I’m mostly on the agnostic to aesthetic continuum, but some changes in my life recently have made me wonder if I should reconnect with the more spiritual aspects of being human.
Technically I was raised in the Episcopalian Church, but I think it would be dishonest of me to show up a a local Episcopal Church and mouth the prayers there without really believing in them.
The local Unitarian Church website makes it seem pretty laid back. Any special things I should be aware of re Unitarian services?
If this church is anything like mine there should be a visitors table or something like that, look for it. If you can’t find something like that there will still probably be greeters as you go in. Say something like, “Hi! this is my first time here, is there anything I should know?”
My church starts every service with a welcoming announcement, especially mentioning newcomers and asking newcomers to stand up, so you might want to be ready for that. I’ve heard of congregations where you might even be asked to introduce yourself so you might want to think of a few words.
UUs tend to be very welcoming, most of them came from some other faith community (or none). “So what made you interested in checking out the Unitarians?” is likely to be a common conversation opener. There’s no right answer! The person asking really is just curious, feel free to ask the question right back to them.
Joke
Q: Why do Unitarian Universalists sing so badly?
A: They are scanning ahead to see if they agree with the lyrics.
Do not under any circumstances drink anything you are offered that “will help you better understand our ways”, or volunteer to be “guest of honor at the… special barbecue”.
A Unitarian has a very cool opportunity. He gets to go fishing with Jesus Christ, a very special opportunity indeed. Anyway, the next day he and Jesus are out in a rowboat in the middle of a lake, fishing. However, one of their oars slips out of the boat and drifts away…too far to reach. The Unitarian starts to try and improvise some rowing to get over to it, when Jesus stops him.
“I’ll get it,” Jesus says. Without pausing any further, Jesus gets up, walks off the boat, walking right on the water. He walks over to the oar, picks it up, and brings it back. They continue fishing and have an otherwise uneventful trip.
The next day, one of the Unitarian’s friends sees him and asks him, “So, I heard you went fishing with Jesus. What did you think?”
“Meh,” says the Unitarian, “I dunno. Did you know that guy can’t even swim?”
My UU has two services, and about an hour of coffee and snacks between them. Go early, then hang around the coffee pot and meet some interesting, friendly folks.
