and Principles.
- Develop and implement programs and services based on UU Values and Principles that inspire, challenge, and invoke introspection to promote the spiritual growth of the congregation.
- Provide a forum for those who share UU values, are open to learning from one another, and are working toward spiritual growth.
- Provide care and assistance for members in need.
- Engage with the broader community to promote UU values and expand our membership with the goal of intentional diversity.
- Coordinate with the community to assist those in need and to implement social justice.
Mission
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Storrs celebrates diversity and spiritual growth in a covenantal community of faith.
Our "Welcoming and Affirming Congregation" Designation
A note about semantics: You may hear that we are a “welcoming congregation”. This means that we welcome everybody. You may also hear that we are a “Welcoming and Affirming Congregation”, which, when capitalized, has a very specific meaning. It means that we are sensitive to the prejudice that LGBTQIA+ people are suffering in American culture, sometimes from religious organizations. So the term “Welcoming and Affirming Congregation” means that we have been certified by our headquarters (UUA.org) to be a place that honors and welcomes people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
We want to be especially clear that the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Storrs is a ‘welcoming, friendly, and safe space for whoever you are and for all that you are’.