Unitarian Universalists?

[tinkhs]

We are searching for a church and a friend suggested we visit a Unitarian Universalist Church. We are Christians, but socially liberal, and not young Earth. I guess we are looking for a community of loving, tolerant people. Any opinions would be appreciated. :)

[Starr]

The UU's I know do not consider themselves Christian. I think you would be more at home in a mainline denomination, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Lutheran?

[spaceman]

We are UU. There is a huge variety of UU churches, so you will really need to attend to see what you think.

 

We are also Christians, but enjoy inspiration and community with people of other faiths.

 

In my experience UU churches are usually full of loving, tolerant people. :)

[Farrar]

We attend a UU church. Indeed, they are always liberal leaning politically. I'm Christian - I was really raised religious left - and I feel more or less at home in our church. In a true UU church, all are welcome with all kinds of beliefs. The social justice message and even some of the key concepts - like the "beloved community" - are familiar to me from my religious leftie upbringing. Our church is multi-cultural and has a wonderful preacher and a great sense of community - I love that we can walk there, for example. Plus, we have awesome music.

 

However, my in-laws also attend a UU church and I would not feel comfortable there - they love it and I'm sure it's a wonderful church in many ways, but it's much too loosey-goosey, nature worshipy for me. The two times I went I did not agree with the message of the sermon and the music was not to my taste spiritually or musically.

 

So... like any other church, UU communities can vary a good bit. Check it out - it may be you'll like it or it may be that coming from a Christian perspective you'll find there isn't enough, as dh puts it, "there there." Either way, they should be welcoming of different views because that's at the heart of the UU ideal.

[Melinda in VT]

I divided my time between a UU church and a UCC church (United Church of Christ) for several years. I loved our UU church, but I needed a greater dose of Christianity. Alternating Sundays worked very well for me.

 

I agree with the posters who said UU congregations can vary a lot, so you really need to visit to see for yourself.

[Joanne]

The UU's I know do not consider themselves Christian. I think you would be more at home in a mainline denomination, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Lutheran?

 

I'd personally be ok with a UU church, but I also think the above are good ideas. I'd add to the list:

 

Methodist

First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

 

And I'd drop Lutheran MS

[LittleIzumi]

I think a lot of the attitude depends on the particular group in a lot of religions. For example, I'm LDS, and while a lot of of LDS are conservative, I'm very liberal, and I know a lot of LDS moms who are also liberal. The Church takes no political stance so it varies a lot. :grouphug: I hope you find the right church for you.

[tinkhs]

Thank you so much for the opinions. Over the last 20 years I've been in and out of a variety of Protestant churches and they seem to be getting more and more conservative Politically. I have not tried the Episcopal church, however. Between that and maybe our local UU I might find a community. :)

[Matryoshka]

We are searching for a church and a friend suggested we visit a Unitarian Universalist Church. We are Christians, but socially liberal, and not young Earth. I guess we are looking for a community of loving, tolerant people. Any opinions would be appreciated. :)

 

UU churches vary widely. Most of the ones I've visted tended to be more like social justice meetings than a religious gathering. However, there are UU churches that lean more towards Christianity and are not against using the word God or even talking about Jesus. I think you just have to attend the one you're thinking of and see what it's like.

 

My church is dual-affiliated UU/UCC - the second denomination is a liberal Christian one. I've found this a very nice mix, even though it may sound like a contradiction. You could very well find a straight UCC church a nice fit - they are definitely Christian but socially liberal and tolerant. (UCC = United Church of Christ, which apparently should not be confused with Church of Christ, which is quite conservative, I think).

 

You might also want to look at the Unity church - I really know nothing about them past what's on their website, but when I was considering a move once I looked into them because they had a church near where I was moving, and they intrigued me. On paper, at least, it sounded a lot like what our church was like.

[tinkhs]

Thank you so much for this clarification. We live in a very small town, so we might be limited by our choices, but without your explanation, I would have not looked into a UCC church. :)

 

UU churches vary widely. Most of the ones I've visted tended to be more like social justice meetings than a religious gathering. However, there are UU churches that lean more towards Christianity and are not against using the word God or even talking about Jesus. I think you just have to attend the one you're thinking of and see what it's like.

 

My church is dual-affiliated UU/UCC - the second denomination is a liberal Christian one. I've found this a very nice mix, even though it may sound like a contradiction. You could very well find a straight UCC church a nice fit - they are definitely Christian but socially liberal and tolerant. (UCC = United Church of Christ, which apparently should not be confused with Church of Christ, which is quite conservative, I think).

 

You might also want to look at the Unity church - I really know nothing about them past what's on their website, but when I was considering a move once I looked into them because they had a church near where I was moving, and they intrigued me. On paper, at least, it sounded a lot like what our church was like.

