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January Unitarian Universalist Thread - All Welcome  

post #1 of 107
Thread Starter 
Happy New Year!

Welcome to the January support, community, information, conversation, and fun thread for UUs and UU curious.

Here is the link to the previous December thread.

Come on in and say "Hi", ask a question, tell a story, or feel free to just lurk for awhile.

Wishing everyone a 2009 filled with joy, peace, and love!

Adele

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post #2 of 107
yo! Siobhan here. I taught the first RE class of the year and BOY it was rough. 7 kids (5 boys) all with serious cases of cabin fever. And it was too cold to go outside. Whee!!!!!
post #3 of 107
Subbing, and a quick question - does anyone's UU have a moms w/young children play/support group? I am thinking of speaking w/my minister about organizing one. I am thinking of a weekly or bi-weekly playgroup type of setting, w/coffee & snacks, where the kids can play in the childcare space while the moms have some time to hang out & talk. Any thoughts?
post #4 of 107
post #5 of 107
Hello! I don't follow these threads that closely but I do like to say hi.
post #6 of 107
Hi everyone.

Max- That's a great idea!
post #7 of 107
We did the coffin and cradle ritual today, placing a symbol for that which we wanted to leave in the past into the "coffin," and placing that which we wanted to give birth to in the cradle. Awesome way to start the new year!!

I'm going to be teaching RE for the first time this spring, I'm really excited! I'll be working with the Pre-K/K class. I've wanted to be involved with RE for some time, but it just hasn't worked out until now.
post #8 of 107
Hi all. I'm a pagan seriously considering starting to attend the UU church in my area. I founded and am currently a member of a small ritual group (we're ADF, if you've ever heard of it), but I'm finding that my grove isn't giving me everything I want, which is something more along the lines of an established "church."

That said, I'm not sure if attending a UU church would be right for me. My biggest concern, right now, is the fact that I simply don't want to attend a sermon. I've skimmed a couple of sermons from the potential church online, and while they're not bad, I'm looking more for friendship and small group stuff rather than file into a room and listen to some guy talk. How 'sermony' are your average UU services? Would this be totally wrong for me? Or is it that the sermons tend to facilitate interesting discussions later, or what have you.

In short, I don't like the format of your standard christian church, which UU obviously pulls from, but I like everything else I've seen about UU. Anyone been in my place? Thoughts on the matter?
post #9 of 107
Hi everyone

A few UU updates;

the kids are studying Buddhism in RE this month. I'm excited to learn too! We are doing at least one (or two) weeks of studying it at home as well. Really looking forward to it!

Our Reverend is leaving for a trip to India. I hope it's everything he hopes it will be! I look forward to what this month off brings in terms to guest speakers. Next week we have a Tibetan Singing bowl master coming it! yay!!

Max, I think it's a great idea! We don't have one at our church...yet!


Ashley, I think it just depends on which church you go to and who is speaking. Go, check it out. See if it's for you. We've found wonderful community at our UU!
post #10 of 107
It really depends on the congregation... the basic format is based in Protestant services, but I don't find it very sermony at all. Then again, after sitting through 90 minute full-on Bible filled sermons as a child (this is after half hour "sermonettes" and such!) having a poem and an essay read in the context of a theme is really not a lot. To someone who is used to more ritual, less talking, it would seem too sermon like, maybe. What is it exactly that makes something too much like a sermon to you?

General format for our congregation:
Call to service
Lighting of the chalice
Music/singing
Announcements from the congregation
Children's time at the front, and then they go downstairs to RE
Music
"Sermon" - there will be a topic, and there will be one to three readings that are relevant to that and the minister speaks a little on it. This is the main body of the services.

On days where there is a ritual, the minister talks about that. Instead of a "sermon" time today, we had the coffin/cradle ritual that I mentioned above. The minister did speak, to explain the significance of the ritual and to talk a little about letting go of the past and moving into the future, which was very nice. I would suggest attending a UU church several times to get a full sense of the flavor of that church. They may do something different week to week, or have different speakers, especially if they are lay-led, and they are trying to meet the various needs of a diverse congregation. What makes you nervous may be something that another person craves, kwim? And UU congregations are nothing if not diverse!!! You really can't tell from just one Sunday. And if after a few times you don't feel comfortable, you might find that another UU congregation nearby meets your needs better. There are 3 UU churches that I could theoretically attend. I feel that the one I go to now meets my needs better (more children/families that I related to, active pagan group, a Buddhist sangha, more touchy-feely topics discussed, more diverse music) ... it's not the first one I went to and it's not the closest. I had to look around for a while, and now I feel really comfortable.

Go, try it out a couple times. It's worth it if it might really be what you are looking for!

ETA Many UU congregations have small group ministries which might be exactly what you are looking for. You could ask the local minister if they have SGMs.
post #11 of 107
Hi all, I'm here checking in. In RE today the younger class talked about MLK and applied the civil rights movement of the 60's to the civil rights that are being denied to same sex couples by CA prop 8. The kids marched through the sanctuary carrying protest signs.

I'm getting a little weary of week after week only going to church so I can sit in childcare with my DD. The last sermon I heard was the Sunday after the US election because I left her home with DP. I go because my son enjoys RE, and I figure if I just keep going week after week, she'll eventually warm up to the idea of being left with the childcare guy and let me hear a sermon. Last week she was sick and I left her home, but I was teaching RE that day, so no sermon. sigh.
post #12 of 107
Thanks Collinsky for the detailed reply. I don't think it's that a sermon makes me nervous, so much as that it doesn't appeal to me in any way. I've done the lecture thing in college, and I prefer other formats.

