Those I correspond with regularly know how important UU services are to me as I talk about how they make me feel. A stranger who sat down at a common table with me at a Whole Foods some years ago started to talk about her church. When I told her about my UU participation, she just could not get past the idea of a church that wasn't Jesus centered. Maybe I need to consider a good "elevator pitch." A friend who is considering religious possibilities balks at checking out UUism because she associates it with a form of Christianity. Another friend was curious about my interest; we had a good discussion as she had actually tried a few services in person (pre-pandemic) and had liked them and the people. I've taken to the use of "religious community" or "spiritual community." Also worth noting that I was raised with the idea of not talking about religion, politics, or sports at the dinner table (to avoid dramatic conflicts?!) and that religion is a personal thing, perhaps because our family (not UU) was multifaith and in the minority in some of our circles.
What I hear from new members ( not every new member) is that one of the attractive aspects of Unitarian Universalism was the non-proselytizing. They found us because of their searching, their initializing following the desire for something that embodies the values they hold dear. It’s akin to the parable of the farmer finding a great treasure in their field, they cover it up and return when they can retrieve it in full.
And then there is this story a congregant told me— I don’t remember the circumstances initiating their experience but they were doing something that resulted in a stranger commenting how they could see the love of Jesus just pouring out of them. The person thanked them and replied they were not Christian but Unitarian Universalist. The stranger could not believe their ears— only Jesus following Christians could emanate the love they displayed. They said a few more things about their UU faith and the stranger shook their head at what they were hearing. They parted ways and no knowledge if the stranger did anything more with this encounter. The congregant was pleased that their faith was in full view, enough so, that a stranger commented on it. They pondered what if all UUs lived their faith in such a way so that others would notice and ask.
I had a wonderful conversation with a former co-worker, a man who is a pastor at a close-knit Christian church, as well as a terrific artist. He was amazed to hear of UUism, the range of people with various beliefs working together for social justice. He sounded very admiring. He said that some people in his congregation were unhappy with his spending time as an artist while being a pastor. I connected him with the arts person at that UU church, where he was scheduled to exhibit some of his paitings, but then the pandemic hit, with several changes.
During the 30+ years that I was a Unitarian Universalist I did a lot of outreach and promotion for our faith. It got to the point that bringing a new person to church was embarrassing because the service and the congregation was focused on the in-crowd and decidedly secular/non-religious. We even stopped calling ourselves a church. The anthem was usually from a Broadway musical. People looking for liberal religion could not find the religion in our so-called "worship".
I used to believe that the world is ready for a new religious shift, as in the shift from multiple gods to a single God, and that UUism represented the new awakening to the perfection of nature, kindness to all, abundance and generosity. It's hard to find spirituality, much less religion, in a UU service these days.
In my neighborhood, the local non-denominational evangelical church is booming with people seeking community and spirituality, and they are able to filter out the message about a "personal relationship with Jesus" just fine. I don't attend but I'm very curious about how the pastoral team and lay leadership make this work. Perhaps it is reflected in the signs they posted around the neighborhood on November 6, "Win or Lose, LOVE ONE ANOTHER".
Those I correspond with regularly know how important UU services are to me as I talk about how they make me feel. A stranger who sat down at a common table with me at a Whole Foods some years ago started to talk about her church. When I told her about my UU participation, she just could not get past the idea of a church that wasn't Jesus centered. Maybe I need to consider a good "elevator pitch." A friend who is considering religious possibilities balks at checking out UUism because she associates it with a form of Christianity. Another friend was curious about my interest; we had a good discussion as she had actually tried a few services in person (pre-pandemic) and had liked them and the people. I've taken to the use of "religious community" or "spiritual community." Also worth noting that I was raised with the idea of not talking about religion, politics, or sports at the dinner table (to avoid dramatic conflicts?!) and that religion is a personal thing, perhaps because our family (not UU) was multifaith and in the minority in some of our circles.
Some UU may be uncomfortable with the "evangelism" but it is used in other areas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_evangelist
What I hear from new members ( not every new member) is that one of the attractive aspects of Unitarian Universalism was the non-proselytizing. They found us because of their searching, their initializing following the desire for something that embodies the values they hold dear. It’s akin to the parable of the farmer finding a great treasure in their field, they cover it up and return when they can retrieve it in full.
And then there is this story a congregant told me— I don’t remember the circumstances initiating their experience but they were doing something that resulted in a stranger commenting how they could see the love of Jesus just pouring out of them. The person thanked them and replied they were not Christian but Unitarian Universalist. The stranger could not believe their ears— only Jesus following Christians could emanate the love they displayed. They said a few more things about their UU faith and the stranger shook their head at what they were hearing. They parted ways and no knowledge if the stranger did anything more with this encounter. The congregant was pleased that their faith was in full view, enough so, that a stranger commented on it. They pondered what if all UUs lived their faith in such a way so that others would notice and ask.
PREACH!
Amen
I had a wonderful conversation with a former co-worker, a man who is a pastor at a close-knit Christian church, as well as a terrific artist. He was amazed to hear of UUism, the range of people with various beliefs working together for social justice. He sounded very admiring. He said that some people in his congregation were unhappy with his spending time as an artist while being a pastor. I connected him with the arts person at that UU church, where he was scheduled to exhibit some of his paitings, but then the pandemic hit, with several changes.
During the 30+ years that I was a Unitarian Universalist I did a lot of outreach and promotion for our faith. It got to the point that bringing a new person to church was embarrassing because the service and the congregation was focused on the in-crowd and decidedly secular/non-religious. We even stopped calling ourselves a church. The anthem was usually from a Broadway musical. People looking for liberal religion could not find the religion in our so-called "worship".
I used to believe that the world is ready for a new religious shift, as in the shift from multiple gods to a single God, and that UUism represented the new awakening to the perfection of nature, kindness to all, abundance and generosity. It's hard to find spirituality, much less religion, in a UU service these days.
In my neighborhood, the local non-denominational evangelical church is booming with people seeking community and spirituality, and they are able to filter out the message about a "personal relationship with Jesus" just fine. I don't attend but I'm very curious about how the pastoral team and lay leadership make this work. Perhaps it is reflected in the signs they posted around the neighborhood on November 6, "Win or Lose, LOVE ONE ANOTHER".