[twoforjoy]

It really depends on the UU church.

 

We attend a UU church for years. I started identifying as a Christian again while in the UU church. The particular church we were in was not a very good fit for Christians. There was a poll done at one point, and out of the 300 members, less than 5 identified as Christian.

 

I think this was largely because the community it was located in had a number of liberal Christian churches. So, there were plenty of other places for liberal-leaning Christians to go, and most UU Christians ended up leaving for one of those. A number, like I eventually did, left for one of the Episcopal churches. (I was raised Catholic, so the Episcopal Church is a very comfortable fit for me.) There were also liberal Presbyterian, Methodist, UCC, and Lutheran churches in the area. You could probably find a dozen liberal Christian churches within the town (it was a large-ish college town), and so I'm assuming the issue wasn't that the UU church was unwelcoming to Christians, but most liberal Christians could find a comfortable church community elsewhere, and so there just wasn't much of a Christian presence in the church.

 

I'd definitely give it a try, though. At the very least, even if the worship doesn't suit you or you don't feel spiritually "fed" there, you'll find loving, tolerant people. :)

[tinkhs]

I'd definitely give it a try, though. At the very least, even if the worship doesn't suit you or you don't feel spiritually "fed" there, you'll find loving, tolerant people. :)

 

Thank you. :)

[Jenny in Florida]

The UU's I know do not consider themselves Christian. I think you would be more at home in a mainline denomination, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Lutheran?

 

I'm a UU and not a Christian. However, our church has many members who are Christian. (We also have pagans of various flavors, Jews, athiests, agnostics, Buddhist, etc.) For most UUs, it's less about what you believe and more about the basic need to be in fellowship.

 

I can't imagine a UU minister ever telling you what you must or must not believe. In fact, one of our basic principles is that we affirm a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning."

 

I think a number of years ago, an outspoken Christian might have found some UU churches less than hospitable. (That's another thing: We follow a congregationalist model, meaning each church calls its own minister and more or less does its own thing, following the interests and leanings of the congregation. Some are very "out there," while others are still using a lightly edited version of the Book of Common Prayer. You'd have to look around and try your local church to really get a sense of what happens there.)

 

As I said, I think the atmosphere has changed quite a lot for the better and more tolerant in the last 15 years or so. Back when I joined my first UU church, I think many of us were more sensitive and reactionary about differentiating ourselves from mainstream Christianity. We've mellowed, I think, since then.

 

If you have questions, I'll be happy to share our experiences with UUism. I've been a member of three congregations over the last 25 years and have visited others while travelling. I'm not an expert, but I'm here and would love to help.

Edited July 6, 2011 by Jenny in Florida

[KarenNC]

We have been UU for something like 14 years now. I see the denomination overall moving a bit more toward being comfortable with spirituality and "God talk" than it was for a good while. It's been a great home for us, but we are not Christian. I was Christian for close to 30 years, and I don't know that I would have been totally comfortable in a UU setting. Be aware that UU is non-creedal, so you would likely be worshiping alongside Neopagans, atheists, humanists, agnostics, Buddhists as well as possibly Christians, Jews, etc. Our religious education program and worship services are as likely to draw from Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, science, philosophy, social action groups, Neopaganism, humanism, etc. as Christianity. Our particular church's worship style would be very familiar to a Protestant Christian, but I have not seen them ever offer Eucharist/Communion or Christian baptism. We do have a Christmas Eve service that includes traditional Christian Christmas carols, but often the hymns will have quite different lyrics than the ones I grew up with in the Presbyterian Church or experienced in the Episcopal, though the tune may be the same.

 

If that would be comfortable to you, then UU by all means :) and definitely contact the local UU minister to discuss what that particular congregation is like. The denomination website is http://www.uua.org---you may find a website for your local congregations and can check them out that way as well. I don't know where you live, which will likely also affect your experiences. You will find UU's, IME, to be very focused on social justice and taking action here and now vs. spending a lot of time on what might come after death. One minister summed up his view as (I'll paraphrase): "All life is interconnected. What you do matters. Behave in accordance with the first two statements."

 

As for liberal Christian denominations, check out the following---I'll give my overall impression, but realize individual congregations will vary:

Episcopal---very traditional liturgically, very liberal theologically, usually great music IMO---I attended several Episcopal churches for a number of years. I adore high church liturgy and miss it.

American Baptist---very different than Southern Baptist, tends to be very liberal politically. One of our local ones does pulpit exchanges with the Reform Jewish rabbi, does Holy Union ceremonies for same sex couples, had a Jungian Sunday School class, etc.

UCC---as described above. The Our Whole Lives human sexuality course our church uses was developed by a joint effort of the UU and UCC denominations and I think highly of it. UCC members I have met have been pretty liberal.