What I suspect will happen is there will be a sermon that's rather interesting, and maybe some discussion of it and other things in a small group format? At least, that's what I hope.

The other problem is I'm lazy, and getting up on a Sunday is hard.
post #13 of 107
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by siobhang View Post
yo! Siobhan here. I taught the first RE class of the year and BOY it was rough. 7 kids (5 boys) all with serious cases of cabin fever. And it was too cold to go outside. Whee!!!!!
My goodness! That sounds . . . er . . . challenging. My dd's RE today was just the opposite - only her and one other little girl! I don't know why. Maybe because the roads were quite icy, so perhaps that kept some people home.

I'm sure you gave them a great class!
post #14 of 107
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ~*max*~ View Post
Subbing, and a quick question - does anyone's UU have a moms w/young children play/support group? I am thinking of speaking w/my minister about organizing one. I am thinking of a weekly or bi-weekly playgroup type of setting, w/coffee & snacks, where the kids can play in the childcare space while the moms have some time to hang out & talk. Any thoughts?
I think this sounds like a great idea! I bet it is very popular. I don't think my church has anything similar right now, though I believe we used to. I think the need for it has been somewhat alleviated by our "Welcome Home Wednesdays" where we offer a meal and then different activities for adults and older kids (5 and up) and childcare for the little ones. I know last year one of the options for adults was a parenting seminar/discussion group, and at various times I have attended sewing or knitting circles, which I find to be a nice way to chat with other moms while my dd is off doing her thing.
post #15 of 107
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by rupiezum View Post


I haven't been able to go to church since before Christmas and am missing it. (I'm recovering from a hysterectomy) So I'm glad to see this thread. DH came home today and said everyone was asking after me and said hi, so that was nice, but I am missing the company!

Apparently they're organizing a family movie night - hooray!! I love the idea and hope it's a big success so we can do it more.
Hi, Ali! I'm sorry to hear you haven't been able to get to church. Hope your recovery is quick! :
post #16 of 107
Our church is a regional one, and the services have been cancelled for the past three weeks due to weather. I didn't think I would ever miss going to church, but I do. I know my oldest ds does, too. We are supposed to have a congregational retreat this weekend, but I haven't gotten too many details about it yet.
post #17 of 107
Quote:
Originally Posted by sunflwrmoonbeam View Post
How 'sermony' are your average UU services?
I'm pagan and go to UU church. Our sermons aren't 'preachy' at all. They are just about life.
post #18 of 107
OMG, another MDC mama and I just got our SUUSI workshop proposal approved!!! Check out the description!

Soooo excited!!!!

Parenting in the 21st Century Limit 12
Is it harder to raise children today? Many parents feel expectations are rising while support is eroding. We'll discuss the social/cultural/economic context of parenting and brainstorm ways to support families. Not a how-to-parent class, all are welcome, parent or not. Infants in arms are welcome. [Siobhang] (anthropologist, international development expert) and [Rivka] (clinical psychologist) are both working moms of two, and are Conscientous Objectors in the Mommy Wars.
$10.00 TTh Preferred 14+ 2pm

And here's the long-form description which we provided to the SUUSI staff:

Is it harder to raise children today than it was 30 years ago? Many parents feel that expectations are constantly rising while social and economic supports for families are eroding.

Key questions to explore:
* How has family life been affected by changes in the workplace, in the media environment, in social policy?
* Given Americans' increased ability to limit or delay childbearing, or forego it entirely, how do parents and children fit in to our new kids-optional culture?
* What are the influences - overt and covert - that parents and communities need to be aware of in defining family and the choices available (or not) to us?
* To what extent are dominant cultural messages about the dangers and necessities of family life supported by evidence, and how do these messages warp our perceptions of the family environment?

This is not a how-to-parent class, but rather a discussion about family life. In the first session, we'll discuss the social, economic, and cultural context of family life today, sharing the groups personal experiences as well as discussing research available on changes in the American family context. In the second session, we will brainstorm ways that we can be more supportive of families as individuals, as a denomination, and as a culture.
post #19 of 107
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adele_Mommy View Post
I'm sure you gave them a great class!
heh, we did birdseed pinecone feeders (with tahini instead of peanut butter b/c we are a nut free church), and a gluing project. it got messy. I long for warmer days...
post #20 of 107
Happy New Year Mamas!

Sermons:

I have a hard time listening to sermons, even if I like the topic, because I'm just not that good at sitting in one place and listening. What made it work for me at the UU fellowship was 1) interaction and 2) variation.

The services would always begin with a reading and a song, and then lighting the chalice. Then we light candles of celebration and concern, which gets people up to the front sharing. After that is when the 'sermon' would happen, if it was happening. Sometimes the minister would speak about a topic, sometimes it would be a member of the fellowship, or a group of people working together. Sometimes there would be a ritual, led by the minister and/or others. It changes every week, which makes it a lot more tolerable than going and listening to the same person talk talk talk. Another thing to consider, is the service is usually about an hour, but it includes the children's story, the chalice lighting, the candles of care and concern, the announcements, and 3ish songs... so it is not a long time to listen to any one person. You can also show up at the end for coffee and fellowship - noone should have a problem with that, I did that when I coudln't get out of the house in time for the service.

I also would ask about small ministry groups.

- Sheila, a UU mama of two currently living in an area to far to attend a fellowship
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