You:"And honestly, it’s possible that not liking thing is the spirit nudging you toward that uncomfortable place where you have to wrestle with an idea or feeling or belief of action."
I am curious about which meanings of "integrated" Dr. Forbes had in mind. Integrated with many beliefs? or class backgrounds? or ages? or races or national origins? Could it mean different needs or ways of engaging in community? I am happy with any of those, or all of them.
I use that James Forbes quote in a public way at least annually. A dear congregant who was an accountant by profession used to tell me what percentage I hit each week. "Today was an 89!" "It was a 63 this week, so this was for someone else, & that's OK." He died just over a year ago & I miss his percentages.
Church is not a capitalist business seeking to maximize profit, it is part of the nonprofit sector which is a large element of our economy. But churches are part of a free market, they compete for members and depend on contributions for their survival. I don't see how you can get away from that if you want to have a paid ministry. Personally, I prefer the Quaker or Mormon model without professional clergy, but that's not the UU model. I'm treasurer of our church, and I am well aware of how dependent we are on a small number of generous contributors. People come for more than the weekly sermon, of course, but the financial survival of churches does depend significantly on how inspiring people find the services to be.
You:"And honestly, it’s possible that not liking thing is the spirit nudging you toward that uncomfortable place where you have to wrestle with an idea or feeling or belief of action."
is it buggy?😁😁😁😁😁
I am curious about which meanings of "integrated" Dr. Forbes had in mind. Integrated with many beliefs? or class backgrounds? or ages? or races or national origins? Could it mean different needs or ways of engaging in community? I am happy with any of those, or all of them.
I use that James Forbes quote in a public way at least annually. A dear congregant who was an accountant by profession used to tell me what percentage I hit each week. "Today was an 89!" "It was a 63 this week, so this was for someone else, & that's OK." He died just over a year ago & I miss his percentages.
Church is not a capitalist business seeking to maximize profit, it is part of the nonprofit sector which is a large element of our economy. But churches are part of a free market, they compete for members and depend on contributions for their survival. I don't see how you can get away from that if you want to have a paid ministry. Personally, I prefer the Quaker or Mormon model without professional clergy, but that's not the UU model. I'm treasurer of our church, and I am well aware of how dependent we are on a small number of generous contributors. People come for more than the weekly sermon, of course, but the financial survival of churches does depend significantly on how inspiring people find the services to be.