Unity---I'm not 100% sure they self-identify as Christian. The one I visited briefly was definitely more spiritually-oriented than action-oriented from what I saw, at least compared with the UU churches I know.

[mommymilkies]

I love the UU system. There were many Christian UUs where I used to go (before we moved). Liberal Quaker, Episcopalian, and Anglican churches are also great. Good luck!

[Jenny in Florida]

And I have to admit it surprises me.

 

My kids have both sung for several years with choirs based at our local Episcopal cathedral, and that's pretty much my only experience with the denomination. But this particular church is very conservative politically. In fact, they are one of the churches struggling with the question of whether to leave the denomiation over the issue of ordaining gay clergy.

 

Please don't misunderstand: We have many friends there, and most of the people are lovely. We just don't agree with them about pretty much anything political.

 

Honestly, when I see a bumper sticker on any car in the parking lot that isn't Republican/pro-life/anti-Obama/pro-gun/etc., I always know it's a visitor.

 

Maybe it's different in different diocese, but my experience with the local folks suggests a political liberal would not feel at home there.

Edited July 6, 2011 by Jenny in Florida

[ereks mom]

...Christians, but socially liberal... tolerant

 

In my area of the Bible Belt, this is how the Episcopalians describe themselves, and to a great extent, the Presbyterians (PC USA, but not PCA) do as well.

[catz]

We are searching for a church and a friend suggested we visit a Unitarian Universalist Church. We are Christians, but socially liberal, and not young Earth. I guess we are looking for a community of loving, tolerant people. Any opinions would be appreciated. :)

 

We are UU. There are certainly christian UU's at our church (and Jewish UU's, and Muslims UU's, etc). Some UU churches lean more agnostic/humanist than others. But it is certainly socially liberal and welcoming to all. Our services draw wisdom from many sources though, not just the bible so if you are really drawn to a bible based church a UU church would not be for you.

 

That being said, both my husband and I were raised Catholics and have been members of a UU church for about 12 years. It has been a wonderful home for us and our kids. I never in a million years thought I'd be as invested in a church as we are in our current one. UU churches vary quite a bit and for us, I don't love the message preached every week. But I do love that I can disagree and discuss it. When I first started there, it seemed odd that I could question or even just disregard a sermon if it didn't speak to me. During the summer at our church, there is lay leadership and it's really hit or miss. I could see people visiting once and getting a really wrong impression so you might want to commit to giving it a fair shot before deciding it's not for you.

 

I also love the community of families at our church. My kids are so at home there and I love how they handle their programming.

 

The UCC in our neighborhood is just on the Christian side of UU and many of it's members come back and forth. The local Quaker group seems promising here too.

 

Good luck on your journey!

[KarenNC]

And I have to admit it surprises me.

 

My kids have both sung for several years with choirs based at our local Episcopal cathedral, and that's pretty much my only experience with the denomination. But this particular church is very conservative politically. In fact, they are one of the churches struggling with the question of whether to leave the denomiation over the issue of ordaining gay clergy.

 

Please don't misunderstand: We have many friends there, and most of the people are lovely. We just don't agree with them about pretty much anything political.

 

Honestly, when I see a bumper sticker on any car in the parking lot that isn't Republican/pro-life/anti-Obama/pro-gun/etc., I always know it's a visitor.

 

Maybe it's different in different diocese, but my experience with the local folks suggests a political liberal would not feel at home there.

 

As I said, there is some variety within the denominations. You can have the gamut from the type you describe to those following along Bishop John Shelby Spong's direction---http://johnshelbyspong.com/. One of his books is titled, "Why Christianity Must Change or Die." Looking at his book titles gives an insight into his position http://johnshelbyspong.com/store/. Both are pretty extreme in my experience of the denomination---most churches tend to fall in between the two poles--but that's why you have issues currently with some Episcopal churches wanting to become Roman Catholic and why there was a split that created the Anglican Church in North America.

 

The Episcopal church where I was married 17 years ago is definitely well into the South and definitely supported marriage equality, ordination of openly practicing gay clergy, female clergy, etc. My husband was one of the two straight men in the large choir (there were more straight women....I think:)). They are very active in our Regional AIDS Interfaith Network, and they are considered a very liberal congregation in our area.

[tinkhs]

Thank you so much for your well wishes on our journey. I looked up the local UU church in our area and there doesn't seem to be a single minister/pastor. It's actually called a Fellowship. Is that the same thing?

[Jenny in Florida]

Thank you so much for your well wishes on our journey. I looked up the local UU church in our area and there doesn't seem to be a single minister/pastor. It's actually called a Fellowship. Is that the same thing?

 

Sometimes, "fellowship" means the congregation doesn't have a minister (being primarily lay led and/or borrowing ministers from other congregations occasionally) or has a minister only part time. My first UU church was a fellowship, and we had a half-time minister who led the service twice per month.

