What do you get out of being a UU?

[9-10ths_Penguin]

For a while last year (I think it was last year...) I tried out my local UU congretation. I participated in the services, I generally tried as best as I knew how to get into it... but it never really did anything for me. I didn't feel that anything in the experience pushed me away, but nothing really drew me in either.

I know there are other atheists and agnostics here who are UU members and (presumably) do get something out of participating in the UU community; what is it? It's not just the social aspect of seeing your friends on Sunday morning, is it? Theists, non-theists or others: what do you get out of being a UU?

 

[Storm]

Community is the most important thing for me. UUs are marvelously welcoming, supportive, and compassionate. Since I joined them, I have thrived.

 

[Green Gaia]

Community, a liberal religious education for my kids with other children, are probably the two most important things to me and what I get from UU. There is a spiritual aspect as well, that yes, I could do on my own, but seems to be intensified with others.

 

[Storm]

Another thing I get out of being a UU is assistance in living my faith. Over the years, my theology has become very cerebral and difficult to put into practice. The covenental faith of UUism, along with the devotion to social justice work provides balance for me.

 

[Wolfscout1]

Community is the most important thing for me. UUs are marvelously welcoming, supportive, and compassionate. Since I joined them, I have thrived.

Community, a liberal religious education for my kids with other children, are probably the two most important things to me and what I get from UU. There is a spiritual aspect as well, that yes, I could do on my own, but seems to be intensified with others.

The two highlighted areas in previous posts sum up my connectedness with UU.
After nearly 25 years of being eclectic and studying and learning on my own.. I feel there is a need now for the community gathering , sharing and working with them on other issues. so yes,"the devotion to social justice work " will intensify with the UU for me I believe.

 

[lilithu]

Our latest motto sums it up for me: "(Come) nurture your spirit, (and) help heal our world."

Spiritual support and social justice together, and a community that shares those values - a community that both supports you when things are hard and holds you accountable when you start getting hard against others.

When I look at the secular social justice groups, and how often they degenerate into hatred against those who stand in our way as opposed to love and affirmation of our values, the contrast between them and liberal religious social justice groups is stark. The spiritual practice, praxis, of constantly holding up our values and assessing how well we're measuring up to them, makes all the difference for me.

 

[lilithu]

For a while last year (I think it was last year...) I tried out my local UU congretation. I participated in the services, I generally tried as best as I knew how to get into it... but it never really did anything for me. I didn't feel that anything in the experience pushed me away, but nothing really drew me in either.

I know there are other atheists and agnostics here who are UU members and (presumably) do get something out of participating in the UU community; what is it? It's not just the social aspect of seeing your friends on Sunday morning, is it? Theists, non-theists or others: what do you get out of being a UU?

9/10ths, assuming that you're still interested, have you stayed for coffee hour, talked with others, taken an Adult Religious Education Class, and/or signed up to volunteer for something? I'm not suggesting that you do all of those things, which would be overwhelming to a newcomer. But I am curious if you've tried a couple of them.

When I was only going to services, I was looking at "church" as more of a "finished product," presented to me on Sunday morning with the music and the sermon, etc. And my only relation to the congregation was whether or not I was inspired by something in the service. Frankly, at my first UU congregation, it wasn't all the inspiring. Like you said, there was nothing about it that offended me, but there was nothing that drew me in either. But then I started to get involved, joined the social justice group, took an RE class, chatted with others after service... that's when I began to see that "church" is not a finished product delivered to you on Sunday mornings. It's a communal process. It's relational. You get out of it what you put in. The answers of the UUs here will attest to that. But unless you've done things outside of just Sunday service, it occurred to me that our responses may not make a lot of sense.

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

For me, the UU experience is of community and shared spirituality. Not that any of us share a spirituality but rather we are able to share our spirituality without it being shared. Make sense? Also, I like teaching RE. It's great working with kids and seeing how they interpret religion and world events. In ways, its a real eye opener.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

9/10ths, assuming that you're still interested, have you stayed for coffee hour, talked with others, taken an Adult Religious Education Class, and/or signed up to volunteer for something? I'm not suggesting that you do all of those things, which would be overwhelming to a newcomer. But I am curious if you've tried a couple of them.

I'd stay for coffee hour and talk with people. I even made some goodies for the charity bake sale one Sunday.

Nobody ever mentioned that any sort of adult classes were available. They announced a few volunteer opportunities, but I didn't want to take any of them on unless I knew I was going to be sticking around.

When I was only going to services, I was looking at "church" as more of a "finished product," presented to me on Sunday morning with the music and the sermon, etc. And my only relation to the congregation was whether or not I was inspired by something in the service. Frankly, at my first UU congregation, it wasn't all the inspiring. Like you said, there was nothing about it that offended me, but there was nothing that drew me in either. But then I started to get involved, joined the social justice group, took an RE class, chatted with others after service... that's when I began to see that "church" is not a finished product delivered to you on Sunday mornings. It's a communal process. It's relational. You get out of it what you put in. The answers of the UUs here will attest to that. But unless you've done things outside of just Sunday service, it occurred to me that our responses may not make a lot of sense.

I don't think I approach a church as a "thing" that's presented to me on Sunday morning; my wife's on the finance council of her church, and while hers is Catholic, not UU, I have some idea through her of what goes on in a congregation behind the scenes and on days other than Sunday.

 

[lilithu]

I don't think I approach a church as a "thing" that's presented to me on Sunday morning; my wife's on the finance council of her church, and while hers is Catholic, not UU, I have some idea through her of what goes on in a congregation behind the scenes and on days other than Sunday.

Ah, ok. Before I joined a UU congregation I had never been a member of a church and had no idea what it entailed. I thought it was only about going to services on Sundays because that's what they show on tv.