What Newcomers Often Want to Know

“People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness.
Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.” 
― Dalai Lama XIV

WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE WORSHIP SERVICE?

Our Sunday Services are at 10:00 All Generation Alternative, and 11:00 Traditional:

Listening to instrumentalists, and presentations by our wonderful choirs...relaxing with a silent meditation...feeling inspired by the minister's sermon, reflections by lay leaders, and readings from many sources...singing UU hymns...sharing joys and sorrows by speaking names and lighting a candle, passing the offering basket to share our resources...being in community.

The order of service is familiar to many who have attended traditional churches.  But we also enjoy a variety of "alternative" formats – a music and poetry worship, a seasonal ritual, blessing of the animals, a youth-led service, or a talk by a local speaker. We hope you find a mix of tradition and creativity.

WHAT SHOULD I (and my children) wEAR TO CHURCH?

Whatever you feel comfortable wearing is fine. Some of us wear pearls and heels, or dockers and a white shirt (seldom a tie), others of us wear jeans—or even shorts and flip-flops on a hot summer day. Children may have art projects or outdoor activities; they should dress so they can actively engage in the program.

IS THERE "SUNDAY SCHOOL" (and Childcare) DURING THE SERVICE?  

During the 11:00 service we hold Religious Education classes, and Youth groups. Elementary and Middle schoolers start in the service for the first 15-20 minutes for a gathering song and story, then they go downstairs for the remainder of the hour.  The highschool Youth start out downstairs.  Find out more at our Religious Education pages.

Childcare for infants and toddlers during BOTH of the services, bring them down before services start.

IF MY CHILD DOES NOT SEPARATE WELL, CAN SHE OR HE STAY WITH ME IN THE SERVICE? 

Yes. If you find that you need to step out, there is a speaker in the foyer where you can continue to hear the service. Or, you may choose to attend class with your child if that works best at first. 

ARE YOU GENUINELY WELCOMING TO ALL PEOPLE? 

Yes. We are an official Welcoming Congregation, honoring our differences in age, race, gender, ability, class, sexual orientation, and national origin. We trust that the unique and beautiful qualities that you bring will be celebrated and appreciated. We include the voices and dreams of all people – in our readings and music, our Religious Education (R.E.) classes, and our leadership.

IS YOUR CHURCH ACCESSIBLE TO ALL PEOPLE? 

We work very hard to make our services, activities, and community gathering accessible to all. Bathrooms and all areas of the church are wheelchair accessible.  We have three Braille hymnals, support four hearing assistive devices, and large print programs. We also can provide recordings of the services for the homebound and others.  Please ask the ushers to help you. Our Accessibility Committee's work is ongoing. Our new building will also be fully accessible.

WHAT DO UU's BELIEVE ABOUT GOD?

We respect each other's belief in God, non-belief in a god, or uncertainty on the subject.  The UU religion promotes a thoughtful and respectful attitude about the multitude of religious and spiritual values, and paths in this world.

We also provide this liberal religious education to our children so they know the many spiritual, religious or ethical paths one might follow, and can make an informed choice that reflects the values they've built for themselves.

WILL I BE PRESSURED TO JOIN OR DONATE?  

Absolutely Not. We would be so happy to have you become a regular member because you've found a church home, but we won't try to push ourselves onto you.

We do recommend and hope you visit for at least a couple of months to fully explore the diversity of the UU religion and our community.  Just one or two visits won't tell our whole story!

The "Offering" baskets are passed around every service as a reminder that it takes resources to provide the Service, the building, the music, the staff, the heat, etc.  Your donation is very appreciated, but not required.  Just pass the basket on to the next person, with a donation, or without.

There is never an "altar-call" in a Unitarian Universalist church. Unitarian Universalism has no creed or official belief system that includes salvation by grace or only for "true believers".  That is what Universalism was about, a Christian movement grounded in the belief in universal salvation and God's love for all people.

What is the THE FLAMING CHALICE?

A flame within a chalice is a symbol of the Unitarian Universalist faith. Hans Deutsch, an Austrian artist, first brought together the chalice and the flame during World War II. Modern chalice designs often incorporate two overlapping circles which, for many people, represent our Unitarian and Universalist heritages.

Do I have to BELIEVE IN EVERYTHING SAID FROM THE PULPIT?

No.  We don't expect anyone to "believe" in everything said in reading, in sermons, in personal reflections.  In fact we know that UUers will disagree.  It is essential in UU services to address a wide range of social, ethical, spiritual, and inter-personal issues from different points of view.  Many different voices will speak, and you won't hear just one message.  We respect these differences, and want to expand our perspectives, and explore and challenge our own beliefs. 

HOW DO YOU WORSHIP TOGETHER IF YOU DON'T ALL BELIEVE THE SAME THING?

We worship each Sunday as a way to nourish our minds and hearts through reflection, through connection with one another, and through our reverence for the mystery and beauty of life.

We use various strategies to meet people’s individual needs, including flexibility and “taking turns.” Flexibility means choosing service elements that can mean different things to different people. For example, a minute of silence can mean prayer, meditation, or reflection. Lighting a candle can be spiritual or social.

We also have much variety in our services – some are more tailored to people with a stronger spiritual side, and some are more philosophical or intellectual. Considering the variety, we suggest you visit us several times to get a true sense of our spiritual community.

We'd like to get to know you!

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