 

Sometimes, though, a congregation started out as a "fellowship" and grew but doesn't want to change the name. And sometimes, whoever founded the church liked the word "fellowship" better.

 

So, it can mean something, but it might also not.

[tinkhs]

Thank you, Jenny.

 

And Karen, I fully understand there could be Wiccans there also. I want my children to see that one can love a community and be different at the same time. Thank you for your forthrightness! That right there speaks volumes. :)

[SonshineLearner]

Disciples of Christ or United Methodist would be my picks to suggest. Just a thought.... I wouldn't do UU, but that's just me....

[tinkhs]

Thank you, Carrie. :)

[ocelotmom]

Maybe it's different in different diocese, but my experience with the local folks suggests a political liberal would not feel at home there.

I think this applies to most churches - you have to look at the individual church, not the denomination as a whole.

 

A lot of people are recommending PCUSA Presbyterian churches (and I don't disagree, on the whole). The PCUSA church where I grew up is heading in an increasingly conservative direction. Perhaps they'll switch affiliations, but for the time being they probably wouldn't be a great choice for a liberal willing to consider UU.

[KarenNC]

And Karen, I fully understand there could be Wiccans there also. I want my children to see that one can love a community and be different at the same time. Thank you for your forthrightness! That right there speaks volumes. :)

 

You're welcome. Sometimes that blindsides not only the Christian element, but also the atheist and humanist ones.:001_smile:

 

Personally, if we could have remained Christian, we would still be in the Episcopal Church. If we could have remained monotheist, we would be part of Reform Judaism. We studied with the rabbi locally for close to a year with an eye to conversion, but it didn't work out for us, though my husband has continued to sing there for over 12 years. As it is, being politically moderate polytheistic Neopagans (but not Wiccan;)) we don't find UU a perfect fit for our (admittedly very fringe) theology and sometimes a challenge politically (some UUs seem to forget the church is not an arm of the Democratic Party at times;)), but it is a great community and I'm glad my daughter is being raised in that atmosphere.

[tinkhs]

You're welcome. Sometimes that blindsides not only the Christian element, but also the atheist and humanist ones.:001_smile:

 

Personally, if we could have remained Christian, we would still be in the Episcopal Church. If we could have remained monotheist, we would be part of Reform Judaism. We studied with the rabbi locally for close to a year with an eye to conversion, but it didn't work out for us, though my husband has continued to sing there for over 12 years. As it is, being politically moderate polytheistic Neopagans (but not Wiccan;)) we don't find UU a perfect fit for our (admittedly very fringe) theology and sometimes a challenge politically (some UUs seem to forget the church is not an arm of the Democratic Party at times;)), but it is a great community and I'm glad my daughter is being raised in that atmosphere.

 

I've mentioned Episcopalian to my dh, but he thinks it too formal for worship. Which, coincidentally, I find kind of ironic. Anyway, we've looked into Messianic Judaism also; but we are closet hippies at heart. ;) I did notice the Democratic leanings when we checked out the local UU church (website); however, being a Green Party myself, I much prefer Democratic leanings. :)

[redsquirrel]

I grew up in a UU fellowship. I really loved it. I am in a more 'standard' UU church and sometimes I really miss the fellowship aspect.

 

 

Fellowship is lay led with maybe a student minister or occasionally a twice a month minister. In the fellowship of my youth we had people in from different churches every month to lecture about their faith. I learned so much.

 

I should warn that fellowship can feel a bit... college class-ish. More like a lecture than a service. it is also really small and I can imagine that feeling intimidating. It will go either way, you will feel left out or like everyone is turning themselves inside out to include you and be friendly, lol. Either way, it can be amusing to watch when you know what is happening.

 

You should be aware that many UU churches don't have much going on in the summer. They might not have services at all at a fellowship. Generally, the first Sunday after Labor Day is 'welcome home' day. Of course, I live in NY and the schools start here after Labor day. It might be an earlier start up in the schools there start in August.

 

edited to add: yes, check out UCC. I always call UCC our Christian kissing cousins.

[tinkhs]

I grew up in a UU fellowship. I really loved it. I am in a more 'standard' UU church and sometimes I really miss the fellowship aspect.

 

 

Fellowship is lay led with maybe a student minister or occasionally a twice a month minister. In the fellowship of my youth we had people in from different churches every month to lecture about their faith. I learned so much.

 

I should warn that fellowship can feel a bit... college class-ish. More like a lecture than a service. it is also really small and I can imagine that feeling intimidating. It will go either way, you will feel left out or like everyone is turning themselves inside out to include you and be friendly, lol. Either way, it can be amusing to watch when you know what is happening.

