Who We Are

The UDC (Unity and Diversity Council) Ministry is one part of the UDC Council, which is particularly focused on interfaith ministry and working for peace and harmony between religious groups and all people of the world.

This website is new and still under construction, but will serve as an information source for UDC ministry events and as a blog for ordained UDC ministers.

UDCBannerLogo3

MISSION of the Unity and Diversity Council:

To establish and sustain a local-to-global cooperating body
of individuals, groups, and networks for the pursuit of peace, justice,
and an environmentally sustainable civilization
for all races, cultures, and religions
based on universal ethical and spiritual principles.

The Uniqueness of the Unity-and-Diversity Ministry

The Unity-and-Diversity Ministry is unique in a number of ways, in that the ministry is part of the Unity-and-Diversity World Council, Inc., which has a number of other dimentions to its work: an annual Peace Sunday event, which brings together many faith-based and social justice groups for a day of dialog and networking; regular interfaith celebrations in Los Angeles and Inland Valley of Southern California; and a new Culture of Peace monthly series which started in 2012.

A centrally important application of the Ministry is the establishment of Unity-and-Diversity gathering venues in various parts of the world. Such gatherings serve as an interfaith place of worship, as well as a place of coming together of different faiths and other dimensions of the community as indicated by the Unity-and-Diversity Peace Wheel. To date, most of the ministers have chosen to do teaching, counseling, movement, healing, and administration. Our ministers are guest speakers, counselors, chaplains, networkers, teachers, artists, performers, and at least one of our ministers is involved in the parish ministry with an existing church.

There was a time not so long ago when a particular religion provided the center of community. The time has now come when no single ideology or belief system can prove to be the only center of community in our ever growing diversity. So the Unity-and-Diversity ministry supports interfaith gatherings as communities’ hearts, allowing people of all inclinations to come together and get to know one another, and together build greater bridges towards peaceful and sustainable co-existence in the world. The  hopes to serve along such goals increasingly throughout the world.

UdcWheelJune2000

UDC DECLARATION OF INTERDEPENDENCE

We the People declare our interdependence – our connection to the Source of All Life and to all life forms. We affirm that diverse individuals, groups, and networks are necessary for the creative development of humanity; and that to strengthen UNITY-AND- DIVERSITY throughout the universe is our individual responsibility and privilege.

We therefore pledge:

  • To affirm the existence of a Supreme Beingness, called by any or no name;
  • To advance both individuality and human fellowship through mutual trust, understanding, and respect;
  • To seek truth in the spirit of love;
  • To integrate reason and faith, science and religion;
  • To insure that all aspects of life be kept in dynamic balance for maximum health and wellbeing;
  • To respect the teachings of the prophets and sages of all times and cultures;
  • To provide present and future generations with the opportunity for full realization of their potentials; and
  • To build with joy a new civilization of freedom, justice, and peace founded on reverence for life.

Being of a common sacred origin, We, the People, hereby declare our interdependence. We shall kindle the torch of hope, link hands over space and time, and fulfill our interdependence through action.

Leave a comment