A Unitarian Universalist Zagat

When I was new to Unitarian Universalism, I received this advice from a minister: “Visit UU churches in as many different places as possible. When you travel, see if there is a UU church in that town or city, and go for Sunday morning services.” The minister hoped I would develop an understanding of Unitarian Universalism’s diversity, rather than basing all my assumptions about our religion on my home congregation.

At the time I had visited maybe two UU churches. The challenge to visit congregations all over the country was daunting. But some four years later, I’ve been blessed to have visited congregations in the following places: Portland, ME; Nashville, TN; Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; New York, NY; Newport, RI; Nantucket, MA; St. Louis, MO; Towson, MD; Baltimore, MD; and countless towns in Massachusetts.

My husband, Shai, jokes that I should have a separate blog dedicated to notes on each church we visit. I imagine it would be like “mystery worshipper” meets Zagat.

I haven’t tried that yet, but if I did, then my latest entry would be the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin (CA), where I visited with Shai and my sister-in-law a few weeks ago.

It was delightful! The square sanctuary had three walls of glass windows, through which I could see sun streaming across the hills. The worship style was informal, and there was a lot of lay participation. Sometimes this can go awry, but there it provided a warm feeling and a sense of community.

The sermon had a rousing message about the importance of sharing Unitarian Universalism’s good news.

What I liked best was that feeling of being “at home,” even all the way across the country from my regular congregation.

Yes, my visits to different congregations have given me a sense of Unitarian Universalism’s diversity, including our varied preaching styles, levels of liturgical formality, approaches to music, and adeptness at welcoming newcomers. But what’s been even more powerful to me is the sense of continuity.

That continuity is communicated by a host of details: the lighting of the chalice at the beginning of the service, the gray Singing the Living Tradition hymnal, the chalice symbol on the church walls, the religiously open language used in the service, and the mention in the announcements of a sexuality education class or a social justice activity.

All the details add up to something larger: the recognition that even if we vary in worship style, region of the country, opinions about politics, or other factors, we Unitarian Universalists have something fundamental in common with one another. By attending worship, volunteering, pledging and in other ways engaging in congregational life, we are each dedicating ourselves to the same larger movement.

We are making a place for ourselves in Unitarian and Universalist history, while committing ourselves to the values of love and religious freedom that mark our faith today. We have disagreements that come out of our diversity and our commitment to free inquiry, but our commitment to this faith gives us a bond that is greater.

Update 2/2/08:

Lizard Eater and Jacqueline concurred in the comments that while it is critical for UU’s to recognize the diversity of our movement, it is also uplifting to know we share so much in common. As Lizard Eater put it:

Now, when I visit another UU congregation, I’m almost always overwhelmed with love for the group. I may not know their names, but I am with members of my TRIBE. They are different from my home church, but they are also so alike, discussing the problems in the world, celebrating what is good. They are my people.