 

You should be aware that many UU churches don't have much going on in the summer. They might not have services at all at a fellowship. Generally, the first Sunday after Labor Day is 'welcome home' day. Of course, I live in NY and the schools start here after Labor day. It might be an earlier start up in the schools there start in August.

 

edited to add: yes, check out UCC. I always call UCC our Christian kissing cousins.

 

Good to know. I did find a UCC close by also! :)

[AuntPol]

I attended a UU church for years. I had to leave because I wasn't liberal! It was really uncomfortable for me during election year. Honestly, the motto seemed to be "You don't have to believe in God but you best believe in the Democratic Party!" and then the rest of the conversations were about how they couldn't tolerate the intolerant Christians. I used to chuckle at the irony but no one else could seem to get it. (Don't worry I laugh at the examples of irony in the more conservative church too!)

 

I was very disappointed in the lack of community service at our church. Community service in our church was:

 

Go to Romania and do a dance

Build a sculpture to promote peace (basically only ones that see it are other UUs)

Make and sell heart shape cookies to promote gay marriage (again basically sold to each other)

Watch dog group to make sure goverment is giving away enough money.

Light candles to protest some guy who raped and murdered some child getting put to death.

 

This really pales to what the more conservative churches of same size are doing and just was never meaningful to me.

 

ALso, our church was always broke. There were constant fund-raisers because no one would tithe. Money was brought up at just about every single sermon. I don't know if this is common to UUs or if we had a particularly cheap congregation.

 

I didn't like the music even though songs had good lyrics and we had a talented pianist. Everyone sang like they had a stick up their butt. No one could just have fun!

 

Obviously it wasn't a good fit for me personally because of my politics (I can't seem to find a good fit because I fit in between liberal and conservative). Additionally, each church is going to be different so your milage may vary. Our had a more Christian focus and then we lost our pastor and assistant pastor and youth pastor in the span of the month and it really got very pagan oriented. A lot of the people I liked ended up going to a UCC church and I went to a non-demonational church.

Edited July 6, 2011 by AuntPol

[amey311]

I know some socially liberal people who are Lutheran - ELCA, I think. Not the Missouri Synod. You can read about their social statements here: http://www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Social-Issues/Social-Statements.aspx

 

This might be a good fit if you want more of a "traditional" church with a socially liberal agenda.

 

I thought my United Methodist church growing up and where we attended briefly when we got married (both in the Northeast), but they might have a different feel elsewhere.

[Matryoshka]

edited to add: yes, check out UCC. I always call UCC our Christian kissing cousins.

 

Most of the big white New England churches on the common are UU. This is because the Unitarians (pre-Universalists) and the UCC (aka Congregationalists/Trinitarians) are directly descended from the churches that had to be registered before a town could be formed back in colonial times. When they split, a joke is that the Unitarians got the buildings and the Congregationalists got the communion silver. My church split sometime in the 1800s, but then got "remarried", lol.

 

And yes, you'll probably not find anyone much there in the summer. Our minister is on vacation, almost no one goes in the summer - we don't, even though we attend weekly during the school year. There's no church school or coffee hour. Last weekend with the holiday, I think they might not have even found a layperson to help with services, as they were cancelled. For either UU or UCC, you might want to wait for the fall to make a really informed decision about either congregation. Our church has a lot going on and a healthy, growing membership and lots of kids, but if you went in the summer you might think it had about 10 members and none of them with kids. :tongue_smilie:

[tinkhs]

The local UU church here still has coffee hour, looks like a good sign. :)

 

Thank you all so much for each of your experiences and recommendations!

[catz]

And yes, you'll probably not find anyone much there in the summer. Our minister is on vacation, almost no one goes in the summer - we don't, even though we attend weekly during the school year. There's no church school or coffee hour. Last weekend with the holiday, I think they might not have even found a layperson to help with services, as they were cancelled. For either UU or UCC, you might want to wait for the fall to make a really informed decision about either congregation. Our church has a lot going on and a healthy, growing membership and lots of kids, but if you went in the summer you might think it had about 10 members and none of them with kids. :tongue_smilie:

 

ROFL - That might be true at our church too! We rarely attend during the summer, but attend very regularly during the school year. You would get a much better picture in the fall for sure!

 

Our church does community service - more than any other church I've been too (I did some church shopping for a while). Even the kids do community service in church school which I absolutely love (packing food, care packages, get well and sympathy cards, playing with children from shelters, etc). Our church is very inclusive to other church groups. There are a few "holier than thou" people at our church, but I think it's hard not to find a couple nuts wherever you go.

Edited July 6, 2011 by kck

[meet me in paris]

And yes, you'll probably not find anyone much there in the summer. Our minister is on vacation, almost no one goes in the summer - we don't, even though we attend weekly during the school year. There's no church school or coffee hour. Last weekend with the holiday, I think they might not have even found a layperson to help with services, as they were cancelled. For either UU or UCC, you might want to wait for the fall to make a really informed decision about either congregation. Our church has a lot going on and a healthy, growing membership and lots of kids, but if you went in the summer you might think it had about 10 members and none of them with kids.

