Lilith666 Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 And it was amazing. No, I'm not going back to Xianity. It's a Unitarian Universalist church in the city where I am in college. I just moved here for the semester, so I had never heard of it before, but I just happened to Google local non-Xian churches and came across this one. I picked a crazy day to show up for the first time. Every year they host a lunch, raffle, and bazaar where you can buy soup and salad for five bucks, so that was cheaper than anything on campus. Well, first let me tell you guys about the service. Sorry if this turns out to be long-winded--I have a lot to talk about. At 9:00 they have a meditation session. It felt like going to the adult Sunday School at my parents' church, but of course they didn't go on about Jesus. I'd tried meditation before, but got bored, though I think that doing it with a group will be easier because I will be able to stay on track more. The service was at 10:00, and holy mother, it was packed. There were around 150-200 people there, and my old church broke maybe 100 on a good day. A few latecomers had to stand against the back wall before the kids went to their junior service. We sang a few churchy-sounding songs, but without the God-pushing: it was just about love and fellowship, things like that. The sermon was about a service project in Sri Lanka called Shramadana, where volunteers help build roads and schools and irrigation ditches. The minister--who is a Buddhist, that was hard to get used to--said that everybody helps plan the project. Villagers get to decide what happens in their towns, so it isn't a bunch of foreigners coming in and saying they know what's best. The format was a lot like a traditional Christian service. That might annoy some people, but I actually liked it because I missed the familiarity of my family's church. After the service, I went to the lunch and talked to a guy about our various spiritual/non-spiritual beliefs. I'm pretty shy, so I had pictured myself eating alone, but nope--these UU's actually are friendly, like they claim on their website. Besides the people, the food was good too--the butternut squash soup was great and I got a cupcake for fifty cents. Though I'm not gonna tell my broke parents that hell-bound heathens just saved them about ten dollars. Surprisingly, helping clean up afterwards was the best part. My old church (yeah, I can't stop comparing) has congregation dinners a lot, and I used to like doing dishes and such at those, because I felt like a part of the group. You know how working with people sometimes creates a sense of community and interdependence? So I get the benefit of meeting a lot of nice people and feeling like this is my church without dealing with any "Do you wanna get saved?!?" rubbish. Oh, and another cool thing is that for a lot of them, this church is an escape from right-wing Xian families. Seems like I'll find some kindred spirits. Man, they are generous. The person running the lunch gave me four pieces of cake and a whole dinner's worth of leftover tomato soup; I went to get coffee and someone I met during meditation said it was her treat. Another one told me about an orientation day in December for new people. My parents' church never did anything like that. And since I expressed interest in getting more involved in the church, someone asked if I would like to join the choir. When I said that sounded fun, but I was nervous about going out at night for practice--as a freshman, I don't have a car or much experience with urban areas, so I have to be careful--she offered to pick me up and refused my offer to help pay for gas. I love their idea of earning money through selling lunch and holding a craft fair. They also have a few books for sale; I got one for a dollar. Xians keep complaining about how people on welfare want something for nothing, but they keep dressing up panhandling in a suit and giving it a bible. They use guilt to collect tithes with their teaching that God owns ten percent of everybody's income. The UU's have an offertory, and members contribute, but they don't shove it on anyone. They get a lot of their money by selling stuff. So they don't just ask for donations; they create an event that's fun for the community, even non-regulars. I might be rambling a bit, so if you made it this far, bless you. I'm just really excited about finally being able to decide where I go to find spirituality. I have missed church so much lately--the music, the people, the food, and just feeling productive in a group. Not only Xians get "peace like a river." This is great. I can't wait for next Sunday! Have you joined a church/group that you enjoy, for the community, spirituality, or other reasons? How did you find it? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
◊ crazyguy123 ◊ Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Those UU churches sound like nice places to go. I've never been to one before, but maybe some day I'll check one out if I get the opportunity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator TrueFreedom Posted November 18, 2013 Moderator Share Posted November 18, 2013 I enjoyed the UU church that I visited. We visited an emerging Christian church as well. The service was a bit too Jesusy for my taste, but it was short, and they spent more time eating and visiting after the service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilith666 Posted November 18, 2013 Author Share Posted November 18, 2013 I enjoyed the UU church that I visited. We visited an emerging Christian church as well. The service was a bit too Jesusy for my taste, but it was short, and they spent more time eating and visiting after the service. The Xian church was too Jesusy? Or the UU? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderinstar Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Glad you had a positive experience Lilith! Hope it continues to work out for you. Last Sunday I went to the first 'Sunday Assembly' held in my city. A UK comedian started the meetings for non religious people in North London and they were such a hit he is being invited all over the world to start similar groups. It was basically church without any religion at all. We sang some pop songs, listened to a short talk on physics and the history of the universe and did a lot of meet and greet type activities. I felt a little uncomfortable as I have always disliked being forced to interact with people I don't know but I did like being with a group of like minded people again. It seems that some of the locals are trying to make it a regular thing now so I may keep going and try to meet some people. The isolation since leaving church has been tough. I miss belonging to a community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pawn Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 I went to a UU for awhile....Yawn. More liberal, but just boring for me. I am glad you enjoyed it though, to each their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duderonomy Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Lilith666, I know this is none of my business, and who am I to poo-poo something I know so little about, but, please, please...be careful. You were new there. Were you being love bombed? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhim Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 I've never been to a UU church, but everything I know about this group - including the UUs I've met - tells me they are a good bunch of people. UUs are not remotely Christian. In the nineteenth century they probably identified as a highly heterodox denomination of Christianity; they were Unitarian because they didn't believe in the Trinity and Universalist because they believed that no one goes to an eternal hell (that alone makes them OK in my book). Today, however, I'm fairly certain they do not bother to associate with Christianity at all. They allow for a wide range of beliefs including atheism, and I think this can be a good place for someone who's left Christianity. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilith666 Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 Lilith666, I know this is none of my business, and who am I to poo-poo something I know so little about, but, please, please...be careful. You were new there. Were you being love bombed? I thought about that, but churches like these have such a good reputation. And Bhim says so in the last post. I will try to be careful, though, and I do have other friends. Thanks, duderonomy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlwaysNow Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 I attended a UU church for several months about 10 years ago. I had much the same experience as far as being accepted, no pressure, and good fellowship. It was a very diverse group, and included Buddhists and all manner of folks with various Christian backgrounds. One of the things I enjoyed the most was a discussion group every other week where people were allowed to talk for 10 minutes on any topic of their choice. Although I felt it was a good church to attend I ended up leaving because I am uncomfortable belonging to any group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymistake Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 I'm tempted to check out my local UU just for social and cultural reasons. I hate most of Christianity but the fellowship was nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator TrueFreedom Posted December 1, 2013 Moderator Share Posted December 1, 2013 I enjoyed the UU church that I visited. We visited an emerging Christian church as well. The service was a bit too Jesusy for my taste, but it was short, and they spent more time eating and visiting after the service. The Xian church was too Jesusy? Or the UU? The emerging Christian church. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amateur Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 I've heard and read good things about Unitarians. I also agree with you, Lilith, about enjoying the cleaning up part! In almost any situation, I most enjoy the setting up and tearing down parts because it feels like I'm doing something useful while enjoying the group I'm in. A lot of my jobs were in the setting up/tearing down parts. I worked in theater for ten years, behind the scenes, setting up before the show and tearing down afterwards. To this day, altho I enjoy going to the theater, I still feel like I should have arrived a couple hours early to help set things up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilith666 Posted December 2, 2013 Author Share Posted December 2, 2013 I've heard and read good things about Unitarians. I also agree with you, Lilith, about enjoying the cleaning up part! In almost any situation, I most enjoy the setting up and tearing down parts because it feels like I'm doing something useful while enjoying the group I'm in. A lot of my jobs were in the setting up/tearing down parts. I worked in theater for ten years, behind the scenes, setting up before the show and tearing down afterwards. To this day, altho I enjoy going to the theater, I still feel like I should have arrived a couple hours early to help set things up! Aw. It sounds like you and I get the same experience from church/theater. I knew the lonely feeling wasn't the holy spirit "convicting" me, but it's nice to have a little extra confirmation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdog Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Hey Lilith666 It sounds like it was a positive experience for you. Have you been back to any more services at the UU church? Did they do anything for Christmas or the holiday season? I am just curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noggy Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 If you're not in a situation to find other tolerant not diphsit friends, a UU church is a great way to do it. It's just a social club for liberals, really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilith666 Posted January 1, 2014 Author Share Posted January 1, 2014 Hey Lilith666 It sounds like it was a positive experience for you. Have you been back to any more services at the UU church? Did they do anything for Christmas or the holiday season? I am just curious. I have gone back. I wasn't able to attend the Xmas/holiday services because I had to come home from college for break, but if I move out officially next year and get an apartment, I plan to go. They seem to be a pretty friendly group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M4rio Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Hi Lilith666, That is great that you had such a positive experience there! I had a similar experience at the UU congregation here in Atlanta. I have not been regularly attending though for a couple of years now, but considering coming back. I remember that when I stopped going to a Christian church, I felt like I lacked that community sense too. It was fun even with the achristians, but this particular group was not open to conversations about science or skepticism or anything deeper than "let's learn more about God's word together", and I already felt like the resurrection was not a literal event, so I did not fit in. Our UU congregation has lots of service groups, and I would imagine yours does too. We also have interest groups and discussion groups. I know there is one about neuroscience and the human mind. There is one for self identifying Humanists, one for Buddhists. They even had a group meeting to discuss The Jesus Seminar years ago. Someone said to be careful, and that always makes sense. If the congregation is like ours, I would not expect anyone to pressure you into any supernatural beliefs or metaphysical system. I think the core principles are pretty simple: We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote The inherent worth and dignity of every person; Justice, equity and compassion in human relations; Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations; A free and responsible search for truth and meaning; The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large; The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all; Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part; If anyone wants to learn more, Wikipedia is a good source, as of course is www.uua.org. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duderonomy Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 A rose by any other name would smell the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeverAgainV Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Sounds like you had a great time Lillith. Wow. I went to a Humanist meeting a few times and I don't know if it's just me, but they do seem a bit more standoffish.... I don't know? I should try harder I guess. Sometimes when it reminds me of the old cult church I get triggered. The last few times I went i didn't even stay for coffee. Well, not because I didn't want to be social, but because I had to be somewhere after the service. I hope you have some good times ahead w/ the UU's. To me any healthy non-judgmental group is a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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