hope and spirit
Yesterday I went to church for the second time with my mother, and I will definitely be back a third time. No, I haven't converted to anything; it's not that kind of church. :) It's Universalist Unitarian. The minister actually cracked a joke at one point during the service this past week, that one visitor had said to her that he liked the service but 'wasn't interested in joining an organized religion' - her response to him was, 'well then you've definitely come to the right place.' I used to joke about UUs myself, in a way - like a lot of people, I thought of them as people who just couldn't make up their minds. As if there was something wrong with that. Now that very quality is a wonderful thing to me - the fact that there is no universal doctrine that one has to follow to be a UU. It is not about your beliefs, which are considered personal and assumed to include diverse opinions in each congregation. It's about your actions and attitude towards other human beings - about your standard of ethics, and willingness to help others around you. I can so get behind that. So far at each service, people have brought up various volunteer programs, food drives and other activities to get involved in - and after each service, said programs were being organized right in the front room. The services themselves have focused on community, inspiration, unity, love and compassion. Some of the members have Christian beliefs, some Buddhist, some Jewish, some Pagan, etc. There is music, played by the members with musical talents. There is always a 'sermon', which is a thoughtful, inspirational story/essay by the minister (who is a woman). At each service, an oil lamp in the shape of a chalice is lit at the front of the church - and behind this lamp is a large clear window revealing the outside sun shining through the trees. So naturally, to me this is all very much in keeping with my Pagan roots, especially with lighting the 'hearth' flame being so central. Yep, I'm down with it.