:iagree:

We are military, move often, and are professional church shoppers. :) I would never make a church-y decision in the summer!

[Amy in NH]

I'm currently a non-practicing UU. :D I agree with what other UUs have posted here.

 

I thought Episcopal is reuniting with Roman Catholic/Pope? That doesn't strike me as very liberal...

[Ecclecticmum]

UU churches vary widely as they are more based towards the community than the "preacher".

 

I count myself as a UU, which most people never know (actually as far as I am aware, only my DH knows) . Unfortunately being in Aus my nearest church is near-on 3 hours away....and our car will not make it that far. I just practice my faith privately instead.

 

I searched high and low for a church that would suit me, I am to "why" "how" for mainstream churches.

 

I love the common goals/ideals of the church and how it accepts anyone. That is the absolute best thing about it, as I believe that we are human, therefore flawed, and therefore do not have the right to judge others, we should respect and treat ALL others in kind.

Edited July 6, 2011 by Ecclecticmum

[twoforjoy]

I thought Episcopal is reuniting with Roman Catholic/Pope? That doesn't strike me as very liberal...

 

There have always been some within the Anglican Communion who've hoped to reunite with Rome. That's a minority position, though, particularly within the Episcopal Church (the American wing of the AC). And, it's not something that I can see happening in anything approaching the foreseeable future.

 

Right now, the RCC is allowing Episcopal congregations who are unhappy with the Episcopal Church's stance on the full inclusion of GLBT people in church life to switch their affiliation to the RCC, while maintaining their own liturgy. AFAIK not many churches have taken them up on the offer.

[tinkhs]

 

I love the common goals/ideals of the church and how it accepts anyone. That is the absolute best thing about it, as I believe that we are human, therefore flawed, and therefore do not have the right to judge others, we should respect and treat ALL others in kind.

 

:)

 

 

 

I will keep in mind the lack of summer participation also.

[KarenNC]

UU churches vary widely as they are more based towards the community than the "preacher".

 

I count myself as a UU, which most people never know (actually as far as I am aware, only my DH knows) . Unfortunately being in Aus my nearest church is near-on 3 hours away....and our car will not make it that far. I just practice my faith privately instead.

 

I searched high and low for a church that would suit me, I am to "why" "how" for mainstream churches.

 

I love the common goals/ideals of the church and how it accepts anyone. That is the absolute best thing about it, as I believe that we are human, therefore flawed, and therefore do not have the right to judge others, we should respect and treat ALL others in kind.

 

In case you aren't familiar with it, there's the Church of the Larger Fellowship, which is for UU's who don't have a local congregation or for some reason can't/don't wish to affiliate with a local congregation. http://clf.uua.org/ It provides a lot of online resources for individuals and families, including religious education materials. A subset of that is the Church of the Younger Fellowship, http://www.uucyf.org/, aimed specifically at young adults.

[KarenNC]

And yes, you'll probably not find anyone much there in the summer. Our minister is on vacation, almost no one goes in the summer - we don't, even though we attend weekly during the school year. There's no church school or coffee hour. Last weekend with the holiday, I think they might not have even found a layperson to help with services, as they were cancelled. For either UU or UCC, you might want to wait for the fall to make a really informed decision about either congregation. Our church has a lot going on and a healthy, growing membership and lots of kids, but if you went in the summer you might think it had about 10 members and none of them with kids. :tongue_smilie:

 

I would say that almost any denomination will have some drop in the summer or change of programming due to the large number of vacations, but from what I've heard, I think the "close down the church" in the summer UU phenomenon is more prevalent in churches in New England than in other areas, even among UU's. Here in the South, the two local churches tend to go pretty strong all summer, even with the minister on vacation. We were basically at capacity for last Sunday's service even with it being a holiday weekend and the minister gone (though that surprised us, I have to admit--as an usher I had to set up more chairs as folks came in). We continue with religious education (though the program may be different than during the year), coffee hour and our monthly after-service potluck. Could be that reflects a regional difference in patterns of overall church attendance. Most of our members are not lifelong UU's, they instead come from other denominations or none. Around here, folks in the Protestant churches wouldn't think of taking the summer off from church. That's the time for Vacation Bible School, revivals, etc.:)

 

There's also not the tradition of families headed to the lake or the shore for the season which I understand was more common among in previous generations in the Northeast. The oldest of our two churches was established only about 50-60 years ago, rather than the 18th or 19th century as most in New England.

 

Making sure you go when the regular minister is there (if they have one) is a good idea, however.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

In would look at Episcopal Church and UUs:) If you want more Chrisitan, then IMHO consider Episcopal Church which some have accused of being like UUs:) If you want exposure to a multitude of faiths, then UUs. We have done both:D

[tinkhs]

 

Making sure you go when the regular minister is there (if they have one) is a good idea, however.

 

 

The interesting thing is they don't seem to have a regular minister, but they do still meet in the summer. They even have coffee hour before and after still, unless, of course, the website hasn't been updated. :lol:

 

Anyway, we are going to try it this Sunday. The good thing is they don't start until 11 am, which helps if you are used to sleeping in. ;)

[Jenny in Florida]

I attended a UU church for years. I had to leave because I wasn't liberal! It was really uncomfortable for me during election year. Honestly, the motto seemed to be "You don't have to believe in God but you best believe in the Democratic Party!" and then the rest of the conversations were about how they couldn't tolerate the intolerant Christians. I used to chuckle at the irony but no one else could seem to get it.

 

I do think there was a lot more of the second problem you mentioned in the past. Even as a non-Christian, it always made me uncomfortable. Fortunately, we don't seem to hear it anymore.

 

For what it's worth, I'm not a Democrat. I'm registered as an independent, because I can't for the life of me find a party that actually aligns with my values. I have some moments when I feel in the minority at my UU church, but not many.

 

I was very disappointed in the lack of community service at our church.

 

That is sad. I'm mostly involved with the youth at our church, but this year they did two major projects:

 

1. Managed the "chalice tree" during the holiday season. Working with the wish list of a local organization that helps LGBT teens, they collected and delivered donations.

 

2. They held a Valentine's-themed concert and raised money for Standing on the Side of Love. (It looks like that one will become an annual event.)

 

The church as a whole does many other things, too. One group runs a thrift shop, for example. A small percentage of the proceeds come back to the church, but most of the money is donated to local charities.

 

Groups from the church march in the annual Pride Day and MLK Jr. parades.

 

Our Green Team sponsored and ran a booth at an Earth Day event this year, too.

 

There's lots more. Those are the things I can think of off the top of my head.

 

ALso, our church was always broke. There were constant fund-raisers because no one would tithe. Money was brought up at just about every single sermon. I don't know if this is common to UUs or if we had a particularly cheap congregation.

 

Well, tithing is not traditionally a UU concept. However, UUs tend to be on the wealthy side, generally. So, it usually works out in the congregations of which I've been a member. Our current church had a rough patch a couple of years ago when the economy tanked, but we got through it intact. We're rebuilding now and returning all of our staff members to their regular hours.

 

I didn't like the music even though songs had good lyrics and we had a talented pianist. Everyone sang like they had a stick up their butt. No one could just have fun!

 

Our congregation has a choir and a more pop-oriented small group, both run by our music director. The pop group includes drums and an electric guitar and whatever else is appropriate for a given song. (My son played drums for them a couple of weeks ago for their cover of a Loreena McKennit song, which was very cool.)

 

The music director also invites members of the community to perform regularly. My daughter has sung for several services over the last few years.

 

I do agree that UUs could take some singing lessons from the Episcopalians, though, when it comes to congregational hymns. That, too, probably varies from church to church. We were in New York a few weeks ago and went to services there, and both the choir and the congregation were amazing!

 

Obviously it wasn't a good fit for me personally because of my politics (I can't seem to find a good fit because I fit in between liberal and conservative).

 

I'm right there with you, politically. For me, however, I've come to accept UU-ism the same way I do my family: It isn't perfect, but it's mine. It's what I call home.

[twoforjoy]

In would look at Episcopal Church and UUs:) If you want more Chrisitan, then IMHO consider Episcopal Church which some have accused of being like UUs:)

 

Which segues into one of my favorite descriptions of the Episcopal Church: "There are two kinds of Episcopalians: Catholics who hate the Pope, and UUs who like a parade."

 

And then there's my favorite UU joke: "You might be a UU if you call construction paper, 'paper of color.'" :D

[Jenny in Florida]

And then there's my favorite UU joke: "You might be a UU if you call construction paper, 'paper of color.'" :D

 

Oh, man, do I love that!

[tinkhs]

Which segues into one of my favorite descriptions of the Episcopal Church: "There are two kinds of Episcopalians: Catholics who hate the Pope, and UUs who like a parade."

 

And then there's my favorite UU joke: "You might be a UU if you call construction paper, 'paper of color.'" :D

 

:)

 

 

I would fall into the latter category, but my husband thinks Episcopalian services are too formal. We went to a wedding a few years ago and he thought it made the Catholics look laid back. The formality could have been mostly matrimony related, but I don't think I'm getting him back there any time soon.

[AuntPol]

 

 

 

That is sad. I'm mostly involved with the youth at our church, but this year they did two major projects:

 

1. Managed the "chalice tree" during the holiday season. Working with the wish list of a local organization that helps LGBT teens, they collected and delivered donations.

 

2. They held a Valentine's-themed concert and raised money for Standing on the Side of Love. (It looks like that one will become an annual event.)

 

The church as a whole does many other things, too. One group runs a thrift shop, for example. A small percentage of the proceeds come back to the church, but most of the money is donated to local charities.

 

Groups from the church march in the annual Pride Day and MLK Jr. parades.

 

Our Green Team sponsored and ran a booth at an Earth Day event this year, too.

 

There's lots more. Those are the things I can think of off the top of my head.

 

 

I can see that there really isn't much difference between my old UU church and yours. The reason we see them as different is we differ in our opinion of what constitutes community service. I don't view any of those as community service but more pushing a world view, particularly gay-rights. I am not anti-gay but I just don't think marching in a gay pride parade or raising money for a political awareness among those who are already aware as service. I don't consider anything that is geared towards trying to get more government money or change the law as community service. It's political activism.

 

In a similar vein, I am very pro-life. However, I don't consider protesting at an abortion clinic or having a pro-life float in a community parade, doing any kind of "awareness" of life project like wearing or handing out red bracelets, fundraisers for billboards, anything that is geared towards making political changes, etc as service. I consider that political activism. The only pro-life oriented thing I consider community service is things specific to helping out mothers who have decided to not abort their babies -job training, parenting and nutrition classes, fundraising to help provide medical care, maternity clothes, needs for the children, counseling, etc.

 

 

My preteen DD have done this through our church in last year:

Improvement of playground in low income area-building picnic tables, painting the fence, landscaping, etc.

 

Working in soup kitchen

 

Helping with the weekly Canning Hunger Drive (donations of our church feed 40 extra families alone); Stocking shelfs at the food bank, etc.

 

Providing free childcare w/structured activities for families going through job training, drug and alcohol abuse counseling, etc.

 

Helping out with a monthly respite for parents of special needs kids. (Parents get a free night of babysitting and kids get a night of fun activities, etc)

 

Maintaining an Angel Tree and hosting a Christmas party for children of incarcerated parents

 

Helping out with Joy Prom, a prom for adults with special needs.

 

Packing up school supplies for local low-income school. Painting over graffiti and reading to/with struggling students.

 

Doing yard work for elderly residents of low-income neighborhood (Mind you, not members of our church either)

 

Making and taking lunches to Habitat of Humanity workers (our church does this but she is too young to participate as a builder for insurance reasons).

 

Helping out at a Church Sponsored Community Health event that gave out free eye, dental, exams to low income families.

 

Gathering water and food, cooking for families who lost power/houses in the local tornados.

 

Then there is the community service that was done with the Scout troop of the church (also just this year):

Fashion Show for Breast Cancer Awareness (I am not really into "Awareness" projects but this one was geared towards low income minorities who have the highest rate of death due to breast cancer and gave every woman a packet of potentially life saving information);

Park clean ups;

Sending letters to wounded soldiers and cards to women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer;

Making activity aprons for Alzheimers patients;

Packing Operation Christmas Child boxes;

Making soup Mixes for the soup kitchen,

Knitting hats for cancer patients,

Making blankets and baked goods to take to Ronald McDonald House, Collecting and sorting expired coupons to give to overseas military families

Cleaning up neighborhoods hit by the Tornados

 

They also did other things that some consider service but I consider a bit borderline-helping the Brownies make cards and crafts, or putting on an exotic pet show for the Brownies, decorating the USO office for Valentines day, making treats for teacher's lounges, singing in the nursing home, doing child care at Girl Scout leader meetings, color guard at various events, making cakes for other troops/dens' various scouting events, etc.

 

It doesn't include the volunteering that they do to help our church specifically(My DD sings and acts for the Children's church, helps out with the special needs Sunday School, and is in the Preteen Band and goes in to clean toys in preschool room once a month, stuffs bulletins, make decorations for VBS, stock the snack table at Community Christmas event, helping w/church yard sale that raises money for missions, helps set up and clean up various events, bakes cookies for Christmas event, etc.). I consider this church service but not community service even though some of the things like VBS and the Christmas Event go way beyond our church in outreach.

 

It also doesn't include the things our family does for community outside the church either.

[Matryoshka]

Anyway, we are going to try it this Sunday. The good thing is they don't start until 11 am, which helps if you are used to sleeping in. ;)

 

hehe... one of the reasons we don't attend church in the summer is that the time of services switches from 10:30 to 9:30... :D

[tinkhs]

hehe... one of the reasons we don't attend church in the summer is that the time of services switches from 10:30 to 9:30... :D

 

No, we wouldn't make 9:30. :lol: